It’s Friday, and the weekend is almost here…

Weather: Better. It’ll still be a little chilly as you head out the door today, but temperatures will warm up this afternoon, and push the low 80s by Sunday. Nighttime lows will be in the mid 50s tonight, moving up to 60 by Sunday. Storms will return Monday afternoon and evening.

Traffic: No delays are expected through the I-65 construction zone. Don’t forget the closure of I-20/59 northbound through Bessemer for a repaving project. For up-to-the-minute traffic, check out the ALDOT traffic cameras.

It’s a dud. The North Korean rocket launch yesterday went nowhere fast, literally. The rocket, which was ostensibly to be used to launch satellites, appears to have broken apart shortly after launch. The Obama administration still described the effort as “provocative.”

Democrat operative backtracks on Romney’s wife. Hillary Rosen, a Democrat strategist with ties to the Obama administration who commented on CNN that Ann Romney had “never worked a day in her life,” has apologized for remarks after catching massive blowback from both the GOP and fellow Democrats. Romney, wife of presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, is the mother of five sons and a survivor of both cancer and multiple sclerosis. Twitter was the favored medium for rebukes of Rosen, including tweets from First Lady Michelle Obama and from Jim Messina, Obama’s campaign manager.

Mayor says city is holding its own. Gardendale Mayor Othell Phillips told an audience at his annual state-of-the-city address that he was encouraged about the outlook for the city. He cited improvements in retail centers, particularly the center on Fieldstown Road that has been renamed The Village, which is being redeveloped to house several new tenants. Phillips also announced that he would seek re-election this fall.

Sports: Win and get wet. Bragg Middle School won the Jefferson County Schools Eighth Grade Baseball Championship on Thursday night by sweeping a doubleheader against North Jefferson Middle, and promptly celebrated by playing with sprinklers. Coach Joey Harp promised his team he would turn on the field’s sprinklers for play if they won, and he obliged despite chilly temperatures…. In varsity play, Mortimer Jordan shut out Hayden 3-0, but missed the playoffs after Walker beat Curry 2-0… Hueytown Defeated Gardendale 3-2 in nine innings…. Softball: Kristin Lange pitched a three-hit shutout as Gardendale beat Cullman 4-0… Boys soccer: Homewood blanked Gardendale 5-0.