NJN/am for Thursday, May 10

Published 5:50 am Thursday, May 10, 2012

A good Thursday morning to you….

Weather: Beauty, eh? The cold front has come through, leaving us with a beautiful day ahead. It will be sunny and pleasant with highs in the upper 70s and lows in the lower 50s. More of the same for Friday; scattered storms return Saturday.

Traffic: Nothing out of the ordinary on I-65 through the Corridor X construction today, but ALDOT plans more blasting and another rolling roadblock for Friday afternoon. It’s the usual deal: northbound lane, starting at Spaghetti Junction at about 1:30 p.m. Traffic on U.S. 31 south of the exit with I-65 in Fultondale will be affected, too.

Immigration law withstands repeal vote. The controversial Alabama immigration law is still in place, after a vote in the State Senate to repeal the law failed on a party-line vote. The bill, pushed in the last session by Gardendale Sen. Scott Beason (R), is undergoing some changes in this legislative session. The House has already passed its own revisions, while Beason Himself has a substitute bill that will be debated over the next few days.

Obama changes stance. President Obama changed his position on gay marriage Wednesday, saying that he now supports its legalization. Obama’s change came one day after voters in North Carolina — a key swing state in the upcoming election — overwhelmingly approved a state constitution amendment that defines marriage as being between one man and one woman. Religious leaders from the Roman Catholic Church and the Southern Baptist Convention slammed the president on moral grounds, while presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney reaffirmed his strong opposition to gay marriage.

Sports: The post-season resumes Friday morning for high school softball, as the North Central Regional begins at Liberty Park in Vestavia Hills Games start at 8 a.m., and we’ll be there to provide coverage throughout the day at njeffersonnews.com and on Facebook…. Baseball: Tim Hudson pitched well but got no offensive support at all, as the Braves lost to the Cubs 1-0 at Wrigley… Basketball: LeBron James scored 29 points as the Miami Heat knocked the New York Knicks out of the NBA playoffs with a 106-94 victory. The Memphis Grizzlies stayed alive in their series with a 92-80 win over the Los Angeles Clippers, who lead the series 3-2…. Hockey: Brian Holtby was big n goal with 30 saves, as the Washington Capitals won 2-1 to force a Game 7 in their series with the New York Rangers. Alex Ovechkin and Jason Chimera scored for the Caps, Marian Gaborik got the lone goal for New York.