Happy Hump Day to you…

Weather: A little chilly, a little breezy. It will be sunny today, but highs will only reach the middle 50s. Lows tonight will head down to the upper 20s. A warming trend begins Thursday, as highs get into the 60s; they will hit the 70s by the weekend.

No pope yet. The first ballot yesterday and another early today resulted in black smoke rising from the Sistine Chapel chimney at the Vatican, signifying that the conclave of cardinals has yet to reach the required two-thirds majority to elect a new pope. They’ll try at least two more ballots later today.

“We’re alive and well.” So says Mika Marcum, the pastor of Fultondale First Baptist Church. The congregation has just finished renovations to its former gymnasium, now a children’s wing, that came about after the building was damaged in the April 2013 tornado. The church has nearly doubled in attendance since Marcum came on board, adding a second worship service on Sundays, and more renovations are scheduled to be completed soon.

Sports: Hat trick time. Gardendale’s soccer teams got a pair of three-goal efforts Tuesday night, from Sabrina Knight on the girls’ side and Hunter Chapman for the boys as the Rockets split their matches with Clay-Chalkville. The boys won 6-1, bringing their record to 6-6 going into spring break, while the girls dropped a 4-3 decision. Tonight, it’s a battle of Class 5A powers as Homewood travels to Pinson Valley… Softball: Mortimer Jordan showed no mercy over Walker, destroying the Vikings 16-0 in three innings. Bailey Murphy gave up one hit in two innings work, and also smashed a home run. Elsewhere, Locust Fork knocked off 10th-ranked Oneonta 7-2… Baseball: Thorsby edged Corner 1-0, scoring on a pair of errors; No. 10 Homewood downed Mortimer Jordan 6-1; and Gardendale at Shades Valley was called off because of a wet field. Tonight, the Rockets and Pinson face off in the rain-delayed Jefferson County Schools Tournament championship at Birmingham-Southern.