Welcome to a wet Wednesday…

Weather: Lots of rain. Showers and thunderstorms are in the forecast for today, mainly in the afternoon and evening. Some storms may bring high winds and small hail, but severe levels are not expected; we could see as much as two inches of rain, though. Highs will be in the upper 70s. Storms continue until late tonight, with lows don in the lower 50s. Thursday will see a few lingering showers and cooler temperatures, with highs in the middle 60s.

Emergency work. The Jefferson County Board of Education has put North Jefferson Middle School under a state-of-emergency declaration because of the damage sustained in the April 28 tornado. The declaration allows the board to skip the usual advertising process for bids, which will speed up the repair process. Deputy Supt. Yancy Morris told the board Tuesday that the school’s gym suffered heavy damage to the roof, which allowed heavy rains to then damage the gym floor beyond repair. Other damage to HVAC units was also sustained. Tuesday’s board meeting was also the first for new interim Supt. Bobby Neighbors, who officially went on the job Monday.

Back to regular order. The Kimberly City Council held its first regular session after the tornado, inside a council chamber still filled with tables and wall charts used by disaster relief personnel. The council discussed replacing its radio system for first responders with a digital system like that on loan from state and federal relief agencies; the system would cost more per radio, but would reach the farthest parts of the city without the need for repeater towers. No action was taken.

Sports: Trouble at the end. Mortimer Jordan golfer Garrett Johnson was sailing along pretty well in Tuesday’s second round of the AHSAA Class 5A Golf Championship in Prattville, until he took a bogey on the 16th hole and a double bogey on the last to drop to 3-over par 147 for the tournament. That still was good enough for second place in a four-way tie. Zac McCurdy of Fort Payne won th title, four strokes clear of Johnson with a 1-under 143.