Welcome to Wednesday – now go pull up those campaign yard signs, please…

Weather: Rain ahead. Cloudy skies today with a 40 percent chance of showers in the afternoon, with highs near 70. More rain likely tonight with a 90 percent chance and lows in the upper 50s. Rain tapers off Thursday morning, with highs in the upper 60s.

West Blount gets its fire district, Locust Fork stays dry. The referendum to establish a fire district in and around Hayden with mandatory dues passed by a nearly 2-to-1 margin in Tuesday’s election. The new West Blount Fire District will charge annual dues, and replace the voluntary donation system that didn’t come close to covering the department’s financial needs. A referendum to allow legalized alcohol sales in Locust Fork failed, again by about a 2-to-1 margin, and Blount County Sheriff Loyd Arrington will retain his job after defeating independent challenger Ryan Fortenberry. In Jefferson County, the four county commissioners who had opposition all easily won re-election, and Sheriff Mike Hale prevailed over a tougher-than-expected challenge from Charles Anger. Republican Gov. Robert Bentley was a big winner over Democrat challenger Parker Griffith.

Senate swings red. Republicans took back control of the United States Senate in Tuesday’s mid-term vote, gaining at least seven seats in the chamber with another possible later in a Louisiana runoff. That gives the GOP at least 52 out of 100 seats, and means that Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) is out, likely to be replaced by Mitch McConnell (R-KY). Republicans also gained about a dozen seats in the House, where they will have their biggest majority since just after World War II. That combination spells trouble for President Barack Obama in his final two years in office; the backlash against him was seen by most political analysts as the main reason for the GOP “wave” election.

Sports: Blue Devils jump to sixth. The final Alabama Sports Writers Association high school football poll of the season is out, and Mortimer Jordan jumped two spots up to sixth in the Class 5A poll. The ranking is three places shy of the Devils’ highest placement this season, which ties an all-time record for the school. In Class 4A, Locust Fork got one solitary 10th-place vote.