NJN/am for Tuesday, August 12
It’s Tuesday, and the world mourns the loss of one of its funniest men…
Weather: Rain winds down. We’ll have one more shot at scattered showers and perhaps some thunderstorms this afternoon, with highs in the upper 80s. Rain chances are 30 percent. Tonight the rain ends with lows in the middle 60s. Wednesday will see sunny skies with a bit of a breeze and highs in the upper 80s.
So long, Mork, and Mrs. Doubtfire too. Comedian and actor Robin Williams died Monday afternoon at his Marin County, Calif. home, in what police are describing as a suicide. Williams broke into the spotlight with his role as an alien visiting earth in the 1970s TV sitcom “Mork & Mindy,” then went on to acclaim in movies such as “Good Morning, Vietnam,” “Dead Poets Society,” “Mrs. Doubtfire” and “Good Will Hunting”; he won an Oscar for best supporting actor in the latter. His most recent television series, “The Crazy Ones,” was cancelled after just one season. A statement from Williams’ publicist indicated the actor had battled severe depression recently. Williams has long battled addictions to drugs and alcohol, with several rehab stints. Robin McLaurin Williams was 63.
Former Pinson Valley standout in court. Earnest Robinson, a former Under Armour prep All-American and one of the top wide receiver prospects in the class of 2013, faces a preliminary hearing in Jefferson County District Court today on charges of first-degree robbery. Robinson, who signed with Auburn but never played there because of academic problems, played with East Mississippi Community College last year; that team that won a national junior college championship. Robinson and two others were arrested in May for a robbery incident in Birmingham’s Crestwood neighborhood.
Sports: Stewart cancels Indiana dirt race. Tony Stewart, who was involved in an incident at an upstate New York dirt track where the rear tire of his car struck and killed driver Kevin Ward Jr., has decided to skip a scheduled appearance at Plymouth Speedway in Indiana. The race, to be held on the Saturday night before the NASCAR Sprint Cup race in Brooklyn, Michigan, was to be yet another dirt-track guest appearance that has long been a staple of Stewart’s racing career. As of Monday night, he was still entered in the NASCAR race for Sunday. Meanwhile, the Ontario County, N.Y. sheriff said Monday that the investigation into Ward’s death was still ongoing, but that no criminal charges were anticipated at that time.