NJN/am for Wednesday, June 12
It’s Wednesday, so let’s jump the hump…
Weather: Just plain hot. We’ll see our highest temperatures of the year today, as highs will top out in the middle 90s. Nighttime lows will stay in the middle 70s. Scattered thunderstorms will pop up Thursday, but temps will still be hot.
Alleged arsonist goes on trial. Prosecution testimony began Tuesday in the trial of Curtis Thornton, the Warrior man charged with setting fire to homes in the Dana Road neighborhood where he lives, as well as to houses in Ensley while serving as a Birmingham Police officer. A detective and a sergeant from Warrior’s police testified about Thornton’s involvement in the Dana Road fires, while Thornton’s ex-fiancée told jurors that she became suspicious when a stack of newspapers under her house was set on fire. The trial continues today in Jefferson County Circuit Court.
Welcome, comrade? NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden may seek political asylum in Russia, according to the British newspaper The Guardian. A spokesman for President Vladimir Putin said Russia would consider such a request if Snowden submitted it. Snowden is believed to still be in Hong Kong, changing hotels to stay a step ahead of U.S. investigators.
Sports: Spurs are bold, Heat goes cold. Ever hear of Danny Green or Chris Neal? We didn’t think so, but the Miami Heat are very familiar with the two subs for the Spurs after they played key roles in San Antonio’s 113-77 blowout in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. Green hit seven 3-pointers and Neal hit six, as the Spurs knocked down a Finals-record 16 baskets from behind the arc. San Antonio leads the best-of-seven series, two games to one… Soccer: The United States has all but assured itself of a spot in next year’s FIFA World Cup in Brazil, thanks to a 2-0 win over Panama before a raucous sellout crowd in Seattle. Jozy Altidore scored in the first half to run his goal-scoring streak to three matches, while Eddie Johnson of the hometown Seattle Sounders of Major League Soccer added a goal in the second half. The Americans now sit atop the six-team qualifying standings; the top three move on to the World Cup.