Morning Briefing, August 8

Today is Monday, Aug. 8th, the 219th day of 2011.

HEADLINES

• For the newest stories and advice on fostering and adopting rescue pets, check out today's "" column at 9 a.m.
• Check out our "" column at 11 a.m. for attorney Jeremy T. Simon's tips and insights on how the court system works.

TIDBITS

• Tampa Fire Rescue will visit this kids' summer program at Wellswood Park at 10 a.m. this morning. Students will meet the fire fighters, explore the fire engine and learn about fire safety.
• The City of Tampa Department of Parks and Recreation is accepting registrations for the Fall Athletic League (adult softball, men's basketball, co-ed volleyball and co-ed kickball).

EVENTS

• 5:30 p.m. , 120 Gasparilla Plaza
• 7 p.m. , 900 N. Ashley Dr.

See Patch's Events Calendar for the rest of today's happenings.

MEETINGS

City of Tampa

• 1:30 p.m. Tampa City Council Special Call Session, 315 E. Kennedy Blvd.

Hillsborough County

• 8 a.m. ERP Evaluation Committee, 311 Pauls Dr., Brandon
• 9 a.m. Public Hearing, 601 E. Kennedy Blvd.
• 9 a.m. Code Enforcement Special Magistrate - Burglar Alarms, 601 E. Kennedy Blvd.
• 10 a.m. Emergency Medical Planning Council, 2711 E. Hanna Ave.
• 2 p.m. Planning Commission, 601 E. Kennedy Blvd.              
• 4 p.m. Environmental Lands Acquisition and Protection Program, 10119 Windhorst Rd.

FORECAST

• Monday: Scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly after noon. Mostly sunny, with a high near 93. Heat index values as high as 105. West wind between 8 and 14 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
• Monday Night: Isolated showers and thunderstorms before midnight. Partly cloudy, with a low around 80. West wind between 6 and 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

POLLEN LEVEL

• Tree: No Activity
• Grass: Medium
• Weed: Medium

*Headlines compiled from Patch.com and other regional media outlets; Forecast and Pollen Level obtained from the National Weather Service and Weather.com.