Morning Briefing, June 23

Five Things to Know has a new name and a new look — welcome to Morning Briefing.

Today is Thursday, June 23, the 174th day of 2011.

HEADLINES

• US Judge: Florida Death Sentences Unconstitutional
• Most of Hillsborough County Commission Snubs Nose at GaYbor Days Celebration

TIDBITS

• On Wednesday, the City of Tampa and Tampa Homeowners, An Association of Neighborhoods (THAN) launched a Neighborhood Tree Watch Program to teach residents about protected species, spotting code violations involving trimming or removal of protected trees and education on pruning and planting.

EVENTS

• 10:30 a.m. , Wayne C. Papy Seminole Heights Athletic Center, 6925 N. Florida Ave. The Bits 'n' Pieces Puppet Theater presents this tale of a Japanese fisherman granted three wishes for releasing the magical fish he catches. After the show, make an origami fish puppet to take home. For ages 10 and younger.
• 3:30 p.m. , Seminole Heights Branch Library, 4711 N. Central Ave. Teens in grades 6 to 12 are invited to spend a Japanese-themed afternoon at the library. Watch anime, learn to write in kanji, participate in chopstick races, fold origami and more.
• 7:30 p.m. , American Legion Seminole Post 111, 6918 N. Florida Ave. Enjoy dancing to '50 to '70s hits, rock 'n' roll and Latin tunes.

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

MEETINGS

City of Tampa

• 9 a.m. Tampa City Council, 315 E. Kennedy Blvd. Here's the agenda.
• 12 p.m. ETCRP Housing Sub-Committee, 3101 N. 34th St.
• 3:30 p.m. ETCRP Public Safety Sub-Committee, 3808 N. 22nd St.
• 6:30 p.m. Historic Ybor Neighborhood Civic Association General Membership Meeting,  1301 E. 7th Ave.

Hillsborough County

• 10 a.m. Hillsborough County Anti-Bullying Advisory Committee, 9393 N. Florida Ave.
• 6:30 p.m. Parks, Recreation and Conservation Strategic Plan Presentation, 901 Sixth St. SE.

FORECAST

• Thursday: Scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 2 p.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near 92. Heat index values as high as 100. Southwest wind between 3 and 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
• Thursday Night: Scattered showers and thunderstorms before 2 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 76. West northwest wind between 4 and 7 mph becoming calm. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

POLLEN LEVEL

• Tree: No Activity
• Grass: Moderate
• Weed: Low

TODAY IN HISTORY

• In 1926, the College Board administered the first SAT exam.
• In 1942, the first victims of the gas chamber at Auschwitz are selected on a train full of Jewish people from Paris.
• In 1972, U.S. President Richard Nixon is taped talking about using the CIA to obstruct the FBI's investigation into the Watergate break-ins.

*Headlines compiled from Patch.com and other regional media outlets; Forecast and Pollen Level obtained from the National Weather Service and Weather.com; 'Today in History' items compiled from History.com, Wikipedia and other sources.