Morning Roundup: Hazy Shade of Winter edition

Good morning, Houston. Isn't it a letdown knowing that there's not even the remotest possibility of ice-related mayhem this morning? It looks like the worst of the arctic weather is over and we're now headed into a very, very slow warm-up. But we have a question: Can't we get just one sunny day? Is that too much to ask?

>> Hurtt on the hot seat: Houstonians packed a town hall meeting yesterday to discuss the Jan. 8 death of Robert McIntosh, who was shot to death by police. HPD says he was shot after he Tasered a cop, but witnesses reportedly say McIntosh was handcuffed. In the end, an expert said, science will win: McIntosh's body will be examined to tell the real story.

>> Mayors: Border fence unlikely: Will the infamous hella long fence ever be built along the U.S.-Mexico border? Not likely, said mayors of Texas border cities who met with Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff yesterday. Chertoff's response: It could be a real fence in some places, a virtual fence in others. But in any case, "we need more boots on the ground," he said. [Chronicle]

>> Ice? What ice?: Remember how TxDOT sprayed local roads with a magnesium chloride solution to keep them from getting icy this week? A few hours later, many of those roads iced over anyway. So that means the stuff doesn't work, right? Well, uh ... maybe. [KHOU]

>> Today's weather: The good news: It's not raining much. The bad news: It's cloudy and drizzly, and it looks like it might be for a while yet. Temperatures will actually make it into the low 40s today, with an increasing chance of showers as the afternoon goes on. That persistent north wind will still be around, too, but not as bad — which means wind chills will hover around a balmy 38. It almost makes us wish for summer. Almost.

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