Morning Roundup: Intestinal fortitude edition

Good morning, Houston. We know what you're thinking this morning: "Sure," you're thinking, "this has been a pretty good week, but it would be way better if I got to walk through a giant model of the human colon!" Boy, are you in luck — a 25-foot interactive model of the colon will be at Ben Taub tomorrow. The Super Colon, as it's called, will be open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the hospital's entrance on Taub Loop. Why not pack a lunch?

>> Sounds like the councilmembers need relaxing massages: City Council members Wednesday approved tougher regulations for Houston's massage parlors, including a provision that such businesses close at 10 p.m. rather than staying open all night and another that requires all massage therapists to be certified. The measures target sexually oriented businesses that call themselves massage parlors, but some legitimate therapists are apparently up in arms: "One massage operator we talked to didn't know what to think," KTRK reported. Um, OK.

>> Surprise: A Houston woman has to find a new place to live after she was evicted from the home she's been renting for four months — because her landlord didn't actually own the house. The renter checked things out when she moved in and noticed that the landlord's name wasn't the same as that of the man who owned the house, but she thought it was a typo: "His name was very similar to the actual owner of the house's name, and you know when I went online and looked it up, I assumed it was him and I just assumed the county had misspelled it," she said. Not so, though, and now the woman's out $5,000.

>> Midtown street work moving along: The first phase of streetscape improvements to Elgin Avenue through Midtown is complete, and other similar projects are on the drawing board, the Midtown Management District board said. The second phase of Elgin work, between Main and Bagby, should get funding in the next 30 to 45 days, with funding set to be approved for Gray in 2009 and McGowen in 2010 or 2011. The work involves new sidewalks, landscaping, street trees, lamps, pavement and ADA ramps — and, of course, those bizarre bowl-shaped planters that now line Elgin east of Main. The improvements not only make the streets look spiffier, but should help pedestrians reach transit stops, officials said.

>> Today's weather: You guessed it — nice again. Patchy fog in the area will break up before long, leaving us with a mostly sunny day. Expect an afternoon high around 73 leading to a partly cloudy evening with a low of 54. More fog may roll in after midnight, but it'll dissipate again tomorrow morning.

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