Morning Roundup: Mailbot edition

Good morning, Houston. If there's one robot we've always been crazy about, it's the lovable R2-D2, veteran of all six Star Wars movies. And we're not the only people who like the little guy: This month, about 400 public mailboxes will be covered to look like R2-D2 to coincide with the release of a stamp marking the 30th anniversary of the original Star Wars. The USPS has even rolled out a flashy website as part of the promotion — seriously, we haven't had this much fun with the mail since we sent off for our X-Ray Specs.

>> Angus in the outfield: As part of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, Angus cattle from 31 ranches across the U.S. were auctioned Thursday at Minute Maid Park. The Grand Slam Genetics Angus Sale — during which cows were displayed on the right field warning track — was, not surprisingly, the first cattle auction in the ballpark's history. And no, the cows sold in the auction won't be slaughtered: They'll be used as seed stock for genetic herds, so it's actually their descendants we'll be eating. A1, anyone?

>> Wrong way: A 9-year-old South Houston girl was injured Thursday evening when a car crashed into her family's house. Initial reports indicated that the driver, a 53-year-old woman, careened through two yards before plowing into the house; Joenia Saenz, the injured girl, was Life Flighted to Memorial Hermann, where she's in stable condition. Police say the driver has a pending intoxicated assault charge.

>> From dropout to doctor: Daniel Williams, who dropped out of high school as a senior, has come a long way: Now he's graduating from medical school. Williams joined the Army after leaving school and ended up giving vaccinations, which sparked an interest in medicine; he got an associate's degree while he was in the service, and once he was out, he finished college and went to the UT-Houston Medical School. "From the hard work and training in the Army, going to college was really pretty easy," he said.

>> This weekend's weather: Put all this week's nastiness behind you — it looks like we're headed for one of those perfect spring weekends. Expect partly cloudy skies this afternoon with a high of 71, and an overnight low of 49. On Saturday, we should have plenty of sunshine and a high around 70; Sunday, clouds may move back in and the temperature should reach 72 (both weekend nights, look for a low near 50).

Before you head outside, though, check out these headlines ...