Morning Roundup: Smoke, smoke, smoke that cigarette edition

Good morning, Houston. Are you a smoker? Are you home from work today? According to a new report, smokers take an average of 11 more sick days each year than their nonsmoking colleagues — that's a 43 percent difference. Of course, the research was done in Sweden, which has some of the highest sick-leave rates in the world, and much of the time off could be traced to factors other than smoking-related illness — but still, it's something to think over while you're having your mid-morning smoke, right?

>> Man charged in bus shooting: Garrett William Mallot, a 24-year-old man, has been charged in the shooting death of Otis James Francis aboard a Metro bus on Wednesday morning. Mallot is accused of shooting Francis after Francis bumped into him while exiting the bus; the two apparently argued just before the shooting, but police haven't yet disclosed what they said.

>> Unemployment down: The Houston area has gained jobs in the past year, according to the Texas Workforce Commission: In February, 2.6 million people were employed in the metro area, as compared to 2.5 million in February 2006. It means the unemployment rate fell from 5.6 percent last February to 4.6 percent last month, which puts it more in line with the statewide unemployment rate of 4.5 percent.

>> She's no loan officer!: Police have accused Elvia Rosas Diaz, a 45-year-old Houston woman, of posing as a loan officer and stealing tens of thousands of dollars from unsuspecting customers. Diaz, who worked as a receptionist in a southeast Houston office, allegedly represented herself as a loan officer to some people and handled real estate transactions and got cash payments from them; in total, police say she made off with more than $30,000 from four victims, most of them undocumented Spanish-speaking immigrants.

>> This weekend's weather: There's a fair chance of rain today, but should be far better chances tomorrow and Sunday — something to look forward to, we guess, if you're a fan of rain. Today, look for clouds and a high around 80; tonight, we could see some storms and a low near 67. On Saturday, the forecast calls for a high in the mid-70s with a 60 percent chance of rain; Sunday, look for temperatures in the low 80s with a chance of storms in the morning.

Now, light up another cigarillo and check out the rest of this morning's news ...