Morning Roundup: Staring at the sun edition

Good morning, Houston. When we were little, Mother Houstonist was always warning us not to look at the sun. But now we actually have good reason to stare — in a way, at least — because yesterday, NASA released the first-ever 3-D images of our galactic lightbulb. The images could lead to better predictions of solar eruptions, which can affect power lines and communication on Earth — but all we're really interested in right now are the cool pictures. (Note: You'll need to dig out your 3-D glasses ... or build some.)

>> The Senate vs. HPV: The state Senate on Monday approved a bill that would overturn Gov. Rick Perry's order that all middle-school girls be vaccinated against HPV, a disease linked to cervical cancer. The bill, OK'd on a 30-1 vote, would prevent the vaccine from being required until 2011 — which Sen. Glenn Hegar (R-Katy) called a "resting period" for lawmakers to decide whether the vaccine should be state policy. The version of the bill the House passed has no expiration date, but Rep. Dennis Bonnen (R-Angleton), the sponsor of the House bill, said he agrees with the 2011 date. If the House approves it, the bill will go to Perry, who will have 10 days to sign or veto it.

>> Son of a gun: An eighth grader at Cook Middle School in Cy-Fair was removed from the campus Monday morning after an administrator found a gun in his locker. A fellow student told officials that the boy had the gun; though it was unloaded and no ammunition was found, the school took the incident very seriously. "I want to assure you that at Cook Middle School, we consider student safety as our number one priority," Principal Sherma L. Duck said in a statement. "I appreciate the cooperation of our student body in making us aware of this situation so we could take immediate action."

>> Dealing with the West U. menace: The West University City Council approved an ordinance last night that regulates the height of front porches on new houses, a change the city's Zoning and Planning Commission has been working on for two years. The measure is intended to keep porches and balconies from crowding the street — though it's not clear how the shorter porches will offset the effect of block after block of McMansions. One West U. resident and builder, Patsy Graham, said she will have to change the style of house she builds based on the ordinance: "I can't help but feel our style of homes is being attacked," Graham said. But planning board member Les Albin said the ordinance doesn't single out anything in particular: "We're not trying to target any specific homes or styles," he told the Chronicle.

>> Today's weather: The day begins with a slight chance of showers, but the rain chance will increase sharply after 1 p.m. Look for mostly cloudy skies, a high of 79 and a gusty south wind; overnight, the chance of rain will continue increasing, with some heavy showers moving into the area toward Wednesday morning.

Now, let the news be your umbrella ...