Morning Roundup: Pottery on tour edition

Good morning, Houston. So here's something cool to look forward to for the next two years: In mid-2009, 20 of the famed terra cotta warriors of Xi'an will be on display at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. The exhibition will run from May 18 to Sept. 25; until then, you can visit the local knockoff, which is quite impressive in its own right.

>> Early voting begins today: Harris County voters will be able to go to the polls beginning this morning for the May 12 joint election. Check out a list of early voting locations here (in a PDF) and a a sample ballot here — and go vote!

>> Illegal shortcut led to fiery crash: According to police, the tanker truck driver who was killed in a crash Friday morning at Highway 59 and I-10 was taking an illegal shortcut when his truck rolled on a sharp exit ramp. Luis Perez, the truck driver, had picked up a load of fuel from a northeast Houston pump station and was headed to a convenience store in Liberty County. He took Highway 59 into downtown, violating an ordinance that prohibits hazardous cargo on highways inside the Loop unless it's being delivered to an inner-Loop business, and lost control of his truck on the ramp from 59 to I-10 east, causing the vehicle to explode. "We don't know exact details, whether he was driving too fast. He could have fallen asleep. ... Maybe he was running late. I don't know," HPD Officer David Mireles said. "Maybe he figured it was midnight, there's no traffic, there's no danger to the public." The interchange where the wreck occurred will be closed for two months.

>> Whither federal park funding?: When Congress established the Land and Water Conservation Fund in 1964, it stipulated that $450 million be spent on parks each year — but just $30 million was spent last year, and President George W. Bush recommended the program be totally cut. That's not acceptable to city of Houston Parks Director Joe Turner, who is trying to get the parks funding restored. The last park the government helped Houston purchase was Herman Brown Park, in 1979; the last grant went to Montgomery County in 1987, Galveston County in 2002 and Fort Bend County in February (after a 21-year hiatus). Meanwhile, the area needs more parks, Turner said: "We're losing potential for all kinds of green space, just not the large parks. ... We need a lot more neighborhood parks." Amen.

>> This week's weather: Things should be pretty consistent this week, with temperatures in the low- to mid-80s and a chance of rain most days. Today, look for a high of 83 with partly cloudy skies and a 20 percent chance of storms; tonight, the temperature will drop into the upper 60s. Expect a greater rain chance tomorrow, letting up overnight; Wednesday should be dry, with rain moving back into the area at the end of the week.

Now, catch up on what's happening this morning: