Morning Roundup: News is our bag edition

Good morning, Houston. We're regular NPR listeners, and we enjoy it as much as the next guy when legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg gives us another thrilling reading of a Supreme Court transcript. Even so, we were a little surprised to hear an ad the other day for NPR's newest piece of merchandise, the limited-edition Nina Totin' Bag. Yes, it's what you'd think it is: a tote bag with Totenberg's mug on it (in, we might ad, a rather Warhol-esque repeating print). It's $25, and we assume that when it's gone, it's gone — so, you Totenheads, hurry up and place your orders! As for Houstonist, we'll wait for the Lakshmi Singh-a-long album. Thanks, ladies and gentlemen, we're here all week.

>> Flood watch extended: The upper-level low pressure system and lots of moisture will keep combining to keep the Houston area wet today. In fact, the National Weather Service has extended a flood watch for Harris County through this afternoon, with forecasts calling for between two and four inches of rain across the area this afternoon. Heavy rain will be scattered, but the already saturated ground could cause flooding where it hits: "Right now we're saturated, so it doesn't take a lot of rain to go into flood," Patrick Blood, a meteorologist with the NWS's League City office, said. "If you're in a flood-prone area, you need to be very vigilant and understand we might get these higher amounts." And if you're wondering when the rain will stop, well ... don't hold your breath. "There's no end in sight for wet weather," Blood said.

>> After the rain, mosquitoes: The Texas Department of State Health Services is warning Texans that we may have an onslaught of disease-carrying mosquitoes in the wake of recent rains. The biggest concern is West Nile virus, though only one in 250 people who are bitten by an infected mosquito actually contract the potentially fatal disease. Mosquitoes also carry St. Louis encephalitis, which can affect one in 800 kids bitten by an infected mosquito and could lead to coma and paralysis. Though the risk is lower than many people realize, officials say we're better safe that sorry — so we should use insect repellent, keep doors and windows closed and try not to stay outside between dusk and dawn, when mosquitoes are most active. "It sounds really simple, but this really is the best way to keep yourself safe," Carrie Williams, a spokeswoman for the Department of State Health Services, told the AP.

>> Today's weather: As we noted above, it's probably going to rain — there's a 70 percent chance of storms today, some of them potentially heavy. The chance of rain drops to 50 percent tonight, and will decrease (but not disappear) in the next few days. The good news is that all this rain is keeping the temperature relatively low: Look for a high around 83 today, with a low in the mid-70s tonight.

News? Check Aisle 9, between the aspirin and tampons ...