Morning Roundup: Showers and sniffles edition

Good morning, Houston. Does all this rain make you feel like crap? There may be a medical reason: It's called non-allergic rhinitis, and it can be triggered by changes in air pressure — you know, the kind that accompany bad weather. Rhinitis symptoms are a lot like those that come with allergies: congestion, sinus pressure and post-nasal drip. Decongestants, saline washes and nasal sprays can help, but the only thing that'll really make you feel better is good weather. And we will have good weather again ... sometime ... won't we?

>> State changes I-45 closure plan: TxDOT has decided to drastically reduce the time the Gulf Freeway will be shut down for construction in the coming weeks after complaints from Galveston business owners. The original plan called for the freeway to be shut down at NASA Road 1 for six weekends to allow for construction on an interchange; now, the road will be closed for less than 24 hours this weekend, and all other weekend construction scheduled for this summer has been canceled. "I'm sure it has to do with Galveston businesses being very anxious to have benefits before the end of the summer," TxDOT spokesman Norm Wigington said. "We try to be good neighbors." As for this weekend, when the freeway will be closed between Friday night and Saturday morning, Wigington advised people going to or from Galveston to use highways 3, 6 or 146 to avoid delays.

>> Robberies, close to home: Afton Oaks residents are concerned after a pair of driveway robberies in their neighborhood over the weekend. One victim was robbed as he returned home from the airport Saturday; his driver was taking his bags out of the car's trunk when two men approached them and demanded their money. "[They were] waving guns in our face, yelling as us to give them their money or they'd kill us," the man said. A couple was also robbed in their driveway in Afton Oaks on Saturday, which prompted a neighborhoodwide alert. "As a neighborhood, what we have to be concerned with is how to make our area less attractive, less safe for them and safer for us," a victim said.

>> Houston to get $14.6M in emergency funds: Houston will receive $14.6 million in federal grant money that will help first responders improve their emergency communication systems — money that will help correct communication problems that came to light after 9/11. "Achieving interoperable communications is a major priority for our department and should be a priority for every community across our nation," Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said. "These grants will help states and cities purchase equipment, conduct training and exercises, and develop effective interoperable communications plans to get this important job done." The Houston grant is part of $65 million earmarked for Texas, the largest amount allotted to any state other than California.

>> Today's weather: If you're the kind of person who appreciates patterns, you must be pretty happy these days: The pattern is rain, rain, rain. And today won't be a let-down, with a 70 percent chance of storms and a high around 87. Overnight, look for a low in the mid-70s with a 30 percent chance of showers.

Combat the rainy day blues with some headlines ...