Morning Roundup: Getting kinkier edition

Good morning, Houston. If you'd like a little more Kinky in your life, you may be in luck. Erstwhile gubernatorial candidate and the bane of Chris Bell's existence Kinky Friedman said he might make another run for the office in 2010. This time, though, he's thinking about losing the independent label and running as a Democrat. Consultant Kelly Fero said, "They're going to be looking for real serious, legitimate candidates. Kinky should throw his cigar in the ring if he thinks he fits that profile." We'll let you connect those dots.

>> Teen charged with murder: The teenager who was responsible for the deaths of four other young people in a SUV-train crash in June has been arrested and charged with felony murder in the deaths of his friends. Bobby Davis, 15, was arrested at his home yesterday afternoon and will have a hearing today. Apparently, the accident happened after the boy had stolen two cars that evening, but authorities have ruled out the possibility that he or any of the other joyriders were intoxicated. Davis' attorney has already pointed to the fact that the railroad crossing was poorly marked in order to shift the blame from his client. That kind of talk has sparked controversy before, and we'll be interested to see how that defense holds up in court.

>>HISD sends bond plan to the ballot: An $805 million bond plan that includes a tax hike and the closing or consolidating of 20 HISD campuses will be sent to voters in November. The HISD school board voted 8-1 to send the proposal, which includes a tax hike of 3 cents, to the ballot. he money will be used to build and repair schools in the district. That includes a sizable chunk for safety upgrades, some for new science labs, improved athletic stadia, and a lot for twenty-two new campuses and 133 schools that are slated for repairs. The board is facing criticism for not involving parents and community leaders in their decision-making, although nothing is set in stone yet. They have promised six public hearings, the first of which will go down on August 16, before the plan goes to voters.

>> This weekend's weather: Surprise: it'll be real hot all weekend. Today will be sunny to boot, but clouds and chances of isolated thunderstorms will move in on Saturday. Temperatures won't be going down anytime soon though. The weather is here, wish you were beautiful.

Grab your coffee and get cozy with some headlines.