Get Tested, or Test Government

1. We seem to be stuck in a pattern of high heat and bursts of intense thunderstorms, otherwise known as summer. The variation on the pattern today is that rain could come any time during the day, according to the National Weather Service. There’s a 50 percent chance of rain today, when the high will hit 93 or so. Overnight, the low will be about 71, and there’s a 30 percent chance of rain.

2. The East Cobb Library has programs to start and end your day. At 10:15 this morning, it’s Itsy Bitsy Babies, 30 minutes of music, bouncing, rhymes and a story for some of the library’s youngest patrons. At 6 p.m., it’s the Family PJ Flick, when the whole family can unwind with a free movie. Call 770-209-2730 for more information.

3. For more grown-up fun, the Cobb County Board of Commissioners is meeting at 9 a.m. at 100 Cherokee St. in Marietta to set the agenda for Tuesday’s 1:30 p.m. work session and 7 p.m. meeting. The Planning Commission is holding a work session at 1:30 p.m. at 1150 Powder Springs Rd., Marietta. And if those meetings don’t satisfy your hunger for local government, the county’s Transit Advisory Board meets at 6:30 p.m. at 463 Commerce Park Dr., Suite 114, Marietta.

4. Speaking of local government, Thursday night’s Cobb Board of Education meeting was the finale for Superintendent Fred Sanderson; you can read what he had to say and what others said to him in an article at East Cobb Patch at 9 this morning. At 1 p.m., columnist Tim Langley will deliver a simple message to all Cobb leaders: It’s time to lead.

5. Today is National HIV Testing Day, organized by the National Association of People with AIDS. If knowledge is power, knowing your HIV status empowers you to act to stay healthy or to get the treatment you need. Someone Cares and Cobb & Douglas Public Health are partnering to offer free rapid-result HIV tests from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the health department office at 1650 County Service Pkwy. in Marietta. Check out the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s testing resources site for more testing options.