Good Morning Essex! More Rain, Arthritic Dog Dies, Grillibrate!

Here are five things to get your day started in Essex:

1. The weather: We should see a high of about 89 degrees today, in spite of mostly cloudy skies and a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 11 a.m, according to the National Weather Service. There's a 50 percent chance of precipitation. Tonight's low will be about 73 degrees, with another chance of showers before 10 p.m.

2. From history.com's This Day in History: "On this day in 1984, 21-year-old Vanessa Williams gives up her Miss America title, the first resignation in the pageant's history, after Penthouse magazine announces plans to publish nude photos of the beauty queen in its September issue. Williams originally made history on September 17, 1983, when she became the first black woman to win the Miss America crown. Miss New Jersey, Suzette Charles, the first runner-up and also an African American, assumed Williams' tiara for the two months that remained of her reign."

3. Are you hoping to buy a house? Check out Nancy Stark's blog on Essex Patch that's chock full of tips on how to manage your finances and build a good credit score to help make that dream come true.

4. Did you happen to catch the picture of an arthritic dog sleeping while floating in the water, which helped sooth the pain in his joints enough to let him sleep? The picture of him being supported in the water by his owner, John Unger, while he slept with his head resting on his master's chest, went viral last year. This week, we got the sad news that Schoep, 20 has died.

5. Today is National Hot Dog Day! How do you plan to celebrate?