Aug. 20: A Week and A Half To Go...

1. Week and a Half: As the scheduled opening of school in Johnston approaches (its Aug. 29, folks), be sure to follow our Back to School Guide for everything you'll need to know to get the kids ready. We've been getting lots of emails about the 2012-13 bus routes — and we're hoping to get them from First Student shortly. Stay tuned!

2. Get Ready: All Johnston students in kindergarten through eighth grade have been assigned summer reading and math packets to help them prep for the new school year. The packets include lists of books, which you can find at .

Find the downloadable files for your kids here:

3. Cooler: Mostly cloudy with cooler temps in the 70s during the day today. Overnight lows in the 60s. No rain on the horizen through at least the end of the week.

4. Say It on Patch: Do you consider yourself well-versed in, well, anything? We're on the lookout for bloggers who want to share their views on our site. Signing up is as easy as one click.

5. Whole Lotta Years: Those of us in a certain age bracket remember this guys more for singing with Led Zeppelin than with Alison Krause — Robert Plant turns 63 today. Also celebrating are Al Roker, Isaac Hayes, and RON PAUL.