Morning Edition - 7/13/05

Daylen in Hospital; Emergency Surgery
After several days of consistent crying, Evelyn C. opted to take Daylen in to the hospital last night. After careful inspection, doctors found Daylen had a hernia that required immediate repair. At press time, Daylen is undergoing a 1 ½ hour surgical procedure to repair the hernia. Recovery time is minimal, but like all surgical procedures on infants, the process is slightly riskier. Mom is extremely anxious this morning and the family is in serious prayer that everything goes well.

3-2-1; NASA We’re Ready
Two-and-a-half years after the Columbia space shuttle tragedy, crews are preparing for this afternoon’s launch of the space shuttle Discovery. The shuttle is set to blast-off at 3:51 p.m. today, but forecasters are predicting thunderstorms that may hamper the take-off. Discovery will have a crew of seven astronauts.

JAM, Oh JAM, JAM… Wilson JAM for Me
The new Woodrow Wilson Bridge, connecting DC to Virginia, is in the midst of an 11-year construction. This weekend, beginning at 8 p.m. Friday, officials say they will begin laying asphalt for the 12-lane bridge. This portion of the construction is not set to end until 5 a.m. Monday. Insiders are closely monitoring the weather and have said that officials are making a final decision on whether to take on this mammoth weekend task. The final go-ahead on the weekend closures would be made by 6 p.m. Friday – talk about last minute! With this weekend’s construction, delays can range from 90 minutes to 2 hours to cross the span. The new bridge is said to cost $2.43 billion and will handle over 200,000 vehicles per day.

Keep passin’ the open windows…