Baseball Champs, Borders Discounts

1. You’d almost think it’s late July in Georgia with all the heat and humidity we’re seeing. This steamy Friday will see a high of about 92 and a heat index of 98, the National Weather Service says, with a 20 percent chance of afternoon storms. The overnight low will be about 74. We’re under a Code Orange smog alert.

2. The at at starts today. You can use Borders gift cards until the store closes, but Borders Bucks expire July 31. Borders Rewards Plus discounts still apply for now.

3. The 7-year-old Dizzy Dean baseball team out of Sandy Plains Park in Northeast Cobb has won a World Series championship, and the 12-year-old team from the East Marietta National Little League at Sewell Park will pursue a state championship this weekend. Return to East Cobb Patch later today for the details on those and other youth sports stories.

4. In case you missed the news late Thursday afternoon, the Georgia Department of Education released its annual preliminary report on Adequate Yearly Progress at public schools. The except in the Wheeler High cluster, where , and two elementary schools missed the federally mandated AYP goals.

5. Planning to get away to a lake this weekend or some other time before school starts again Aug. 15? Check out Patch’s Safe on the Lake page on Facebook before you go. The focus is on Lake Allatoona, but the information is useful wherever you and your family might hit the water. The goal is simple: We don’t want to see any more drownings this summer. The latest entry, courtesy of Acworth Patch, explains the value of wearing a life jacket while swimming.