At last, a chance to dry out. The National Weather Service is promising no rain

today. No rain Tuesday, either. But although it's supposed to be mostly sunny today, don't

expect temperatures to get back up to 80. We'll be lucky to hit 70, despite the sunshine. Low

tonight could be below 50. Tuesday isn't likely to be much warmer.

Rain returns to the forecast Wednesday afternoon and continues into Thursday, but there

shouldn't be a lot of rain. Highs in the mid-70s are expected both days. Nicest day of the

week is looking like Friday. The long-range outlook calls for sunny skies and a high around

80. Saturday and next Sunday, on the other hand, could be wet again. There's a chance of

showers and thunderstorms both days.

Getting out of downtown Buffalo via the

Kensington Expressway will be a little more complicated tonight and Tuesday night. At 8

both nights, the outbound lanes are being barricaded to accommodate nighttime construction

work, the state Department of Transportation reports. So off you'll go onto the Humboldt

Parkway exit. To get to the westbound Scajaquada Expressway, you'll be directed to go to the

Northland Avenue ramp. As for returning to the eastbound Kensington, no problem. Humboldt

leads directly to the East Delavan Avenue on-ramp.

The newly renovated emergency room at Erie

County Medical Center officially opens today. Among those on hand for the dedication

ceremonies at 1 p.m. will be Rep. Louise Slaughter, who brought in the $2.9 million grant that

helped finance the improvements, along with other updates to the hospital's Regional Adult

Trauma Center. How busy is ECMC's emergency room? The number of visits rose from 41,876 in

2000 to 58,492 last year.

We don't know anything about anyone in the

Democratic primary for state attorney general, but Congressman Brian Higgins does. He's

giving his endorsement to one of the five candidates at a news conference at 2:15 p.m. at the

Erie Canal Commercial Slip. His choice? Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice. The

leading vote-getter at the recent state Democratic convention and the first woman to be

elected a district attorney in Long Island history, she'll be on hand for the announcement.

P.S: Current Attorney General Andrew Cuomo favors her, too.

Back in court for sentencing today is 53-year-old Buffalo filmmaker David R.

Williams. Last month he pleaded guilty to second-degree grand larceny, admitting that he

embezzled nearly $266,000 over a period of more than three years from his employer, VWR

International, a Town of Tonawanda-based scientific equipment maker for schools and labs. Erie

County Judge Sheila A. DiTullio can impose a sentence ranging from probation up to 15 years in

state prison.

Williams used the money to help finance his films. He began his career as an actor in 1972

and continues with post-production work now under way on two films he wrote or co-wrote.

Williams is affiliated with Red Scream Films, which has produced a series of low-budget horror

movies, including "Prison of the Psychotic Damned" (2006), "Frightworld" (2006), "Red Scream

Vampyres" (2009) and "Terminal Descent" (2009).

Dallas Jessup is not much older than the

girls she'll present her self-defense program to at noon today in Albion High School. An

expert in martial arts, she'll show the five most dangerous situations teenagers encounter and

10 effective methods of defense. Dallas was only 14, a high school freshman in Portland, Ore.,

when she founded Just Yell Fire, a Web site to instruct young girls on how to defend against

sexual assault. She also made a film titled "Just Yell Fire," which demonstrated possible

dangers and the techniques that could be used for defense. She was nominated for a Teen Choice

Award for the video.

Singer-songwriter and guitarist Michelle

Malone, an Atlanta native, becomes the latest rootsy, bluesy musician to visit the Private

Party Series in the Sportsmen's Tavern, 326 Amherst St. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets

are $10. Described by one reviewer as "(churning) up those Southern roots with the vigor of

Lucinda Williams while embracing her inner Keith Richards," she's on tour with her latest

group, the Michelle Malone Banned, following up on the release of her 10th CD, "Debris."

If they had a valedictorian among the graduates

of Robby Takac's Music Is Art "Music In Action" program, it would be singer-songwriter

Grace Stumberg. She's got soulfulness, News Pop Music Critic Jeff Miers testifies, and she's

got considerable vocal power. All of that is on display in her debut CD, "To Whom It May

Concern." Helping her celebrate it at her CD release party at 7 p.m. in the Ninth Ward at

Babeville, 341 Delaware Ave., will be fellow singer-songwriters Dee Adams, Noa Bursie and

Cathy Carfagna. Tickets are $13, which includes a $3 donation to the Food Bank of Western New

York.

We first ran into Japanese-born documentary

filmmaker Yuichiro Yamada and his camera among the racks of Buffalo's fabled independent

record store, New World Record, just before it closed two years ago. Our chat turned up on the

first of what are now three films about life hereabouts from Yamada, who is working on his

master's degree in fine arts at the University at Buffalo. Hallwalls, in another part of the

Babeville church at 341 Delaware Ave., is screening all three at 7:30 p.m. -- "Irreplaceable,"

the one about New World; "Just Browsing," a film about the independent bookstore Talking

Leaves; and his latest effort, "Time to Dance," about the creation of a new dance piece for

UB's Zodiaque Dance Company. Tickets are $8, $6 for seniors and students, $5 for Hallwalls and

Talking Leaves members.

Raya Lee, storyteller, historian and retired

reference librarian, talks about one of her favorite subjects -- "Erie Canal: Glitz and

Glory" -- when she speaks at 7 p.m. in the North Tonawanda History Museum, 54 Webster St.,

North Tonawanda.

A few Hall of Famers will be in the game

today in the Jim Kelly Celebrity Golf Classic at Terry Hills Golf Course in Batavia. In

previous years, celebrity golfers have included football greats Dan Marino, Bruce Smith,

Thurman Thomas, Andre Reed, Darryl Talley, Steve Tasker and Fred Smerlas; former Sabre Rob

Ray; and ESPN's Chris Berman. The annual event has raised more than $3 million for local

charities since the retired Buffalo Bills quarterback, a Hall of Famer himself, started it in

1987.

Meanwhile, if you need a policeman, look no

further than the Erie County Sheriff's Police Benevolent Association Charity Golf

Tournament today at Fox Valley Country Club in Lancaster. About 140 local, county and

state law officers will be participating. Also an annual event, it won't be generating the big

money the Jim Kelly tournament brings in, but it is a significant fundraiser nonetheless,

expecting to bring about $5,000 to benefit Kids Escaping Drugs.

The Philadelphia Flyers and the Chicago

Blackhawks have the day off in their Stanley Cup final series. So do the Boston Celtics

and the Los Angeles Lakers in their quest to be champions of the NBA. But the world of sport

isn't entirely quiet. The Buffalo Bisons, who have been making lots of noise with their bats

since pitching phenom Stephen Strasburg stifled them Thursday, go for their fourth straight

win over the Norfolk Tides in a game that gets under way at 12:15 p.m. in Norfolk's Harbor

Park. Listen on WWKB 1520 AM. The Herd moves on to Durham on Tuesday and returns home Saturday

night.