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By Giselle Goodman July 22, 2008 09:30 AM

Sunrise Herald is the early morning news update feature at
pressherald.com. It is updated at 6, 7, 8 and 9 on weekdays.

Welcome to the Sunrise Herald with Giselle Goodman, the place to go to get the news from overnight and onward...
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IN THE WEATHER:

At 9 a.m., it was 70 degrees in downtown Portland.

This will be the brightest day of the week, once the patchy fog clears up. But until then, it will be gray and drizzly. The sun should visit us for a few hours during the afternoon, making it hot and muggy.

But, as usual, thunderstorms will develop near the dinner hour, some just showers, some more severe. But it's nothing compared to what is heading our way. As you can see by the radar map below, Maine is caught in the middle of a tempest to the east (Tropical Storm Cristobal) and a terror to the west.

From Bill in Rockland: Sixty-three degrees here at 5:30 a.m. under a bright blue sky and a light cleansing northerly wind. It's much much drier and a good deal more
comfortable than yesterday.

From Mark in Brunswick: Sixty-five degrees and a rather uncharacteristic blue sky up overhead. Right now, it looks like a beautiful day in store for today.

From James in Cape Elizabeth: Here in Cape Elizabeth, it is 64 at 6:15. We have a breeze and fog but the sun is trying to break through. Thankfully, yesterday's humidity has lessened, perhaps thanks to Big Papi's swings at Hadlock last night? Well, it sounds good!! Have a great day one and all!!

From Shawn in Yarmouth:It is 63 degrees here in Yarmouth. Cloudy and foggy with a light rain falling. There is no wind at all. Just plain sticky! I guess we needed all the rain, but it would be nice to have a couple days of sun so I can get my laundry hung outside and save the electricity.

ON THE ROAD:

• DOUGHTY BRIDGE (ROUTE 26/100) IN CUMBERLAND: Closed until July 29.
       The bridge needs to be replaced, and therefore the Maine Department of Transportation must close it to get the work done. The bridge is located .2 mile north of the intersection of Route 26 and 100 and the Range Road in Cumberland. Detours will be set up and traffic will be directed traffic around Blackstrap Road. The bridge is expected to reopen on July 29.

ON THE OCEAN:

Tropical Storm Cristobal is churning up the waters of the Atlantic Ocean pretty good, prompting the U.S. Coast Guard to issue a warning of high seas and strong winds.

Near where he's raging, off the coast (see radar map above) winds are at 55 knots and seas are up to 20 feet.

But on land, the Coast Guard is reminding boaters to secure their vessels. Swimmers also need to be wary. There will be big waves (fun) and strong rip currents (not fun) at the beach.

High tide in Portland at 2:39 p.m. Low tides: 8:24 a.m. and 8:39 p.m.

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THE NEWEST NEWS:

WILTON (AP) _ Another reticulated python has been found in Maine by happenstance, this time in Wilton.

Harley Burgess' shocking discovery Saturday of the 9-foot-long constrictor is the second of its kind in less than a week in Maine. Last Wednesday, a Gorham woman found a snake -- also identified as a reticulated python -- in her washing machine.

Burgess says he's still shaky when he thinks of the python which crawled out from the engine block. A friend noticed the animal slinking out and pointed it out to Wilton, who at first thought it was a loose muffler pipe.

The snake was eventually caught under his truck by a snake handler. He's had nightmares about the snake getting his grandson, who was with him the day the python was discovered.

Burgess has been searching for clues as to how the snake got loose in his truck. Reticulated pythons are illegal in Maine without a permit.

The one found in the washing machine, named May Tag (kidding) now lives at the Maine Wildlife Park in Gray. Maybe he will soon get a buddy. A buddy named Midas.

KITTERY -- A Maine-based Coast Guard cutter has seized 10,000 pounds of cocaine while on patrol in Caribbean waters and brought it to shore in Miami.

The Cutter Tahoma, home-ported in Kittery, found the cocaine while searching the 120-foot Honduran-flagged vessel Miss Dayanna, about 76 miles south of Pedro Bank, Jamaica, on June 26.

The seven crew members on the vessel were detained and handed over to the federal Drug Enforcement Administration.

The drugs seized by the Tahoma have a street value of more than $159 million.

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FALMOUTH -- Police here will be hosting a press conference at 10 a.m. to announce a major push in sobriety checkpoints on both the roadways and waterways of town.

The measure is part of a campaign to get drunk and suspended drivers off the road. And also out of the water.

Over the course of several weeks in Falmouth, OUI roadblocks and pull-overs on the water will be the norm. Police never reveal the time or place of a checkpoint.

On July 18 officers with the York County Sheriff's Office, Saco Police Department, Scarborough Police Department and the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office, conducted an OUI checkpoint on Route 1 at the Scarborough/Saco line.

From 9:30 p.m. until 1:30 a.m., 623 drivers were checked. Four people were charged with OUI. Also, summonses were issued for illegal transportation of alcohol by a minor and a minor in possession of alcohol.

Expect more of these during the summer from departments throughout the state.

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WESTBROOK -- New England Patriots Andre Tippett and John Hannah will appear at the "Mission Possible Teen Center" at noon today to promote community volunteerism. The event is free and open to the public; doors will open at 11:30 a.m.

The Mission Possible Teen Center was founded in 2006 by community members in response to rising youth drug and alcohol problems. In May, it received a $3,500 grant from the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation.

The center is located at 755 Main St.

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OXFORD, Maine (AP) _ NASCAR's Kevin Harvick decided to stay an extra day and his decision paid off as he raced to victory Monday night in the rain-delayed TD Banknorth 250.

There is a full report on the sports pages of today Portland Press Herald. Or you can visit pressherald.com using this link to read it online. There is also the cutest picture of David Ortiz at Hadlock Field. A must see.