River Hill Girls Soccer Rank 22nd; More Showers: Columbia Daily Connection

1. Weather >> The National Weather Service predicts it will rain through the night Thursday, and possibly continue Friday morning. Showers likely after 2 p.m.; the high is predicted to be 87, with wind 7 to 9 mph.

2. Sports Brief >> The River Hill girls soccer team, the two-time defending Howard County champions, and defending division 3A state champions, are ranked 22nd in the country in a preseason poll by Student Sports. 

3. Patch Tip >> Are you a fan of professional or high school sports? Do you talk with your friends and neighbors about rankings, stats and schedules? Consider blogging about your passion on Patch.

4. Howard County Fair Schedule >> The Howard County Fair wraps up this weekend, and Friday night is centered around entertainment. Richie Fields, a country singer, will take the stage from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.; and then Lone Mountain, a bluegrass and blues band, will play into the evening.

5. Kayaking the Patapsco >> With all the rain this past week, now is a great time to take a kayak or canoe on the normally low Patapsco River. While you may want to wait for the water to die down, check out these kayaking experts going through Patapsco River rapids in their kayaks.