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National Weather Service forecast

Good morning. If you are working in a place with TVs and computers, you will be surrounded by basketball today and tomorrow — and not getting much done. Enjoy the buzzer beaters of March Madness, quiz your friends about where Iona is (campuses in New Rochelle and Rockland, N.Y., but they play Ohio State today, so…) and try to tolerate all the chatter about whether the Zags can really stack up against The Bigs.

Weather: Highs in the upper 40s. Rain and snow showers, mostly before 11 a.m., then just rain showers. But you’re going to be watching basketball! The National Weather Service forecast.

Gonzaga: The Zags play Southern (hailing from Baton Rouge, for those who don’t know) today in Salt Lake City. Game starts at 1 p.m. on TBS. Check back at seattletimes.com for game coverage. “Will this Gonzaga team swim upstream against the thick expectations, or will it merely go play?” asks basketball reporter Bud Withers. Read his full pre-game analysis.

How would YOU balance the state budget? Think you can make decisions faster, deal with a budget shortfall of up to $1.3 billion better than your elected leaders in Olympia? Give our budget game a try. Decide where to add and where to cut: Medicaid? Health coverage? Teacher bonuses? Public safety? We lay out some very specific choices in our interactive feature. Do well enough sand maybe the politicians will look to you for advice. Before you dive in, check out our state government reporter Andrew Garber’s take on where the money situation stands.

Sacramento to announce arena details today: Check back for coverage of a financing plan — set to be revealed in Sacremento today –to try to keep the NBA Kings from relocating to Seattle.

Senate committee gives nod to Sally Jewell: The Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Ressources voted 19-3 this morning to approve the nomination of Sally Jewell, chief executive of REI, to be Interior secretary. A full Senate vote is expected soon, as Ken Salazar plans to leave the Interior job at the end of the month. According to The Associated Press, the committee vote came after Salazar agreed to review a decision blocking construction of a gravel road through a wildlife refuge to provide access to an all-weather airport in rural Alaska. Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska threatened to hold up Jewell’s nomination unless the Obama administration agreed to a land exchange that would allow the road.

Most-read stories on seattletimes.com:

1. Trade market for QB Matt Flynn might be drying up | Seahawks
2. NBA Kings: Sacramento officials scramble to catch up with Seattle
3. Grandson plotted slayings from prison, sources say
4. ‘Deep Throat’ co-star Harry Reems dies at 65
5. BYU ends Huskies’ season | NIT men

Memo Light: Dilbert | Scott Adams

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