Morning Briefing: Who's Going to the Council Meeting?

1. Weather: The National Weather Service expects the high temperature in Canton to reach 59 degrees today. Tonight's low will be around 43 degrees. No precipitation is expected today.

2. In Case You Missed It: Chief Robert Merchant of the Canton Police Department says there have been sweeping changes in the agency in the year since Jorelys Rivera's body was found. Read Merchant's comments and tell us if you think the department has changed for the better.

3. Happening Now: The sudden resignation of Sen. Chip Rogers (R-Woodstock) has set off a chain reaction of hopefuls to claim his seat and the seats abandoned by those wanting to fill Rogers' seat (confused yet?). So far, Brandon Beach and Sean Jerguson are slated to contest Rogers' District 21 seat, while Scot Turner is hoping to claim Jerguson's old house seat. The special election is tenatively scheduled for Jan. 8, 2013.

4. Looking Ahead: Tonight's Canton City Council meeting should be quite the interesting affair. If you are at all interested in the running of your local government, it would be a good idea to attend tonight's proceedings. Check out this preview article to find out why tonight's meeting will be so important.

5. On This Date in History: On Dec. 6, 1865, the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment formally abolished slavery in the United States, just eight months after the end of the Civil War.