Power failures amplify calls for utility to rethink gas
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A federal utility’s decision to resort to rolling blackouts after coal and natural gas units went offline during dangerously cold conditions has intensified questions about the Tennessee Valley Authority’s recent decision to double down on fossil fuels.
New York OKs human composting law; 6th state in US to do so
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Howard Fischer, a 63-year old investor living north of New York City, has a wish for when he dies. He wants his remains to be placed in a vessel, broken down by tiny microbes and composted into rich, fertile soil.
NKorea’s Kim orders ‘exponential’ expansion of nuke arsenal
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered the “exponential” expansion of his country’s nuclear arsenal, the development of a more powerful intercontinental ballistic missile and the launch of its first spy satellite, state media reported Sunday, after he entered 2023 with another weapons firing following a record number of testing activities last year.
Time zone by time zone, another new year sweeps into view
NEW YORK (AP) — New Year’s celebrations swept across the globe, ushering in 2023 with countdowns and fireworks — and marking an end to a year that brought war in Europe, a new chapter in the British monarchy and global worries over inflation.
Real snowbird in Southern California? Snowy owl to be exact
CYPRESS, Calif. (AP) — Snowbirds are a common sight in Southern California in wintertime — except when they’re actually a bird. A snowy owl to be exact.
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to $785M after no big winner
The first Mega Millions drawing of the new year will be a big one as no one won Friday night’s estimated $685 million jackpot.
Benedict XVI, first pope to resign in 600 years, dies at 95
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, the shy German theologian who tried to reawaken Christianity in a secularized Europe but will forever be remembered as the first pontiff in 600 years to resign from the job, died Saturday. He was 95.
New smoking ban starts at Miami Beach parks and beaches
Starting New Year’s Day, you can still wear bikinis on the beaches of Miami Beach, but forget about showing any butts — cigarette butts, that is.
US Census Bureau redefines meaning of ‘urban’ America
More than 1,100 cities, towns and villages in the U.S. lost their status as urban areas on Thursday as the U.S. Census Bureau released a new list of places considered urban based on revised criteria.
Biden pardons 6 convicted of murder, drug, alcohol crimes
KINGSHILL, U.S. Virgin Islands (AP) — President Joe Biden has pardoned six people who have served out sentences after convictions on a murder charge and drug- and alcohol-related crimes, including an 80-year-old woman convicted of killing her abusive husband about a half-century ago and a man who pleaded guilty to using a telephone for a cocaine transaction in the 1970s.
