Deadly New Year's collision near Rochester, NY, venue being investigated as possible terrorism (abcnews.go.com)
Boston Light's Sally Snowman ending historic run as last Coast Guard lighthouse keeper in US (www.cbsnews.com)
It’s the final chapter for the keeper of Boston Light. When the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve, Sally Snowman’s 20 years at the helm will be over. She is the last Coast Guard lighthouse keeper in the United States....
California dazzled by ‘extremely rare’ killer whale sightings off southern coast (www.theguardian.com)
A group of 10 orcas has been seen leaping into the air to catch prey, delighting watchers and experts for the past two weeks...
Where Was the Israeli Military? (www.nytimes.com)
The full reasons behind the military’s slow response may take months to understand. The government has promised an inquiry. But a New York Times investigation found that Israel’s military was undermanned, out of position and so poorly organized that soldiers communicated in impromptu WhatsApp groups and relied on social...
Mckinsey to pay $78 million to settle lawsuit accusing it of helping fuel the opioid epidemic (themessenger.com)
U.S. health insurers and benefit plans alleged the consulting giant’s work for drug makers prompted them to pay for opioids instead of non-addictive and cheaper drugs...
As gun violence increases, a lack of trauma care in rural America puts millions at risk (www.nbcnews.com)
A crash course in treating trauma patients at smaller hospitals aims to save lives....
‘I feel like a criminal for quitting’: nurses in the US fight ‘stay or pay’ agreements (www.theguardian.com)
Filipino nurses for Ohio-based company say they have been forced to pay thousands in fees after signing training contracts...
US poised to see record drop in yearly homicides despite public concern over crime (abcnews.go.com)
Some hospitals reinstating mask requirements amid rise in COVID (thehill.com)
As COVID-19 and other respiratory infections rise across the country, some major health systems are bringing back mask requirements to stop the spread of infections....
Gas prices will fall in 2024 and Americans will spend $32 billion less on fuel, GasBuddy predicts (www.cnn.com)
EU to use COVID-19 mechanism to bypass Orbán's veto and provide Ukraine with €20 billion (english.nv.ua)
The European Union is preparing an alternative plan to provide Ukraine with EUR 20 billion (22.09 billion USD) in financial support to circumvent the veto of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, reported the Financial Times....
Haley declines to say slavery was cause of Civil War (www.politico.com)
The former South Carolina governor instead said it was a dispute over how ‘government was going to run.’...
California county urges residents to wear masks again as COVID-19, RSV levels spike (www.cbsnews.com)
The Times Sues OpenAI and Microsoft Over A.I. Use of Copyrighted Work (www.nytimes.com)
Millions of articles from The New York Times were used to train chatbots that now compete with it, the lawsuit said.
Sweden moves a step closer to NATO membership after Turkiye's parliamentary committee gives approval (www.ctvnews.ca)
The Turkish parliament’s foreign affairs committee gave its consent to Sweden’s bid to join NATO on Tuesday, drawing the previously non-aligned Nordic country closer to membership in the western military alliance....
Living with pets, others may slow the decline of cognitive skills in older adults: Study (abcnews.go.com)
A large British study suggests that living with others, whether another person, or even a pet, may slow down the decline in cognitive skills that tends to come as people age....
Stretched social safety net could see more strain in 2024 (www.nbcnews.com)
Funding for a variety of pandemic-era assistance programs ran out this year, leaving Americans with fewer resources to help cope with rising prices....
Rare and endangered okapi born at Cincinnati Zoo (www.cnn.com)
A member of a rare and endangered species related to the giraffe was recently born at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, according to zoo officials....
Chad votes in favour of new constitution backed by military rulers (www.aljazeera.com)
Ukraine Accuses Senior Defense Official of Embezzling $40 Million (www.nytimes.com)
The Ukrainian police have arrested a senior Defense Ministry official on suspicions that he embezzled nearly $40 million as part of a fraudulent purchase of artillery shells for Ukraine’s military....
At least 5 US-funded projects in Gaza are damaged or destroyed, but most are spared (apnews.com)
A Times Investigation Tracked Israel’s Use of One of Its Most Destructive Bombs in South Gaza (www.nytimes.com)
During the first six weeks of the war in Gaza, Israel routinely used one of its biggest and most destructive bombs in areas it designated safe for civilians, according to an analysis of visual evidence by The New York Times....
Homeless numbers in Los Angeles could surge again, even as thousands move to temporary shelter (apnews.com)
International astronaut will be invited on future NASA moon landing (apnews.com)
An international astronaut will join U.S. astronauts on the moon by decade’s end under an agreement announced Wednesday by NASA and the White House....
Los Angeles Orders More Residential Hotels to Stop Renting to Tourists (www.propublica.org)
Twenty-one hotels have been cited so far. If the citations are enforced and upheld in court, hundreds of rooms could be turned back into low-cost permanent housing for the city’s poorest residents....
