Grumpy Editor

PANDEMIC CONTRIBUTES TO COMEBACK OF VINYL RECORDS

 

Vinyl records, popular years ago, are making a comeback, notes Grumpy Editor.

 

Aiding in the revival is the pandemic with music lovers at home listening to favorite tunes.

 

Vinyl record sales last year jumped 29 percent to $626 million, surpassing compact disc sales revenue, according to the Record Industry Association of America.

 

Such activity is putting smiles on faces of owners of about 1,400 record stores around the nation.  And new record stores are opening.

 

The first commercially available long-playing record, designed for playback at 33 1/3 rpm, was introduced by RCA Victor in 1931.

 

 

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ALLIGATOR VISITS POST OFFICE.  The post office in Spring Hill, Florida, has an unusual early morning visitor — a seven-foot alligator roaming around the lobby, obviously looking for something better tasting than stamps.

 

U.S. TV ANCHORS IN GENEVA.  In Geneva to cover President Biden’s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin are network anchors:  ABC’s David Muir, CBS’s Norah O’Donnell and NBC’s Lester Holt.  

 

BRIEFING ROOM BACK TO NORMAL.  The White House’s James S. Brady Press Briefing Room is back to 100 pewrcent capacity with all 49 assigned seats filled— plus with people standing in the aisles.

 

NURSE WHO INSPIRED TV SHOW DIES.  Cathy Drake, a Korean War nurse who worked in the operating room and was the inspiratiion for the TV show M*A*S*H, dies at 96 in Evansville, Indiana.

 

AMERICAN AIRLINES DROPS IN-FLIGHT MAGAZINE.  American Airlines is dropping its in-flight magazine, oldest continuously published magazine in the airline industry, dating to 1966.

 

IBM U.S. EMPLOYEES BACK IN OFFICES IN SEPTEMBER.  International Business Machines Corp. tells U.S. employees they will be going back to work at company offices the week of Sept. 7, citing, "improving U.S. clinical conditions and broad access to Covid-19 vaccines” for the company’s decision.

RUSSIAN SAILORS RESCUE DOG IN ARCTIC.  A dog is rescued by Russian sailors after wandering through the Arctic ice for more than a week. 

FRENZIED HOUSING MARKET MAKES HOMEOWNERS AFRAID TO SELL

The housing market may be hot right now but some homeowners are afraid to sell, notes Grumpy Editor.

 

As The Wall Street Journal points out:  “Plenty of households could sell their homes for a big profit, but then they would have to find a new place to live.”

 

It adds that “many are unwilling to compete in this frenzied market, where they could be subjected to fierce and costly bidding wars.”

Fear of failing to find a new home is a key reason people are staying in their current residences longer than in earlier days.

 

Young families seeking to trade up fear being priced out of the neighborhoods.

 

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D-DAY OBSERVANCE QUIET.  Observance of D-Day, when 150,000 Allied soldiers landed on Nazi-occupied Normandy shore on June 6, 1944, sadly went by rather quietly this year.

 

LOOK FOR BUSY HURRICANE SEASON.  The 2021 Atlantic hurricane season is expected to be a busy year as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasts above-average activity, with up to 10 hurricanes and up to five major storms.

 

POSTAGE STAMP AUCTION GRABS ATTENTION.  “One-Cent Magenta,” as the 1856 postage stamp from British Guiana is called, that sold for nearly $10 million in 2014, goes on auction tomorrow in New York where it is expected to sell for as much as $15 million.

 

DOGS WELCOMED AT VEGAS STRIP CASINO.  Las Vegas Strip hotel Encore at Wynn now welcomes canine clientele with a luxury dog-friendly resort program. A room or suite accommodates up to two canine guests that are offered exclusive amenities ranging from chow to clothing.

 

SHRINKFLATION SPREADS.  “Shrinkflation” is a new term being used to describe companies charging the same amount for a product in a smaller package, such as smaller cans.

 MOTOR VEHICLE CRASHES MOUNT.  More than 38,600 people died in motor vehicle crashes in the U.S. last year, estimates the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.  That’s the highest number of fatalities in more than a decade.

 THE SHOW MUST GO ON.  In India, a bride-to-be dies of a heart attack during a wedding ceremony.  So her sister fills in and marries the groom --- with the sister’s body in a nearby room.

 

MAJOR BLAZE HITS UNIVERSAL STUDIOS LOT.  Exactly 13 years after a major blaze on its lot, Universal Studios in Hollywood encounters another huge fire --- at the “Despicable Me” attraction under construction.

 

FLAG STEALERS BEING SOUGHT.  Police are seeking the culprits who stole a huge American flag and several smaller flags from a Southern California veterans cemetery over the Memorial Day weekend.

 

 LONDON POLICE SEIZE $7 MILLION.  London's Metropolitan Police seize $7 million in cash --  largest amount ever taken by the capital's police force -- after noticing a man struggling to carry bags stashed full of money.

 

 

 

MEMORIAL DAY HONORS, MOURNS MILITARY PERSONNEL

 

Memorial Day today may be a pleasant time to relax and be with family and friends, but it's also a solemn time of remembrance, reminds Grumpy Editor.

 

The federal holiday honors and mourns military personnel who have died in the performance of military duties while serving in the United States Armed Forces. 

 

From the Memorial Day Foundation (its mission is to increase awareness and respect for Memorial Day) here are a few customs aimed at honoring fallen service members:

• Fly the U.S. flag at half-staff until noon
• Observe a moment of silence at 3 p.m. local time
• Place flags or flowers on veterans' graves

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OSCARS SLATED FOR MARCH.  After a year of disruption, look for Hollywood’s 94^th Oscars to be held next March 27. It will be broadcast on ABC.

 

NAVY SHIP SHORTAGE ILLUSTRATED.  Shortage of U.S.  Navy ships is illustrated with the USS Ronald Reagan --- the only aircraft carrier based in the Asia-Pacific region --- shifting to the Middle East this summer to cover U.S. and NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan.

 

WORLD WAR II VETERAN RECEIVES COLLEGE DEGREE.  Bill Gossett, 97, from Illinois, who left college to serve in the Army Air Corps in World War II returned to finish his education nearly 80 years later.  He completed his Associate of Arts degree in 2020, but had to wait until recently for a graduation ceremony due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

LONG-TERM SHELTER DOG FINALLY FINDS HOME.  An Ohio animal shelter finally finds a home for Mica, a 10-year-old German shorthaired pointer/Labrador mix in a shelter for six and a half years, reports the League for Animal Welfare.

EIFFEL TOWER REOPENS JULY 15.  Paris’s Eiffel Tower, one of the most recognizable landmarks in the world, will reopen July 15 after being shuttered for a second time due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

EXPENSIVE SANDWICH TO DEBUT IN DISNEYLAND.  The Disneyland Resort, Anaheim, California, on Friday introduces one of the most expensive sandwiches in the world: $99.99.  But the panini sandwich will serve six to eight guests.

 

HUGE ANTARCTIC ICEBERG BREAKS OFF.  The world's largest iceberg breaks off the western side of the Ronne Ice Shelf in Antarctica's Weddell Sea. The iceberg measures around 105 miles in length and 15.5 miles in width.

NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE SET TO RESUME TRIPS.  Subject to approval by obtaining a conditional sailing certificate from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Norwegian Cruise Line plans a return to sailing in the United States from Aug. 7, more than a year after the COVID-19 pandemic brought the industry to a virtual standstill.

U.S. HOUSING MARKET SIZZLES, TRIGGERING BIDDING WARS

House prices are skyrocketing around the nation, bidding wars are the norm and supply is scarcer than ever, notes Grumpy Editor.

Bloomberg also finds the market is too hot even for homebuilders.

“Demand is so fevered and construction costs are climbing so quickly,” observes Bloomberg, “that overwhelmed builders are suppressing orders and shifting away from fixed prices.”

Bloomberg adds, “In a global economy roiled by supply shortages, the U.S. housing market is struggling with a collision of pandemic-related forces that’s holding back new inventory just when it’s needed most. Buyers are stampeding for new homes as remote work upends employment, while soaring lumber costs and a shortage of workers are slowing construction. The result is home prices, already reaching unaffordable levels for many Americans, are set to keep rising.”

 

About 19 percent of builders are delaying sales or construction and 47 percent have added escalation clauses into contracts, allowing them to lift prices as costs increase, according to an April survey by the National Association of Homebuilders.

 

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AP MARKS 175TH YEAR.  The Associated Press is celebrating its 175th anniversary this month.  The AP was formed in May, 1846 when five New York city newspapers funded a Pony Express route through Alabama to carry news about the Mexican War to the northern part of the country. Today, it has bureaus in 250 locations in more than 95 countries and produces 2,000 daily stories and more than a million photographs a year. 

MEDAL OF HONOR AWARDED --- FOR KOREAN WAR ACTION.  President Joe Biden awarded the Medal of Honor on Friday to Ralph Puckett Jr., a 94-year-old retired Army colonel who led the capture and defense of a hill during the Korean War against an overwhelming Chinese attack.

VANDENBERG GETS NAME CHANGE.  Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, gets a periodic name change --- this time to Vandenberg Space Force Base. Space Force in 2019 was created as the sixth uniformed military branch.

 

NEW MISS UNIVERSE.  Andrea Meza, who holds a software engineering degree, is the new Miss Universe.  She edged ahead of Miss Brazil.

 

FOR DOGS...NO BARKING?  North of the border, Calgary's pet ownership bylaws are being updated and some of the proposed changes have some dog behavior experts worried...namely no barking.

 

GREENLAND OFF THE MARKET.  The U.S. is no longer interested in buying Greenland, says President Biden’s secretary of state, Antony Blinken.  “I can confirm that’s correct,” he tells reporters.  Former President Donald Trump eyed purchasing Greenland, a self-governing part of Denmark, even as its leaders said it wasn’t for sale.

 

 

AP's BUZBEE BECOMES EXECUTIVE EDITOR OF THE WASHINGTON POST

Sally Buzbee, senior vice president and executive editor of The Associated Press, will become the new executive editor of The Washington Post, succeeding the recently retired Marty Baron, notes Grumpy Editor.

As AP’s top editor since 2017, her emphasis on live coverage of breaking news events in all formats, augmented by deep enterprise reporting, has helped yield top awards.

Along with Buzbee’s new post, Paul Farhi of  The Post notes women are now in charge at CBS News, ABC News, NPR, MSNBC, Reuters, Financial Times, Guardian and the Economist.

Selected after a wide search of potential candidates, Buzbee starts her new job on June 1. 

Meanwhile,  AP is searching for a new executive editor.

Fred Ryan, the Post’s publisher and chief executive, says “Sally Busbee has an exceptional record of achievement and a tremendous wealth of experience in leading a global news organization.”

 

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ELLEN DeGENERES GRABS MAJOR SPACE.  Getting more print space than the president in the past week:  Ellen DeGeneres on departing her daytime talk show next year. The announcement even grabbed a chunk of space, with photo, in The Wall Street Journal.

SUPPORT DOG GOES ON THE RUN IN NEW YORK CITY.  Lucy, an emotional support dog that escapes a Manhattan home, is rescued after 10-hours on the run in New York City that takes her across busy streets and into the New York subway system where she is safely rescued before going into a tunnel.

NBC CANCELS GOLDEN GLOBES.  The Golden Globes awards show, with sagging ratings, is an endangered species as NBC cancels next year’s presentation.

BEAR CLIMBS UTILITY POLES.  Downtown Douglas, Arizona, sees a bear climb two utility poles.  The bear eventually descends and scampers off, sending about two dozen onlookers scattering. 

 

TEA DRINKERS GETTING UNEASY.  Tea-drinking British (and many in the U.S.) are getting uneasy over reports that climate change --- namely rising temperatures and erratic rainfall --- is hitting tea-growing countries.  For example:  Kenya, as the world's biggest exporter of black tea, is suffering more floods and droughts than ever before.

AUSTRALIAN DESTROYER DISLODGES WHALES.  Two dead endangered whales are dislodged from the hull of the Australian destroyer HMAS Sydney, after it docks at U.S. Naval Base San Diego.

FOX NEWS ADDS TWO COMMENTATORS.  Fox News Channel will debut weekend shows for commentator Dan Bongino on June 5 and former U.S. Rep. Trey Gowdy June 6.

 

U.S. PLANES FLY NEAR NORTH KOREA, SORT OF LIKE THE EARLY 1950s

Reminiscent of the Korean War days in the early 1950s, U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force spy planes fly near North Korea several times in recent days, as Pyongyang condemned Washington's North Korea policy and the latest satellite imagery showed activity at Nampo shipyard, notes Grumpy Editor.

 

It was during the Korean War that the newly-independent U.S. Air Force became involved.

But in those days U.S. aircraft could chase the “bad guys” only to the Yalu River, thus allowing enemy planes to escape into China.

At that time it was common for F-86 Sabre jets to tangle with Soviet MIG-15 fighters.

World War II-era prop-driven P-51D Mustangs were pressed into ground-air support role and large formations of B-29 Superfortresses were used on strategic bombardment missions.

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BROADWAY GOES 100 PERCENT SEPT. 14.  New York City’s Broadway, closed since March, 2020, because of the coronavirus pandemic, is set to resume shows at 100 percent capacity on Sept. 14. 

FORBES IN ACQUISITION TALKS.  Forbes Media enters talks to be acquired by a group led by GSV Asset Management, in a deal that values the business-news publisher at more than $600 million, reports Bloomberg News.

PRESERVING COAST GUARD CUTTER SOUGHT.  A U.S. Coast Guard cutter with an historic tie to 9/11 may be headed to Indonesia, but a former crew member is campaigning to preserve it as a memorial to the terrorist attacks in New York City.

ARMY TO OFFER BONUSES IN SOME POSITIONS.  The U.S. Army, in an attempt to bolster recruiting as the pandemic stretches into a second year, will offer extra bonuses starting next week to individuals who commit to serve in 11 high-demand positions.

GEORGIA WOMAN HEARS LOTS OF BUZZING.  A Decatur, Georgia woman was shocked to find a swarm of at least 100,000 bees living in her house.  It marks the fourth time she has had to remove bees from her home.

PET PYTHON ESCAPES FROM CAGE.  A  28-pound, 11-foot-long pet python escaped from a cage in a Yokohama, Japan, man’s home, prompting a search and sending shudders through the local community.

ORBITING BOTTLE OF WINE SET FOR AUCTION. Up for auction is a bottle of Pétrus 2000, made from merlot grapes in France’s Bordeaux region, that spent 14 months orbiting Earth as part of a privately-funded research study on food and agriculture.

 

U.S. BIRTH RATES SLUMP.  Showing a continuing U.S. fertility slump, birth rates last year were the lowest since the government began compiling them in the 1930s.

 

BULL FIGHTING RESUMES IN MADRID.  Thousands show up in Madrid as bullfighting returns after more than a year absence stemming from the pandemic. 

SCIENTISTS POINT TO CLIMATE CHANGE BEHIND FASTER-MELTING GLACIERS

 

Scientists are blaming climate change for faster-melting glaciers which have lost 31 percent more snow and ice per year than they did 15 years earlier, notes Grumpy Editor.

 

Half the world’s glacial loss is coming from the United States and Canada.

 

A study in last Wednesday’s journal Nature reports scientists from 20 years of recently declassified satellite data calculated the world’s 220,000 mountain glaciers have been losing more than 328 billion tons of ice and snow per year since 2015.

 

The annual so-called melt rate from 2015 to 2019 was 78 billion more tons a year than it was from 2000 to 2004.

 

Global thinning rates, different than volume of water lost, doubled in the last 20 years.

 

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CHINA FOCUSES ON TAIWAN.  The U.S. "is coming to fear that it may no longer be able to deter China from seizing Taiwan by force,” reports The Economist, adding, "Taiwan is an arena for the rivalry between China and America...if the Seventh Fleet failed to turn up, China would overnight become the dominant power in Asia.”

U.S. ECONOMY UP 6.4 PERCENT IN FIRST QUARTER.  The economy grows at a 6.4 percent rate in the U.S. first quarter this year as the country emerges from the pandemic.

 

TV NEWS CREW AIDS IN NABBING MURDER SUSPECT.  An Atlanta TV station WSB-TV  news crew spotted an Arizona murder suspect near Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and flagged police, resulting in the man being taken back into custody after a daylong search.

 

BIDEN PICKS PUFFY DANDELION FOR FIRST LADY.  As President Joe Biden and Jill Biden headed from the White House to the helicopter, on the way to Atlanta, the president suddenly stopped to pick a white puffy dandelion and handed it to the first lady. 

ROBO-DOG ENDS BEAT IN NEW YORK.  The New York Police Department is returning “Digidog,” a robotic police dog, ending its contract with Boston Dynamics.

ALLIGATOR, COW DELAY HOUSTON TRAFFIC.  An alligator along with a cow delay Houston traffic, turning a commute into a nightmare.

 

VEGAS COUPLE FIND ICE AGE BONES IN YARD.  A Las Vegas couple will have to wait to continue building their pool after construction crews unearthed a set of bones dating back to Earth’s most recent ice age.

 

OLDEST KNOWN WHISKEY TO HIT AUCTION.  A bottle of what’s believed to be the oldest known whiskey in existence will hit the auction block next month where it’s expected to sell for betwen $20,000 and $40,000.  Experts say the rare bourbon was likely produced between 1762 and 1802.

 

Officials around the country are wondering why so many drivers are speeding these days.

 

Grumpy Editor has the answer:  TV commercials.

 

Just about every spot pitching cars shows the vehicles speeding on --- and off --- city and country roads.

 

The speeding is prompting cities and states to toughen enforcement.

 

As reported in The Wall Street Journal, Michael Hanson, director of Minnesota’s Office of Traffic Safety, declares:  “I am literally somewhat terrified by what could happen on the roads in Minnesota, and really across the country, if we don’t get a handle on some of this really dangerous driving.”

 

About 42,000 people died in car crashes last year, up eight percent from 2019, estimates the National Safety Council.

 

Law enforcement officials note an uptick in excessive speeding, with some vehicles going over 100 m.p.h. on highways.

 

 

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HOW STRANGE CAN HOLLYWOOD GET?  Last night’s Academy Awards, held at Los Angeles’ Union Station, the 82-year-old transit hub in downtown Los Angeles, saw few journalists and no bleachers where fans can cheer the nominees.  

 

HOME SALES SOAR.  New home sales jump 20.7 percent last month, the highest level since 2006, with the median sales price $330,800.

 

COYOTE SPOILS TV REPORTER'S LIVE SHOT.  A coyote came out of nowhere to spoil a Winston-Salem, N.C. TV reporter’s live shot for the 10 o’clock news --- on a story about coyote sightings.

FLUFFY CAT NABBED SMUGGLING NARCOTICS.  A drug-runner’s fluffy white cat is caught trying to smuggle narcotics into a prison in Panama.  The feline, carrying the contraband in a pouch tied around its neck, is stopped outside the Nueva Esperanza Prison in the province of Colon.

 TV AND MOVIES PRODUCT PLACEMENT GETS BOOST.  Product placements on TV and in movies get a boost as items now can be digitally added to scenes and closeups such as bottles or advertising signs.

FULL MOON AFFECTS MEN, SAY RESEARCHERS.  Researchers find a full moon leaves men stressed and sleepless.  They believe solar radiation reflected by a full moon could cause changes in brain activity and blood chemistry.

 

COFFEE DRINKERS MORE FOCUSED.  European scientists say three to five cups of coffee a day can make coffee drinkers more focused while also displaying greater memory and learning abilities.

TOILET PAPER SALES DROP FROM YEAR AGO

In contrast to last year when there was a run on toilet paper stemming from the spread of COVID-19, current sales are (pardon the expression) going down the toilet, notes Grumpy Editor.

In clearing grocers’ shelves, Americans spent more than $11 billion on toilet paper last year, up from a typical year’s $9 billion.  The gain is attributed to a combination of increased use, with many people working from homes, and stockpiling.

 

The Wall Street Journal notes current sales are sinking below pre-pandemic levels, with January sales off more than four percent from the prior January.

 

The newspaper points out “demand for toilet paper shot up in the outbreak’s initial weeks, doubling in the second week of March, and remained elevated throughout most of 2020.”

 

Sales of toilet paper drop 32.7 percent in the 12 weeks ended April 3 from the same period a year ago, according to market research firm NielsenIQ, which tracks point-of-sale data from retailers.

 

Papermaking mills, operating at 100 percent capacity most of last year, are now running around a more normal 90 to 95 percent capacity, says an analyst.

 

 

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NORTH KOREA BUILDS UP NUKES.  After decades of sanctions, threats and diplomacy, North Korea has more nukes than ever and missiles that can hit the U.S., according to latest information.

 

GIANT RABBIT STOLEN.  The British owner of Darius, a stolen giant rabbit, puts up a $2,748 reward. The gray-brown rabbit, measuring four feet, three inches, disappeared from his enclosure in the backyard in the village of Stoulton. The rabbit holds the Guinness World Records citation as the world’s longest rabbit.

 

SNAKE FOUND IN LETTUCE FROM GROCERY STORE.  A Sydney, Australia, lettuce buyer returning from a grocery store, notices a small venomous snake hanging out in a produce bag.  It is identified as a pale-headed snake, scientifically known as an hoplocephalus bitorquatus.

 

 PBS AIRS VINTAGE GREAT PERFORMANCE.   PBS on Friday went back in time (48 years, to be exact) in a Great Performance  with “Beethoven in Beijing” featuring a visit by the Philadelphia Orchestra.

 

WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS SHELVE ANNUAL DINNER.  The White House Correspondents’ Association says it is canceling its annual Washington, D.C. dinner --- usually held in April --- for the second year in a row over concerns about the ongoing pandemic.

 

STOLEN ROMAN STATUE RECOVERED.  A Roman statue dating back to the first century BC is recovered almost a decade after it was stolen from an archaeological site in Italy.  Two Italian officers came across the sculpture of a headless figure wearing a toga at an antique shop in Belgium.  The "Togatus" statue has been missing since 2011 and is believed to be worth around $120,000.

 

TERRIERS CHASE BEAR FROM HOUSE.  A bear that enters a house near Sacramento is chased off by two terriers.  Film footage shows the bear slowly walking around the kitchen, spending a lot of time near the fridge. At one point, the bear appears to react to something off-camera and then exits the house. The two dogs appear and charge at the bear towards the exit. The bear then stands in the backyard for a second, looking back in on the house. The terriers stand their ground and the bear decides to leave without a fight.

MAYAN URN RETURNS TO MEXICO.  A Mayan urn, made between 900 and 1600 AD, is returning to Mexico after spending more than 50 years at Albion College in Michigan.  The artifact will be placed alongside a twin urn that is on display at the Museo de los Altos in Chiapas.

CORONAVIRUS REQUIRES SEVERAL AP STYLEBOOK CHANGES DURING YEAR

 

Coronavirus has had an effect on the Associate Press stylebook, notes Grumpy Editor.

 

In the past year AP’s “coronavirus topical guide” has been updated several times, says Paula Froke, AP Stylebook editor.  The current version, published March 10, contains 74 entries, 43 of which are new to the stylebook.

 

The Poynter Institute for Media Studies in St. Petersburg, Florida, points out the guide "includes medical terms — hydroxychloroquine and multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children — as well as phrases to describe the socially distant lifestyle many have adopted since the pandemic’s start. Pods, as in learning pods or social pods, get their own entry, and AP now recognizes that FaceTime, Skype and Zoom can be used as verbs.”

 

“The goal is to help writers and editors everywhere have a consistent approach to terminology —  consistent and accurate, above all, and clear so that in this often very quickly changing and big complicated news story, editors can have some guideposts for how to lay this out most clearly for the public to understand,” Froke adds.

 

 

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FIRST ORBITAL FLIGHT REMEMBERED TODAY.  Today marks the 40th anniversary of the first orbital flight --- space shuttle Columbia from Orlando, Florida. It revolutionized space exploration…with its accomplishments and tragedies.

 

POMPEO JOINS FOX NEWS AS CONTRIBUTOR.  Fox News hires former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as a contributor.  A frequent guest on the network, Pompeo is familiar to the network's viewers.

 

FOR SALE SIGN ON LOUISVILLE NEWSPAPER BUILDING.  Nearly 75 years after it was built, The Courier Journal building in Louisville, Kentucky, is up for sale.  The building has been largely devoid of Courier Journal staff the past year, with the COVID-19 pandemic necessitating a work-from-home schedule. 

 

JILL BIDEN SAYS HONOR MILITARY FAMILIES.  First Lady Jill Biden revives a decades-old initiative challenging Americans to do things  — from mowing lawns to dropping off meals for families with loved ones in the armed forces.

 

TIGER WOODS CRASH INFO DRIBBLES OUT.  Tiger Woods auto crash on Feb. 23 continues to make headlines with new revelations.  During the week a story reveals authorities say he was driving more than 80 m.p.h.

 

FUN IN TH SUN.  About two dozen monkeys break out of a zoo in Loeffingen, Germany, near the Swiss border before being recaptured.

 

MAN STEALS VAN GOGH PAINTING.  Dutch police arrest a 58-year-old man suspected of stealing an 1884 painting by Vincent van Gogh last year.

 

U.S. POPULATION GROWTH SLOWS.  America's population grew only 0.48 percent in 2019, an amount unseen since the end of World War I in 1918.  Key elements in the population slowdown include fewer births, fewer immigrants and the overall graying of Americans. The birth rate and immigration have historically driven the nation's changing population dynamics.

 MILITARY MEETING DEMANDS REDUCED.  The Government Accountability Office finds the U.S. military's ability to meet demands has largely degraded over the past two decades, pointing out domain readiness did not meet readiness recovery goals identified by the military services."

POST-ELECTION SEES FEWER PRIME-TIME CABLE NEWS VIEWERS

Post-election cable news viewers have gone to other things, notes Grumpy Editor.

As The Wall Street Journal points out, cable-news viewership fell for all major networks in this year’s first quarter.

It cites Fox News losing 32 percent of prime-time viewers in the first three months of 2021 compared with last year’s fourth quarter, based on Nielsen data, with CNN and MSNBC showing smaller declines of 16 percent and 7.8 percent respectively,  “though each fell more substantially from highs they hit in January.”

The Journal points out “Fox News retained the No. 1 spot among prime time viewers for the full quarter, averaging 2.58 million, though its lead has narrowed.  MSNBC is second in that category with 2.29 million viewers and CNN, which was No. 1 in the weeks after November’s election, is now No. 3 with 1.99 million.”

Following the election, cable news networks have made significant programming changes.

 

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 CHURCH MEMBERSHIP EBBS.  American church membership falls below the majority for the first time, Gallup finds.  It tracks church membership over the past 80 years, starting with 73 percent membership in 1937 and peaking just after World War II with 76 percent.  The past 20 years have seen a sharp dropoff, falling from 70 percent to 47 percent.  Church membership was strongest among those born before 1946, with 66 percent claiming membership, compared to 58 percent of baby boomers, 50 percent of Gen X and 36 percent of millennials.

EARLY BLOOM IN JAPAN.  Cherry blossoms in Japan reach their peak much earlier this year.  Usually in full bloom in April, this year’s peak appeared on March 26.

 

BIDENS DOGS CONTINUE TO GRAB HEADLINES.  President Joe Biden’s dogs continue to grab headlines.  Latest concerns which of his two dogs --- Major or Champ --- left a “deposit” in a White House red-carpeted hallway. That news follows a report last week of Major’s second biting incident in March.

 

WELLS FARGO SEES STAFFERS BACK IN OFFICES IN SEPTEMBER.  With the pandemic fading, Wells Fargo & Co. plans return of home-bound employees to offices on Sept. 6.  A bank officer mentions, “We believe most of us benefit by being physically together.”

 

AUCTION SET FOR LOCK OF WASHINGTON'S HAIR.  A lock of George Washington’s hair is set for auction with bids of nearly $2,000 for the historic relic that is contained within a brass and glass locket.

 

FAMOUS GIRAFFE EUTHANIZED.  April, the giraffe that became famous via coverage of her 2017 pregnancy, is euthanized because of advancing arthritis.  The 20-year-old giraffe started to show mobility problems last summer.

 

DATE TRIGGERS WEDDINGS.  The calendar on Saturday triggered more than 1,000 people to wed in Las Vegas.  Reason: the date 4.3.21.  That doesn't happen often.

 

N.Y. TIMES STAFFERS' OUTSIDE PROJECTS BEING CHECKED BY A COMMITTEE

 

New York Times staffers doing outside work now have to run those projects past a committee to make sure there is no conflict or take away from their Times jobs, observes Grumpy Editor.

 

A memo, cited by Tom Jones at The Poynter Report, says “The committee will primarily review outside projects that have the potential to be competitive with our journalism and business, could conflict with or distract from your work or The Times, involve payment or could be covered in any other way by the policies defined by the Ethical Journalism Handbook.”

 

The memo cites examples of outside work might include book deals and TV and film projects, including consulting work, adding the committee will review audio projects such as podcasts, paid or unpaid newsletters and “any activity requiring you take a leave of absence from The Times.”

 

Jones points out that "the latest mandate appears to be in reaction to a recent controversy involving longtime Times columnist David Brooks, who was receiving money from an Aspen Institute project that was partly funded by Facebook. Brooks mentioned the project he was working on and Facebook in his writing, but never revealed that he was being compensated for it.”

 

Jones cites "news outlets should be a lot more liberal in what they allow their journalists to do, such as books or podcasts. In most of those cases, the news outlet benefits from the exposure their journalists are providing. In other words, if a journalist writes a book that gets plenty of attention, it’s not only good for the journalist, but good for the outlet that the journalist works for.”

 

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

 

EARTH SAFE FROM ASTEROID --- FOR NOW.  NASA, the space agency, confirms Earth is "safe" from the once-feared asteroid Apophis for at least the next 100 years.  It is regarded as one of the most dangerous asteroids to Earth after its discovery in 2004.

 

$5 GOLD PIECE SELLS FOR $8.4 MILLION.  The only known 1822 half eagle $5 gold piece in private hands sold at auction in Las Vegas for $8.4 million.  The coin is one of three of its kind in existence and the auction price was the highest for a U.S. gold coin struck by the U.S. Mint.

INVESTORS BUSINESS DAILY ACQUIRED.  News Corp., publisher of the Wall Street Journal and other financial publications, is boosting its portfolio of business publications, with plans to pay $275 million to acquire Investor’s Business Daily from O’Neil Capital Management. 

 

BALD EAGLE POPULATION GROWS.  The number of American bald eagles quadruples since 2009 with more than 300,000 birds in the lower 48 states, say government scientists.

NEWSPAPER SHOWS BLANK FRONT PAGE.  In the Kansas City area, the front page of the Northeast News on Wednesday had no headline, no big story, nothing.  For 23 years Publisher Michael Bushnell says his publication has been covering stories that matter to northeast Kansas Citians.  “This is what it looks like when a community has no newspaper," he mentions, pointing out it is an example of how COVID-19 has hit every business.

J.C. PENNEY CLOSING MORE STORES.  J. C. Penney, one of the largest retailers to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection during the  COVID-19 pandemic, plans to close 18 more stores in May, bringing total closures to 174.

TROUBLEMAKER SQUIRREL STEALS PACKAGE.  A squirrel in Chicago is caught on camera stealing a package then scaling the side of a two-story building with an Amazon envelope, making it all the way up to the roof.  There's no word on what was inside the package, but neighbors tell the local ABC outlet that the squirrel is a known troublemaker.

BRITISH NEWSPAPER SEEKS TO LINK STAFFERS PAY TO STORIES' POPULARITY

 

A report from London reveals The Daily Telegraph wants to link some elements of journalists’ pay to the popularity of their articles, notes Grumpy Editor.

 

The plan “alarmed and dismayed” the staff who fear it will “seriously warp our editorial priorities.”

 

An email sent by Editor Chris Evans informs the staff that “in due course” the paper wants to use the “Stars” system, which scores stories published online according to factors such as how many subscriptions they drive and how many clicks they get, “to link performance to reward” using subscription data.

“It seems only right that those who attract and retain the most subscribers should be the most handsomely paid,” says Evans, who admits that working out the details would be “complicated.”

But staffers are said to be up in arms about the proposals, with some registering their objections in meetings held to explain the plans.

Executives “tried to convince everybody that it’s just experimental, not a big deal,” mentions one journalist.   “They were squirming at the questions. Everyone is just hoping it’s one of those mad ideas that eventually they quietly chuck out. Everyone is outraged. People feel compromised.”

Another said: “I’d call the mood mutinous. 

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

WHEN BIDEN STUMBLES, IT'S NEWS.  It’s not unusual for airline passengers to stumble while climbing steep stairs to an aircraft.  So when President Joe Biden stumbled while walking quickly up stairs leading to Air Force One, it made headlines coast to coast.  After regaining his footing, Biden stood, dusted off his knee before reaching the top of the stairs, then gave a quick salute before entering the plane.

JOURNALISTS TO WORK FROM HOME.  One of Britain’s leading news publishers is shuttering the traditional newspaper office, with the owner of the Daily Mirror telling most of its journalists that they will permanently work full time from home in future.  This means dozens of mid-sized towns will lose their remaining newspaper office, with staff having to commute to the nearest major city if they want to work at a company desk.

SCOTTISH ISLAND TO BE AUCTIONED.  Eleven-acre Deer Island on Scotland’s west coast will be auctioned online with a starting bid of $111,700. The island is described as a space that can be "enjoyed with zero chance of intrusion."

SPENDING ON U.S. TROOPS IN JAPAN, SOUTH KOREA UNVEILED.  The U.S. military spent about $34.3 billion between 2016 and 2019 to station more than 83,000 troops permanently in Japan and South Korea.

VOLCANO IN ICELAND ERUPTS.  A volcano on the Reykjanes Peninsula in southwestern Iceland --- 20 miles from Iceland’s capital Reykjavik --- erupts, sending lava down two sides in that area’s first volcanic eruption in nearly 800 years.

  

FREEWAY FIRE DOESN'T STOP BRIDAL PARTY.  A bridal party's trip to a Las Vegas church is delayed when their limousine catches fire on the freeway.  Smoke rises from beneath the driver's seat and the vehicle pulls over so the occupants could evacuate. Moments later the vehicle is engulfed in flames.  A replacement limo takes the bridal party the rest of the way to The Little Church of the West for the ceremony. 

 

“MASKED BANDIT” BREAKS INTO OHIO HOME.  North Ridgeville, Ohio, police respond to an unusual break-in call.  After entering a home through a bathroom light and ransacking the kitchen, a raccoon winds up sleeping in the dishwasher. 

DOG DRIVES JEEP INTO BUILDING.  While its owner is outside a Jeep in a Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, gas station, a five-year-old Australian shepherd in the front seat apparently knocked the vehicle’s shifter out of park sending it crashing into a nearby building.

MESSAGE IN BOTTLE FOUND.  A Nova Scotia boy on Cape Breton island, discovers a message in a bottle that was tossed into the water 25 years earlier.  Using pliers to remove the bottle's cap, he finds a message dated Aug. 12, 1995, signed by an Aylmer, Quebec, 14-year-old who was visiting the Magdalen Islands with her family.

SOME PUSH FOR YEAR-ROUND DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME

 

One day into daylight saving time and there is talk about making it year-round, observes Grumpy Editor.

 

Having more light later in the day could provide benefits, say those backing the suggestion.  They cite:

 

People engage in more leisure activities after work than before, so it means more physical activity over sedentary leisure activities.

 

Studies show that children get more exercise when the sun extends into evening.

 

Law enforcement would welcome DST since there is evidence robberies and other crimes decrease when there’s more sun in evening hours.

 

Economic gains also are cited since people would be inclined to take short trips and buy things after work, rather than before.

 

So a longer DST is seen increasing sales, giving the economy a boost.

 

DST started during World War I.

 

It would take Congress to make DST year-round.

 

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

 

ASTEROID APPROACHES EARTH NEXT SUNDAY.  The largest asteroid to pass by Earth this year will approach within 1.25 million miles of our planet next Sunday.  NASA says it will allow astronomers to get a rare close look at an asteroid, estimated to be about 3,000 feet in diameter.

 

TRUST IN MILITARY DECLINES.  The number of Americans who have trust and confidence in the military declines 14 percent in the last three years, according to a survey by the Ronald Reagan Institute.  Yet, the armed forces still top the list of the most respected institutions in the nation, adds the survey.

 

LIGHTS DIM IN PHILADELPHIA --- FOR THE BIRDS.  In Philadelphia, many external and internal lights in buildings are being turned off or dimmed at night during spring and fall in efforts to prevent millions of migrating birds that pass through from slamming into skyscrapers and crashing to the sidewalk.

 

DICTIONARY SHOWS 450 NEW ENTRIES.  In its latest update, Dictionary.com, the online dictionary includes 450 new entries, 7,600 updated entries and 94 new definitions on existing entries -- with a focus on race, identity and Covid-19's effect on culture.

GE SELLING AIRCRAFT LEASING BUSINESS.  General Electric is selling its aircraft leasing business, closing the books on its once mighty GE Capital unit, the financial arm of the company that was once its largest business and one of the world's most dominant financial institutions.

SOLDIERS WEAR DEVICES TO MEASURE STRESS.  To better understand how sleep helps soldiers cope in the harsh conditions of Alaska, about 1,000 Army troops from the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage are issued wearable devices to measure their physiological data across sleep, strain and recovery.

 

ON-SCENE REPORTING IN SAN FRANCISCO INVITES CRIME

 

 

On-scene reporting is getting more difficult for TV news staffers --- at least in San Francisco, notes Grumpy Editor.

KPIX-TV news reporter Don Ford and resident Brad Tardy were preparing an interview on crime in the Twin Peaks neighborhood when they were robbed at gunpoint in the middle of the afternoon when a white luxury car with four men pulled up next to them and three men hopped out, one of them holding a gun, KPIX reports.

As reported by Amy Graff, SFGATE:  "He points it right at Don," recounts Tardy.  "He says, 'I’m taking this camera.'  We all stood there, frozen for a little bit. One of the other guys grabbed the camera. He starts heading back to the car, while the guy with the gun is still pointing it at all of us. The third guy gets into the back seat first, the other guy gets into the back seat and then tries to put the camera and the tripod in the back seat. It’s so big he can’t get the door closed. He’s still pointing the gun at me.

"Isn’t that ironic?  Of all the things, literally, we’re doing a report on a crime in neighborhood and we get held up at gunpoint."

 

The robbery occurred at about 12:35 p.m., police say, adding the camera is later recovered.

No arrests have been made and the investigation remains active, police say.

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

NEW YORK COUPLE ACQUIRES TUGBOAT.  A couple acquires a 49-foot tugboat and renovates it for a family getaway.

Lyndsay Caleo Karol and Fitzhugh Karol, cofounders of The Brooklyn Home Company, rehab a 1983 Lord Nelson Victory Tug, naming it after their dog, Lucy, and moving it to Brooklyn where they set to work renovating the 500-square-foot vessel. The stern-to-bow revamp takes the couple nearly a year and involves rewiring electrical systems, restoring moldy and corroded parts, refinishing the teak and holly wood floors, adding brass details and painting the interior.

WILL FAMOUS VEGAS BUFFETS RETURN?  Among other things, Las Vegas is known for its buffets.  But during the pandemic, most have been shelved.  Gaming historian David Schwartz says, “I think when it is safe, they will come back in some form. It’s hard to say when that will be, but I think because there is such an association with Vegas and buffets, that someone is going to want to keep it alive.”

$35 BOWL WORTH UP TO HALF A MILLION DOLLARS.  A six-inch in diameter porcelain bowl bought for $35 at a Connecticut yard sale turns out to be a rare, 15th century Chinese artifact worth between $300,000 and $500,000 that is about to go up for a March 17 auction at Sotheby’s.

RARE AUSTRALIAN BEE REAPPEARS.  An extremely rare species of bee, not seen for nearly a century and was thought to be extinct, is rediscovered by a Australian researcher.  The "masked" bee, known as Pharohylaeus lactiferus, is native to Australia and is the only species in the genus Pharohylaeus.

 JOLIE-OWNED CHURCHILL PAINTING SELLS.  A Moroccan landscape painted by Winston Churchill and owned by Angelina Jolie sells at auction for more than $11.5 million, smashing the previous record for a work by Britain’s World War II leader.

N.Y.-CITY SIZE ICEBERG BREAKS AWAY.  Researchers discover a massive iceberg, larger than New York City, breaks off from an ice shelf in Antarctica.  The 490-square mile iceberg breaks away from the Brunt Ice Shelf about a decade after scientists detect cracks in the ice, writes the British Antarctic Survey.

 

VISITING TEXAS WOMAN HITS VEGAS JACKPOT.  A Texas woman visiting Las Vegas hit a $302,000 jackpot while waiting for her flight home at McCarran International Airport. 

 

WITH PANDEMIC, AMERICAN PET ADOPTIONS REACH RECORD LEVELS

Pet adoption and fostering throughout the pandemic reaches record numbers in the U.S, finds Grumpy Editor.

 

A sample of 1,023 pet owners surveyed between Dec. 22 and Jan. 4, find a whopping 71 percent tell Kinship Partners, a pet care company, and they could not have survived the coronavirus pandemic if they didn’t have their pet at their side.

 

Kinship Partners also notes 84 percent of "pet parents" say the pandemic showed them how much their pets improve their lives for the better.

 

Pet parents, it adds, share similar beliefs with human parents, with 62 percent saying their pet’s happiness is a top priority, with 80 percent of pet parents mentioning their pets deserve more of their time this year.

"To support today's pet parents, we must understand their journeys, from what inspires them to their biggest worries, and this report is a milestone in uncovering the most pressing areas of transformation in pet care," says Kinship Partners’ President Leonid Sudakov.

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

SOLDIERS TEST YOGA, MEDITATION.  Army soldiers in 20 basic training platoons at Fort Jackson, S.C., are in a 10-week program testing daily yoga and meditation regimens in basic training to assess their effects on factors like physical performance, mental toughness, discipline, injury rates, stress management and graduation rates.

POTATO HEAD DROPS MR.  Mr. Potato Head, the classic spud-shaped plastic toy, is getting a new, gender-neutral name — just plain Potato Head —  as toymaker Hasbro is scrapping the “Mr.” portion, that first hit shelves nearly 70 years ago.

RATS ON THE MOVE IN ENGLAND.  The lockdown in England triggers an increase in rats.  A pest controller patrolling London rubbish bins on the southern bank of River Thames says “rats are like little survival machines; wherever you get reliable access to food waste, they'll keep coming back.”

SHEEP EXTRA HEAVY WITH WOOL.  A sheep with 77 pounds coat of wool is given a new fleece of life after being found in a forest near Melbourne, Australia. The animal was taken in by Edgar's Mission Farm Sanctuary, later naming him Baarack and relieving him of his burden.

LAWMAKERS SEEK SINKING OF BATTLESHIP.  In Congress, a bipartisan group of 22 lawmakers asks acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas W. Harker to "save taxpayers millions of dollars" and sink the irreparably damaged USS Bonhomme Richard somewhere near Florida, mentioning the ship is an ideal candidate for artificial reefing.

 

NYPD TESTS ROBOTIC DOG.  The New York Police Department unveils a new police dog in its ranks --- one that doesn't need to eat, sleep or poop. The department is testing a 70-pound robotic dog made of circuits and hydraulics.   Cameras and lights are mounted on the device which allow the NYPD to view its surroundings in real-time.

RENAMING S. F. SCHOOLS PUT ON HOLD.  A plan to rename 44 San Francisco schools — including those honoring former Presidents Abraham Lincoln and George Washington and U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein — has been put on hold.  Gabriela Lopez, newly elected as president of the school board, says school officials must focus on reopening schools amid the coronavirus pandemic.

ARMY EASES HAIRSTYLE REGULATIONS.  Revisions to the Army’s grooming and appearance standards loosen up hairstyle regulations and allow for earrings to be worn. Soldiers will be allowed to have highlights in their hair as long as it appears natural. 

 

VEGAS HOTEL WITH NO RESORT FEES.  Unlike others on the Las Vegas Strip, Virgin Hotels Las Vegas plans to open March 25 with no resort fees, complimentary self parking and free wi-fi.  

 

DOES SEN. CRUZ’S TRIP TO MEXICO SHELVE FUTURE PLANS TO RUN FOR PRESIDENT?

With Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas) undoutedly considering running for president again, did his trip to Mexico last week dampen that outlook, asks Grumpy Editor.

As USAToday notes:  "Cruz's ambitions could be complicated after flying to Mexico as his home state of Texas was weathering the aftermath of a deadly winter storm that left millions without power and running water in freezing temperatures.”

 "Natural disasters have a way of upending politicians careers,” declares Republican strategist Alex Conant, who points to examples including President George Bush during Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

"For politicians, the first rule of any natural disaster is to show up and Cruz broke that rule.”

Meanwhile, NBC’s Saturday Night Live joins the national roast of Mexico-visiting Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, with Aidy Bryant playing Cruz, saying he's sorry for abandoning his state as millions tried to survive without heat, power and water.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

TEXANS GET HUGE ELECTRIC BILLS.   Temperatures last week that overwhelmed Texas’s power grid, triggering rolling blackouts and power outages also bring catastrophic electric bills.  Some Texans are hit with power bills totaling as much as $17,000 for only a few days of electricity.

BIG CROCODILE UNDERGOES SURGERY.  A 350-pound, 10.5-foot-long crocodile undergoes successful surgery at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park in Florida to remove a shoe it swallowed that fell off a tourist’s foot.  

NEWSPAPER ACQUISITION IN WORKS.  New York hedge fund Alden Global Capital, largest shareholder in Tribune Publishing Co., reaches a deal to acquire the rest of the newspaper operation that includes the New York Daily News and Chicago Tribune.

BUFFET ADDS STAKES IN VERIZON, CHEVRON.  Billionaire Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway investment firm adds stakes in Verizon Communications Inc. and Chevron Corp. to its portfolio. 

WATCH OUT FOR LONG DRIVES.  Drivers who spend more than 20 minutes in their cars are at risk of exposure to formaldehyde and benzene, according to a study from the University of California, Riverside. Drivers may be inhaling those dangerous, cancer-causing carcinogens.

PETA FROWNS ON MARINES GULPING SNAKE BLOOD.  PETA, the animal rights group, petitions the Pentagon to end the practice of Marines and soldiers decapitating snakes and consuming their blood during survival training at the annual Cobra Gold exercise in Thailand.

WILL THE N.Y. STOCK EXCHANGE BID FAREWELL TO NEW YORK?

The New York Stock Exchange warns that it may leave New York City if the state legislature imposes a tax on stock transfers, notes Grumpy Editor.

The tax proposal, which would apply to transfers of stocks, bonds and derivatives, comes as the state  faces a sharp budget shortfall caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

“If Albany lawmakers get their way, however, the center of the global financial industry may need to find a new home,” NYSE President Stacey Cunningham warns in an op-ed piece in The Wall Street Journal.

Cunningham and more than 25 other representatives of the securities industry contact state legislative leaders to caution against a proposal to place a tax on certain financial transactions, including from investment banks and hedge funds.

Democrats behind the bill maintain a tax would help make up for lost revenue and deny that the NYSE would need to move if it were passed.

Cunningham points out that “while New York has remained a center of gravity for the financial industry, many employees of Wall Street firms are migrating to Florida, Texas and other states with hospitable tax policies.”

The NYSE started on May 17, 1792, under a buttonwood tree at 68 Wall Street. Twenty-four brokers and merchants signed the aptly-named Buttonwood Agreement to outline the rules for trading securities. 

First stock listed on this exchange was the Bank of New York.

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE...

U.S. MILLIONAIRES GROW.  More than 8 percent of U.S. adults have assets that put them as millionaires, according to Global Wealth Report 2020 by Credit Suisse.  That’s more than 20 million Americans.

KUDLOW DEBUTS ON FOX BUSINESS.   Former National Economic Council director and Fox News contributor Larry Kudlow is getting a Fox Business show that will air weekdays at 4 p.m. Eastern with an encore at 7 p.m. Eastern.  Fox Business says Kudlow’s show will “feature closing market analysis as well as interviews with major industry leaders influencing Wall Street, Washington and business in America.”

SUPER BOWL VIEWERS SHRINK.  CBS notes Super Bowl LV between the Tampa Bay Bucs and Kansas City Chiefs averaged 96.4 million viewers across TV and streaming.  That’s down from last year’s 102 million across Fox and streaming — and the lowest since 2007. 

BIDEN IN MILWAUKEE TOWN HALL.  President Joe Biden will participate in a CNN town hall in Milwaukee.  “CNN Presidential Town Hall with Joe Biden” airs tomorrow at 8 p.m. Eastern.

WALL STREET JOURNAL COMBINES WORDS.  The Wall Street Journal is combining words.  Rather than health care, it’s now one word:  healthcare.  Also going to one word is daycare.

AUNT JEMIMA BOXES GET NEW NAME.  Aunt Jemima identifying pancake mix is being renamed Pearl Milling Company starting with packaging in June.  Pearl Milling Company was founded in 1888 in St. Joseph, Missouri.

MOUNT EVEREST GROWS.  Mount Everest now tops the globe at 29,031.69 feet above sea level, according to latest survey results.  That is more than two feet higher than the altitude previously recognized by the government of Nepal.

 YELLOW LOBSTER CAUGHT.  A lobsterman catches a rare yellow lobster off the coast of Maine and quickly names it Banana, then donates it to the University of New England.  The yellow color comes from a pigment in the lobster's shell and the odds of catching one are about one in 30 million, calculates the University of Maine.

MAJOR USERS OF POSTAL SERVICE FEAR PRICE HIKES COMING

Some businesses are concerned about postage increases expected to be announced in March, notes Grumpy Editor.

Big mail users are asking the District of Columbia’s federal appeals court to block the action.

Major mailers fear the Postal Service will hike prices 5.5 percent to 9 percent this year for letters, magazines and other items, notes The Wall Street Journal.

“Now is not the time to aggressively increase prices when so many businesses are struggling and hanging by a thread,” says Hamilton Davison, president of the American Catalog Mailers Association.  

Postage, adds Davison, is the second biggest expense for many catalog merchants, adding further increases “will force more mail out of the system and contribute to a postal system death spiral.”

Meanwhile, on-time first-class mail delivery dropped below 64 percent in December vs. 92 percent at the start of 2020, according to data from the Postal Service.

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

ECONOMY READY TO ROLL.  The U.S. economy this year is set to accelerate its recovery from the coronavirus-induced contraction of 2020, even without further economic stimulus from Washington, says the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

66 PEOPLE ICE FISHING RESCUED.  The U.S. Coast Guard and others, using boats and helicopters, rescue 66 ice-fishing people stranded on ice floes in a Door County bay in northeastern Wisconsin.

 

NAVY VET TRAINS SERVICE DOGS TO ASSIST BLIND PEOPLE.  Melissa Harrington, since her retirement from the Navy in 2002, volunteers with the nonprofit Guide Dog Foundation in Virginia training 21 service dogs to assist people who are blind.

CONFEDERATE FLAGS BANNED ON N.C. PLATES.  North Carolina's Division of Motor Vehicles no longer issues or renews specialty license plates bearing the Confederate battle flag or any variation of it.

MIAMI HERALD CLOSES CUSTOM PUBLISHING.  The Miami Herald is closing its 20-year-old travel and tourism custom publishing operation that produced award-winning publications for its clients.

WINSTON CHURCHILL PAINTING TO BE SOLD.  A Winston Churchill painting, a gift to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, that depicts a Moroccan landscape is being sold by actress Angelina Jolie next month at an estimated price of $2.1 million to $3.4 million.  

 

JOB PAYS WELL.  Like to get a hefty-paying job and work only about two or three hours every four days?  Then being a major league baseball pitcher is for you.  As an example, with a free-agent right hander, the Los Angeles Dodgers last week made a three-year $102 million deal.

PANDEMIC INSPIRES THIEVES TO RAID ATMS AROUND THE COUNTRY

 

During the pandemic, ATMs got a higher-than-usual workout from bank patrons last year --- also by thieves, notes Grumpy Editor.

 

With unrest in some cities and ATMs containing more than usual cash, attempts to break into ATMs around the country have more than doubled.

 

With some bank offices temporarily closed, ATMs often contain twice the normal $50,000 to accommodate customers.

 

Inspired by this development, thieves seek access to ATMs by using tools, explosives and driving vehicles into the units.

 

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

 

 

WORLDWIDE ICE MELTING FASTER.   The world’s ice, from the Arctic to the Antarctic, is melting faster than ever, finds a global satellite survey indicating a generation of ice lost to rising temperatures.  The survey shows 28 trillion metric tons of ice disappeared between 1994 and 2007 and global melting accelerated 65 percent since the 1990s

 

NEW D.C. STUDIOS FOR NBC.  NBC News debuts state-of-the-art studios inside an expanded Washington bureau that covers six-floors in an 80,000-square foot building.  Seven studios now house NBC News, MSNBC and CNBC plus NBC News Channel, Noticias Telemundo and Sky News Washington.

 

BANK SAVINGS RATES WAY DOWN.  With bank savings rates continuing to bounce around the bottom (with an annual slim 0.05 percent APY), compared to a decade ago, one financial firm hopes to lure savers with a "mighty" 0.50 percent APY.

 

EXPENSIVE BOTTLE OF WHISKY.  A 72-year-old bottle of single malt whisky from Scotland fetches more than $54,000 (in U.S. dollars) in a Hong Kong auction. It marks the first time the 1948 Glen Grant whisky, by independent bottler Gordon & MacPhail, was offered in an auction.

OWL ATTRACTS ATTENTION IN NEW YORK.  A snowy owl, a rare sight in New York’s Central Park, attracts scores of onlookers seeking a glimpse of a bird that is native to the Arctic tundra and migrates south during the winter.  What was so unusual?   It’s the first recorded sighting of a snowy owl in Central Park since 1890.

$1 MILLION BASEBALL BAT?  Baseball great Lou Gehrig’s bat, linked to the 1938 World Series, could sell for as much as $1 million at an upcoming auction, say experts.

BUD WILL MISS SUPER BOWL.  Pitches for Budweiser, synonymous with the Super Bowl, will be absent in next Sunday’s game for the first time in 37 years.

TOM BROKAW RETIRES FROM NBC NEWS.  Legendary Tom Brokaw, 80, is retiring from NBC News after 55 years. Brokaw is the only anchor to lead all three of NBC’s primary news shows and is best known for anchoring the NBC Nightly News from 1993 to 2004.

 

 

 

 

NATIONAL GUARD TROOPS DIRECTED TO COLD WASHINGTON GARAGE TO REST

 

National Guard members camping in a cold parking garage is something one might see in a third world country --- but it happened in Washington, D.C. where 26,000 Guard members from around the country were deployed to help inauguration activities, notes Grumpy Editor.

 

The National Guard said it moved troops from the Capitol building and other spaces for rest breaks to the garage at the behest of Capitol Police.  It was a crowded scene.

 

Following settling in the garage, it later was announced that nearly 200 Guard members in the Capitol tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

 

Lawmakers from both political parties, noting reports of the undesirable garage rest area (without cots), intervened, allowing Guard members to return to indoor spaces.

 

Capitol Police and National Guard officials offered conflicting explanations on why troops were moved to the parking garage.

 

Most called-up National Guard soldiers hold full-time civilian jobs.

 

IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…

 

FIRST DOGS RETURN TO WHITE HOUSE.  Canines are back in the White House.  After a four-year hiatus, dogs are back.  President Joe Biden brings in two German shepherds, including one adopted from an animal shelter in 2018.

 

BETTY WHITE REACHES 99.  Actress Betty White marks her birthday by commenting:  “Since I am turning 99, I can stay up as late as I want without asking permission” and later went outside to feed a pair of ducks that frequent home.”

 

GRAY WHALES EBB.  The population of gray whales off the West Coast has dropped nearly one-quarter since 2016, reports NOAA Fisheries.

 

CARGO SHIP LOSES CONTAINERS.  A Maersk cargo ship with more than 13,000 containers, loses about 750 of them in heavy seas half-way to Los Angeles from China. 

 

PANDEMIC BOOSTS HOME SALES.  The pandemic is giving a boost to home sales, surging last year to the highest level in 14 years. Existing home sales reached 5.64 million in 2020, up 5.6 percent from the prior year.

 

PRINT BOOK SALES RISE.  BookScan says print book sales rise 8.2 percent last year, largest annual increase since 2010, despite deep concern over supply chain issues and early spring pandemic-induced store lockdowns. A prolonged decline never came, as online sales and sales through non-book store outlets more than offset declines at physical bookstores.

BEE POPULATION DECREASES.  Researchers say bee species around the world are facing major declines and are warning time is running out to save them, adding up to 25 percent of known bee species haven't been reported in global records since the 1990s. There are over 20,000 known bee species around the world.

GANNETT REBOUNDS.  Gannett reports better than expected fourth-quarter revenue and adjusted earnings, showing what it called a "rebound" as the company's digital subscription strategy gains momentum. Gannett owns USA TODAY, about 260 other daily publications, hundreds of weeklies, a marketing services division and an events business. 

DESCRIPTIONS OF CAPITOL SIEGE CHANGE FROM ORIGINAL 'RALLY'

An Associated Press story recalls changing descriptions given to the Capitol siege earlier this month in which five people died, observes Grumpy Editor.

 

"At first, viewed from a distance, it was a rally or protest,” notes AP.  "Then it became an assault, a riot, an insurrection, domestic terrorism or even a coup attempt.”

 

"The use of ‘riot' as a descriptor is almost universally accepted,” points out AP, "even though the word has become fraught with racial connotations and despite the relatively gradual way the story unfolded.”

 

Originally called protesters, it later became clear as many breached the Capitol and lawmakers fled for safety, that more was happening, continues AP, which later informs staffers that "protest" was too mild a word and terms  like “mob,” “riot” and “insurrection” are appropriate.

 

 

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U.S. PIGEON TRAVELS ACROSS PACIFIC.  A racing pigeon survives an 8,000-mile Pacific Ocean crossing from the U.S. to find a new home in Australia. But authorities consider the bird a quarantine risk and plan to kill it. The exhausted bird that arrived in a Melbourne backyard in December disappeared from a race in Oregon two months earlier.  Experts suspect the pigeon, named Joe after the president-elect, hitched a ride on a cargo ship.

 

YOGI BERRA STAMP COMING.  New York Yankees great Yogi Berra, a 10-time World Series champion and three-time American League most valuable player will be featured on a new stamp coming out this year.

 

MASSACHUSETTS NEWSPAPER BACK IN LOCAL HANDS.  Inquirer and Mirror, Nantucket, Mass., one of the oldest newspapers in the country --- marking its 200^th year in 2021 --- is back in the hands of local owners after Gannett, its previous owner, sold it to 41 North Media LLC last November.

PGA VOTES TO MOVE CHAMPIONSHIP.  The PGA of America votes to move the 2022 PGA Championship from Trump National Golf Club in New Jersey.  It marks the first sports organization to abandon Trump after the Capitol siege. The Trump Organization owns or operates 17 golf courses around the world, generating about a third of the family's revenue, according to the New York Times. 

 

POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS CURBED.  Several corporations are restricting or suspending political contributions after the Capitol siege:  They include banks JPMorgan Chase and Citi, Marriott International hotels, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and Boston Scientific.

 

RADIO HOSTS TOLD TO SHELVE ELECTION CHATTER.  Cumulus Media, the talk radio company with a lineup of conservative hosts such as Ben Shapiro and Mark Levin, tells its radio personalities to knock off the chatter about the election being stolen from President Donald Trump. Cumulus, based in Atlanta, owns 416 stations in nearly 90 markets across the country.

 

PETER DOOCY BECOMES WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT.  Fox News selects Peter Doocy as a White House correspondent covering President Joe Biden’s administration.  The son of “Fox & Friends” co-host Steve Doocy will begin coverage of Biden White House starting on Inauguration Day.

MEDIA TAKE A HIT WHEN PRO-TRUMP MOB OCCUPIES U.S. CAPITOL

 

 

Storming the Capitol shocked world leaders and American citizens, observed Grumpy Editor --- who couldn’t believe what he saw on television.

 

Thousands of protesters --- most without masks to curb spreading coronavirus --- flooded the area as some climbed the walls to the Capitol, fighting police in uniform.

 

Chaos at the Capitol, the center of American democracy, which led to five deaths, saw violent protesters smash furnishings and doors, TV camera equipment and assorted punches, some aimed at reporters and photographers.

 

“Murder the media” was carved into a door of the Capitol.

 

As Poynter pointed out:  This was “the most significant breach of an American government institution since the Battle of Bladensburg on Aug. 24th, 1814, when the British came and burned the Capitol and also burned the White House.”

 

Protesters carrying (and dragging) American flags must have affected many U.S. military veterans --- and those who remember photos of raising the U.S. flag at Iwo Jima during World War II.  

 

Last Wednesday began as a day of reckoning for President Donald Trump’s attempt to cling to power, as Congress took up the certification of President-elect Joe Biden.

 

“What a disgrace,” declared the Wall Street Journal in an editorial Thursday.  The Journal also said “Once the mob was inside, the call went out for backup from Virginia and Maryland, and the National Guard was activated.  But it’s a scandal that the U.S. Capitol wasn’t better protected on such a significant day.”

 

“(Joe) Biden will become President at noon on Jan. 20, and until then the police need to restore order with as much force as necessary.”

 

 

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GM UNVEILS NEW LOGO.  General Motors unveils a new tech-themed logo.  It features GM in lower case letters in a contemporary font.  It's the first major logo change in decades.

 

 

DIFFERENT LOOK.  Look for U.S. Marines on Inauguration Day ceremonies to wear black face masks, white gloves and an unusual combination of Vietnam-era field jackets in woodland camouflage with khaki-and-olive green service dress uniforms.

 

ARCTIC GETTING ATTENTION.  U.S. officials have noted that Russia has been reopening old military bases and moving forces in the Arctic where it operates a large icebreaker fleet. Meanwhile, China is increasing its shipbuilding and port infrastructure in the region.

 

VETERANS BENEFITS CLAIMS DELAYED.  A National Archives bottleneck is delaying benefits claims for 32,000 military veterans.  The Wall Street Journal points out "the archives website has instructions on how to file an emergency claim, but it can be difficult to understand."

 

SUPER BOWL COMMERCIALS CARRY PRICE TAGS UP TO $5.5 MILLION.  The Super Bowl, airing Feb. 7 on CBS, is seeking up to $5.5 million for commercials. 

 

L.A. TIMES STARTS ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER. The Los Angeles Times is launching a newsletter focused on entertainment.  It’s aimed at  industry professionals and workers along with agents and studio executives --- and anyone interested in what’s happening in Hollywood.

GENDER-NEUTRAL TERMS BEING CONSIDERED BY HOUSE DEMOCRATS

So what are House Democrats working on in the new 117^th Congress as we enter 2021?

They propose a rules change switching male and female references like "he" and "she" to gender-neutral terms, notes Grumpy Editor.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Rules Chairman Jim McGovern are focusing on a rules package to "honor all gender identities by changing pronouns and familiar relationships in the House rules to be gender neutral."

That means eliminating terms such as mother and father, son and daughter, and aunt and uncle.

Proposed changes call for gender-neutral terms such as parent, child, sibling and parent’s sibling.

The plan also includes establishment of a House “Office of Diversity and Inclusion.”

 

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CENSUS BUREAU MISSES DEADLINE.  The Census Bureau misses a year-end deadline for handing in numbers used to determine congressional seats. That’s the first time the year-end deadline is missed since it was implemented more than four decades ago.

DRUGMAKERS HIKE PRICES FOR NEW YEAR.  Following its annual routine, about 70 drugmakers rang in the new year by raising prices an average of 5.8 percent on many products.

MARINE CORPS STARTS TO ISSUE SILENCERS.  The Marine Corps starts issuing thousands of silencers to infantry units worldwide. The suppressors are designed to reduce the visual and noise signature of carbines and rifles including M4 and M4A1 carbines, M27 infantry automatic rifles and M38 designated marksman rifles.

WOOD FOR COFFINS SCARCE.  Coffin manufacturer Universal Caskets Manufacturing Corp. says wood --- especially pine --- for caskets is becoming scarce as the firm struggles to meet demand in the Los Angeles area.

AMERICAN RADIO IN BERLIN ENDS.  American radio presence in Berlin since 1945 ends when the last U.S. radio station in the German capital ceases operation.

MOST YOUNG AMERICANS UNABLE TO SERVE COUNTRY.  The Department of Defense reveals 71 percent of young Americans are unable to serve in uniform, largely due to obesity, drug abuse, poor education or crime record.

STOLEN WWII CHURCH BELL BEING RETURNED.  A church bell dating back to 1555 will be returned to its home in Poland, 77 years after it was taken in World War II by the Nazis who melted down 80,000 bells to make weapons or ammunition.

2020 ALSO KNOWN AS THE YEAR OF SCAMS

As year 2020 bows out, among other things it will be known as the year of scams, notes Grumpy Editor.

The Federal Trade Commission tallies consumers lost an estimated $1 billion in schemes during the pandemic since January.

 

Officials figure only a small fraction of ripped-off customers report losses to authorities.

 

Main targets are seniors and retirees, Blacks and Latinos, immigrants, military families and students.

 

“There are people out there whose job it is to steal your money, Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh tells Associated Press.

 

Frosh points out a growing number of cases involve affinity fraud that is a form of pyramid scheme in which consumers are urged to tap friends, family and members of their church or ethnic community for money in addition to their own payment.

 

 

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ARMY CANNON HITS DISTANT TARGET.  A U.S. Army cannon hits a target 43.5 miles away, marking a milestone in the push to develop longer range artillery.  Service leaders have said long-range precision fires from ground forces are an important part of a modernization effort to give forces “a decisive advantage” in future battles. Design work on a final version of the cannon could be finished next year.

 

AFGHANISTAN BEATS U.S., SAYS TRUMP.   President Donald Trump, tweeting from his vacation in Florida on Friday, says that the United States isn’t as good as war-torn, Taliban-infested Afghanistan, reports Mediaite.

D.C. MEMORIAL HONORS JOURNALISTS KILLED. President Donald Trump signs a bill authorizing a monument honoring journalists killed while reporting the news.   The Fallen Journalists Memorial Act, which passed through Congress with bipartisan support earlier this month, permits the Fallen Journalists Memorial Foundation to plan and raise funds for the construction of a memorial in Washington, D.C.

 

GEN. LEE STATUE REMOVED.  A statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, that represented Virginia in the U.S. Capitol for 111 years is removed, following the request from Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam.  It follows a decision that Lee is not a fitting symbol for the state.

 

FINANCIAL TIMES CUTS STAFF.  The Financial Times, an international daily newspaper, reportedly is cutting 64 jobs, including 20 editorial positions.

 

U.S. AIRBORNE SOLDIERS AID GERMAN MOTORIST.  Five U.S. 101st Airborne Division soldiers flying over rural Germany near Fabrikschleichach, a Bavarian town, spot a while puff of smoke on the ground, the result of a car rolling over three times.  The aircraft lands in a nearby muddy farm field and one of the soldiers runs to the vehicle and aids a German man on the ground beside the vehicle.

 

WOMAN TO COMMAND NUCLEAR-POWERED AIRCRAFT CARRIER.  Navy Capt. Amy Bauernschmidt, is selected to be the first woman to command a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, San Diego-based USS Abraham Lincoln, the fifth Nimitz-class aircraft carrier in the Navy.  Bauernschmidt previously served from 2016 to 2019 as the Lincoln’s executive officer, another first for a woman.  She is a 1994 graduate from the Naval Academy.

 

 

 

NAVY PLANS TO BUILD 82 SHIPS BY 2026

Not widely covered by media, the Defense Department announces the Navy plans to build 82 ships by 2026 at a cost of $147 billion, notes Grumpy Editor.

The shipbuilding plan includes three attack submarines, four large unmanned surface vessels, development of light amphibious warships and retirement of most of the Navy's current cruisers.

Observers  say the ambitious plan, based on a classified study presented to Congress earlier this month, will likely initiate a battle in Congress between the Navy and other U.S. service branches over funding.

"The plan calls for a larger fleet of both manned and unmanned vessels prepared to face greater challenges on, above or under the sea, by accelerating submarine construction, modernizing aircraft, extending the service life of cruisers and increasing the number of destroyers," says David L. Norquist, deputy secretary of defense.

The Defense Department adds, “The Navy will still sail proven, traditional capabilities, such as attack submarines, nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and air wings, and logistics forces, but the study also looked at building more small multi-mission combatants.”  

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POPULATION, MEDIAN AGE EDGE UP.  U.S. population increased about 8 percent --- to 332.6 million people --- over the past decade, reveals the Census Bureau.   Median age edges up to 38.5 years, vs. 37.2 in 2010.

 

YES, SAME AFGHANISTAN.  On Saturday, five rockets are fired at Bagram Airfield, major U.S. base in Afghanistan.  Grumpy Editor finds many things don’t change in the world after viewing “Enchantment,” a 1948 movie that takes place during World War II.  In the movie, actor David Niven plays a military officer informed that he is going to --- Afghanistan. 

 

MONARCH BUTTERFLY RECOGNIZED.  Federal officials declare the monarch butterfly is a candidate for threatened or endangered status with action likely in the years ahead.

  

TOO MANY WOMEN WORKERS BRING FINE.  City hall in Paris, France, is fined about $110,000 for appointing too many women to top positions in 2018.

 

DAYTIME TV IS SECOND PRIME TIME NOW.  With the pandemic resulting in more people at home, ratings-research firm Nielsen says daytime is a second prime time --- with an audience with much higher spending power.

MARINES WITHOUT TANKS?  U.S. Marines plan to shed its heavy armor (battle tanks) battalions as part of a 10-year redesign.

COYOTE VISITS FIRE STATION.  Firefighters in a Fort Lauderdale station are surprised to find an unusual visitor wandering through their firehouse --- a coyote.  It is surprising since the station is in a dense urban neighborhood about a mile from the beach.  The coyote soon ran out of the station.

BUSINESSMAN PAYS UTILITY BILLS.  Gulf Breeze, Florida, business owner Michael Esmond covers overdue utility bills for 114 families at risk of losing service in the holiday season.  Esmond, owner of Gulf Breeze Pools & Spa near Pensacola, donates $7,615 as the city faces an economic downturn caused by the pandemic and Hurricane Sally.

WORD OF THE YEAR IS PANDEMIC, NOTES MERRIAM-WEBSTER

 

“Pandemic” is the 2020 word of the year, reveals Merriam-Webster, notes Grumpy Editor.

 

“Often the big news story has a technical word that’s associated with it and in this case, the word pandemic is not just technical but has become general. It’s probably the word by which we’ll refer to this period in the future,” Peter Sokolowski, editor at large for Merriam-Webster, tells the Associated Press. 

 

When the World Health Organization on March 11 declared the novel coronavirus outbreak a global pandemic, lookups for pandemic spiked hugely, adds Sokolowski, pointing out site interest for the word has remained significantly high through the year.

Sokolowski says pandemic, with roots in Latin and Greek, is a combination of “pan,” for all, and “demos,” for people or population. The word dates to the mid-1600s, used broadly for “universal” and more specifically to disease in a medical text in the 1660s, he mentions.

 

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GANNETT JOBS GOING TO INDIA.  Gannett informs its business side employees that 485 of their jobs will be outsourced to Hyderabad, India, early next year.

CHINA DETAINS BLOOMBERG NEWS WORKER.  Authorities in China detain Haze Fan, a Chinese citizen working at the Bloomberg News bureau in Beijing since 2017, on suspicion of endangering national security.

MOUNTAIN LION CUBS RESETTLED.  Three mountain lion cubs, rescued from wildfires in California, are settling into their new home at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium after FedEx transported them from California.

MACAW IN ARIZONA DRAWS ATTENTION.  A wandering macaw is rescued by members of Arizona’s Pima Animal Care Center (PACC).  Initially, the colorful bird evades rescuers by perching on tall trees.  But the bird is captured when it settles into a shorter tree. When captured, the parrot ---  common in Central and South America --- was showing signs of exhaustion and dehydration, but is now recovering. 

FOX NEWS TO DEBUT WEATHER SERVICE.  Fox News Media division in the 2021 third quarter plans to debut a streaming weather service, Fox Weather, complementing the traditional news operation.  Fox Weather will  take advantage of 75 meteorologists across 17 Fox stations and Fox News Channel's news gathering units.

HEAVYWEIGHT GOLDFISH DISCOVERED.  Wildlife officials conducting a fish population survey discover a goldfish weighing nine pounds in 12-acre Oak Grove Lake, Greenville County, in South Carolina.

VIRUS SHUTTERS 110,000 RESTAURANTS.  The National Restaurant Association says 110,000 restaurants permanently shuttered this year with 10,000 of them closed in the past three months.  A survey of 6,000 restaurant operators reveals 87 percent of full-service restaurants report an average 36 percent drop in revenue and 83 percent expect sales to be "even worse" over the next three months as the virus continues to lash the country.

HARTFORD COURANT CLOSES NEWSROOM.  The Hartford Courant, Connecticut’s largest newspaper and the oldest continuously published paper in the country, will be closing its newsroom by year-end.

 

BEST NEW YEAR'S CITIES LISTED.   WalletHub tallies  best cities for ringing in the new year without breaking the bank.  The data set ranges from safety and COVID-19 cases to quality food delivery options and costs.

 

Best Cities for New Year’s 1. Virginia Beach, VA 11. Raleigh, NC 2. Honolulu, HI 12. Chesapeake, VA 3. Plano, TX 13. San Jose, CA 4. Fremont, CA 14. Norfolk, VA 5. Irvine, CA 15. Colorado Springs, CO 6. Chula Vista, CA 16. Riverside, CA 7. Lincoln, NE 17. Austin, TX 8. Santa Ana, CA 18. Madison, WI 9. San Diego, CA 19. Pittsburgh, PA 10. Anaheim, CA 20. San Francisco, CA

 

PANDEMIC TRIGGERS MORE LAYOFFS OF TV STAFFERS

More TV staffers were caught in layoffs last week, notes Grumpy Editor.

 

ABC News was hit as part of major restructuring and job cuts across Walt Disney Co.

 

A report said layoffs were in the “low single digit” percentage of the news division's workforce that employs about 1,400.

 

Disney’s Television Group also eliminated positions in general entertainment divisions.

 

Radio Disney is ceasing operations.  ESPN cut jobs last month.  

 

The ABC action follows other network’s layoffs during the year at CBS News, NBC News and Fox News.

 

The pandemic exacerbates a volatile media environment, with a push toward streaming and digital.

 

 

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Koala breaks into home, climbs Christmas tree

 

KOALA WITH CHRISTMAS SPIRIT.  Near Adelaide, southern Australia, a koala broke into a home and immediately climbed the Christmas tree.  The tree-climbing koala is an iconic animal, often called the koala “bear."

 

PEARL HARBOR ANNIVERSARY TODAY.  Today marks the 69th anniversary of the Japanese attack on the U.S. Navy base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.  It resulted in four battleships sunk, four others damaged.  Also sunk or damaged were three cruisers, three destroyers and a minelayer, while 188 aircraft were destroyed, 2,402 people were killed and 1,282 wounded, mostly Navy personnel.

 

NAVY LOSES ANOTHER SHIP.  The Navy will decommission the amphibious assault ship Bonhomme Richard following heavy damage from a five-day fire in July near San Diego.  It would have cost up to $3.2 billion to rebuild the vessel.

 

PANDEMIC BOOSTS DAYTIME TV.  The pandemic is boosting daytime television.  Nielsen, the ratings and research firm, says daytime now is "a second prime time" as office workers and professionals are at home instead of the office --- sneaking in some viewing time.

 

ONLY SERVICE ANIMALS CAN FLY.  In a new ruling, dogs are the only service animals allowed to fly on passenger planes.  Emotional support animals are no longer considered service animals, which the Department of Transportation now defines solely as trained dogs.

 

PANDEMIC ELEVATES CREDIT CARD USE.  Many Americans, losing income in the pandemic, are falling deeper into debt and being forced to pay bills, rent or mortgage on credit cards, posing trouble ahead for the economy. 

 

FIRST RESCUE DOG WILL BE IN WHITE HOUSE.  President-elect Joe Biden’s adopted German Shepherd, Major, will be the first rescue dog to take up residence in the White House.  He will join Biden’s other dog, Champ.

 

REAL CHRISTMAS TREES ARE POPULAR THIS YEAR

Demand is up for real Christmas trees this year, observes Grumpy Editor.

Wholesale tree farmers and others report strong demand for fresh-cut evergreens.

Tree sellers say they are seeing more people and earlier than in recent years.

With bigger demand, big box stores are seeking fresh trees earlier this year from places such as Oregon and North Carolina.

Pushing the trend, Walmart is offering free home delivery of the real trees.

More Americans are staying home for the holidays amid pandemic restrictions and are realizing that for the first time in years — or maybe ever — they will be home to water a fresh-cut tree, reports Associated Press.

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ROBOT DOGS PATROL MILITARY BASE.  Security forces at the 29,000-acre Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida are using robot dogs for patrolling the installation, a first for mechanized pooches. The computerized canines can be programmed to patrol areas that aren’t desirable for humans and vehicles.

YOUR NEW FRIENDLY BANK.  General Motors’ lending arm is planning to apply for a banking charter that would allow it to accept deposits and expand its auto-finance business.

TONING IT DOWN.  Kim Jong Un, North Korea’s leader, sees any future negotiations with President-elect Joe Biden, potentially more difficult than with President Donald Trump. 

POISON GAS, FIRING SQUADS RETURN. The Justice Department, in amending execution protocols starting Dec. 24, no longer will require death sentences to be carried out by lethal injection, clearing the way for other methods such as poison gas and firing squads.

CHER VISITS LONELY ELEPHANT IN PAKISTAN.  Singer-actress Cher visits Pakistan to mark the departure of Kaavan, dubbed the “world’s loneliest elephant,” that will soon leave a Pakistani zoo for better conditions. Kaavan’s destination is a sanctuary in Cambodia .  The move follows years of lobbying by animal rights groups and activists.

NOT ENOUGH VANS WITH DELIVERY RUSH.  FedEx and United Parcel Service are running into a shortage of delivery vans, prompting a surprise cost squeeze that’s cutting into profits during a record surge in package volumes.

MILITARY CEMETERY CLOSES FOR WREATHS.  Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, will close to the public from Dec. 13 to 19 to allow Christmas wreaths to be placed at 267,000 graves.  The wreaths will be placed as part of the Wreaths Across America event.

BRITISH ARMY DOG GETS TOP AWARD.  A retired British army working dog — named Kuno, a Belgian Malinois — that suffered life-changing injuries while supporting the British special forces fighting Al Qaeda is awarded the Dickin Medal – the highest award an animal can receive within the British military. The award is equivalent to the U.S.’s Medal of Honor.

SINGER DOLLY PARTON'S $1 MILLION GIFT BOOSTS COVID-19 RESEARCH

 

Dolly Parton's $1 million gift aids research 

 

Missed by some media is that a $1 million gift from country singer Dolly Parton helped researchers develop a coronavirus vaccine, observed Grumpy Editor.

 

She said she felt "very honored and proud" to have given money to research into one of the most promising Covid-19 vaccines.

 

The gift went to Nashville’s Vanderbilt University Medical Center leading to the development of Moderna’s experimental coronavirus vaccine. The Moderna vaccine is reported to be nearly 95 percent effective.

 

"I just felt so proud to have been part of that little seed money that will hopefully grow into something great and help to heal this world,” said the singer.

  

Parton’s donation also is supporting a convalescent plasma study and research involving antibody therapies, said a Vanderbilt University Medical Center spokesperson.  Convalescent plasma is used to treat people who are battling a Covid infection.

 

Funds from Parton’s gift are also supporting research into monoclonal antibodies that act as a temporary vaccine for Covid.  Two of these antibodies are now being tested by a global pharmaceutical firm.

 

Vanderbilt's plasma pilot showed enough promise for the U.S. National Institutes of Health to step in with $34 million in additional support to conduct a national, multi-site clinical trial into the benefits of convalescent plasma.

 

Parton pointed out “my longtime friend Dr Naji Abumrad, who's been involved in research at Vanderbilt for many years, informed me that they were making some exciting advancements towards that research of the coronavirus for a cure.”  She mentioned her $1 million donation toward that research would “encourage people that can afford it to make donations."

 

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SMALLER TURKEYS THIS YEAR.  Fewer guests at Thanksgiving dinners this year, due to the coronavirus pandemic, means smaller turkeys — 12 to 14 pounds rather than 16 to 20 pounds.

 

BIG BUCKS FOR RUDOLPH AND SANTA.  A buyer at a Hollywood auction was willing to pay $368,000 for the six-inch-tall Rudolph and 11-inch high Santa Claus figures used in the 1964 Christmas special “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.”

 

MARS SEEKS TO EXPAND.  Mars, candy maker of  Snickers, Milky Way and M&Ms reached a deal to acquire Kind, which makes nutritional snacks, as a move to expand the candy maker's snack menu.    

 

NEWS CORP. EYES BOOK PUBLISHER.  Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp is making a play for Simon & Schuster, home to best-selling authors like Stephen King and Hillary Clinton. It is one of more than half a dozen inquiries, with one topping $1.7 billion.

 

JOURNALISM SCHOOL HONORS DR. FAUCI.  Dr. Anthony Fauci, infectious disease expert, was honored by the journalism school at San Jose State University for his role in delivering vital public health information during the COVID-19 pandemic.  The William Randolph Hearst Foundation is for excellence in mass communication.

 

MOTORSPORTS BROADCAST BOOTH WELCOMES WOMAN.  Fox Sports said veteran NASCAR reporter Jamie Little, with 20 years in broadcasting, will move to the broadcast booth to call play-by-play for the ARCA Series in 2021 — becoming the first woman named as the television voice of a national motorsports series.

 

CORONAVIRUS DELAYS RETURN TO WASHINGTON POST OFFICES. Because of the coronavirus, Washington Post staffers won’t be back in the offices until at least June 1 next year.

 

MLB MINIMUM SALARY UP $7,000.  Minimum Major League Baseball salary next year rises to $570,500, up $7,000 from this year.

 

2021 MARDI GRAS PARADES SHELVED.  The annual New Orleans Mardi Gras parades, previously scheduled for January and February, will be canceled for 2021, due to the coronavirus pandemic.