Forget terrorists, unwelcomed packages through the mail, the approaching migrants caravan or super hurricanes, what the U.S. Geological Survey classifies as a “very high threat” are (ready for this?) --- volcanoes, observes Grumpy Editor.
Government scientists have put 18 U.S. volcano sites on the danger list, topped by Hawaii’s Kilauea.
Others in the top five are Mount St. Helens and Mount Rainier in Washington, Mount Redoubt in Alaska and Mount Shasta in California.
This may come as a surprise to many readers: Concord University volcano expert Janine Krippner declares, “The U.S.A. is one of the most active countries in the world when it comes to volcanic activity.”
Other centers of volcanic action: Oregon's Mount Hood, Three Sisters, Newberry, and Crater Lake; Alaska's Akutan Island, Makushin, Mount Spurr, and Augustine; California's Lassen and Long Valley; Washington's Mount Baker and Glacier Peak; and Hawaii's Mauna Loa.
IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…
HALLOWEEN ATTRACTS BIG SPENDING. With the spookiest day of the year two days away, WalletHub sees $9 billion in Halloween spending this year, with $3.2 billion on costumes and $2.6 billion in candy. It ranks the top 10 cities for Halloween: New York, Jersey City (N.J.), Los Angeles, Irvine (Calif.), San Diego, Santa Ana (Calif.), Chicago, Las Vegas, Irvine (Texas) and St. Paul (Minn.).
MOST SAY U.S. GREATLY DIVIDED. With eight days to go until midterm elections, an overwhelming majority of Americans say the U.S. is greatly divided, according to an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll. Just 20 percent of those polled think the country will become less divided over the next few years, 39 percent think things will get worse, while 77 percent say they are dissatisfied with the state of politics.
SAME LAST NAME POPULAR ON BALLOT. In Orange County, Calif., 24 Vietnamese Americans are running for office with 13 sharing the same last name — Nguyen. They are candidates for state senator, city council, California Assembly, sheriff and Westminster mayor.
YOUNGER TV VIEWERS TARGETED. NBC has its eyes on a younger audience with announcement of a new streaming news network, NBC News Signal. Instead of airing on traditional pay TV platforms, Signal will be available through NBC’s news mobile and over-the-top apps, as well as on other services including PlutoTV, YouTube and Twitter.
EUROPEAN UNION WOMEN EARN LESS. Britain’s Guardian cites new figures from the EU that show women in the bloc still earn 16.2 percent less than men on average.
‘NAZI’ AIRCRAFT CRASHES IN CALIFORNIA. A vintage World War II fighter aircraft painted with Nazi logos crashed and burned on a highway in Agoura Hills, north of Los Angeles. An experienced commercial pilot is rescued from the aircraft owned by the Condor Squadron Club, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving aviation history.
CHINA INKS DEALS WITH JAPAN. China's talks with the U.S. may not be going anywhere, but the country signed more than 500 business deals with Japan, including the revival of a big currency-swap agreement that's been on ice for the last five years, reports the South China Morning Post.
HACKER BREACHES AIRLINE DATA. A hacker made away with details on 9.4 million Cathay Pacific passengers. It's the worst airline data breach yet.
MUSK’S TUNNEL SLATES OPENING. Elon Musk's Boring Co. plans to open its first tunnel to the public on Dec. 10, reveals the Tesla/SpaceX/Boring CEO. The tunnel, underneath the Los Angeles suburb of Hawthorne, runs around two miles from a SpaceX property. Musk says the public gets free rides the day after the unveiling.
TRUCK SHORTAGE LEADS TO HIGHER CHOCOLATE PRICES. Look for higher chocolate candy prices next year, caused primarily by an increase in freight costs. Hershey and other food makers face record high shipping costs this year because of a shortage of truck drivers.
FEWER AMERICANS ‘UNBANKED.’ Percentage of Americans who do not have a bank account falls to a record low (6.5 percent) of households last year, reports the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.
