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Good people are good because they’ve come to wisdom through failure. We get very little wisdom from success, you know.
— William Saroyan
Reading Time: 4 minutes 50 seconds
Today is Monday, December 26th, 2022. It is National Candy Cane Day, National Thank You Note Day, and Boxing Day (in Commonwealth countries).
On This Day
In 1776, the Continental Army attacked and successfully defeated a garrison of Hessian forces at the Battle of Trenton.
In 1799, Henry Lee III’s eulogy to George Washington in Congress declared him to be “first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen.”
In 1861, Confederate diplomatic envoys James Murray Mason and John Slidell were freed by the U.S. government, heading off a possible war between the United States and the United Kingdom.
In 1862, four nuns serving as volunteer nurses on board the USS Red Rover became the first female nurses on a U.S. Navy hospital ship.
In 1919, Babe Ruth of the Boston Red Sox was sold to the New York Yankees by owner Harry Frazee.
In 1944, George S. Patton’s Third Army broke the encirclement of surrounded U.S. forces at Bastogne, Belgium.
In 1966, “Maulana Karenga” (born Ronald McKinley Everett), the chairman of Black Studies at California State University, Long Beach, celebrated the first “Kwanzaa,” a holiday he invented that melded black nationalism with “early Chinese and Cuban socialism.”
In 1972, as part of Operation Linebacker II, 120 American B-52s attacked Hanoi, in the largest single combat launch in Strategic Air Command history.
In 1980, witnesses reported the first of several sightings of unexplained lights near RAF Woodbridge, in Rendlesham Forest in the United Kingdom. Some call the incident “Britain’s Roswell.”
In 1991, the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union met and formally dissolved the Soviet Union.
Today's Birthdays
National Baseball Hall of Famer Carlton Fisk is 75. Metallica co-founder Lars Ulrich is 59. Actor Jared Leto is 51. Actress Beth Behrs is 37. Actor “Kit” Harington is 36.
The Links
Confirmed blizzard death toll climbs to 10; officials brace for more in Buffalo Niagara region (The Buffalo News)
“We have 911 calls of other fatalities that have not been confirmed.”
Florida wakes up to second frozen morning and coldest Christmas in 33 years (The Daytona Beach News-Journal)
“It didn’t break the record for coldest Christmas, although in many areas wind chills may make it feel that way. It’s probably in the top five, behind the Christmas of 1989 and the Christmas cold wave of 1983, which still holds the record for most of the country.”
Citing blackout risk, ERCOT gets emergency OK to bypass emission standards (Houston Chronicle)
“ERCOT does not lightly request this authorization. It understands the importance of the environmental permit limits that are at issue. However, in ERCOT’s judgment, the loss of power to homes and local businesses in the areas that may be affected by curtailments presents a far greater risk to public health and safety than the temporary exceedances of those permit limits that would be allowed under the requested order.”
State revenue up, fuel prices down this Christmas (Casper Star-Tribune)
“While it’s come down substantially since then — holding at $15.60 as of last week — the price of that coal is still higher than at any point in the previous decade.”
Regional planners look for the next step as environmental activists laud SJGS demise (Farmington Daily Times)
“What will replace the stable jobs the region permanently lost due to the shutdown?”
Spare the Air alert extended as unhealthy wood smoke hangs over Bay Area (Bay Area News Group)
“The poor air quality comes as local officials threaten $100 fines on burning firewood, which is the main driver of the low-slung cloud of polluted air hanging over the region. On Sunday officials extended a Spare the Air alert through Monday, which was originally planned to expire on Sunday.”
The Golden State needs a course correction in the new year (The Orange County Register)
“In the Legislature, Republicans not only failed to gain seats, they lost one in the Assembly, to 18 of 80; and another in the Senate, to 8 of 40. In both houses they’re well below the one-third needed to stop a tax increase. Even if you’re not a Republican, you might feel the effects of their impotence if the supermajority Democrats decide to increase your taxes to make up for that $25 billion deficit.”
How do other states protect children? Louisiana is an outlier without ombudsman, transparency (The Advocate)
“Louisiana’s child welfare system has been rocked by the deaths of multiple children this year, leading to legislative hearings, the resignation of the agency’s leader and questions about what could have been done to better protect those under its care.”
Measure 114’s background-check requirement that closes ‘Charleston loophole’ should take effect now, state argues (The Oregonian)
“A state judge will decide by Jan. 3 whether to maintain or lift his temporary order blocking the Measure 114 provision requiring the completion of a criminal background check before a gun can be sold or transferred.”
Nebraska workers looking forward to minimum wage increase starting Jan. 1 (Omaha World-Herald)
“Initiative 433, which was passed by 58.6% of Nebraska voters in the midterm elections, will raise the state’s minimum wage to $12 an hour in 2024, then $13.50 an hour in 2025 before reaching $15 an hour in 2026. A report from the National Employment Law Project said more than 147,000 Nebraska workers make under $15 an hour.”
Ocean Wind 1 hopes to button up state, federal permits in 2023 (The Press of Atlantic City)
“Over the past two years, there have been multiple information sessions, hearings and options for public comment, both in person and remotely. In some cases, comments stretched for hours as those opposing offshore wind projects and those supporting them each had their say.”
Will tech layoffs end the era of remote work? Here’s what experts predict for 2023 (San Francisco Chronicle)
“But while the region’s office market is in a slump, some local companies and national surveys show it is increasingly common for workers to show up a few days a week, a trend that is likely to continue into 2023.”
Ohio BMV program wipes out $255M in fees for 380,000 suspended drivers (Akron Beacon Journal)
“When you look at the reduction numbers, the dollar numbers, it’s kind of staggering. We’ve really put a dent into this. I think it’s fair to say we put 100,000 people back on the road legally, that if it were not for amnesty, might not be there.”
Report: 34.5% decline in Northwest cherry crop from previous year (Yakima Herald-Republic)
“The combination of April frost and snowfall, along with the effects of colder temperatures on flower development and bee activity, reduced pollination levels for cherry trees in the Yakima Valley and elsewhere in the state.”
This business has been satisfying cravings for sweets in Utah for more than a century (The Salt Lake Tribune)
“According to data from the Utah Department of Commerce, Sweet Candy Co. is the oldest for-profit corporation in Utah whose registration remains active.”
Your Turn
1. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas understands that when it comes to protecting public health and safety, tradeoffs must always be made. Why doesn’t Anthony Fauci?
2. Will Nebraska’s minimum-wage hikes help or hurt employment in the state?
3. Isn’t it time to ditch the grotesque fraud known as “Kwanzaa”?
4. What happened at Rendlesham Forest in late December 1980?
5. Do you ever write thank-you notes?
1. Fauci is all ego, so he wouldn't make tradeoffs.
2. Nebraska's minimum wage hike will hurt employment. Small businesses can't absorb wakge hikes like large businesses and government. Wage hikes cause overhead costs to increase which cause product/service prices to increase. Basic economics.
3. Kwanzaa should be ditched. It has no legitimacy.
4. ?
5. I write thank-you notes at Christmas for gifts from those who live far away. Locally, I'll text or thank the person a second time when we get together.