Bill Chappell
Stories
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Environment
The U.S. set a new record for powerful wind gusts, with 55 in one day
Winds peaked at 100 mph in Russell, Kansas, one of many places where existing wind records for December were obliterated, the National Weather Service said.
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Health
Omicron spreads faster than any other variant, WHO says. It's now in 77 countries
"Omicron is spreading at a rate we have not seen with any previous variant," says WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
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National
800,000 Americans have died of COVID. Now the U.S. braces for an omicron-fueled spike
The U.S. also surpassed 50 million COVID-19 cases, the most in the world. Two experts who raised early warnings discuss how the losses continue to deepen, despite the arrival of vaccines a year ago.
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National
Teachers in South Dakota scrambled to pick up $1 bills in a hockey game sideshow
The event, which offered a total of $5,000 to 10 teachers, had fans cheering. But it also sparked criticism for turning teachers' need to pay for classroom supplies into a public spectacle.
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National
Jussie Smollett found guilty of disorderly conduct in trial over his alleged attack
Jurors convicted the Empire actor on five of the six felony disorderly conduct charges he faced. The verdict was announced days after Smollett testified that "there was no hoax."
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National
Oxford shooting victim's family files $100 million suit, saying the school failed her
The lawsuit says "multiple concerned parents" alerted school officials to violent threats two weeks before the shooting at the Michigan high school, only to be told there was no reason to worry.
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Environment
50 earthquakes hit off the Oregon coast, but scientists say they're no great shakes
A swarm of earthquakes led some people to worry that the seismic activity might portend The Big One. But seismologists say that given the location of the quakes, there was no cause for alarm.
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National
19 U.S. states now have detected the omicron COVID-19 variant
States that have detected the variant range from Hawaii to Massachusetts. The reports are part of a new surge in COVID-19 cases.
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National
Every Michigan driver will get $400 for each vehicle they own, the state says
The money comes from a projected $5 billion surplus held by a non-profit that reimburses auto insurers for very high personal injury medical costs.
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Politics
Congressman shares photo celebrating guns at Christmas, days after a school shooting
"Santa, please bring ammo," Rep. Thomas Massie wrote as he posted the image of him and his family posing with guns in front of a Christmas tree.