Is Enough Really Enough? Michigan School Shooting Could Spark A Reckoning

ACROSS AMERICA — Good morning! It’s Saturday, Dec. 11. To get in the holiday spirit, we present you with a deliciously difficult choice: Pick the winner of Patch's second annual gingerbread house contest. And when you’re done, catch up on the headlines we’re following today

• Is the latest pronouncement that "enough is enough" really enough to stop school shootings? Maybe.
• The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday ruled that Texas' restrictive abortion law can stay in effect.
• If you’ve purchased a carton of milk lately, you know inflation is here. But why?
• A South Florida man was charged after threatening to decapitate two congresswomen.

Last week's fatal school shooting that left four dead in Michigan has sparked a reckoning over why it's so easy for kids to get their hands on their parents' or other adults' firearms and gun down their classmates.

The push for change isn't taking place in Congress or outside the White House. It's playing out in the Oakland County Circuit Court system in metro Detroit, where Prosecutor Karen McDonald is plowing new legal ground with charges that seek to hold people beyond the accused shooter responsible for the crime.

In her decisions, McDonald, a mother of five and former circuit court judge who stepped down in 2019 to run for county prosecutor, is articulating clearly the echo in many Americans' hearts: This has to stop.

But it this latest pronouncement that "enough is enough" really enough? Maybe. There are several ways Oxford is different from the 300 school shootings since the Columbine massacre in 1999 opened America's eyes to school violence. » School Shootings: Case Seeks Accountability, Not More Gun Control, via Across America Patch

TX Abortion Ban Stays In Effect

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday ruled that Texas' restrictive abortion law can stay in effect, but members of the court also decided that abortion providers could continue with lawsuits and pre-enforcement challenges. The law went into effect Sept. 1 and bans abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected, which can occur as early as six weeks into pregnancy. » Supreme Court Allows Suits Against Texas Abortion Law To Continue, via Houston Patch

• RELATED: Texas Judge Rules Parts Of Abortion Law Are 'Unconstitutional'

Why Is Inflation So High?

Inflation is starting to look like that unexpected — and unwanted — houseguest who just won't leave. For months, many economists had sounded a reassuring message that a spike in consumer prices, something that had been missing in action in the U.S. for a generation, wouldn't stay long. Yet as any American who has bought a carton of milk, a gallon of gas or a used car could tell you, inflation has settled in. But why? The Associated Press explains. » Why U.S. Inflation Is So High, And When It May Ease: Explainer, via Across America Patch

The Week In Photos

Bob Dole, a decorated World War II veteran and retired senator from Kansas who became one of the most powerful Republicans, died Sunday and was remembered this week in services as a statesman who reached across party lines.

In other news of the week, a strong storm flooded parts of Hawaii and downed power lines. A community mourned the loss of four high school students. And aging veterans returned to Pearl Harbor 80 years later. » Week In Photos: Devastation In Hawaii, Dole's Death, Starbucks, via Across America Patch

More national headlines on Patch and beyond:

• Monkees Singer, Houston Native Michael Nesmith Dies At 78
• Chris Christie Says It's 'Undeniable' Trump Gave Him COVID
• Jan. 6 Panel Subpoenas Six Who Helped Plan Trump Rallies
• After Smollett Guilty Verdict, More Court Cases Await
• As Winter Storms Start, States Struggle To Hire Snowplow Drivers
• Services In Washington, Kansas Continue To Honor Bob Dole
• 2021 In Books: 'Everything Feels Magnified'
• First Handful Of U.S. Omicron Cases Mostly Mild, via NBC News

Around ‘The Patch’

‘Dreezy Claus’ Represents: A jolly Black fellow hailing from the South Side of Chicago, Dreezy Claus remains on a mission to spread Christmas cheer decked out in a plus-sized red-and-white suit, his beaming smile framed by a full beard and dangling dreadlocks the color of Silver Bells, via Chicago Patch

33-Year-Old NFL Star Dies: Georgia Tech standout, retired NFL star and Georgia native Demaryius Thomas died Thursday night in his home. He was 33, via Atlanta Patch

More local news:

• First Look: Here's The New Frank Sinatra Statue On The Hoboken Waterfront, via Hoboken Patch
• South FL Man Charged After Threatening To Decapitate Congresswomen, via Miami Patch
• Illinois Doctor Used Veterinary Catheters To Inseminate Women, via Skokie, Illinois, Patch
• School Mask Mandate Decision Made By PA Supreme Court, via Across Pennsylvania Patch
• Governor Reimposes NY Indoor Mask Mandate To Fight Omicron, via New York City Patch
• Atlanta Troll Directs Perdue Governor Web Domain To Ossoff's Official Senate Page, via Atlanta Patch
• VA Confirms 1st Omicron Variant Case In Resident Who Didn't Travel Out Of US, via Falls Church, Virginia, Patch
• Missing Long Island Mom’s Body Found In Pine Barrens, via Sachem, New York, Patch
• 87-Year-Old Driver Behind Bars After Running Over 4 Kids, via Palm Desert, California, Patch

House Hunting

In the winter months, many people just want to cozy up by the fire with a nice book. This home for sale in the Cannon Bluff community of Woodbridge, Virginia, is well-suited for just that. The home also has a number of unique features such as extensive crown moldings, a library with built-ins and a fireplace, and a wine cellar.

This Day In History

In 1998, the Judiciary Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives recommended three articles of impeachment against President Bill Clinton. A fourth article was added the following day.

Find Your Patch

Patch is in more than 1,000 communities across America. Find your community and see what's happening outside your front door.