To Help Others, 9-Year-Old Boy Turns To Pumpkins And Trees

ACROSS AMERICA — Good morning! It’s Sunday, Dec. 19. Do you have plans to travel this holiday week? If so, be sure to check this year’s travel forecast to know when — and when not — to head out of town.

Meanwhile, here are the stories we’re following today:

• The flu vaccine may be a bad match for this year's dominant influenza strain.
• OSHA won’t start penalizing businesses that don’t comply with a federal vaccination mandate until Jan. 10.
• President Biden marked the 49th anniversary of the death of his first wife and baby daughter.
• Who says all news is bad news? Check out this week’s collection of good news stories.

Cohen Ullah is only 9 years old, but he has a good idea of what he wants in life — a college education and a nice car for himself, but also enough money to help the homeless and others who need it.

Cohen lives on an acreage near Spokane with his brothers and his dad, Noah. When Noah asked his youngest boy the inevitable question — "How can you make money with what we have here?" — he didn't have to wait long for an answer.

Noah was putting in an orchard at the time, so he set aside some land for Cohen's pumpkin patch. Out of 118 pumpkins, only three remained unsold. But Cohen wasn’t finished. With the help of his older brothers, he’s also planting a sustainable Christmas tree farm.

"Real-life experience is what I want for all three of my kids," Noah said. "If you immerse yourself in it, you're going to learn about it. I want them to know what it's like to get a business license and save money. It sets them up for future success." »Dad Asks Son, 9, How He's Going To Pay For His Wish List. He Came Up With This, via Spokane, Washington, Patch

Flu Shot, Dominant Strain ‘Mismatched’

The flu vaccine received by millions of Americans this winter may be a bad match for this year's dominant influenza strain, according to reports. This season's dominant flu strain is H3N2, a type of influenza A virus, but an ongoing study on H3N2 suggests it may be mutating in a way that causes it to evade vaccine-created antibodies meant to defend against the virus.

"From our lab-based studies it looks like a major mismatch," Scott Hensley, a professor of microbiology at the University of Pennsylvania who led the study, told CNN. While that's bad news for the vaccine, "that's what viruses do," Hensley said. »Flu Vaccine 'A Major Mismatch' For 2021's Dominant Strain: Report, via Across America Patch

Vaccine Penalties Start Jan. 10

The Occupational Health and Safety Administration said Saturday that it would not issue citations tied to its coronavirus vaccination mandate before Jan. 10, so that companies have time to adjust to and implement the requirements. The announcement came after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth District in Cincinnati decided on Friday that the mandate for large employers could go forward, reversing a previous court decision. »OSHA Vaccine Mandate Penalties To Start Jan. 10, via Across America Patch

Your Good News Fix

Who says all news is bad news? In this week’s installment of stories sure to make you smile, a teen whose brain is faster than a calculator, a kid lands on Food Network, and two Vietnam vets reunite after more than 55 years. »11 Good News Stories: Human Calculator; J.J. Watt's Big Gesture, via Across America Patch

More national headlines on Patch, other news websites:

• Biden Marks 49th Anniversary Of Crash That Killed Wife, Daughter
• Experts: Potter Missed Chance To Explain Taser-Gun Mix-Up
• Senate Confirms Big Slate Of Biden Ambassadors To End 2021
• No MLK Jr. Day Without Action On Voting Rights, King Family Says
• The Week in Photos: SantaCon, Nature's Fury, New Omicron Fears
• Publix, Albertsons, Kroger: Christmas 2021 Grocery Store Hours
• Charlamagne Tha God, Harris Get Into Heated Exchange About Who 'Real President' Is, via The Hill
• White House Not Budging On Feb. 1 End To Student Loans Forgiveness, via Politico

Around ‘The Patch’

• Time Capsule From 1887 Possibly Discovered Inside Pedestal Of Robert E. Lee Statue, via Richmond, Virginia, Patch
• Police Find No Hate Crime Evidence In Altercation Involving Islamic High School Student, via Fairfax City, Virginia, Patch
• Can These 'Tiny Houses' Help Ease Homelessness In Newark?, via Newark, New Jersey, Patch
• 18-Year-Old Arrested After Lying About Sexual Assault: Prosecutor, via Jersey City Patch
• Vaccinated CA Employees Face New Workplace Pandemic Restrictions, via Los Angeles Patch
• MA Coronavirus Spike: Bruins Season Halted; Harvard Goes Remote, via Boston Patch
• Tom Holland Delivers A Riveting Performance In 'No Way Home', via Hollywood Patch

This Day In History

In 1997, James Cameron's “Titanic,” a drama about the doomed ocean liner starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, premiered. It later became one of the highest-grossing movies of all time (thanks in part to this Patch editor, who at 13 years old, saw it in theaters a mind-boggling five times.)

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