15 Killed In New Year's Attack In New Orleans

The FBI said it was investigating the attack as a terrorist act.

New 2025 Laws Hit Hot Topics From AI In Movies To Rapid-Fire Guns

Many of the laws launching in January result from legislation passed in 2024. Others stem from ballot measures. Some face legal challenges.

Quadrantids Start 2025 With Up To 120 Meteors An Hour: When To Look Up

The best time to catch the first meteor shower of 2025, the often overlooked Quadrantids, is in the hours before dawn on Friday morning

Northern Lights May Ring In 2025 Over A Third Of U.S.

States as far south Idaho and Iowa could see the northern lights Monday and Tuesday after the sun expelled plasma hurtling toward Earth.

Yes, You Will Keep That New Year's Resolution. Here's How [Survey]

Readers answering Patch’s informal survey say we may have a better chance of keeping promises to ourselves if don’t make them on New Year’s.

Tips To Make New Year's Resolutions Stick

Start small, think positvely, focus on goals, enlist your friends for support, set your own calendar and be kind to yourself, experts advise

Norovirus Cases Are Surging: What To Know About Wretched Stomach Bug

Seasonal norovirus outbreaks exceed previous years, according to the CDC, which says the virus causes 58 percent of foodborne illnesses.

Jimmy Carter — Former President, Diplomat And Humanitarian — Dies

Former President Jimmy Carter died Sunday at his home in Plains, Georgia, according to his son James E. Carter III. He was 100.

Unsent Letters in the Heart

Most of us have unsent or dead letters in our hearts. A dead letter is one we composed to send to someone, but we never mailed it.

Big Lots Reaches Deal To Keep Hundreds Of US Stores Open

​The discount chain Big Lots said it reached a deal after filing for bankruptcy protection in September.

Sportscaster Greg Gumbel Dies From Cancer At Age 78

Gumbel, a longtime CBS sportscaster who broke barriers during his career calling some of the biggest sporting events, died Friday.

Free-Range Kids A Top Neighborhood Peeve [Block Talk]

Noise, parking, driving and inclusion also got mentions in our survey of what readers would change about their neighbors and neighborhoods.

2024 In Photos: Presidential Election | Caitlin Clark | Hurricanes

See the most striking and newsworthy photos of the year. Including photos of the devastating hurricanes the U.S. endured.

Owl Flies Down Chimney, Tops Christmas Tree [Weird News & Oddities]

Mastodon fossil reveals Ice Age clues. A bear shot by a hunter falls on another and kills him. What is going on with California’s squirrels?

Drop Everything: 11 Quirky New Year’s Eve Celebrations To Start 2025

Wacky plays on the Times Square Ball Drop feature descending muskrats, opossums, fish, cheese and a drag queen in a red high-heeled shoe.

2025 Guide To Meteors, ‘Blood Moon,’ Solar Eclipse And Supermoons

Full worm “blood” moon, partial solar eclipse, and three supermoons in a row are sandwiched between meteor showers opening and closing 2025.

What Grocery Stores Are Open On Christmas And New Year’s?

Many grocery stores are open as usual on Christmas Eve, but others will close early and remain closed until the day after Christmas.

Chrismukkah 2024: 5 Things To Know About Christmas And Hanukkah Hybrid

An episode of the teen drama “The O.C.” popularized the term, but it has been around since 19th century Germany.

Santa Tracker 2024: When St. Nick Arrives On Christmas Eve

Watching Santa make his annual trek around the world is a tried-and-true way to bring an extra spark of cheer to kids this holiday season.

Biden Spares 37 From Death Row, But Not 3 Mass Killers: See Full List

Biden’s action commuting sentences to life imprisonment comes weeks before Donald Trump, who favors the death penalty, takes office.

We Are All Servants

​At some level, we are all servants. Perhaps we are all here to be of service, to make some difference in the lives of others.

2024 Was The Year Of The Sun, From Total Eclipse To Northern Lights

The sun reached solar maximum in 2024, gloriously so. Will the aurora displays that dazzled Americans be back in 2025?

Party City To Close All Stores: Report

The move announced to corporate employees Friday was not unexpected as the party goods retailer mulls its second bankruptcy in two years.

A Surprise Proposal Is A Box Office Hit, More Good News Stories

Santas line streets in tribute to St. Nick’s biggest fan; the most Clark Griswold thing ever; “The stones are singing” (not those Stones).

Winter Solstice Arrives Saturday, And You May See Ursid Meteors

There’s nothing to look up at when the winter solstice arrives, but if you do you may see Ursid meteors from 2024’s last shooting star show.

2.6M Stanley Travel Mugs Recalled Due To Burn Risk [Recall Roundup]

Half a million power chargers were recalled because they can catch fire, and a weight-loss supplement tested positive for toxic oleander.

What Do You Wish Were Different In Your Neighborhood? [Survey]

If you could change one thing about your neighborhood or community, what would it be?

Free Hybrid Webinar: Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC)

Presented by Radian Compliance at Virginia APEX Accelerator

Car Insurance Costs Surge: Here's Why, And What You Can Do

Double-digit increases in the cost of auto insurance over the past two years are complicating efforts to tame inflation.

Can You Shoot Down Drones? What To Know About Mysterious Sightings

Nearly a dozen Eastern states have reported drones buzzing overhead, whether alone or in a cluster. Some are as large as an SUV.

Flu Vaccination Rates Among Children Lowest In Years: What To Know

After a record 205 children, and perhaps more than 700, died of the flu last season, the low vaccination rate is worrisome to public health

To thy known self be true.

"To thy known self be true." So famously said Shakespeare. Yet what does it mean to know or understand yourself?

What Community Holiday Traditions Should Be Brought Back? [Block Talk]

No holiday tradition symbolizes the joy of season quite like caroling, and readers say they’d like to see it come back.

Feds Get Tougher On Bird Flu In Milk: What You Need To Know

It is no longer voluntary for dairy farmers to submit raw milk samples for testing under a new USDA strategy to stop the spread of bird flu.

Mysterious Drones Over NE And ‘Santa-Antics’ [Weird News & Oddities]

Santa gets stuck on the side of a tall building; irate over “lemon,” man crashes car through dealership door hours after buying it.

Biden Commutes 1,500 Sentences, Pardons 39 In Largest-Ever Clemency

Clemency was granted to people who had been released from prison and sentenced to home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic.

55 Chain Restaurants Open Christmas Eve, Christmas Day Or Both In 2024

From fine dining to fast casual to drive-thrus, multiple restaurants will be open during the holidays for people who don’t want to cook.

AAA Expects Record Travel To Close Out 2024: When To Get Out Of Town

A record 119.3 million Americans are expected to travel to celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah and other holidays this year, mostly in their cars.

Shell Casings Found At Scene Of CEO Shooting Match Suspect's Gun: PD

Authorities have said that writings found in Luigi Mangione's possession hinted at a hatred of corporate greed.

December Full Cold Moon By Another Name — ‘Child Moon’: When To See It

“You know what this moon is called?” a young girl asked her dad, a NASA planetary researcher, pitching a name that makes delightful sense.