A powerful storm system is bringing flooding, landslides, and heavy rains and snow to California, with the National Weather Service issuing a warning for the upper elevations of the Sierra from south of Yosemite National Park to north of Lake Tahoe. The Susan River is forecast to rise significantly, potentially affecting homes, roads, and bridges, while Sacramento fire officials plan to broadcast evacuation announcements from a helicopter and a boat. Humboldt County, which was hit by an earthquake last week, is also seeing roadways beginning to flood, with a bridge potentially closing again if the Eel River gets too high.
News Mash
MGM Resorts International has donated a portion of its land in Las Vegas to Clark County to house the permanent memorial honoring the victims and heroes of the 1 October shooting. The sale, which was finalized on Friday, does not include the plot of land where the memorial is slated to go.
Bryan Christopher Kohberger, a 28-year-old graduate student at Washington State University, has been arrested in connection with the fatal stabbings of four University of Idaho students in November. Bill Thompson, a prosecutor in Latah County, Idaho, has asked anyone with information about Kohberger to call the police tip line. Kohberger is being held without bond in Pennsylvania and will be extradited to Idaho to face the charges.
On November 12, four University of Idaho students, Xana Kernodle, Ethan Chapin, Kaylee Goncalves, and Madison Mogen, were seen at a party at Chapin's fraternity, Sigma Chi. The next morning, the four were found dead in an apartment house on King Road. On December 30, Bryan Christopher Kohberger, 28, a resident of Pullman, Washington and a doctoral student at Washington State University, was apprehended by Moscow police in connection with the quadruple homicide. DNA evidence and surveillance footage linked Kohberger to the crime and he is currently being held without bail. The families of the victims are struggling to understand why the lives of "four beautiful people" were taken so brutally.
Virginia "Ginni" Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, was questioned by a congressional panel about her involvement in spreading false claims of election fraud in the 2020 presidential election. In her deposition, she admitted she had no evidence of widespread fraud and was relying on "news reports" and "friends on the ground". When asked if she would have changed her position if she had known two years ago that Trump's campaign lawyers were aware there was no truth to the fraud claims, Thomas replied, "I don't know". She also confirmed her "best friend" was her husband, but objected to questions premised on the idea that she considers the election "stolen". Thomas stated she worried there was fraud and irregularities that distorted the election, but it wasn't uncovered in time, resulting in President Biden.
President Joe Biden has granted pardons to six people with convictions on a murder charge and drug- and alcohol-related crimes, including an 80-year-old woman convicted of killing her abusive husband and a man who pleaded guilty to a cocaine transaction in the 1970s. Biden has shown a commitment to second chances, pardoning thousands of people convicted of "simple possession" of marijuana and commuting the sentences of 75 others.
Barbara Walters was a pioneering journalist and television personality, who rose to fame in the early 1960s as the “TODAY Girl” and was the first female anchor of a network news program. She was known for her hard-hitting questions and was the co-creator of the hit ABC daytime show “The View” and worked on the ABC news magazine show, “20/20,” for 25 years. She was an inspiration to many women in the media industry and passed away peacefully in her home surrounded by loved ones.
Cristiano Ronaldo has completed his move to Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr, signing a three-year contract worth $225 million. This move is a major coup for soccer in the Middle East, and adds to the debate over Saudi Arabia's attempts to use "sportswashing" to improve its reputation internationally. Ronaldo will miss out on the chance to extend his record as the all-time leading scorer in the Champions League, but the club hopes his signing will inspire future generations.