Tracy Mumford

The other chimney sweeps people may think of, less cheerfully, are the small children who were put to work cleaning out the flues in the 18th and 19th centuries.

It's easy to think of chimney sweeps as a thing of the past.

After central heating became all the rage, the profession definitely shrank.

But it didn't disappear entirely.

And in London, it's now making a comeback.

According to the National Association of Chimney Sweeps, demand is rising.

It's likely a combination of high energy prices and the renewed popularity of wood-burning stoves, even though scientists say indoor fires can come with health risks.

In some cases, people are reopening their fireplaces that may have been blocked off a generation before, and they need to be cleaned.

To do it, the sweeps are using decidedly modern techniques, like sending cameras up the chimney's interior or using industrial vacuum cleaners to remove the soot and debris.

Some even have drones buzzing overhead to check the state of the roof.

Given all the updates, the president of the Chimney Sweep Association said it might be more apt to call them chimney technicians.

Those are the headlines.

I'm Tracy Mumford.

We'll be back tomorrow.

From The New York Times, it's The Headlines.

I'm Tracy Mumford.

Today's Friday, January 16th.

Here's what we're covering.

President Trump's social media post threatening to invoke the Insurrection Act in response to protests in Minnesota has set off a flurry of questions of can he, will he, and what would it mean?

The act gives the president broad authority under some conditions to send troops into U.S.