Chapter 1: What is the impact of the winter storm on the northeastern U.S.?
Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Willman. The northeastern U.S. is being pummeled by snow tonight. In upstate New York, many areas have gotten eight inches of snow or more. New York Governor Kathy Hochul has declared an emergency in the affected areas, but she says advanced planning gave crews a head start.
We are very aggressive about deploying utility crews even before a storm hits. So they're pre-positioned, and if they need to activate, they can make sure that we get the power on as soon as humanly possible.
Thousands of flights were canceled, meanwhile, or delayed on Friday because of the storm. In California, meanwhile, the rain has finally slowed, but emergency officials say floodwaters are still rising in some areas and heavily saturated ground means more landslides are likely.
The Telluride Ski Resort in southwest Colorado will be closing on Saturday, less than one month after opening for the winter season.
Chapter 2: Why is the Telluride Ski Resort closing this winter?
That's because of failed contract negotiations between the ski resort and the local ski patrol union. KOTO's Julia Caulfield has more.
The Telluride ski resort, known as Tellski, will be closing just in time for the small mountain community's busiest week of the winter, when an estimated 9,000 to 10,000 visitors are in town per day between Christmas and the new year. The privately owned ski company has been in contract negotiations with the local ski patrol union since June.
Tellski says their contract offer is, quote, generous and market-leading. Ski Patrol, on the other hand, argues it doesn't provide a livable wage in the expensive resort town. While Telsky's owner is placing the blame for the shutdown on ski patrol, union representatives say the ski company would rather close the mountain than give them a fair contract.
For NPR News, I'm Julia Caulfield in Telluride.
More people have died in ice custody this year than in any year since 2005, but as NPR's Martin Koste reports, the cause of that increase isn't clear.
The number of people held by ICE at any one time has ballooned. Right now it's about 66,000. That's 70% higher than when President Trump took office. But deaths have gone up more, to about 30 for the year, compared to 11 in 2024. At Syracuse University, Austin Coker studies the immigration enforcement system, and he's troubled by some clusters of deaths.
I'm concerned that the rapid increase in the detained population at specific detention centers is creating the preconditions for more immigrants to have medical emergencies and ultimately to die while they're in ICE custody.
ICE says in-custody deaths this year, quote, average less than 1 percent. This is the lowest in history, unquote. But it does not explain how that figure was calculated. Martin Koste, NPR News.
Stocks closed slightly lower on Friday as investors returned from their Christmas holidays.
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Chapter 3: What are the concerns regarding deaths in ICE custody this year?
The S&P 500, the Dow and the Nasdaq all fell less than one-tenth of a percent in light trading. Treasury yields held steady while U.S. crude oil fell 2.8 percent. Gold and silver prices meanwhile continued to rise with silver finishing the day up almost 8 percent. This is NPR News.
Police say at least two people have been killed in northern Israel and two others wounded in a car ramming and stabbing attack. Officials say a Palestinian man first crashed his vehicle into people in the northern city of Beit Shin and killed a 68-year-old man. He then fled onto a highway where he stabbed a teenage woman to death and injured one other person.
The alleged attacker has been hospitalized with injuries. Musician Perry Bomonte has died.
Chapter 4: How did the stock market perform after the Christmas holidays?
For decades, he played bass, guitar, and keyboard in the seminal goth band, The Cure. And Isabella Gomez Sarmiento has this remembrance.
Perry Bomonte was a roadie and guitar tech for The Cure for years, before he became a full-time member of the band in 1990. He played keyboard and six-string bass on several albums, including the 1992 commercial hit, Wish. Bamonte parted ways with The Cure in 2005, but he reunited with his bandmates in recent years. He performed his last concert with the group in the fall of 2024.
The Cure shared the news of Bamonte's death on its website, writing that he was, quote, quiet, intense, intuitive, constant, and hugely creative. Isabella Gomez-Sarmiento, NPR News.
The traditional ball drop on New Year's Eve will also mark the start of the nation's 250th birthday year. Once the ball hits the bottom, marking the start of the new year, it will rise again, but this time sparkling in red, white and blue.
Chapter 5: What details emerged about the recent attack in northern Israel?
Officials say there will also be a second confetti drop.
Chapter 6: How will the New Year's Eve celebration mark the nation's 250th birthday?
Another ball drop is planned for July 3rd, the first one not on New Year's Eve in 120 years. I'm Dale Willman, NPR News.