From the Associated Press (11:20 a.m.):
A white Christmas is going from reality to more of a dream for chunks of the United States. Analysis of 40 years worth of United States snow measurements shows less of the country now has snow on the ground on Christmas than it did in the 1980s. It’s especially noticeable in a large swath in the east-west middle belt of the country. But the data is complex and some scientists caution against drawing conclusions about trends and the role of global warming. Places such as Iowa, much of the Rockies and eastern Washington have lower chances for a white Christmas.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – BNSF Railway has agreed to pay a $1.5 million settlement after an oil spill into northwest Iowa waters three years ago. In a settlement filed Thursday, the railroad company agreed to pay the settlement to the Environmental Protection Agency. About 160,000 gallons of oil leaked into floodwaters near Doon, Iowa, in June 2018. The National Transportation Safety Board said heavy rain washed out tracks and flooded a tributary of the nearby Little Rock River before the 32-car train derailed. BNSF denied any fault and both parties said they agreed to settle the complaint to avoid costly litigation.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Authorities say at least five people died when a powerful storm system swept across the Great Plains and Midwest, spawning hurricane-force winds and likely tornadoes in Nebraska, Iowa and Minnesota. Officials say a 65-year-old man was killed Wednesday night when a 40-foot tree fell on him outside his home in southeastern Minnesota. The Iowa State Patrol says a semitrailer was struck by high winds and rolled onto its side in eastern Iowa, killing the driver. The Kansas Highway Patrol says three people died in traffic accidents due to blowing dust. More than 20 unconfirmed tornadoes were reported Wednesday, mostly in eastern Nebraska and Iowa. Hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses remain without power Thursday.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Three media organizations and their reporters are suing Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, alleging she has repeatedly violated the state’s open records laws by ignoring requests for government records. In the lawsuit filed Thursday, the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa is representing Laura Belin, who writes the liberal Bleeding Heartland blog; Randy Evans, executive director of the Iowa Freedom of Information Council; and Clark Kauffman, a reporter for the Iowa Capital Dispatch. They say Reynolds’ office has refused public record requests for months. The lawsuit asks a judge to require Reynolds’ office to supply requested records and to comply with future requests. A spokesman for the Republican governor didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa is posting 823 COVID-19 hospitalizations and 130 more deaths as virus activity remains high throughout the state. Iowa public health officials reported Wednesday that 14 children age 11 or younger are among those in hospitals. All are unvaccinated. Another five children between age 12 and 17 are hospitalized and all but one are unvaccinated. The Iowa Department of Public Health also reported 20 people between age 20 and 29 are in the hospital with only one of those patients fully vaccinated. State officials also reported another 130 deaths, raising the state total to 7,680. More than 500 people have died since Nov. 1, reflecting an average of about 12 deaths a day from COVID-19.
NEW YORK (AP) – The former Facebook manager who startled the world this fall by leaking tens of thousands of internal documents and accusing her former employer of caring more about money than about public safety has a book deal. Little, Brown and Company announced Thursday that it had acquired Frances Haugen’s memoir, which it said would offer “a critical examination of Facebook.” The book does not yet have a title or release date. Haugen’s prominence has been cited as a sign of a rising wave of Big Tech whistleblowers. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has disputed her accounts, calling them a “false picture” of the company.
