Winter Storm Sweeps Across The U.S. and other News

Florida: Real And Imagined

A vast storm system battered the Southern United States on Tuesday, unleashing potent thunderstorms and tornadoes that caused severe damage in Florida. Roofs were torn off homes, campers were flipped over, and furniture was tossed around by the powerful winds. Simultaneously, another storm brought cities across the Midwest to a standstill, blanketing them with over half a foot of snow, leading to highway closures and stranding people.

The storm claimed at least four lives in the South, where 55 mph winds, hail, and radar-confirmed tornadoes swept through the Florida Panhandle, Alabama, and Georgia. A tragic incident occurred in Cottonwood, Alabama, as an 81-year-old woman lost her life when her mobile home was thrown from its foundation by a suspected tornado. In Clayton County, south of Atlanta, heavy rain resulted in a fatality when a tree fell on a car on a state highway in Jonesboro.

North Carolina faced the impact of a suspected tornado in Claremont, resulting in one death and two critical injuries in a mobile home park. Downed power lines in Rocky Mount shut down both directions of I-95, a major highway. Flood watches and warnings were in effect for 84 million people along the East Coast, with power outages affecting hundreds of thousands in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, and North Carolina.

While storm-related injuries were reported in Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis confirmed at least four tornado touchdowns in the Panhandle. An executive order declaring a state of emergency was issued for 49 counties in North Florida. In Panama City Beach, parts of roofs were blown away, furniture and debris scattered, and some houses were visibly damaged.

Florida's Division of Emergency Management reported a house in the Panama City area listing at an angle of 20-25 degrees. Police urged residents to stay indoors in Panama City as they assessed storm damage, including downed power lines and trees.

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay closed early due to the weather, and heavy rain in Georgia temporarily halted air traffic at Atlanta's airport. Flash flooding occurred, causing lane closures on Atlanta freeways. Over 80 public school systems in Georgia canceled classes, while North Carolina's Governor declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm.

In the Midwest, a snowstorm brought up to 12 inches of snow from southeastern Colorado to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Several states, including Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, and Illinois, were affected. Tragically, poor road conditions contributed to fatal accidents in Wisconsin and Michigan. Interstate closures, whiteout conditions, and winter storm warnings were issued in various areas, disrupting travel and posing significant hazards.

Amalija Knavs, the mother of former first lady Melania Trump, has died, Melania Trump said on social media Tuesday evening. Knavs was 78.

"It is with deep sadness that I announce the passing of my beloved mother, Amalija. Amalija Knavs was a strong woman who always carried herself with grace, warmth, and dignity," Melania Trump posted to her X account, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

"She was entirely devoted to her husband, daughters, grandson, and son-in-law. We will miss her beyond measure and continue to honor and love her legacy," she added.

Melania Trump did not announce a cause of death.

Ring, the company that makes the surveillance door bells, ran a contest in October that asked for video, from Ring devices, that showed actual evidence of extraterrestrial life. The winner would get a million dollars.

But, the company also encouraged Ring users to submit funny and even staged videos that fit the “alien encounter” theme. Winners from that category would receive a $500 Amazon gift card.

The contest ended on November 3rd and, so far, no winners have been announced.

Ring released some of the submission clips for their “Out of this World” competition that are just like the name suggests.

One features toy green aliens holding a sign at the front door that reads “Been Trying To Reach You About Your Car’s Extended Warranty.”

“I forgot my pants on my spaceship,” another alien says while hanging on a string in front of the Ring camera in a separate submission.

One submission features a skit where a human-sized alien approaches someone holding a bowl of candy on their porch. The alien uses telekinesis to knock out the human before dumping out all of the candy, wearing the bowl as a hat and walking away with extraterrestrial flair.

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A DoorDash driver on the way to deliver Chick-fil-A to a Florida customer was instead pulled over and arrested on suspicion of drunk driving. But the police didn't let the food go to waste, instead delivering it to the customer themselves.

The Nassau County Sheriff's Office responded to reports of a possible drunk driver in the parking lot of a local Chick-fil-A restaurant, "striking cones and almost hitting multiple vehicles in the drive-thru" just outside of Jacksonville, the agency said Friday.

While the driver, later identified as 57-year-old John Kaminski, had left the parking lot by then, he was stopped shortly afterward, the agency said.

"Our deputy asked that Kaminski get out of his vehicle and observed him slurring his speech and stumbling while walking," said the sheriff's office in a statement on Facebook.

The driver was then instructed to perform field sobriety tests, which police say he couldn't complete. Kaminski was arrested on suspicion of DUI and taken to the Nassau County Detention facility.

An additional charge of possessing a controlled substance was also added after authorities say they found prescription drugs – Alprazolam and Hydrocodone – in unapproved containers in Kaminski’s car.

Later, sheriff's deputy Dale Hutcherson took the Chick-fil-A bag from Kaminski's car and delivered it to the person who had ordered it "just in time for breakfast," said the sheriff's office.

The Miami Marlins are hiring Rachel Balkovec to become their new director of player development, according to multiple reports.

The newest member of the Marlins' front office is no stranger to blazing new trails for women in a male-dominated industry.

After graduating from LSU with a master's degree in kinesiology, Balkovec took a temporary job as the strength and conditioning coordinator for the Johnson City Cardinals – the St. Louis Cardinals' Rookie league affiliate. Two years later, that role became full-time, and she was the first woman in baseball to hold the position.

In 2019, the New York Yankees hired Balkovec as a Minor League hitting coach after she had spent time working for Driveline Baseball on a fellowship. She became the first woman in baseball to hold a hitting coach position.

Balkovec most recently served as the manager for the Tampa Tarpons, the Yankees' Class A affiliate in Minor League Baseball. When she took that job in 2022, she was the first woman to be a full-time manager for a Major League-affiliated team.

Balkovec coached the Tarpons to a 64-62 record as their manager from 2022-23.

A mom from Oklahoma took to TikTok to complain about loud kids in an upscale restaurant she was dining at, and caused quite the stir on the social media app.

"Don't take your (expletive) kids to nice restaurants," said Kelsey Davis, a wife and mother of five, in the viral video. "Because there's some married couples who pay to get rid of their kids for the evening to go have a nice dinner."

The video, which was posted on Dec. 30, has over 60,000 views. In it, she says the four kids, who she told Today.com ranged from 9 to 12 years old, played games on their tablet so loud that she couldn't hear the music in the restaurant.

"Our meal was over $140 with tip," she says in the TikTok. "And I had to listen to screaming (expletive) kids."

Her and her husband went to Nola's, a Cajun restaurant in Tulsa, Oklahoma. They hired a babysitter to enjoy the night kid-free, but their plans were foiled by the children described in the video.

"People, leave your kids at home, get a babysitter, don't take them," she says as her and her husband are in the car leaving the restaurant. "Because I want a good night with my husband and I just feel exhausted from that date night. So, thanks for that."

David told the outlet she was excited to finally get a table at Nola's after wanting to eat there for years.

Can a mouth mint taste great and be less filling? Miller Lite is betting so with its new Beer Mints.

Billed by the longtime light beer brand as having "the same great taste as Miller Lite, only without the beer," the new Beer Mints ($5 for a tin of 40 mints) go on sale online at millerlitebeermints.com on Jan. 12, while supplies last. A second Beer Mint drop is planned for Jan. 19, in a press release.

Beer Mints, which do not have any alcohol, are being marketed as support for those undertaking Dry January, in which folks abstain from drinking alcoholic beverages for the month.

What do the Miller Lite Beer Mints taste like?

When you pop a Beer Mint into your mouth, you will get "the freshness of mint," but when you chew the mint, "the subtle, yet great taste of Miller Lite" emerges, according to Miller Lite. The mint "leaves consumers’ breath feeling fresh and their taste buds hoppy."