Every December, the small city of Macon, Georgia-about 90 minutes from Atlanta-transforms into a dazzling holiday destination. The Macon Christmas Light Extravaganza, launched in 2017, is a spectacle of over 1 million lights across more than six blocks. The LED show is choreographed to upbeat tunes from the Macon Pops, an local orchestra with a flair for energetic renditions. Here's what you need to know about one of the great unsung holiday experiences in America.
Julio Cesar Nevarez-Erunez, 24, was sentenced to nearly six years in prison on Dec. 4 after pleading guilty to a methamphetamine distribution conspiracy charge. His co-conspirator, Juan Niebla-Osuna, 28, struck a plea agreement with U.S. attorneys for the same charge and was out on bond, but was reported missing in late August, according to a pretrial services violation petition.
Judge Clifford Blakely's ruling came after Alameda County District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson's office asked to bring an end to the case, citing concerns about proving the allegations at trial, which was been scheduled to begin in late January. The dismissal closes the first Alameda County case of a police officer charged in an on-duty killing since BART Officer Johannes Mehserle was tried - and convicted - in the fatal shooting of Oscar Grant more than 15 years ago.
We voluntarily entered into these discussions because the College takes seriously its obligation to evaluate complaints about discrimination and to see if there are additional steps we can take to strengthen a welcoming and supportive learning environment for our students and everyone at Pomona, Pomona College President Gabrielle Starr in a statement. During negotiations, the college pushed for the agreement to protect free speech, including peaceful protest and to protect all students, including Jewish and Israeli students, from discrimination and harassment, Starr wrote.
A Filipino national residing in Baltimore, Maryland pleaded guilty in Boston federal court on Wednesday to sexually exploiting and conspiring to sex traffic minors with a former teacher at a private school in Cambridge, prosecutors said. Christopher Allan Tisoy, 27, pleaded guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of children and one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of children, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts said in a press release.
At Redfin, our hearts are with everyone impacted by the Washington state floods. Below, we've gathered trusted resources to help residents stay safe, access recovery and housing support, and find ways to support their communities through these times. Immediate safety: what to know right now Floodwaters can remain dangerous long after the storms pass, and conditions can change quickly as rivers recede, making it important to stay cautious and rely on official guidance from local authorities before traveling, returning home, or assessing damage.
Working off a tip, the Drug Enforcement Agency said it stopped a tractor trailer as it was heading into Brooklyn. As agents conducted a traffic stop, a search allegedly revealed drugs hidden among crates of papayas.
Darryl Muzic Martin, 58, who identifies himself as the pastor of His Way Spirit Led Assemblies, and Shelley Bailey "Kat" Martin, 62, who refers to herself as a prophetess and a gifted oracle, have been arrested on suspicion of murder along with member Rudy Moreno, 43, according to Redlands police. The leaders of the group have been under investigation in connection with the disappearance of former member Emilio Ghanem in May 2023 after visiting a Redlands Starbucks.
"Still processing that like a lot of people, I'm sure," Harbaugh said Friday, adding that he found out about Moore's firing by an equipment staffer after practice Thursday. Harbaugh, who spent nine years at Michigan, hired Moore to be the Wolverines' tight ends coach in 2018. Moore eventually rose to the position of offensive coordinator and helped lead the team to the 2023 national championship.
Northwest Oregon also faces flooding and landslide threats from this week's atmospheric river event that produced 5 to 10-plus inches of rain, per an NWS forecast update Thursday. Precipitation was diminishing Thursday across the Pacific Northwest following the end of the atmospheric river, a narrow current of moisture-laden air that can transport vast amounts of water vapor thousands of miles.
The number of international tourists traveling to the United States has declined, with one exception, Mexico. After a dip at the beginning of the year, visitors from Mexico are back, and their numbers growing. In fact, those tourists are a bright spot this holiday season when many plan trips to visit relatives, enjoy entertainment and amusement parks and, of course, Christmas shopping in malls from San Diego, San Antonio, or El Paso, across from Ciudad Juarez.
As the year begins to wind down, investors are looking to position themselves for 2026. In recent days, insiders, including beneficial owners, at Crescent Biopharma Inc. ( NASDAQ: CBIO), MGM Resorts International ( NYSE: MGM), and Salesforce Inc. ( NYSE: CRM) have boosted their stakes in their companies in a big way. Though these were the most prominent insider purchases in that time, there were a number of other notable ones as well.
The legal battle between the University of California, Los Angeles, the City of Pasadena and the Rose Bowl Operating Company continues as the school mulls potentially abandoning its lease to play football at the Rose Bowl. The school is reportedly looking to decamp to SoFi Stadium in Inglewood to take advantage of its proximity to the university campus as well as increased revenue generation opportunities with more premium seating and luxury suites.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is working to overhaul the country's air traffic control system in an effort to reduce outages and improve efficiency. To revamp the old system, the agency put down an initial $12.5 billion and awarded a contract to technology firm Peraton, according to the FAA. The project is ultimately expected to cost an additional $20 billion with the administration's goal to fully implement the new system by the end of 2028.
Tewksbury police are asking for help identifying a driver they say intentionally ran over and killed several seagulls earlier this week. The incident happened around 12:06 p.m. Thursday in the parking lot of 1777 Main St., a strip mall with several stores and restaurants. Surveillance video shared by the Tewksbury Police Department shows a dark-colored SUV plowing through a flock of seagulls resting on the ground, causing most of the birds to scatter and take flight.
Lifelong sports fan Snoop Dogg has officially joined Team USA, being named its first-ever honorary coach a role he's taken on for next year's Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy. In his new position, Coach Snoop will join the rest of the staff, coaches, medical experts, administrators and partners who help athletes chase their dreams and inspire the nation, while lending his signature humor and heart to help motivate Team USA, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee said in a statement.
XRP ( ) just pulled off something remarkable. The newly launched U.S. spot XRP ETFs have amassed roughly $1.0 billion in assets in under four weeks. That makes this the fastest inflow ramp for any altcoin fund since Ethereum's debut. The capital surge came almost entirely from institutional buyers, and it even outpaced the early ETF phases for Bitcoin ( ) and Ethereum ( ).
A quintessential holiday spice made by a single manufacturer has been recalled by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for possible contamination. The FDA recalled Lucky Foods brand cinnamon powder on Tuesday after an analysis conducted by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets found high levels of lead. It's unclear how the product became contaminated. Lead may be present in food products as a result of the environment in which they're grown or processed.
The wall-to-wall organizing effort at id Software was much needed; it's incredibly important that developers across the industry unite to push back on all the unilateral workplace changes that are being handed down from industry executives,
The case in question revolves around T-Mobile's claims about its 5G network capacity and AT&T's response to those claims. On its website, T-Mobile says, "T-Mobile is America's largest and fastest 5G network, with more 5G network awards than any other carrier." It adds that it built its network using dedicated 5G frequencies and says other carriers can't match its nationwide coverage.
The Senate is set to vote today on two health policy plans one from Democrats and one from Republicans aimed at reducing costs for individuals purchasing health insurance on Healthcare.gov. Meanwhile, some House Republicans want to force a vote to extend subsidies for the Affordable Care Act, which are set to expire in less than three weeks. They warn that Republican leaders risk losing voters and the majority if they let the subsidies expire without a replacement.
high school student June Baker and her teacher Darrin Rassmusen huddled over blueprints trying to figure out what went wrong with a drywall installation. Turns out it was confusion over two panels both labelled A. "We have one wall A that's right and then one that's not built because I had to take it apart," Baker said. "But I've learned from my mistake and they realized from that mistake that they need to start labelling each wall with numbers."
Warren said the deals raise serious concerns about antitrust and would reduce competition for viewers and workers. Warner Brothers agreed to an $83 billion sale to Netflix, but that deal is not finalized. And now Paramount Skydance owned by Larry Ellison, one of the world's richest people, and his son David Ellison, founder of Skydance Media is pursuing the company through a hostile takeover.
Federal health officials on Wednesday expanded an outbreak of infant botulism tied to recalled ByHeart baby formula to include all illnesses reported since the company began production in March 2022. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said investigators "cannot rule out the possibility that contamination might have affected all ByHeart formula products" ever made. The outbreak now includes at least 51 infants in 19 states.
