To begin 2022 -- Winter Weather Advisory - SW Michigan counties -- switched longer 1/1/22

posted at NBC affiliate web site for Weather

www.wndu.com (South Bend, IN)

• Berrien, MI
• Cass, MI

...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM  SATURDAY 

TO 1 p.m. SUNDAY january 2, 2022... 

* WHAT...Snow expected. Total snow accumulations of 4 to 7 inches. Locally higher amounts possible, especially near Lake Michigan. 

* WHERE. In Michigan, Berrien and Cass Counties. 

* WHEN...From 1 PM EST Saturday to 1 p.m. EST Sunday. 

* IMPACTS...Travel could be very difficult. 

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Snow, possibly mixed with rain at the start, will develop Saturday afternoon and may become heavy at times late Saturday afternoon into Saturday evening. 

High temperature - 9 p.m.

 Dec. 31, 2021

46 degrees F. at 9:00 p.m.

Niles, Michigan USA

Mid-January 2022: Hunter Ice Festival, Niles, MI 49120 link to Downtown website

 https://www.uncoverniles.com/event-info/hunter-ice-festival-6

Jan. 14 - 16, 2022

Word of the year 2021 (Merriam-Webster): Vaccine

 from Merriam-Webster dot-com In everyday use, words are useful tools that communicate assertions, ideas, aspirations, and uncertainties. 

But they can also become vehicles for ideological conflict.

• This is what happened to vaccine in 2021. The promising medical solution to the pandemic that upended our lives in 2020 also became a political argument and source of division. The biggest science story of our time quickly became the biggest debate in our country, and the word at the center of both stories is vaccine.

  Hopes for cures and treatments of COVID-19 began as soon as the disease began to spread. Research into a new kind of vaccine containing messenger RNA, or mRNA, genetic material rather than an inactivated form of the virus was accelerated. After decades of studies conducted for application to diseases such as influenza, Ebola, and rabies, this new type of mRNA vaccine against the SARS-CoV-2 virus was rapidly developed, tested, and manufactured for broad use, with the first doses being administered in the U.S. in December 2020.

  The use of a vaccine that triggers an immune response in an entirely new way required that Merriam-Webster revise and expand its entry for the word, which the company did in May. The definition, which formerly read “a preparation of killed microorganisms, living attenuated organisms, or living fully virulent organisms that is administered to produce or artificially increase immunity to a particular disease,” was replaced with the following:

  1 : a preparation that is administered (as by injection) to stimulate the body's immune response against a specific infectious agent or disease: such as

  a : an antigenic preparation of a typically inactivated or attenuated (see ATTENUATED sense 2) pathogenic agent (such as a bacterium or virus) or one of its components or products (such as a protein or toxin)

  b : a preparation of genetic material (such as a strand of synthesized messenger RNA) that is used by the cells of the body to produce an antigenic substance (such as a fragment of virus spike protein)

  Interest in the definition of this word was intense in the past year: lookups for vaccine increased 601% year-over-year from 2020. But interest in the word has been high since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, with much discussion of the funding, development, testing, and ultimate distribution of the vaccines occurring in 2020. The prominence of the word vaccine in our lives in this era becomes even more starkly clear when we compare 2021 to 2019, a period in which lookups for the word increased 1048%.

  Lookups of vaccine, already very high all year, jumped by 535% in August, long after discussions about vaccines began taking place in the press and widespread distribution in parts of the world were well underway. A number of stories in August show that discussions about policy, approval, and vaccination rates—rather than the vaccine itself—sent people to the dictionary. During this period, New York and California instituted vaccine mandates for health care workers; a federal mandate was announced for nursing home staff; an announcement of plans for booster shots for the general public in the U.S. prompted condemnations of inequities in vaccine distribution; and full FDA approval for Pfizer’s vaccine was granted.

  This new higher rate of lookups since August has remained stable throughout the late fall, showing not just a very high interest in vaccine, but one that started high and grew during the course of 2021.

  Vaccine comes from the Latin word for “cow,” vacca, because the term was initially used to refer to inoculation using doses of cowpox that, it was discovered, protect humans against smallpox. This word is a relatively recent one in English, dating back to the 1880s. See more on how vaccines work.

  The word vaccine was about much more than medicine in 2021. For many, the word symbolized a possible return to the lives we led before the pandemic. But it was also at the center of debates about personal choice, political affiliation, professional regulations, school safety, healthcare inequality, and so much more.

  Few words can express so much about one moment in time.

James Webb Space Telescope -- launched 12/25 morning

from CNN.com

It's a moment that has been decades in the making. The James Webb Space Telescope, NASA's premier space observatory of the next decade, successfully launched on Christmas morning.

The telescope lifted off atop an Ariane 5 rocket from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana at 7:20 a.m. ET.

"We have LIFTOFF of the @NASAWebb Space Telescope!" NASA shared on Twitter. "At 7:20am ET (12:20 UTC), the beginning of a new, exciting decade of science climbed to the sky. Webb's mission to #UnfoldTheUniverse will change our understanding of space as we know it." 

Opening Day is today (Dec. 26)

 

from FACEBOOK for Swiss Valley Ski & Snowboard (Jones, MI)

Gooood Morning! Opening for the season TODAY Sunday, December 26, 2021

12pm-7pm with limited terrain.

December has been far from easy for our snow farmers… 

but we fought through the wind, rain and summer-like temps 

and we could not be happier to be back behind the headlights of the groomers. 🙌🏻🏂⛷

Welcome back skiers and riders!

7 a.m. - Dec. 26, 2021 Advisory - SW Michigan

 from NOAA - weather channel dot-com

Affected Area

Berrien County

Description

...PATCHY DENSE FOG THIS MORNING... Areas of freezing fog had become locally dense

with visibilities around a quarter of a mile at

a few locations across much of SW Michigan.

The freezing fog may cause roads to become

extremely slippery early this morning.

If you are traveling, slow down and

allow extra time to reach your destination.

Watch out for frost or ice on roads and other surfaces.

St. Jerome's Commentary on Matthew (transl. by Thomas P. Scheck, CUA Press) -- why 3 gifts?

 TEXT Matthew 2.11

And opening their treasures they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

"Juvencus the priest (Spanish Christian poet) has comprehended the mysteries of the gifts most

beautifully in a single brief verse:

GOLD, MYRRH, and FRANKINCENSE are the gifts they bring,

to A MAN, to A GOD, and to A KING."

From Book One of the Commentary (covers 1::1 up to 10:42)

Fourth Friday in December of the year of our Lord 2021

 Merry Christmas!

Shelf Life (used books) - Niles, MI (Berrien County) - Xmas & New Year's Holiday Hours

as posted at the Bookstore owned by UncoverNiles (Downtown Development, Niles, Michigan)

CLOSED 

Dec. 24 and Dec. 25, 2021

from Dec. 27 - until Wed. Jan. 4, 2022 -- Happy New year wishes at FACEBook page

https://www.facebook.com/NilesMainStreetBookStore/

Holiday Hours: We are open normal hours on Tuesday through Thursday. We will be closed Friday, Dec. 24th and Sat., Dec. 25th. 

Patchy Dense Fog (12/24/2021) - ahead of sunrise, Christmas Eve morning

 Weather statement from NOAA - Weather Channel webiste

Berrien County, Michigan (SW Michigan)

Description

...PATCHY DENSE FOG THIS MORNING ahead of 7:45 a.m. Dec. 24... Fog will continue to develop over far southwest Lower Michigan early this morning.

The fog was locally dense with some visibilities around a quarter of a mile at a few locations over this area.

Elevated surfaces are likely to become slippery with early morning temperatures near freezing.

The pockets of dense fog are likely to persist into mid morning with some visibilities still around or below a quarter of a mile past 9 AM EST.

If you are traveling early this morning, slow down and allow extra time to reach your destination.

Watch out for frost or ice on elevated surfaces including bridges and overpasses that may become extremely slippery.

The 2021 James Webb Space Telescope will orbit 930,000 miles from earth in "Mars-ward" direction

 from SPACE dot-com article

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope will be more extreme than its famous predecessor in a variety of ways, including its cosmic locale.

The $10 billion Webb is considerably bigger, more complex and more powerful than the Hubble Space Telescope, which has been studying the heavens from Earth orbit for more than three decades. 

And the new observatory, which is scheduled to launch on Dec. 25, 2021 will be going much farther afield as well — all the way out to the Sun-Earth Lagrange Point 2 (L2), about 930,000 miles (1.5 million kilometers) from our planet in the Marsward (not sunward) direction.

https://www.space.com/james-webb-space-telescope-why-distant-orbit-l2?utm_campaign=socialflow

Third Day of e-learning (Mishawaka H.S., Indiana)

 Today is the final day before Christmas Break for School City of mishawaka classes

from WNDU dot-com

MISHAWAKA, Ind. (WNDU) - 

Mishawaka High School is on eLearning again Wednesday 12/22 due to a threat. 

This marks the third day in a row that students will learn remotely.

Dec, 21, 2021 another e-learning day (Mishawaka high school) announced 7 a.m. Tuesday

 from School Administrators [SCM means School City of Mishawaka] :

The investigation into the threat concerning Mishawaka High School 

is still under investigation by the Mishawaka Police Department. 

At this time and out of an abundance of caution, Mishawaka High School will have 

an eLearning day today, Tuesday, December 21. 

No students will report to the building. 

MHS Teachers will work remotely from home. 

All other MHS support staff should not report to work unless notified by their direct supervisor. 

SCM officials are continuing to work with the Mishawaka Police Department 

Speaker of the House announces agenda for anniversary of January 6 insurrection (first week of 2022)

 from Politico.com online article

Here's the deal: Speaker Nancy Pelosi is offering the first concrete outline of how the House will acknowledge the anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol led by Donald Trump supporters. It will include:

A discussion among historians "about the narrative of that day." An event for members to share their memories. A vigil in the evening.

Pelosi's ask: She requested members to let her office know if they plan to be in Washington on the anniversary. (The House is not scheduled to be in session.)

"While the House will not be in session that week, a number of Members have expressed interest in being involved in commemoration activities."

— Speaker Nancy Pelosi in a dear colleague letter.

Notable: The Senate is scheduled to return on Jan. 3, 2022 and slated to be in session on Jan. 6, 2022.

Today - school threat leads to e-learning day (School City of Mishawaka, IN) -- High School

 posted today Dec. 20, 2021

This morning we were made aware of a threat concerning Mishawaka High School. 

School administration has followed district school safety plans and worked in conjunction 

with the Mishawaka Police Department. At this time, we have not been able to determine 

if the threat is credible or not. Out of an abundance of caution, Mishawaka High School 

will have an eLearning day today, Monday, December 20. No students will report to the building. 

MHS Teachers will work remotely from home. All other MHS support staff should not report to work 

unless notified by their direct supervisor

PBS will air for free on a national time in common the 1965 animated special ("Charlie Brown Xmas")

 Details here on the Sunday Dec. 19, 2021 evening airing on PBS and PBS-kids (check local listings)

https://hiddenremote.com/2021/12/16/when-a-charlie-brown-christmas-coming-pbs/

the "owner" of all PEANUTS TV specials is Apple+

When is the First Day of astronomical Winter (initial day of W. Solstice 2021)?

 https://www.almanac.com/content/first-day-winter-winter-solstice#

Details at Old Farmer's Almanac website posting

Dec. 21, 2021 at 10:59 a.m. Eastern

What were the songs performed by Girl Named Tom (trio of Goshen College singers) who won "The Voice 2021"?

 At Goshen College website (Goshen.edu)

On The Voice, the trio opened with “Helplessly Hoping” by Crosby, Stills & Nash, showcasing their tight harmonies, which ultimately led to all four judges looking to bring them into their teams.

Following the judges’ pleas, they eventually chose to work with Kelly Clarkson.

During the battle round, Girl Named Tom performed “Seven Bridges Road” with fellow contestant Kinsey Rose, and moved on with Clarkson’s team. In the knockout round, Girl Named Tom performed Glen Campbell’s “Wichita Lineman” against contestant Holly Forbes, and were again chosen to move forward on Team Kelly. In the final 20, their rendition of Radiohead’s “Creep” put them through to the next week. Their performance of Kansas’ “Dust in the Wind” got them to the final 11 and they moved on to the Top 10 with country singer Ingrid Andress’ “More Hearts Than Mine.” They made it into the Top 8 semi-finals with Coldplay’s “Viva la Vida” and then on to the final Top 5 with Joni Mitchell’s “River.” On the Finale, they performed Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain” and Alison Krauss and Union Station’s “Baby Now The I’ve Found You.”

School Closings (December 17, 2021) -- N. Indiana and SW Michigan Public School announcements

from LEADERPUB dot-com

Dowagiac Union Public Schools will be closed all day Friday Dec. 17, 2021

(Cass County, Michigan) 

from WNDU (Local NBC affiliate - S. Bend, Notre Dame/St. Mary's/Holy Cross) website

Goshen Comm Schools (Elkhart Cty., IN)

Closed Friday (12/17)E-Learning DaySchools

White Pigeon Comm Schools (St. Joseph Cty, MI)

Closed Friday (12/17)Schools

Record Heat for December -- set on Dec. 15 this year

according to GMA (Good Morning America - ABC News) Meteorologist

Ginger Zee:

Record High Temperature December 15, 2021

was 75 degrees F. in

Quincy, Illinois 

Wind Advisory -- continues Thursday Dec. 16

 Advisory began Wed. 12/15/2021

for 5 Southern Michigan counties

• Berrien, MI
• Branch, MI
• Cass, MI
• Hillsdale, MI
• St. Joseph, MI

...WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM EST THURSDAY... 

* WHAT...Southwest winds 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 50 mph. 

* WHERE...Portions of northern Indiana, southern Lower Michigan and northwest Ohio. 

* WHEN...Until 4 PM EST Thursday. 

* IMPACTS...Gusty winds could blow around unsecured objects. 

Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result.

How to help people and communities in desperate need after KY Tornadoes (Dec. 2021)

 from Union of Concerned Scientists web posting "Here's How You Can Support Recovery efforts"

Coming together across the Commonwealth and country

It is heartwarming to see the amount of support and concern coming into Kentucky and the on-the-ground efforts to keep residents and responders safe, fed, hydrated, housed, and warm. If you are financially able and willing to help, here are a few ways to support:

Mutual aid, donations, and supplies needed

• Kentuckians for the Commonwealth is updating a list of resources here.
• Queer Kentucky started this fund to ensure mutual aid reaches LGBTQ+ organizations and individuals in Western Kentucky.
• The Commonwealth Alliance Donor Table, Kentucky Civic Engagement Table, Black Leadership Action Coalition of Kentucky, and Hood to the Holler are raising funds to support disaster relief efforts in Western Kentucky and prioritizing Black, Indigenous, People of Color, Refugee, Immigrant, and poor and working class Kentuckians.
• Local radio station WFPL has a list here.

Mental health resources

• Disaster Distress Helpline 1-800-985-5990 If you’re feeling emotional distress related to a disaster, call or text to talk with a trained counselor. You can get support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
• Dr. Monica Unseld, Founder of Until Justice Data Partners, shared this resource in their recent newsletter: Managing Traumatic Grief and Coping After National Crisis.

Lakeshore (Stevensville, MI) Public Schools closed week of Dec. 13-17, 2021

from WSBT coverage (CBS-Fox (Sinclair)) TV news

"Last night at approximately 1 AM police informed us that a threat was reported through the Michigan state police that report indicated that a student was going to shoot up the middle school on 1215," said Eding.

This threat is currently being further investigated by the school and police.

Lakeshore is now asking for parents to review materials sent out by the school to ensure that all students are doing ok both mentally and emotionally while dealing with the stress of threats.

Students will conduct classes online for the rest of the week (13-17), and are anticipating returning back to in-person learning after holiday break on January 3rd. 

Due to threats -- No Student Attendance today

update from WNDU dot-com

STEVENSVILLE, Mich. (WNDU) - Lakeshore Public Schools are closed on Wednesday “due to another threat”, according to the district’s Facebook page.

On Monday, two threats were made at Lakeshore’s high and middle schools, according to our reporting partners at the Herald Palladium.

The student who allegedly made the threat at the high school was taken into custody, but the district remained closed Tuesday while the threat at the middle school was investigated.

The district has asked everyone to make sure children understand that safety concerns are taken seriously, and are not jokes or pranks.

National Film Registry (Smithsonian Institution - Library of Congress) -- new entries for 2021

 Some of the newly nominated Film shorts and features:

12. “Sounder” (1972)
13. “The Long Goodbye” (1973)
14. “Cooley High” (1975)
15. “Richard Pryor: Live in Concert” (1979)
16. “Chicana” (1979)
17. “The Wobblies” (1979)
18. “Star Wars Episode VI — Return of the Jedi” (1983)
19. “A Nightmare on Elm Street” (1984)
20. “Stop Making Sense” (1984)
21. “Who Killed Vincent Chin?” (1987)
22. “The Watermelon Woman” (1996)
23. “Selena” (1997)
24. “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” (2001)
25. “WALL-E” (2008)

Criminal Contempt of Congress -- what do Mark Meadows, Steve Bannon, and G. Gordon Liddy have in common?

from "LawandCrime" dot-com

Now that former President Donald Trump’s ex-chief strategist Steve Bannon has been hit with two criminal contempt of Congress charges for refusing to comply with a House subpoena, legal scholars have to turn back decades for relevant precedent.

The indictment was filed Friday, and detailed Bannon’s ongoing defiance of the House Select Committee to Investigate the Jan. 6, 2021 Attack, chaired by Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.).

Although the indictment was not entirely unexpected—the House of Representatives voted in late October to hold Bannon in contempt—an actual conviction would be the first of its kind in almost half a century. The Department of Justice traditionally enjoys wide latitude over whether to convene a grand jury after receiving a contempt referral from Congress, and the vote from the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives hardly made Bannon’s charges inevitable. That a grand jury now has signed off on Bannon’s charges sets the stage for a rare prosecution—said to be the first contempt of Congress case brought after executive privilege was asserted.

In 1974, Watergate mastermind G. Gordon Liddy was found guilty of two counts of contempt of Congress for refusing to answer questions before a House subcommittee. He was given a suspended six-month sentence and one year’s probation, largely because he was already serving time for his role in the burglary of the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office building, as the New York Times reported. 

Today is Dec. 14 -- The Voice 2021 final group of soloists and groups (NBC reality-competition)

 from PARADE dot-com

The Voice is down to the five finalists—

Girl Named Tom and Hailey Mia from Team Kelly Clarkson, 

Jershika Maple from Team John Legend and 

Wendy Moten and Paris Winningham from Team Blake Shelton—

for season 21 of the NBC competition series. 

On Tuesday night, one of them will be crowned the winner on the live telecast.

NBC reality-competition show to include "Girl Named Tom" in finale (Dec. 13 - 14) shows

 from CheatSheet dot-com publicity release Dec. 9, 2021

‘The Voice’ Season 21 finale date and time

Before The Voice can name a winner, fans will need to see one more round of performances. Those will happen on Monday, Dec. 13, 2021 from 8 to 10 p.m. ET. Because it’s a two-hour show, the Top 5 artists will likely perform at least two songs each. The Live Shows typically have a theme for each week, although NBC has not yet revealed the finale’s theme.

So far, season 21 has included themes like Fan Week, Dedication Week, and ’90s Week. Past seasons have also included a week where the artists perform one cover and one original song, so that could happen in part one of the finale.

Fans can vote for their favorite artists until Tuesday at 7 a.m. ET. Then, on Tuesday, Dec. 14, at 8 p.m. ET, the final results show begins. Unlike the typical Tuesday shows, this one will be two hours long.

Is Hanukkah over?

 Google answers that for Nov. - Dec. 2021 -- Yes

Hanukkah 2021 began in the evening of

Sunday

, 

November 28

and ended in the evening of

Monday

, 

December 6

Berrien County MI High School authorities close Dec. 8, 2021

from online article 95 FM WMNC (St. Joseph, MI)

Students went home early Tuesday 12/7 at St. Joseph High School in St. Joseph, Michigan after a potential threat was discovered.

Officials at the school notified families with an email about a threat that was found in two of the high school’s bathrooms. All after-school activities on Tuesday at the high school or involving St. Joe students were also cancelled.

The decisions were made “out of an abundance of caution” but the district says they don’t believe there is an immediate threat. The schools notified the City police, who are conducting an investigation, and the district says they will share more information as the investigation goes on.

A 16-year-old student was taken into custody. Classes are canceled on Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2021. Classes are expected to resume on Thursday Dec. 9. 

Wind gusts up to 50 mph. - Advisory begins 8 a.m. today

 Monday Dec. 6 - from WNDU advisories and watches/warnings

• Berrien, MI

...WIND ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT FROM 8 AM EST THIS MORNING TO 4 PM EST 

THIS AFTERNOON... 

* WHAT...West winds 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 50 mph expected. 

* WHERE.. In Michigan, Berrien County. 

* WHEN...From 8 AM EST /7 AM CST/ this morning to 4 PM EST this afternoon. 

* IMPACTS...Gusty winds could blow around unsecured objects like holiday decorations. 

Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result.