🗞️10 Things You Need to Know - 12/5/2023

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The Ten News: Season 4, Episode 25

10 Things to Know with The Ten News

1. 🌲 National Christmas Tree Takes a Tumble

2. 🕎 Happy Early-Hanukkah

3. ❄️ Wild Weather Creates a Winter Wonderland

4. 🚧 Rescued by Rat Miners

5. 🎧 Spotify's Most-Streamed Artist 2023

6. 🎄 The 91st Rockefeller Christmas Tree Lighting

7. 🦞 Meet Bowie, the Bicolored Lobster

8. 📱 What to Know About Apple's NameDrop

9. 🐾 Happy Paw-lidays!

10. 💔 Remembering Sandra Day O'Connor

Resources

• https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/strong-winds-topple-national-christmas-tree-white-house-rcna127096

• https://www.farmersalmanac.com/when-hanukkah#:~:text=When%20is%20Hanukkah%20in%202023,the%20success%20of%20this%20fight.

• https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/40-inches-snow-expected-hit-northeast-lake-effect-storm-rcna127137

• https://www.cbsnews.com/news/india-tunnel-collapse-rescue-success-rat-miners-reach-men-trapped-silkyara/

• https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/music/taylor-swift-spotifys-streamed-artist-2023-rcna127154

• https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/rockefeller-christmas-tree-lighting-when-watch-what-know-rcna127030

• https://www.npr.org/2023/11/27/1214920172/bowie-lobster-half-blue-half-red-rare

• https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/29/technology/namedrop-apple-iphone-police.html

• https://nationaltoday.com/operation-santa-paws/#:~:text=And%20so%20Operation%20Santa%20Paws,rescue%20centers%20around%20the%20country.

• https://19thnews.org/2023/12/sandra-day-oconnor-first-woman-justice/

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TRANSCRIPT:

INT. TEN NEWS STUDIO

RYAN: It’s time, Pam.

PAM: Time for what, Ry?

RYAN: Thanksgiving is over so it’s time to sing holiday songs!!!

PAM: That’s right! But not quite yet. I’m Pamela Kirkland.

RYAN: And I’m Ryan Willard. It’s Tuesday, December 5th.

PAM: This is Ten Things You Need to Know. 

RYAN: The word of the week is holiday! It’s officially holiday season and the Ten News team is back from our Thanksgiving break and gearing up for the next round of holidays starting this month! We’ve got some tree-mendous top headlines, so let’s get started! Last Tuesday, the National Christmas Tree in Washington, D.C. was toppled over by strong winds. The 40-foot Norway spruce traveled from the Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia to be planted for the holiday season but was knocked over by winds roaring through the Washington area. But, not to worry, a cable securing the tree has since been replaced and the tree is set back up and available for public viewing in Presidents Park through Monday, January 1st.

PAM: Happy early-Hanukkah! The jewish holiday begins at sundown this Thursday, December 7th and ends on the evening of December 15th. Hanukkah is called the “Festival of Lights” and is celebrated by lighting candles throughout the holiday. The candle lighting symbolizes the miracle of a small amount of oil lasting for eight days when a Jewish temple was reclaimed in a battle for their religion thousands of years ago. The holiday is celebrated with various traditions like lighting the menorah, giving gifts, and eating foods fried in oil such as potato pancakes called latkes and doughnuts, called sufganiyot. Those powdery jelly filled donuts are so good! Sending all who celebrate warm Hanukkah greetings for love, peace, and happiness!

RYAN: We sure do love celebrating the holiday season and all that comes with it – the pretty decorations, the yummy food, even the cooler weather! Last week, parts of the Northeastern United States experienced their first significant lake-effect snow of the season. After more than 40 inches of snowfall, and the heaviest snowfall recorded in Constableville, New York at 42.7 inches, the snow began winding down across the Great Lakes by Wednesday afternoon. These major flurries called for a winter weather advisory including low visibility and nearly white-out conditions. While there's definitely more winter weather to come, temperatures across the East Coast, and even down to the Florida Panhandle, experienced much warmer temperatures this past weekend.

PAM: From 40 inches of snow in the U.S. to 41 men rescued from a tunnel in India. After being trapped for 17 days, a group of 41 men were rescued from a partially collapsed Himalayan highway tunnel in northern India. The rescue was made possible by a team of 24 ‘rat miners’ who manually dug through the debris creating a narrow passageway to the trapped men. Upon being pulled out of the tunnel, each worker was greeted with garlands of marigold flowers and people cheering for their safe return. All workers were then transported to a nearby hospital for medical check-ups. Ten News snaps to the Rat Miners for the successful rescue!

RYAN: And, before the break we have big news about Taylor Swift once again… The popstar has become Spotify’s most-streamed artist, globally, of 2023. Swift’s global streams on Spotify exceeded 26.1 billion since January 1st, knocking Bad Bunny out of the #1 spot after three consecutive years. Despite being bumped to second place, Bad Bunny’s 2022 album ‘Un Verano Sin Ti’ remains Spotify’s most-streamed album for the second year with Taylor Swift’s ‘Midnights’ coming in at 2nd. Swift also holds the top spot in the U.S. for most streams on the platform. Is there anything she can’t do!?

PAM: Time for a quick break for the grown-ups and then we’ll be back with more tree news, a seriously cool lobster, and furry operation to know about.

RYAN: We’re back with some holiday news from the big apple! Last Wednesday, the  91st annual Rockefeller Christmas tree lighting took place at Rockefeller Center. The ceremony was hosted by Kelly Clarkson and featured the lighting of an 80-foot tall Norway spruce from Vestal, New York. The tree is decorated with over 50,000 colored LED lights and showcases a 900 pound Swarovski crystal star. Among the attendees were celebrities like Cher and Keke Palmer, plus the Rockettes who performed during the ceremony. The Rockefeller Christmas tree will be lit daily from 5 AM to midnight until January 13th, with a 24-hour illumination on Christmas Day. Go check it out!

PAM: Hey, Ryan. Do you know why lobsters love to celebrate the holidays? Because ‘tis the SEA-son’... get it? Sea.. ocean.. Anyways, we’re excited to introduce to you Bowie the lobster, that is half-blue, half-red and half-male, half-female! The bicolored lobster was caught off the coast of Maine and is a 1 in 50 million occurrence according to New England Aquarium biologist, Jordan Baker. The lobster got its name from social media commentators who suggested naming it after David Bowie, who was famously androgynous and appeared to have different colored eyes. For now, Bowie resides in a cage in the ocean and is being cared for by lobsterman, Jacob Knowles, who will decide what’s next for the rockstar lobster. 

RYAN: Up next, is Apple a… bad Apple? Not really, but there’s a new feature of the Apple iPhone’s latest operating system that has police departments from New Jersey to California sounding an alarm. The new system, called NameDrop, allows iPhone users to wirelessly exchange contact information by placing their phones close together, and has sparked warnings that ‘scammers and thieves’ could exploit a user’s personal information. However, the devices must be practically touching and both users must agree to share information for NameDrop to work. And, according to a law professor who focuses on cyber law at the University of Buffalo has said that NameDrop has enough stopgaps that would prevent a user's information from being stolen. 

PAM: Now for some paws-itive news for our furry friends. Operation Santa Paws is officially underway! Founded in 2001 by animal lover Justin Rudd, Operation Santa Paws is held December 1st - December 24th every year to show love to animals and pets in shelters and rescue centers. It’s a time of year that animal lovers are called on to donate blankets, treats, food, toys, supplies, and money for all of our furry friends who are in shelters and rescue centers around the country. You can help out by donating to your local animal shelter, volunteering, or even fostering or adopting a pet! 

RYAN: And, for our last headline of the day, Subway made cookie-lovers dreams crumb true on this year’s National Cookie Day! Yesterday, Subway restaurants in Chicago, Dallas, Miami, and New York City gave away free foot-long cookies to customers. This comes after last year when a Miami location transformed into a ‘Cookieway’ that offered multiple flavors for one day only. Subway’s National Cookie Day celebrations have proven to be such a hit that in 2024 the foot-long cookie will become a menu staple in 2024!

We are saddened to share that Sandra Day O’Connor passed away on Friday, December 1st at the age of 93. O’Connor was the first woman to serve as a U.S. Supreme Court Justice and sat for 24 years after being nominated and confirmed in 1981. As a female on the nation’s highest court, she was a critical swing vote on issues like abortion, racial discrimination, and affirmative action. Today, we would like to remember Sandra Day O’Connor for the trailblazer that she was!

PAM: That was 10 things you need to know! 

RYAN: NOW can we sing Holiday songs?! I’m so ready for the holidays!

PAM: Yes! But…maybe we should do it in the karaoke room, just in case everyone else isn’t ready. 

RYAN: That’s fair, but I got first dibs on the Mic. 

PAM: Be sure to check out Thursday’s episode where we’ll get a visit from a TINY CEO.

RYAN: What the what! I’ve never met a Tiny CEO…

PAM: I’m Pamela Kirkland.

RYAN: And I’m Ryan Willard. Thanks for listening to The Ten News.