10 things we learned from this week's headlines
1/4/2014
Supporters of Michael Schumacher hold Ferrari flags and a banner, to honour his 45th birthday, in front of the Grenoble hospital where the former seven-time Formula One champion is being treated after sustaining a head injury during a ski accident, Friday, Jan. 3, 2014. Schumacher has been in a medically induced coma since Sunday, when he struck his head on a rock while on a family vacation. (AP Photo/Claude Paris)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Looking back at the stories to remember from the past week:
1. LINES OF BUYERS MARK COLORADO’S FIRST DAY OF LEGAL MARIJUANA SALES
The state had 24 shops open Wednesday, most of them in Denver, and few problems were reported, aside from long waits and sporadic reports of shoppers cited for smoking pot in public. The other state that has legalized recreational pot, Washington, is expected to have retail shops operating by late spring.
2. ALL 52 PASSENGERS RESCUED FROM SHIP STUCK IN ANTARCTIC ICE
The Russian research vessel had been icebound since Christmas Eve, and earlier attempts at a rescue were blocked by foul weather. But a helicopter from a Chinese icebreaker was able to land nearby Thursday and get the passengers to an Australian ship bound for Tasmania.
3. FORMULA ONE GREAT MICHAEL SCHUMACHER IN COMA AFTER SKIING ACCIDENT
The former driver suffered a brain injury when he fell and struck a rock Sunday in the French Alps and underwent two operations. Doctors have refused to give a prognosis for Schumacher, a seven-time F1 champion who turned 45 on Friday with family and friends at his bedside.
4. SUICIDE BOMBINGS IN RUSSIA RAISE CONCERNS ABOUT SOCHI OLYMPICS
The blasts in the city of Volgograd — at the main railway station Sunday and on a bus Monday — killed 34 people and wounded scores. The attacks came a few months after the leader of an Islamic insurgency in Russia called for attacks in the run-up to next month’s Olympics in Sochi.
5. CHICAGO ENDS 2013 WITH A BIG DROP IN HOMICIDES
Police said Wednesday the city recorded fewer homicides than any year since 1965 and the lowest overall crime rate since 1972. Violence in the city became a national news story in 2012, when the number of homicides climbed past the 500 mark. But in 2013, homicides fell 18 percent to 415.
6. TORONTO MAYOR ROB FORD IS BACK ON THE BALLOT FOR ANOTHER TERM
Defying calls to step down after admitting he smoked crack cocaine “in a drunken stupor,” Ford was the first candidate to show up at City Hall when registration opened Thursday for the city’s municipal election Oct. 27.
7. JUST LIKE YESTERDAY FOR ‘TODAY’
Former co-hosts Bryant Gumbel and Jane Pauley, who worked on the NBC morning show from 1982 to 1989, returned to the set for a nostalgic turn Monday. The show is running second in the ratings to ABC’s “Good Morning America.”
8. SNAPCHAT TO MAKE A MORE SECURE APP AFTER HACKING
The disappearing-message service popular with younger users of smartphones suffered a security breach that exposed millions of users’ phone numbers. Snapchat said in a blog post Thursday that the updated version of its app would allow users to opt out of its “Find Friends” feature, which apparently was at the heart of the problem.
9. 5 COACHES FIRED BY NFL TEAMS AFTER REGULAR SEASON
Barely 12 hours after the regular season ended, five head coaches were unemployed. Fired Monday were Washington’s Mike Shanahan, Detroit’s Jim Schwartz, Minnesota’s Leslie Frazier and Tampa Bay’s Greg Schiano. Cleveland’s Rob Chudzinski was dismissed Sunday night after just one season.
10. ANDY GRANATELLI, INDIANAPOLIS 500-WINNING CAR OWNER, DIES AT 90
Known as “Mr. 500,” the innovative owner and entrepreneur nearly won at Indy in 1967 and ‘68, and he broke through with victories in 1969 by Mario Andretti and in 1973 by Gordon Johncock. Granatelli, who died Sunday, was the former CEO of the STP motor oil company.