Sunny 101.5

A combination of illnesses and bus driver shortages have three area school systems without in-person classes once again today. Edwardsburg school will do e-learning, with no in-person classes today. Elkhart middle and high school students will e-learn, elementary school kids will go to in-person classes. And four schools in Warsaw will once again have e-learning today.

A year long investigation in Michigan led to drug and firearm trafficking charges announced Thursday. Among the charges is creating and selling so-called switches that can turn a gun into a fully automatic weapon, able to fire hundreds of rounds at a burst. The investigation centered around Benton Harbor and Grand Rapids. One of the eleven charged is still at large.

Twitter is suspending several journalists who have been covering the company and CEO Elon Musk,, including writers for the “New York Times,” “CNN” and the “Washington Post.” Musk did not say why the accounts were suspended – though critics note note some had been tweeting about the suspension of the account that tracked Musk's private jet.

Thursday night NFL: San Francisco won at Seattle, 21-13. The weekend schedule includes the Indianapolis Colts at Minnesota at 1pm Saturday on 96-1 the Ton. Sunday at 1, the Chicago Bears host Philadelphia at Soldier Field. The Detroit Lions are at the New York Jets Sunday at one. The Monday night game is the LA Rams at Green Bay.

Notre Dame basketball returns from a week off for final exams, with Sunday games for both the men and women. Niele Ivey's 5th ranked Irish are at 6th ranked Virginia Tech Sunday at 4pm on Live 99-9. The Irish men take on Georgia in Atlanta Sunday at 5:30 on Sports Radio 960 AM WSBT.

Hockey: Las Vegas downed the Blackhawks in Chicago, 4-to-1. The Blackawks are at Minnesota tonight.

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Illnesses and bus driver shortages are causing a number of local schools to close or operate on e-learning today. Edwardsburg is on remote learning for the second straight day, after cancelling classes Tuesday. In Elkhart, middle and high schools will e-learn today, while elementaries remain open for in-person classes. And four schools in Warsaw are closed today because too many students and staff are ill right now.

The US Senate passed a measure Wednesday that would ban the use of TikTok on all government phones and devices. If the house passes it as well, President Biden is expected to sign it. It's a step in a campaign by some concerned about national security to stop all use of Chinese-owned TikTok in the US.

The TSA is asking everyone to please not stow pets in checked luggage. There have been a couple of close calls recently, including a cat found in a bag in Denver. Apparently some don't realize that pets cannot survive the cold, unpressurized air of a luggage compartment during a flight.

The Thursday night NFL game this week is San Francisco at Seattle. Kickoff at 8:20. The Colts play Saturday at one at Minnesota. The Bears host Philly Sunday at one, and the Detroit Lions take on the Jets in New Jersey Sunday at one.

NBA: The Chicago Bulls lost at home to the New York Knicks, 128-120. In Indy, the Pacers beat Golden State 125-119. The Detroit Pistons lost at Charlotte, 141-134.

Hockey: the Detroit Redwings lost at Minnesota, 4-to-1. The Blackhawks host Las Vegas tonight in Chicago.

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As we enter peak flu season, some of the prescription and over the counter medicines used to treat it are in short supply. We are seeing more flu cases than usual this year, in part because immunities are down after people stayed away from others during the pandemic. Higher demand for things like Tamiflu, Albuterol, or Children's Tylenol means shorter supplies. Anyone who doesn't feel well should stay home, or at least mask up if you must go out. And it's not too late to get a flu shot. Flu will be with us for several more months.

Rain and some wind here today are the least of it. Blizzard warnings are in effect across much of the nation's midsection this morning. Over 15-million people were under winter weather advisories and warnings overnight, with flash flooding and blizzard conditions across the Central Plains. Nearly six-thousand flights to or from US airports were delayed, almost 60% of flights out of Denver and Dallas-Fort Worth. Tornado damage is reported in parts of Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma.

A massive fire in Brooklyn, New York may affect a lot of criminal cases there. The warehouse was a storage facility holding “biological evidence” from crimes going dating back decades, including a number of cold cases. It'll take days to sift through everything and figure out what's damaged or destroyed. They can't even get into the building yet.

In hockey, Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin scored his 800th career goal in their 7-to-3 win over the Blackhawks in Chicago. the Redwings fell at home to Caroliina, 1-nothing.

NBA: the Chicago Bulls host the New York Knicks tonight at the United Center. Detroit is at Charlotte, and the Indiana Pacers welcome Golden State to Indy.

At the World Cup in Qatar, Argentina is through to Sunday's final after a 3-nil win over Croatia Tuesday. They'll play the winner of today's other semifinal, defending champion France against Morocco, the first African nation to make the semifinals.

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Nearly two years ahead of the election, there are already three declared Republican candidates for Governor of Indiana in 20-24. Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch formally entered the race Monday, as did Indiana US Senator Mike Braun, who made his candidacy known last week by filing paperwork to run. Fort Wayne businessman Eric Doden is also running. They all want to succeed Governor Eric Holcomb, who must leave in two years because of term limits.

President Biden is expected to sign the Respect for Marriage Act into law today at the White House. The bipartisan bill passed by Congress last week is aimed to protect marriage for LGBTQ+ and interracial couples. It also requires all states to recognize marriages legally performed in other states, even if they are illegal in that state.

A busy travel season this season has doctors worried about people getting RSV, flu and COVID cases away from home. Consider that if you get sick away from your doctors at home, your insurance may not cover you as well, or at all. If so, you might want to consider travel medical insurance to cover you during your trip.

Monday night NFL: The New England Patriots over the Cardinals in Arizona, 27-to-13. There are games on Thursday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday this coming week.

NBA: Miami won in Indy over the Pacers, 87-82.

Hockey: the Blackhawks are at home against Washington tonight; the Redwings host Carolina tonight in Detroit.

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Debate over the prisoners swap that freed WNBA star Brittney Griner from a Russian penal colony illustrates the tough choices involved. Some critics of the deal, including Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff, say it only encourages people like Vladimir Putin to unjustly detain more Americans. Others say the US can and should make every reasonable effort to get US citizens back. Griner arrived back in the US early Friday.

You may hear that a recount is underway in a number of Michigan counties on two ballot proposals from the November midterm elections. Conservative groups opposed to Proposal 3 that enshrined abortion rights in the state constitution, and Proposal 2 on voting rights, challenged the results and paid the filing fee, but the recount does not cover enough votes to change the results. The groups pushing the recount say they will evaluate the data for possible future actions.

NASA's Orion Spacecraft is back on Earth following a weeks-long flight around the moon. The unmanned journey covered one-point-four-million miles after launching from Kennedy Space Center on November 16th. NASA aims to use the Artemis One mission to eventually get astronauts back on the moon, and eventually to Mars.

Notre Dame men's basketball took a 79-to-64 home loss against Marquette Sunday afternoon at Purcell Pavilion. The 5th ranked Irish women dominated Merrimack College on Saturday, 108-to-44.

In the NFL, the Chicago Bears and Indianapolis Colts were off this week. The Lions beat the Minnesota Vikings in Detroit, 34-to-23. The Monday night game this week is New England at Arizona.

Notre Dame hockey split two games against Penn State, losing Friday 5-to-2, winning Saturday 5-to-3.

NBA: the Chicago Bulls lost at Atlanta, 123-122. The LA Lakers beat the Pistons in Detroit, 124-117. The Indiana Pacers host Miami tonight in Indy.

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WNBA star Brittney Griner is due back home in Houston this morning, after she was released from Russian custody in a swap for an arms dealer with six years left on his prison sentence in the US. President Biden said the deal was in the works for several weeks, and that the Russians so far are not willing to deal for ex-Marine Paul Whelan, still held in Russia after four years on what the US calls trumped up spy charges.

More packages are around on porches during the holidays, and so, of course, package thefts go up each year at this time. The best advice from experts is to take steps to see that packages do not sit around on your porch for extended periods of time. You can arrange to have them delivered somewhere more safe, or ask a neighbor to take it in as soon as it shows up. Just remember, there are Scrooges out there looking to put a dent in your Christmas cheer.

The Keystone oil pipeline is being shut down after an oil leak was discovered in northern Kansas. TC Energy in Calgary estimates 14-thousand barrels had been discharged at last check. Federal regulators say investigators have been deployed to the site. No timetable so far for restarting the pipeline.

Thursday night NFL football: the LA Rams edged the Las Vegas Raiders, 17-16. On Sunday, the Detroit Lions host the Minnesota Vikings at 1pm. The Chicago Bears and Indianapolis Colts both have byes this week.

The annual Army-Navy football game is tomorrow afternoon at 3 in Philadelphia. And the Heisman Trophy will be awarded Saturday evening. USC's Caleb Williams is the favorite.

Fifth ranked Notre Dame women's basketball hosts Merrimack College at noon tomorrow on Live 99-9. The Irish men host Marquette Sunday at 4 on Sports Radio 960 AM WSBT.

Hockey: the Detroit Redwings lost at Florida, 5-to-1. The Blackhawks host Winnipeg tonight at 8:30 eastern in Chicago.

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