It’s been a whirlwind 12 months, and we’re grateful you could have learn together with us. If all of it looks like a blur, NCS’s Year in Review Quiz is a enjoyable means to jog your reminiscence.
Here’s what else you want to know to rise up to velocity and on along with your day.
In the approaching hours, international locations around the globe will ring in 2026 with dazzling fireworks and grand celebrations. US authorities have mentioned they’re taking further precautions to guarantee public security at main occasions. In New York City, hundreds of NYPD officers are deployed throughout Times Square forward of the iconic ball drop, supported by helicopters and drones for complete monitoring, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Tuesday. “New Year’s Eve in Times Square is one of the largest and most complex public safety operations in the world, and one the NYPD has secured successfully for decades,” Tisch added. Meanwhile, on the West Coast, California will usher within the New Year with more stormy weather simply days after a harmful Christmas-week storm precipitated intense flooding and particles flows.
The Times Square ball drop has been a New York custom for over 100 years
The Affordable Care Act’s enhanced premium subsidies are set to expire after at this time, leaving hundreds of thousands of Americans dealing with higher health insurance costs in 2026. While the House is predicted to vote in January on a Democratic proposal to lengthen them for three years, the trouble faces important hurdles within the Senate. This comes after Democratic lawmakers refused to fund the federal authorities this fall except the subsidies have been renewed, main to a record-long shutdown that solely resulted in mid-November with an settlement to maintain a vote within the Senate on the matter. Both Democratic and Republican well being care payments failed to pass the chamber in mid-December.
Starting Thursday, Americans in 5 states who obtain authorities assist paying for groceries will face limits on shopping for soda, sweet and different meals deemed unhealthy. Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, Utah and West Virginia are the primary of no less than 18 states to undertake waivers restricting purchases through the SNAP program — lengthy referred to as meals stamps — which serves 42 million individuals. The transfer aligns with the Trump administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” initiative, geared toward lowering power ailments like weight problems and diabetes linked to sweetened drinks and processed meals.
The US inventory market is on the verge of a uncommon milestone: three consecutive years of double-digit good points. Historically, a three-peat is uncommon and has solely occurred 5 occasions for the reason that Nineteen Forties. The S&P 500 is set to rise 17% in 2025, following good points of 23% in 2024 and 24% in 2023, regardless of worries over tariffs, geopolitical tensions and the longest authorities shutdown in historical past. Financial analysts say shares have been fueled this 12 months by sturdy company earnings, excitement around artificial intelligence and optimism about potential Federal Reserve rate of interest cuts.
New York City is saying goodbye to the MetroCard after greater than 30 years in service. Beginning January 1, the Metropolitan Transit Authority will no longer sell MetroCards, and riders can be required to use OMNY, a contactless fee system. OMNY is brief for One Metro New York and replaces swipes with faucets at turnstiles by way of smartphones or smartwatches with cellular wallets, bank cards or OMNY playing cards. MTA has mentioned the change will save the company $20 million yearly in prices associated to manufacturing, distribution, merchandising machine repairs and money dealing with prices. For many, although, MetroPlaying cards have turn out to be a nostalgic souvenir, and a few are already turning them into collector’s gadgets.
Goodbye to the MetroCard that reworked how New Yorkers traveled
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NASA’s Artemis II mission, set to raise off as quickly as February, will mark the primary time astronauts have aimed to enterprise past near-Earth orbit since 1972.
NCS Travel reveals the best places to visit in 2026, from Japan and Spain to Australia and the Caribbean, highlighting tradition, meals, nature and once-in-a-lifetime occasions.
New England seafood heist
Thousands of oysters, a cache of crab and $400,000 value of lobster meat have been stolen in a shell-shocking heist.
The Trump administration says it has frozen all child care payments to Minnesota amid a federal investigation into alleged fraud. An influence failure paralyzed Channel Tunnel rail site visitors on Tuesday, causing travel chaos for hundreds of passengers in London, Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam.
An influence failure paralyzed Channel Tunnel rail site visitors on Tuesday, causing travel chaos for hundreds of passengers in London, Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam.
🌤️ Check your local forecast to see what you possibly can count on.
And lastly…
(*5*)
Eating 12 grapes and carrying pink underwear: New Year’s superstitions defined
▶️ Eating 12 grapes and carrying pink underwear: New Year’s superstitions defined
Looking for luck in 2026? Some individuals say these traditions and rituals might deliver luck and set the tone for a affluent 12 months forward.