1. The deadliest residential fire to hit New York City in at least a quarter-century swept through a Bronx apartment building Thursday on one of the coldest nights so far this winter, killing 12 people and leaving four more fighting for their lives, city officials said. Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro called the fire, “historic in its magnitude,” because of the number of lives lost. Excluding the Sept. 11 attacks, it was the worst fire in the city since 87 people were killed at a social club fire in the Bronx in 1990. (Press Herald)
2. Frostbite and hypothermia aren’t just risks for people, pets can also be adversely affected by the extreme cold, too. At Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland, staff members are limiting the animals’ time outside and putting coats on dogs with shorter or thinner fur. Shelter representatives advise to do the same for your own dogs. “The general rule of thumb is if it’s too cold for you and your children, it’s probably too cold for your pets outdoors” said Jeana Roth, Director of Community Engagement at the ARLGP. (WCSH)
3. A surge in requests for Nazi, KKK ink prompted Rockland-based Siren Song Tattoo shop to say ‘stop asking.’ “So we wouldn’t normally do this but there have been an alarming amount of people wanting Nazi/KKK tattoos this year! So we are declaring now that we do not create images or recreate images that pertain to those parties and like parties,” a Dec. 23 post on the shop’s Facebook page read. “Get over it and stop asking us, we ain’t about that …” (WGME)
4. Al Horford made a hook shot with 3.7 seconds left to give Boston its only lead of the game, and the Celtics rallied from a 26-point deficit to beat the Houston Rockets 99-98 on Thursday night. Kyrie Irving scored 26 and Jayson Tatum finished with 19 for the Celtics, while Marcus Smart drew two offensive fouls against James Harden in the closing seconds to help Boston complete the comeback. (Boston.com)
5. In 2018, playing video games obsessively might lead to a diagnosis of a mental health disorder. In the beta draft of its forthcoming 11th International Classification of Diseases, the World Health Organization includes “gaming disorder” in its list of mental health conditions. The WHO defines the disorder as a “persistent or recurrent” behavior pattern of “sufficient severity to result in significant impairment in personal, family, social, educational, occupational or other important areas of functioning.” (CNN)
