1. School Cancellations: Auburn, Brunswick, Cheverus, Gorham, Lewiston, Lisbon, Massabesic, Bonny Eagle, Windham / Raymond, Freeport, Sanford, Westbrook. Winter storm warning in effect today. Full List of Closings Here. Speeds on the Maine Turnpike have been reduced to 45mph. Snow will pick up in intensity throughout the morning. Snow will change over to rain along the coast, but hang on for interior sections and the mountains. Mountains could see more than 8 inches of snow. Interior sections will see 4 to 8 inches of snow, with a slushy 2 to 4 inches of snow along the coast. (WMTW)
2. A would-be suicide bomber inspired by Islamic State extremists strapped on a crude pipe bomb, slipped unnoticed into the nation’s busiest subway system and set the device off at rush hour Monday. In the end, the only serious wounds were to the suspect. But the attack sent terrified commuters fleeing through a smoky passageway, and three people suffered headaches and ringing ears from the first bomb blast in the subway in more than two decades. (Pressherald)
3. The Pentagon is allowing transgender people to enlist in the military beginning Jan. 1, despite President Donald Trump’s opposition. The new policy reflects growing legal pressure on the issue, and the difficult hurdles the federal government would have to cross to enforce Trump’s demand to ban transgender individuals from the military. Two federal courts already have ruled against the ban. Potential transgender recruits will have to overcome a lengthy and strict set of physical, medical and mental conditions that make it possible, though difficult, for them to join the armed services. (WGME)
4. Tom Brady was intercepted twice and held without a third-down conversion Monday night, and the Miami Dolphins snapped the New England Patriots’ eight-game winning streak with a surprising 27-20 victory. (boston.com)
5. Netflix has released its viewing statistics for 2017 and even called out some individual customers for their bizarre choices. (1) The most popular day globally for binge-watching was January 1, 2017. In the United States, it was January 2. (2)The highest global re-watch record was set by an American who streamed Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl 365 times in 2017. (3) Mexico is the country with the most members watching Netflix every single day. (4) Cumulatively, Netflix subscribers across the world watched 140 million hours of programming a day, which amounts to at about 1 billion hours per week. (4) Members watched an average of 60 movies on Netflix this year. (That’s at least one movie per week.). (media.netflix.com)
