1. President Donald Trump took to Twitter last week to suggest that the East Cast could benefit from global warming. “In the East, it could be the COLDEST New Year’s Eve on record,” he tweeted. “Perhaps we could use a little bit of that good old Global Warming that our Country, but not other countries, was going to pay TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS to protect against. Bundle up!” The Weather Channel responded to Trump’s statement by tweeting, “There is a difference between #weather and #climate.” It also stated that “2017 will likely be a top three warmest year on record for the globe.” Trump himself escaped the East Coast’s frigid temperatures by spending his holidays in Florida. (CNN)
2. The bitter cold pattern in place is showing no signs of letting up. New Year’s Day was the coldest in 75 years in Portland, which had a low temperature of minus 17 degrees, according to preliminary observations by the National Weather Service in Gray. Portland’s previous Jan. 1 record was minus 12 degrees – set in 1957 and 1964. And Portland’s high temperature of 10 degrees on Monday also broke a record, for the coldest high for any New Year’s Day. The previous record for coldest high for the day was 13 degrees, set in 1957. Arctic air will remain in place through Tuesday. A slight moderation in temperature is expected Wednesday, when highs should hit the low to mid-20s.
(PH)
3. For thousands of Maine workers, 2018 means another pay raise. As of yesterday, the minimum wage increases to ten dollars per hour. This is the second year of a four year increase in Maine’s minimum wage. It will jump to $11 in 2019 and then to $12 per hour in 2020. (WCSH6)
4. New England Patriots (13-3): AFC East champion. Their controversial win in Pittsburgh on Dec. 17 wound up proving decisive in the battle for home-field advantage. The Patriots will host the lowest-seeded winner from the wild-card round on Jan. 13 or 14. They have three potential opponents Kansas City Chiefs, Tenesse Titans, or the Buffalo Bills. (WCSH6)
5. Passengers on Hawaiian Airlines’ flight 446 got to ring in the new year twice, thanks to a 10-minute delay in departure. The flight from Auckland, New Zealand to Honolulu, Hawaii was scheduled to leave at 11:55 p.m. on Sunday, December 31, 2017. However, it ended up taking off at 12:05 a.m. on Monday, January 1, 2018. Because New Zealand is 23 hours ahead of Hawaii, passengers ended up landing at 10:16 a.m., back on December 31 in 2017. (People)
