1. Democrat Doug Jones pulled off a major upset in Alabama by defeating Republican Roy Moore in Tuesday’s special election. By doing so, he became the first Democrat to win election to the Senate from the conservative state in 25 years. “We have come so far and the people of Alabama have spoken,” Jones declared in his victory speech. Meanwhile, Moore refused to concede. “When the vote is this close… it’s not over,” he insisted. He also said his campaign was looking into the state’s “recount provision.” Several months ago, it seemed unlikely that a Democrat would win the special election for the seat to replace Attorney General Jeff Sessions. But Jones, an attorney famous for prosecuting the KKK, began gaining support as Moore was hit with several sexual misconduct allegations, including those involving teenage girls. (Fox News)
2. On this first night of Hanukkah, the menorah was lit outside Portland City Hall. Chabad of Maine lit the menorah last night. As part of the celebration there was an all-you-can eat buffet with music, latkes and donuts, dreidels, and Hanukkah crafts. This year also included the “Great Gelt Drop” — wrapped chocolate candies dropped from the ladder of a Portland fire truck for children to gather. (WGME)
3. 29 year old Chelsea Roy of South Portland is one of the 29 contestants competing on the upcoming season of ABC’s “The Bachelor.” She and women from all over the country will be vying for the attention of one man, Arie Luyendyk Jr. On her biography on the ABC website, Roy says she played soccer and field hockey in grammar school, and lists her guilty pleasure as “sweet tooth!” Her ideal weather is sunny and in the mid-70s. She lists her job as real estate executive assistant. On dates, she fears dead silence and “over-the-top PDA” or public displays of affection. The first episode of the new season is scheduled for Jan. 1 at 8 p.m. (Press Herald)
4. A new study ranks America’s healthiest and unhealthiest states. Maine just barely made the top half at #23. Massachusetts, Hawaii, Vermont, Utah and Connecticut rank as the five healthiest states, while West Virginia, Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi rank the least healthy in America’s Health Rankings, according to the report by the United Health Foundation. The rankings take into account a variety of health factors, such as rates of infectious diseases, obesity, physical inactivity, smoking and infant mortality, as well as air pollution levels and the availability of health care providers. This is the first time Massachusetts has been named the healthiest state, ending Hawaii’s five-year reign. The Bay State won the honor in part due to having the lowest percentage of uninsured residents at just 2.7% of the population, plus a low prevalence of obesity and a high number of mental health providers. (CNN)
5. Penguins today may be adorable, but they may have been terrifying 60 million years ago. In a new scientific paper released Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications, it was revealed that accident penguins were as big as a grown man. According to the Associated Press, the newly-discovered fossils from New Zealand show that 56 to 60 million years ago this penguin measured nearly 5 feet 10 inches and weighed in at 223 pounds. (AP)
