1. Robert Dear, the man suspected of killing three people and shooting nine others during an hours-long assault Friday at a Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood, is being held on no bond. The deceased include police officer Garrett Swasey, who was killed while responding to the attack; Jennifer Markovsky, a mother of two who was accompanying her friend to the clinic; and Ke’Arre Marcell Stewart, an Iraq War veteran. Meanwhile, NBC News reports that the 57-year-old suspected gunman spent years living in a shack in the woods of North Carolina and was considered reclusive and eccentric by his neighbors. Dear is expected to make his first court appearance today.
2. Tough game. The Patriots lost their first game this season to the Broncos in overtime, 30-24. We also lost Gronk to a knee injury… but fortunately, as of now, it doesn’t seem to be too serious.
3. Eleven Walmarts across Maine had to be evacuated and searched over the weekend after a number of bomb threats were made. The bomb threats were hoaxes and sent as an automated message, however, real or not, police must take every threat seriously. The threats are still under investigation.
4. Tis the season for lights and decoration! But Central Maine Power Company wants people to be safe when putting up their lights. “Examine the lights, examine the cords — if there is sign of damage, toss it and go buy some replacements,” said Gail Rice from Central Maine Power Company. CMP also advised that people should not string more than three strands of lights together.
5. Buying all of the gifts featured in the classic carol “The 12 Days of Christmas” is going to cost you $34,131 this year, according to the 32nd annual PNC Wealth Management Christmas Price Index. That’s 0.6 percent more than the adjusted 2014 price of $33,933. While nine out of the 12 gifts mentioned in the song stayed the same price as last year, the cost of turtle doves rose a whopping 11.5 percent due to increased grain prices that pushed up feed costs. (Alas, it doesn’t seem that birds have jumped on the gluten-free bandwagon.) Here are all of the numbers, according to PNC’s calculations:
- Partridge, $25; last year, $20
- Pear tree, $190; last year, $188
- Two turtle doves, $290; last year, $260
- Three French hens, $182; last year, same
- Four calling birds (canaries), $600; last year, same
- Five gold rings, $750; last year, same
- Six geese-a-laying, $360; last year, same
- Seven swans a-swimming, $13,125; last year, same
- Eight maids a-milking, $58; last year, same
- Nine ladies dancing (per performance), $7,553; last year, same
- 10 lords a-leaping (per performance), $5,508; last year, $5,348
- 11 pipers piping (per performance), $2,635; last year, same
- 12 drummers drumming (per performance), $2,855; last year, same
