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Excitement for Super Bowl LVIII; Countdown begins for April's total solar eclipse; some Americans saddled with credit card debt
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On the version of Hot off the Wire posted Feb. 10 at 6 a.m. CT:

Millions of Americans will find something to be excited about when it comes to Super Bowl Sunday. That’s before even factoring in the influence of Taylor Swift. Four in 10 U.S. adults are extremely or very excited for at least one part of the Super Bowl day’s festivities. That could be the game, commercials, halftime show or the Puppy Bowl, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The Kansas City Chiefs will play the San Francisco 49ers in Las Vegas.

A total solar eclipse is coming to North America. On April 8, the sun will pull another disappearing act across parts of Mexico, the United States and Canada, turning day into night for as much as 4 minutes, 28 seconds. That's twice as long as the total solar eclipse that darkened U.S. skies in 2017. This eclipse will take a different and more populated route, entering over Mexico's Pacific coast, dashing up through Texas and Oklahoma, crisscrossing the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and New England, before exiting over eastern Canada into the Atlantic. There won’t be another U.S. eclipse, spanning coast to coast, until 2045.

NEW YORK (AP) — Noticeable pockets of Americans — renters, and lower- and middle-income borrowers — are running up their credit cards balances, and increasing numbers are falling behind on their debts. It’s the latest sign that while the U.S. economy is broadly healthy, the last two years of inflation have sapped much of the savings of vulnerable Americans, possibly leading to further deterioration of their financial health this year. The credit rating company Moody’s says credit card delinquency and charge-off rates are well above 2019 levels. They're expected to keep climbing. Americans held more than $1.05 trillion on their credit cards in the third quarter, a historic high, and the average credit card rate is the highest it's ever been since the Fed started tracking the data.

PHOENIX (AP) — For months after George Floyd was killed by police in May 2020, people from around the world traveled to the site of his murder in Minneapolis and left signs, paintings and poems to memorialize the man whose death reignited a movement against systemic racism. Now hundreds of those artifacts are being displayed at an exhibit at the Arizona State University Art Museum. It’s the first time the work is on public display outside of Minnesota. Paintings of Floyd and poems written about him stand on easels throughout the exhibit, while protest signs made from paper plates and reused cardboard cover the walls. Some visitors were moved to tears as they moved through the exhibit.

NEW YORK (AP) — Small business acquisitions were up and down last year, reflecting the increase in interest rates that threw a chill into the market. But a strong fourth quarter, helped by a signal from the Federal Reserve that it was done raising interest rates, could bode well for 2024. Overall, the number of small business acquisitions were largely unchanged in 2023, according to business marketplace BizBuySell’s Insight Data, which tracks and analyzes U.S. business-for-sale transactions. A total of 9,093 businesses were reported sold on BizBuySell in 2023, up less than 1% from the 9,054 businesses sold in 2022.

People do not need to wear lead aprons or thyroid collars when getting X-rays at the dentist. That's according to the American Dental Association. The new recommendation is just that, however. State rules may dictate if people have to wear the aprons, and some states still require them. Experts say there needs to be more education on the safety and risks of X-rays to broadly change minds about the aprons.

COLUMBIA FALLS, Maine (AP) — A family with an audacious plan to build the world’s tallest flagpole as a centerpiece for a billion-dollar project honoring veterans is abandoning the idea. An attorney said Friday that the Worcester family won’t pursue the flagpole project in Washington County or elsewhere. Instead they will look for other ways to honor veterans. The plan has divided the town of Columbia Falls, population 485. Residents are preparing to vote next month on proposed ordinances governing large-scale developments. A town select board member says a flagpole stretching 1,461 feet skyward wouldn’t meet the proposed ordinances’ height restrictions.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Astronomers are reporting the best evidence yet of a vast, young ocean beneath the icy exterior of Saturn's Death Star-looking mini moon. The French-led team based its findings Wednesday on observations by NASA's former Cassini spacecraft. By analyzing changes in Mimas' orbit and rotation, the scientists have concluded that the frozen crust hides an ocean that's only 5 million to 15 million years old. The findings open up the possibility of water — and life — at seemingly sterile moons.

COOKE CITY, Mont. (AP) — The day after a Minnesota man survived an avalanche while snowmobiling in Montana's backcountry, government forecasters posted details of the near-tragedy as yet another cautionary tale. Avalanche safety specialists say their job has become more difficult in recent years as the number of skiers and snowmobilers visiting backcountry areas surges after the pandemic. Shifting weather patterns due to climate change further complicate safety efforts, and four people already have died this year in snowslides in Wyoming, Colorado, Idaho and California. Despite the growing risks, the U.S. avalanche death rate has stayed relatively constant in recent years. Experts attribute that to better forecasting and more people educating themselves about the dangers in the mountains.

—The Associated Press

About this program

Host Terry Lipshetz is managing editor of the national newsroom for Lee Enterprises. Besides producing the daily Hot off the Wire news podcast, Terry conducts periodic interviews for this Behind the Headlines program, co-hosts the Streamed & Screened movies and television program and is the former producer of Across the Sky, a podcast dedicated to weather and climate.

Lee Enterprises produces many national, regional and sports podcasts. Learn more here.

Published

February 10th, 2024, 12:00 pm

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Hot Off The Wire

Excitement for Super Bowl LVIII; Countdown begins for April's total solar eclipse; some Americans saddled with credit card debt

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