by Paul Riegler

Wednesday’s crash of an American Airlines jet on final approach to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport was the deadliest U.S. air disaster in decades. Here are some of the people we lost in the crash plus the latest information on what might have caused the crash.
The Washington, D.C. area’s jam-packed airspace has led to warnings for years and air-traffic controllers are among the federal employees that the Trump administration has …

Weekend Update – News That Matters: Five Years of Covid, Chinese New Year, Effect of Trump’s Brutal Tariffs, Rising Egg Prices, Apple Watch Lawsuit, Mapmakers, and Civil Servants

by Anna Breuer

Part of our “News That Matters“ Series, “Weekend Update” is a weekly feature that offers brief overviews of important news that might have been overlooked in the course of a busy weekend. Here’s what you may have missed in the period January  31 through February 3, 2025.
@PASSINGS
Wolfgang Zwiener, Luger Waiter Who Built His Own Steakhouse Empire, Dies at 85
Wolfgang Zwiener, who came to the United States from Germany in 1960 …

Groundhog Day 2025: Punxsutawney Phil Predicts 6 More Weeks of Winter But, Once Again, Staten Island Chuck Begs to Differ

by Kurt Stolz

Punxsutawney Phil, the prodigious forecaster of Pennsylvania, saw his shadow early Sunday morning on Groundhog Day 2025. He therefore predicted that there will be six more weeks of a long cold and icy winter.
This year is Phil’s 139th year as a marmot meteorologist.
This year’s crowd was one of the largest ever, Inner Circle President Tom Dunkel said, and thousands more watched a streamed broadcast online.
After members of the Inner Circle …

18 U.S. Figure Skaters Dead Among 73 in Fateful 1961 Sabena Jet Crash

by Jonathan Spira

On February 15, 1961, Sabena Flight 548, a Boeing 707, crashed on approach to Brussels’ Zaventem Airport on its way from New York City.
All 72 passengers, as well as one person on the ground, perished in the crash.
Among the dead was the entirety of the United States Figure Skating Team, which was on its way to the 1961 World Championships in Prague, Czechoslovakia.
If this sounds familiar, it’s because both prominent …

Great Moments in Travel History – February 2025

by Jesse Sokolow

February is the second month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars.
The month has 28 days in common years – that is years with 365 days – and 29 days in leap years, such as last year, 2024, as is the case with any year that is evenly divisible by four, with the exception of centenary years not divisible by 400.
February is not only the shortest month …

American Airlines CEO Expresses ‘Deep Sorrow’ in Video Statement Following Midair Collision

by Anna Breuer
American Airlines CEO Expresses ‘Deep Sorrow’ in Video Statement Following Midair Collision

The CEO of American Airlines, Robert Isom released a statement hours after an American Airlines plane and a military helicopter collided mid-air. Both crashed into the Potomac River Wednesday night and there appear to be no survivors.
In the video statement, Isom shared his “deep sorrow” for those involved.
“This is a difficult day for all of us at American Airlines,” Isom said. “Our efforts now are focused entirely on the needs …

Holocaust Memorial Day in 2025 in Auschwitz: Tell The World What Happened Here

by Paul Riegler

Today, January 27, is International Holocaust Memorial Day, or Holocaust-Gedenktag, as it is referred to in German. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, is associated with the pledge, “Nie wieder,” or “Never again.”
A special commemoration will be held at the Museum and Memorial Auschwitz-Birkenau on the location of the former German National Socialist regime’s concentration and extermination camp.
The main commemoration will begin at 4.00 pm …

Weekend Update – News that Matters: Severe Weather in U.S.; Trump Freezes Foreign Aid; U.S. Deports Criminal Illegal Aliens; Giant Pandas Arrive, Arrest in Flight Attendant Murder, Alzheimer’s Update

by Jonathan Spira

Part of our “News That Matters“ Series, “Weekend Update” is a weekly feature that offers brief overviews of important news that might have been overlooked in the course of a busy weekend. Here’s what you may have missed in the period January 24 through January 26,, 2025.
@WEATHER AND TRAVEL
Friday’s Storm in Ireland and Great Britain Surpassed the ‘Big Wind’ of 1839, Setting Record
The storm that hit Ireland, Northern Ireland, and …