BRECKENRIDGE, Colo. — During the annual Christmas tree-lighting ceremony at Breckenridge Ski Resort in early December, thousands of people crowded onto Main Street under a bluebird sky.

The event was preceded by a dog parade featuring hundreds of Bernese mountain dogs and a foot race with runners dressed as Santas and elves. When the sun finally set, the countdown began as a massive evergreen in the square was bathed in golden light.

The festive scene stood in stark contrast to what could be coming for Colorado and the Rocky Mountains: a severely shortened ski season by 2050, with some areas closing permanently by the end of the century.

https://news.yahoo.com/rising-temperatures-extreme-drought-giant-093120566.html

>>15262096

A Colorado skier was killed in an avalanche that struck while the man and a friend were traversing slopes through the backcountry on Christmas Eve, Colorado authorities recently announced.

The skier was with a partner on the southeast end of South Diamond Peak near Cameron Pass around 2 p.m. local time Friday when an avalanche broke the surface, the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) reported Saturday. The avalanche broke about one to three feet below the snow surface and was approximately 150 feet wide.

The skier, whose age and identity have not been released, "was caught, fully buried, and killed," the CAIC said.

https://www.foxnews.com/us/colorado-backcountry-skier-dies-christmas-eve-avalanche

ITABUNA, Brazil — Two dams gave way in the northeastern Brazilian state of Bahia after weeks of heavy rains, swamping already swollen local rivers as flooding hit towns across the region, authorities said on Sunday.

The Igua dam, on the Verruga river near the city of Vitoria da Conquista in southern Bahia, collapsed on Saturday night, forcing authorities to evacuate residents, mainly in the town of Itambe.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/dams-burst-northeastern-brazil-region-hit-floods-rcna10031

>>15262172

https://www.truthorfiction.com/was-the-bad-guy-in-dallas-buyers-club-dr-fauci/

Comms? Pennsylvania Avenue

https://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2021/12/27/crews-responding-to-water-main-break-in-bridgeville/

HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania had been installing historical markers for more than a century when the racist violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August 2017 brought a fresh round of questions from the public about just whose stories were being told on the state’s roadsides — and the language used to tell them.

The increased scrutiny helped prompt a review of all 2,500 markers by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, a process that has focused on factual errors, inadequate historical context, and racist or otherwise inappropriate references.

So far, the state has removed two markers, revised two and ordered new text for two others.

https://www.wpxi.com/news/local/racial-reckoning-turns-focus-roadside-historical-markers/NI3EJRCA5ZDGRGA7M5WZ3I6PBU/

GREEN TREE (KDKA) — As America is bracing for a surge in COVID-19 cases due to holiday gatherings, many people will soon be testing their patience as they wait to fill testing locations in our area today.

A testing site near the old Parkway Center Mall will open at 8:00 a.m. Monday and will run through 4:00 p.m.

As at-home COVID tests are flying off shelves, large testing sites are popping up again.

Last Tuesday, Allegheny County reportedly conducted 2,700 COVID tests.

This was the most in a single day, and testing is only expected to get busier, as people want to be tested after gathering with friends and family.

Some manufacturers of at-home tests are expected to ramp up production for the increased demand.

Doctors still stress the importance of the vaccines as the Omicron variant continues to spread around the world.

“The deaths from COVID, right now, are almost entirely preventable. Even with Omicron, if you are vaccinated and boosted, I can confidently say you will not die from this virus,” said Dr. Jonathan Reiner, CNN Medical Analyst

Stores like Walgreens and CVS are now putting limits on the number of at-home tests people can buy.

https://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2021/12/27/local-covid-19-testing-sites-brace-for-surge-of-patients/