Dorothy Abernathy, The Associated Press bureau chief for West Virginia and Virginia, shares the 10 things you need to know Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2014. Look for full stories on these late-breaking news items, upcoming events and stories in West Virginia newspapers.
1. N KOREA INTERNET SERVICE RETURNS AFTER OUTAGE
Key North Korean websites are back online after an hours-long shutdown that followed a U.S. vow to respond to a cyberattack on Sony Pictures that Washington blames on Pyongyang.
2. NYC MAYOR CALLS FOR PAUSE IN PROTESTS
Bill de Blasio, accused of creating mistrust that contributed to the execution of two officers, said it’s time to support grieving families.
3. WHAT NEUROSCIENTISTS SAY ABOUT TORTURE’S EFFECTS
The harsh techniques the CIA used to interrogate terrorism suspects can leave long-term psychological scars, the scientists say.
4. DESPITE CHILD LABOR LAWS, SOME 500,000 HONDURAN KIDS WORK
About 15 percent of the youth population can be seen around Tegucigalpa filling bags of sand to sell, unloading trucks in the central market, peddling gum and cigarettes — or drugs.
5. THE BIG ISSUES OBAMA TACKLED IN 2014
The president made major moves on immigration, climate change and U.S.-Cuba relations, but also angered the GOP and suffered a crushing midterm election defeat.
6. WHY FORMER COP WASN’T CHARGED IN SHOOTING
A white Milwaukee police officer who was fired after the fatal shooting of a mentally ill black man in April won’t face criminal charges, as prosecutors say he shot in self-defense.
7. WHO THE POPE ACCUSED OF ‘SPIRITUAL ALZHEIMER’S’
Francis issues a blistering critique of Vatican bureaucracy, saying some lust for power while living hypocritical lives.
8. AT 89, NO CONFESSION TO 50-YEAR-OLD KILLINGS
Edgar Ray Killen, convicted in 2005 of the slayings of three civil rights workers, tells the AP he’s a segregationist but bears no ill will toward blacks.
9. SANDRA THE ORANGUTAN GRANTED BASIC RIGHTS
The ape’s attorney says the unprecedented ruling paves the way for the animal to be moved into a sanctuary after spending 20 years at the Buenos Aires Zoo.
10. WHICH SPORTS STORY TOPS AP’S YEAR-END LIST
The NFL’s domestic violence trouble is selected the sports story of the year Tuesday in an annual vote conducted by The Associated Press.