Long before fireworks light up the sky each Fourth of July, the work behind the spectacle begins months — even years — in advance. Designing a major fireworks show is a detailed process that blends art, engineering and strict safety standards. Pyrotechnic designers choreograph each display to music, selecting effects and determining how to “paint […]
The Fourth of July means baseball, hot dogs, and, of course, fireworks. While America’s game and tube-tied meat remain greats, our overhead pyrotechnics seem to be changing a bit, especially in California. The state has pushed back against fireworks shows, mainly due to wildfire dangers. Instead, some of those firework shows have been replaced by […]
As New Yorkers sweltered in a holiday heat wave that could feel as high as 115 degrees, Mayor Zohran Mamdani turned his attention to the strained energy grid and made a request of those living in the nation’s most-populated city: Set your air conditioning unit to 78 degrees. “Welcome to socialism,” former South Carolina governor […]
A grand jury in Washington, D.C., indicted a three-time Olympian for allegedly vandalizing the refurbished Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, according to The Washington Post. The grand jury indicted Olympian David Hearn on one count of destruction of property, a felony charge that can carry up to 10 years in prison. Hearn told NBC News that […]
With a heat dome looming over America this Fourth of July weekend, pressure is building on the power grid, raising the cost of keeping cool. Wholesale electricity prices on America’s most highly populated regional power grid are surging under the heat. The increased costs by utility companies to purchase adequate power supplies are eventually passed […]
Artificial intelligence company OpenAI is in talks with the Trump administration to give the federal government a 5% stake in the company, a holding worth nearly $43 billion under the company’s current $852 billion valuation. The proposal, still in its early stages, could lead to deals beyond OpenAI’s. The company’s CEO, Sam Altman, said he […]
After months of speculation about his absence, U.S. Rep. Tom Kean, R-N.J., returned to the House floor Monday and revealed he was seeking treatment for depression. A doctor tells Straight Arrow that the negative responses that Kean and many other Americans receive when revealing a mental health struggle are the result of ignorance about the […]
Public education is one of America’s enduring social contracts with its citizens. The public funds the schools, and the schools educate the public’s children. Something has gone wrong with that agreement, and more people are voicing their dissatisfaction with the public school system than they have in decades. Who’s to blame for what’s become of […]
Former CIA director John Brennan sued the Trump administration Wednesday, demanding that a court order it to preserve all records related to its investigations into him. He claims he will need the documents to defend himself in the “vindictive” prosecution. “Given these strong indicia of vindictiveness, Director Brennan expects that he will forcefully challenge any […]
Two climbers reached the top of the Empire State Building’s antenna Wednesday, unfurled a black banner about love and peace, and then appeared to get engaged before being arrested. The message from police was shorter: “Well, you can’t be up here.” The climbers, who go by Angela Nikolau and Ivan Beerkus, were identified by police […]
