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Unemployment benefits were set to lapse at midnight, students slipping behind in math during COVID disruptions, D-FW headed into 2021 in a drought: Your weekend roundup

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BUSINESS

Unemployment benefits for millions to lapse at midnight as Trump continues to demand changes

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Unemployment benefits for millions of Americans struggling to make ends meet were set to lapse at midnight Saturday unless President Donald Trump signed an end-of-year COVID relief and spending bill that had been considered a done deal before his sudden objections.

Trump’s refusal to sign the bipartisan package as he demands larger COVID relief checks and complains about "pork" spending could also force a federal government shutdown when money runs out at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday in the middle of a pandemic.

"It’s a chess game, and we are pawns," said Lanetris Haines, a self-employed single mother of three in South Bend, Ind., who stands to lose her $129 weekly jobless benefit unless Trump signs the package into law or succeeds in his improbable quest for changes.

CORONAVIRUS

Why does the ‘COVID slide’ look worse in math? Texas schools struggle to get students back on track

The coronavirus pandemic interrupted the education of millions of students across the country — and progressing in math class proved to be a particular struggle, national and local data show.

A Dallas ISD analysis, for example, found that half of its students slipped in math during disruptions caused by COVID-19, compared to nearly a third in reading.

Educators point to a number of reasons to explain why: Parents are likely less comfortable drilling math problems at home as they are with helping in reading.

NATIONAL

Feds converge on home of possible person of interest in Nashville bomb explosion

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Federal agents converged Saturday on the home of a possible person of interest in the explosion that rocked downtown Nashville as investigators scoured hundreds of tips and leads in the blast that damaged dozens of buildings on Christmas morning.

More than 24 hours after the explosion, a motive remained elusive as investigators worked round-the-clock to resolve unanswered questions about a recreational vehicle that blew up on a mostly deserted street on a sleepy holiday morning and was prefaced by a recorded warning advising those nearby to evacuate. The attack, which damaged an AT&T building, continued to wreak havoc Saturday on cellphone service and police and hospital communications in several Southern states.

FINALLY...

Weather in 2020 was tame for Dallas-Fort Worth; now comes the drought

For all of the woes of 2020, weather was hardly one of them in North Texas.

There was no record stretch of days with triple-digit heat. (Dallas-Fort Worth actually had fewer 100-degree days than normal.) There were no ice storms that paralyzed the city. (Just a dusting of snow in January.) Even severe weather events were rarer. (There were nearly 50% fewer tornadoes in North Texas this year compared with 2019.)

But because less rain than usual has fallen in the final months of the year, North Texas will finish 2020 and head into the new year with a drought.

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