Fire and snow hit Colorado, COVID cases surge to record highs, a verdict in a

high-profile trial, and other top news for Monday, January 3rd. Stay informed

while remaining focused on Christ with the four over. Here's the quote of the

day. Faith involves trusting in the future promises of God and waiting for

their fulfillment. R.C. Sproul. Let's get started with some espresso shots.

Welcome to day 733 of the year 2020. The US has hit a new record high of 580,000

COVID cases on Thursday, breaking its record for the second consecutive day and

nearly doubling last winter's all-time high. Over the holiday week, COVID related

hospitalizations for children increased by 66%. But before you start doom scrolling,

a UK report revealed that Omicron is half as likely to require hospitalization as

previous variants, and one-third is likely to require emergency care. This is

playing out in real life. Hospitalizations are growing much more slowly than

cases, and COVID-related deaths actually declined last week. In other COVID

news, the Marine Corps announced Thursday that it kicked out more troops for

declining to get vaccinated, bringing the total number of discharges to 206.

With all the focus on Omicron, we almost forgot about how holiday plans are

normally disrupted. The center of the US was hit with heavy snow, forcing 1,000

flight cancellations out of Chicago airports alone, and putting an end to the

windy city's snow drought. Nine months without measurable snow. Colorado has

had an especially bad time. Their largely snowless winter allowed for an unseasonable

wildfire on Thursday, which tore through the suburbs between Boulder and

Denver, destroying at least 991 buildings, mostly homes. Two people are still

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