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Thomas Edison patented the light bulb in 1880. To drum up excitement around Christmas time, he strung up incandescent bulbs all around his Menlo Park laboratory compound to dazzle passing railway commuters. Two years later, Edison’s associate Edward Johnson had the brilliant idea to use electric lights to replace the beautiful, (but extremely hazardous!) candles used to decorate Christmas trees. He wrapped a tree with a string of 80 red, white and blue light bulbs and set it on a revolving platform in a window. Despite onlookers’ delight, due to expense (and a general distrust of indoor lighting) it would...

Germany wants to support rejected asylum-seekers who voluntarily move back to their home countries with a one-time payment of 3,000 euros ($3,570). The Interior Ministry says those who qualify can apply by a Feb. 28 deadline and they would get the money once they return home. Migrants who agree to go back even before their asylum request is rejected have already been offered 1,200 euros per adult and 600 euros per child under a different program for almost a year. They are now eligible to apply for both programs.

The State of Texas is seeking the death penalty for the 19-year-old accused of fatally shooting a Texas Tech University Police officer in early October. According to court documents, Hollis Daniels is charged with Capital Murder in the fatal shooting of TTUPD Officer Floyd East Jr. The 137th District Court has determined Daniels is indigent and he has been appointed a public defender to represent him.

an Austin woman is recovering from injuries she says were caused by a man punching her in the face during a road rage incident... A counselor who specializes in anger management told CBS Austin that people have a lot more on their plate this time of the year which can lead to anxiety and chaos on the road... “He cut us off and I gave him a honk. That's all I did and he flipped us off,” Amanda said. It didn't stop there. Amanda said the man got out of his car and kicked hers. She drove to a nearby...

Authorities in North Carolina say they have arrested a suspect in connection with the disappearance of 3-year-old Mariah Woods, a girl whom they believe is probably dead. Earl Kimrey, 32, believed to be the boyfriend of the child's mother, was apprehended Friday, the Onslow County Sheriff’s Department and FBI announced early Saturday. The Jacksonville, N.C., girl went missing late Saturday, prompting her father, Alex Woods, to question his ex-wife’s statement about the girl's whereabouts.

Need FR help. Yes, I am logged on. When logged on, FR loads onto the general latest comments page rather than the latest articles/forum page. When I click on the Forum tab at the top, it loads the latest comments page. Can't load the Forum page no matter what. When I log out and go to FR, the Forum page automatically loads as it should. But when I log on, it goes back to the latest comments page and I still can't get to the Forum page not matter what. Scanned through my account page but don't see anything helpful....

Captain Chris Jett of the Burnet County Sheriff's Office said the officer was on his way home in the 12000 block of FM 1431 near Smithwick just after 10:00 p.m. when he saw the suspect shooting into a car with family of three. The officer called 911 and exchanged gunfire with the suspect. The suspect was shot in the chest and ran off into the woods, where he was found.

A Park Hills, Mo., couple has been charged with abuse of their infant, including possibly dropping the baby while trying to imitate a TV commercial and zapping the baby in a microwave, court documents say. Derick Boyce-Slezak and Mikala Boyce-Slezak, both 22, were each charged Tuesday in circuit court in St. Francois County with felony abuse or neglect of a child... Other court records indicate that the couple are also the parents of a girl, who they waived custody of shortly after she was born in January 2016.

A suspect and his accomplice accused in the Thanksgiving shooting death of 10-year-old Delilah Hernandez were arrested Thursday evening. Cody Gann, 18, faces a murder charge and Jasmine Cary, 19, was arrested on a warrant for evading arrest, according to the San Antonio Police Department. Delilah was fatally shot Nov. 23 as she slept in her home in the 100 block of Harding Boulevard and was not believed to be the intended target, according to previous reports... "The house has had problems in the past," McManus said at the scene. "We believe it's gang-related directly to the brother."

New Braunfels police arrested a man Tuesday after an 11-year-old girl said someone took a photo of her underneath a bathroom stall. The case stems from an incident at a New Braunfels Wal-Mart on Aug. 12, according to police. Officers were called to the store after the girl told her parents what happened, authorities said. When officers arrived, they found Hermes Estuardo Mendez, 36, still inside the women's restroom, police said... Detectives searched his phone and found a pornographic photograph of a 5-year-old girl.

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon has admitted to dealing drugs during his college days at Baylor. In an interview with Ben Baskin of Sports Illustrated, Gordon said he would receive up to six pounds of marijuana each week through the mail and estimated he made "upward of $10,000" per month from selling it in cities around the state of Texas, including Dallas and Austin.

Some examples of alleged waste in the report: NIH spent $2 million studying how children perceive food, and specifically whether 5-year-olds will still eat food that has been sneezed on. A $200,000 grant to study fish consumption in Tanzania, and $500,000 to help locate ancient church cemeteries in Iceland. The U.S. Embassy in Britain spent $75,000 to have British citizens travel to America to watch volunteers. The U.S. wind energy industry still received $6 billion in annual federal subsidies. Three federal agencies combined to spend almost $500,000 on a medieval smells exhibit at a museum.

Since The New York Times published allegations of sexual harassment and assault against Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein in October, multiple men in entertainment, media and politics in the U.S. and beyond have faced allegations ranging from inappropriate behavior to forced sexual misconduct to rape. A look at the men in media and publishing who have been accused since the Weinstein allegations emerged:

A man arrested Friday for breaking into a home on the 400 block of FM 1413 in Dayton allegedly hid in a closet for hours while the family went about their normal activities, according to an account from the homeowner and corroborated by the Liberty County Sheriff's Office. "We were in the house having fun, cooking and eating, and had no idea a stranger was in my son's closet," said Tara Trevino-Pasket. "My son is now afraid to sleep in his own bedroom."...Based on the information the suspect provided at the jail, he is 59 years old and has a...

A San Marcos man sentenced on child sexual abuse charges Monday received double life sentences, in addition to more than 1,000 years in prison. Robert Benjamin Franks, 39, was convicted on multiple counts after harming two children, one of whom was a family member, over a number of years... The jury deliberated for about an hour Monday before returning a guilty verdict on all 17 counts. The punishment deliberations lasted a little more than two hours... The two continuous sexual abuse charges each had a life sentence. Each of the nine counts of aggravated sexual assault had 99-year sentences, and...

More than 268,000 women hold active handgun licenses in the Lone Star State, up 35% from 2014. Their rising numbers have led to a booming shadow industry of firearm accessories, including bra holsters, concealment leggings, and leopard-print gun holders for their cars. In an effort to document women's roles in modern gun culture, photographer Shelley Calton took portraits of her gun-toting friends in Texas for her book, "Concealed, She's Got a Gun."

Do you think 2017 has been a pretty challenging year for the world? You’re not alone. Dictionary.com named its “word of the year” today. It’s choice? Complicit. The site announced its word of the year with a Trump joke, first suggesting it had selected covfefe for this year’s honor, although this year’s word choice is certainly Trump focused. The site defines complicit as an adjective that means “choosing to be involved in an illegal or questionable act, especially with others; having complicity.” Interest in the word spiked on April 5 of this year when Ivanka Trump told CBS This Morning...

First Lady Melania Trump is unveiling this year's White House Christmas decorations this morning. This year's theme, "Time-Honored Traditions" was selected by the First lady in respect of 200 years of holiday traditions at the White House, administration officials said. "The President, Barron, and I are very excited for our first Christmas in the White House," she said in a statement. "As with many families across the country, holiday traditions are very important to us. I hope when visiting the People's House this year, visitors will get a sense of being home for the holidays. On behalf of my husband...

This holiday season UPS drivers will be delivering packages of joy to homes in the form of electronics, toys and ugly Christmas sweaters. But we’re most thankful for what these drivers are gifting us just by looking at our Facebook feed. Every day, a new set of adorable mugs greet us as drivers complete their routes. “During each day, drivers encounter many dogs, most friendly and some not so nice. When time permits, drivers snap a photo and send it in to UPS Dogs. Our followers love the photos and the stories told as we share our love of these...

Poland's lawmakers on Friday approved a law that will phase out Sunday shopping by the year 2020 despite criticism that it may eliminate thousands of jobs. Proposed by trade unions that want shop workers to spend more time with their families, the bill got support from the ruling party that adheres to Catholic values. Critics say it would negatively affect Poland's economy, eliminating tens of thousands of jobs, and hurt supermarket chains, which are mostly western... There will be, however, some exceptions that will allow Sunday shopping before major holidays like Christmas and Easter. Also, online shops and bakeries are...