Quest For Taliban Peace Talks Reaches A Key Juncture

By MELISSA GOLDIN, Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — The crystal-covered ball that descends down a pole in Times Square to ring in the new year was taken for a test run Monday, as New York City officials laid out their plans for the iconic New Year’s Eve event. Officials flipped a switch to light up the dazzling geodesic sphere — weighing almost 6 tons and featuring 2,688 crystal triangles — which then successfully ran up and down a 139-foot pole atop the One Times Square skyscraper. New Year’s Eve preparations are underway in Times Square in New York, Monday, Dec.

FORT LAUDERDALE — Two weary flood-prone neighborhoods regularly pounded by severe rainstorms now have stronger protection against the next storm: A modern new pump station worth more than $10 million. The project, part of $50 million in stormwater upgrades meant to protect River Oaks and nearby Edgewood from severe flooding, represents a major milestone in Fort Lauderdale’s ongoing mission to upgrade its infrastructure, Mayor Dean Trantalis said. A total of 25 neighborhoods are on the city’s drainage upgrade list, but flood-prone River Oaks and Edgewood were the first in line for what will be a $700 million investment over the next decade. “This project is a key component of our citywide Fortify Lauderdale initiative, which focuses on strengthening our resilience to climate change impacts, particularly in our most vulnerable neighborhoods,” Trantalis said at a ribbon-cutting for the pump station this month.

By ADITHI RAMAKRISHNAN, Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — There’s a chance solar storms may bring northern lights to several northern U. S states just in time for the new year. The sun expelled two bursts of plasma that are hurtling toward Earth and are expected to arrive early this week, according to the U.

MIAMI GARDENS — Miami Dolphins backup quarterback Tyler “Snoop” Huntley appeared more comfortable running the offense in Sunday’s 20-3 victory at the Cleveland Browns than he did running the offense in his other three starts this season.  Huntley seemed better executing the offense, coach Mike McDaniel seemed better calling plays that were more friendly to Huntley’s skills. Previously, it appeared the Dolphins’ backup quarterbacks — Skylar Thompson, Tim Boyle and Huntley, in his previous starts — were playing in an offense designed for quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and his pinpoint accurate passing skills. Huntley, the Hallandale High School product, can pinpoint the exact moment things began to fall into place. “I would say after my third start when I was just able to watch Tua come in during that Arizona game and I was just able to click by seeing how he can take control of the offense,” Huntley said. The Dolphins (8-8) hope Huntley’s comfort level carries over to this Sunday’s regular-season finale at the New York Jets (4-12), if, as expected, Huntley makes the start for Miami instead of Tagovailoa, who is battling a hip injury with a possible playoff berth on the line. “I know one thing, Snoop will get more reps than Tua this week as we go through the week,” McDaniel said Monday, “and we have to be prepared for both guys to play because I don’t really know exactly what it’s going to look like this next Sunday.” Against Cleveland it became apparent that many of the principles McDaniel utilizes for Tagovailoa can now be used for Huntley.

A horrifying mishap at Orlando’s holiday drone show that severely injured a boy is grounding New Year’s Eve displays from Texas to New York City and sparking further scrutiny into what went wrong. Drone shows planned for New York’s Central Park and Austin and Dallas, Texas, have been canceled. Those events planned to use drones from Sky Elements, the same Texas-based vendor that operated Orlando’s holiday show, according to organizers. Two Central Florida tourist spots also halted drone shows in recent days as Orlando’s botched event put the safety of such synchronized spectacles into question.