promoearn: Nightmare on I-95

Tuesday, January 4

Drivers wait for the traffic to be cleared as cars and trucks are stranded on sections of Interstate 95 Tuesday Jan. 4, 2022, in Carmel Church, Va. Close to 48 miles of the Interstate was closed due to ice and snow.

Missing any books from Amazon? Could be in a pile of packages found dumped in Oklahoma City. It's Tuesday's news.

NFT auction: USA TODAY and iconic artist Peter Tunney are teaming up to benefit charity – and you can get involved.

Snow and ice blanketed a 50-mile stretch of I-95, leaving hundreds of drivers stuck on the highway overnight. President Joe Biden urged vaccines for Americans as COVID-19 surges again. And it's the end of an era for BlackBerry devices.

👋 Laura here, with all the news you need to know on this chilly Tuesday.

But first, nostalgia at its finest. Clearly. 🥤 Crystal Pepsi is back for its 30th anniversary with a Twitter contest. Here's how to get a chance to snag some of the clear soda.

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Traffic stranded overnight on icy, snowy highway

A nightmare scenario unfolded on Interstate 95 in Virginia overnight after a winter storm pounded the mid-Atlantic and dumped more than a foot of snow in some places . On a roughly 50-mile stretch of I-95 near Fredericksburg, drivers were stuck in their cars overnight while ice blanketed the freeway. On social media, people shared their experiences waiting out the jam as they sat for hours without moving. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said Tuesday morning that he remained in the standstill for 19 hours on his way to Washington. Others said drivers got out of their cars and were worried about food. The storm blanketed parts of Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Kentucky, leaving more than 300,000 without power in Virginia and Maryland and causing at least five deaths across three states.

•	Fierce winter storm unleashes havoc, lashing South and mid-Atlantic with heavy snow.
•	Photos: Heavy snow falls along East Coast, snarling travel and closing schools.

Biden: 'We have the tools' to fight COVID. Use them.

President Joe Biden on Tuesday sought to reassure the public that the federal government is prepared to address the growing COVID-19 health crisis amid a staggering increase in infections driven by the highly transmissible omicron variant. Addressing the country before a meeting with the White House COVID-19 response team, Biden once again exhorted Americans to get vaccinated and boosted and to wear masks in public to avoid spreading and catching the coronavirus. "We have the tools to protect people from severe illness due to omicron – if people choose to use the tools," Biden said. "There's a lot of reason to be hopeful in (2022), but for God's sake, please take advantage of what's available."

•	Starbucks to require employees to get a COVID-19 vaccine or be tested weekly.
•	'Challenging' weeks ahead as US confronts post-holiday omicron surge.

President Joe Biden speaks as he meets with the White House COVID-19 Response Team on the latest developments related to the Omicron variant in the South Court Auditorium in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House Campus in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022.

Andrew Harnik, AP

What everyone's talking about

•	What is a platonic life partnership? These couples are breaking societal relationship norms.
•	Judge grants motion to dismiss Nirvana 'Nevermind' baby child pornography lawsuit.
•	A near-death miscarriage changed her life. Now she fights for maternal mental health care.
•	Hundreds of Amazon packages were found dumped in Oklahoma on New Year's Eve.

The Short List is free, but several stories we link to are subscriber-only. Consider supporting our journalism and become a USA TODAY digital subscriber today.

COVID-19 cases, test shortages are closing schools across the country

A majority of schools opened in-person Monday for their spring semester start, but a growing number have shifted abruptly to remote learning again amid the omicron-fueled surge in COVID-19 infections and subsequent staffing shortages . Public sentiment is on the side of in-person learning, and parent groups nationwide called Monday for schools to stay open. But districts in and around Detroit, Atlanta, Newark, New Jersey and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as well as individual schools elsewhere, nonetheless reverted to virtual learning for days or weeks, mostly because of staff shortages due to illness or quarantine.

•	New York teacher allegedly injected teen with COVID vaccine without parents' consent.
•	Rapid tests, lots of rapid tests: How schools plan to reopen amid omicron-fueled COVID-19 surge.

Harwich Elementary School nurse Holly Tavano helps her daughter, Linnea, 10, with a coronavirus test Dec. 6. Students at the school in Massachusetts have access to testing that lets them stay in school if they've had a COVID-19 exposure. In-person school could be in jeopardy across the nation as the omicron variant arrives.

Merrily Cassidy, USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY NETWORK

Bye bye, BlackBerry.

Are you still holding on to that BlackBerry for dear life? First of all, why? And second, it's time to say goodbye for good. As of Tuesday, legacy services for BlackBerry devices will go away . That means any devices running BlackBerry software "will no longer reliably function, including for data, phone calls, SMS and 9-1-1 functionality," the company said. BlackBerry ushered in the era of smartphones, positioning itself as the dominant player in the industry in the 2000s. But with the rise of Apple's iPhone and Google Android devices starting in 2008, BlackBerry devices fell out of favor with consumers and businesses. In 2016, BlackBerry announced it would no longer manufacture BlackBerry devices. In 2020, the company revealed it also planned to shut down legacy services tied to BlackBerry devices.

It's time to retire the BlackBerry.

Graeme Roy/AP

Real quick

•	Are flights still being canceled? Yes. More than 1,200 cancellations so far Tuesday.
•	Poll: A year after Jan. 6, Americans say democracy is in peril – but they don't agree on why.
•	Cats - keep them off the stove, officials warn. The pets started over 100 house fires in South Korea.
•	Parents arrested after 11-year-old son was found home alone over the holidays.
•	Albany prosecutor says he will drop groping charge against former NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
•	Federal program allows some Americans to use food stamps for select low-cost restaurants, prepared meals.

Dude, where's my package?

Missing any books from Amazon? Could be in Oklahoma City. Officials found almost 600 Amazon packages dumped in Oklahoma City on New Year's Eve that were supposed to be delivered by Christmas. The Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office said the packages were found in a rural part of town and that someone took the items they wanted and discarded the rest. "Apparently the thief isn't much of a reader...the books that were being delivered were left behind," the OCSO wrote. Tracking numbers showed the packages left from the Amazon facility to go to USPS for delivery but never arrived.

•	Alabama man, former FedEx contract driver admits dumping hundreds of packages in a ravine.
•	Wisconsin auto repair shop owner hand-delivers lost packages left in van, just in time for Christmas.

The Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office is investigating after almost 600 Amazon packages were found dumped in Oklahoma City on New Year's Eve.

Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office

A break from the news

•	💰 Turning 65 in 2022? You're eligible to claim Medicare and Social Security. But should you?
•	👨‍👩‍👧‍👧 The 10 best places to go with kids this year: Mexico, Aruba, West Virginia, Orlando, more.
•	🥗 Ever heard of the Climatarian diet? Here's what you can eat to minimize your carbon footprint.

We asked, you answered! ❄️ As snow fell around the country, we asked for your pics. Emily Brown and Sue Lyons sent these snowy scenes in from Washington D.C., and Centreville, Virginia.

Washingtonians enjoy sledding under the glow of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 3, 2022.

Nearly a year after the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol, Washingtonians enjoy sledding down the hills that were fenced off for months in 2021.

Courtesy of Emily Brown

Washingtonians spent time Monday evening sledding under the glow of the U.S. Capitol.

Snow covers a yard in Centreville, Virginia on Jan. 3, 2022.

Courtesy of Sue Lyons

And in Centreville, snow blanked yards and cars alike. Hope you're staying warm out there!

This is a compilation of stories from across the USA TODAY Network. Want this news roundup in your inbox every night? Sign up for The Short List newsletter here.