Minimum Wage Hikes, College Football Playoffs, and Major Heists: Year-End News Roundup

Minimum Wage Increases Across 19 States

• 💰 Over 8.3 million workers are set to receive a pay raise as 19 states increase their minimum wage, effective January 1st, 2026.
• 📈 The average increase is approximately 70 cents per hour, with Washington state now leading the nation at $17.13 per hour.
• ⚠️ Six states, including Arizona, Colorado, Maine, Missouri, and Nebraska, will cross the $15 per hour threshold for the first time.
• 📉 For the first time, more workers will be in states with a minimum wage of $15 or higher than those still using the federal minimum of $7.25, which has not changed since 2009.

College Football Playoff Quarterfinals

• 🏈 The college football playoff quarterfinals begin with four winner-take-all games.
• 🏆 Defending champions Ohio State face Miami in the Cotton Bowl, while Oregon plays Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl.
• 🌟 The Rose Bowl features unbeaten Indiana and Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza against Alabama, and the Sugar Bowl pits Georgia against Mississippi in a rematch.

Major Heist and Crime News

• 🏦 Thieves in Germany executed a $35 million heist by drilling through a parking garage wall into a savings bank, stealing cash, gold, and jewelry from over 3,000 safe deposit boxes.
• 🚨 Police described the operation as highly professional, with masked men escaping in a black Audi.
• 🚂 In Kentucky, a freight train derailment involving molten sulfur forced residents to shelter in place due to a potential hazmat scare.

New Dog Breeds and International Incidents

• 🐕 The American Kennel Club has officially recognized three new dog breeds: the Basset Fauve de Bretagne, the Teddy Roosevelt Terrier, and the Russian Tsvetnaya Bolonka.
• 🚠 An accidental cable car incident in Italy left dozens stranded and four injured near the Swiss border, with a technical failure suspected.

Geopolitical and Financial Updates

• ✈️ The Trump administration announced new sanctions against 10 firms and individuals in Venezuela and Iran, targeting companies involved in drone production and sales.
• 🎯 The CIA reportedly carried out a US land-based drone strike in Venezuela targeting a port facility used by a gang for narcotics storage.
• 💸 Saks Global Enterprises is reportedly considering filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy due to a $100 million debt payment and liquidity challenges.
• 🕊️ Writer Tatiana Schlossberg, granddaughter of President John F. Kennedy, passed away at age 35 after publicly sharing her leukemia diagnosis.