Cutting back: Mardi Gras parades in New Orleans will be shorter this Carnival season as the number of marching units between floats is being cut back due to safety concerns and in an effort to keep krewes rolling on time, WDSU reports. The first krewe to roll in Uptown New Orleans on Jan. 6 will have a maximum of 12 bands or groups before the lead float and one in between each following float. Carnival captains say they’ve seen more walking clubs, marching bands, dance groups and other performers wanting to participate in parades over the years. That’s a good thing, they say, until it causes parades to run too long and delay the next krewe in line to roll. Read more.
Certified: Democrat Doug Jones’ historic victory over Republican Roy Moore was declared official today as Alabama election officials certified him the winner of the special Senate election earlier this month. This despite claims of voter irregularities from his opponent. Jones defeated Moore on Dec. 12 by about 22,000 votes in a stunning victory in a deeply red state. It was the first Democratic Senate victory in a quarter-century in Alabama. Moore was dogged by accusations of sexual misconduct involving teenage girls that occurred decades ago. Read more.
Among many: The U.S. Census Bureau projects the U.S. population will be at nearly 327 million on New Year’s Day 2018, or 0.71% higher than last New Year’s Day. In January, the United States is expected to experience one birth every 8 seconds and one death every 10 seconds, the bureau says. Net international migration is expected to add one person to the U.S. population every 29 seconds. The combination of births, deaths and net international migration will increase the U.S. population by one person every 18 seconds. The projected world population is expected to be approximately 7.44 billion on Monday. Read more.
