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Virginia Governor Declares Storm Emergency as Snow and Ice Bear Down on Mid-Atlantic States 

Children play in the snow after a snowstorm in New York City, US, February 9, 2025. (Reuters)
Children play in the snow after a snowstorm in New York City, US, February 9, 2025. (Reuters)
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Virginia Governor Declares Storm Emergency as Snow and Ice Bear Down on Mid-Atlantic States 

Children play in the snow after a snowstorm in New York City, US, February 9, 2025. (Reuters)
Children play in the snow after a snowstorm in New York City, US, February 9, 2025. (Reuters)

A wintry mess was bearing down on mid-Atlantic states Tuesday with forecasts of significant snow and ice accumulations prompting warnings of potential power outages.

The National Weather Service said travel would become treacherous Tuesday through early Wednesday in much of Virginia and West Virginia.

Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Monday declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm, allowing state agencies to assist local governments. Schools and government offices throughout Virginia were closed Tuesday.

The heaviest snow, up to 10 inches (25.4 centimeters), was forecast in portions of northern and central Virginia and eastern West Virginia. Ice accumulations could range from a glaze in Kentucky and West Virginia to a half-inch (1.3 centimeters) in the Roanoke Valley of southwest Virginia, the weather service said. Power outages and tree damage were likely in places with heavy ice buildups.

“Did you think winter was over? Think again!” the weather service's office in Blacksburg, Virginia, said in a post on the social media platform X.

Appalachian Power, which serves 1 million customers in West Virginia, Virginia and Tennessee, said it has requested 700 additional workers from neighboring utilities to assist with problems by Tuesday morning.

In northern Virginia, the National Park Service closed a portion of the George Washington Memorial Parkway, a narrow highway that winds its way through woods along the Potomac River. The parkway connects multiple small national park sites and has historically been a trouble spot during winter storms for abandoned cars that created a slalom course for snowplows and other vehicles.

Winter storm warnings extended from Kentucky to southern New Jersey, and a flood watch was posted for a wide swath of Kentucky, Tennessee, southwest Virginia and northern Georgia. The snow-and-ice mix was expected to become all rain as temperatures climb by Wednesday afternoon.

A separate storm system is set to bring heavy snow from Kansas and Missouri to the Great Lakes on Wednesday, the weather service said.

Dangerous cold was forecast Tuesday from an Arctic air mass stretching from Portland, Oregon, to the Great Lakes.

The temperature was expected to bottom out Tuesday morning at minus 33 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 36 degrees Celsius) in Butte, Montana, where over the past two winters at least five people died due to cold exposure, said Brayton Erickson, executive director of the Butte Rescue Mission. Advocates for the homeless in the city of about 35,000 planned to be out on the streets distributing sleeping bags, jackets, mittens and other cold weather gear to anyone who needs them, Erickson said.

“When it gets this cold, we kind of pull out all the stops,” he said. “Having all those resources available literally can save their life or keep them from frostbite.”

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Viking Dress, Bagpipes as Scotland Starts Hogmanay Party

Sparks fly at the festival, November, 2016. (AFP / Ye Aung Thu)
Sparks fly at the festival, November, 2016. (AFP / Ye Aung Thu)
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Viking Dress, Bagpipes as Scotland Starts Hogmanay Party

Sparks fly at the festival, November, 2016. (AFP / Ye Aung Thu)
Sparks fly at the festival, November, 2016. (AFP / Ye Aung Thu)

Thousands of people, some dressed as Vikings carrying flaming torches, marched through Scotland's capital of Edinburgh as a procession kicked off the country's world-famous New Year celebrations.

Around 15,000 participants, led by bagpipers, walked through the city's historic center late Monday as Hogmanay festivities returned after being cancelled last year due to bad weather.

Several thousand more watched as the procession wound its way along cobbled streets, marking the official start of four days of celebrations to welcome the arrival of 2026.

"It is something that we use to light up the dark Edinburgh nights," said Al Thomson, director of the Hogmanay festival.

"Its rituals go back to (a) kind of pagan festivals. It's just an amazing spectacle," he told AFP.

An estimated 100,000 people from dozens of countries are expected in Edinburgh for the New Year events, the centerpiece of which is a street party and fireworks display on December 31.

Last year, organizers cancelled the showpiece on public safety grounds due to heavy rain and strong winds.

"I've been planning it since two years and I'm glad I could make it this time," said Chaytan Mishra, who travelled from Bristol, in southwest England.

Hogmanay is the Scots term for New Year's Eve and is considered one of the most important holidays in the country, traditionally taking precedence over Christmas.

Varieties

France Pushes Back Plastic Cup Ban by Four Years

(FILES) An illustration photograph taken in Paris, on July 31, 2019 shows disposable plastics cups. (Photo by JOEL SAGET / AFP)
(FILES) An illustration photograph taken in Paris, on July 31, 2019 shows disposable plastics cups. (Photo by JOEL SAGET / AFP)
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France Pushes Back Plastic Cup Ban by Four Years

(FILES) An illustration photograph taken in Paris, on July 31, 2019 shows disposable plastics cups. (Photo by JOEL SAGET / AFP)
(FILES) An illustration photograph taken in Paris, on July 31, 2019 shows disposable plastics cups. (Photo by JOEL SAGET / AFP)

The French government on Tuesday postponed a ban on plastic throwaway cups by four years to 2030 because of difficulties finding alternatives.

The ban was meant to start on January 1. But the ministry for ecological transition said the "technical feasibility of eliminating plastic from cups" following a review this year justified pushing back the deadline.

It said in an official decree that a new review would be carried out in 2028 of "progress made in replacing single-use plastic cups". It added that the ban would now start January 1, 2030, when companies would have 12 months to get rid of their stock.

France has gradually rolled out bans on single-use plastic products over the past decade as environmental campaigners have stepped up warnings about the impact on rivers and oceans.

A 2020 law set a deadline of 2040 to eliminate all single-use plastics. A ban on plastic bags for loads of less than 1.5 kilograms (3.3 pounds) of 30 fruit and vegetables was introduced in 2022 and has dramatically changed supermarket habits.

But the government's DGCCRF consumer protection agency said in a report released last year that almost a fifth of about 100 companies it checked in 2023 were breaching regulations on the production or use of single-use plastic items.

Its investigators said some marketed plastic-free products that in reality contained plastic, and some changed the name of the item in a bid to get around the ban.

Varieties

Trying to Improve Your Health and Wellness in 2026? Keep it Simple

A man is silhouetted against the sky at sunset as he jogs in a park at the close of a hot summer day, Aug. 1, 2022, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)
A man is silhouetted against the sky at sunset as he jogs in a park at the close of a hot summer day, Aug. 1, 2022, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)
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Trying to Improve Your Health and Wellness in 2026? Keep it Simple

A man is silhouetted against the sky at sunset as he jogs in a park at the close of a hot summer day, Aug. 1, 2022, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)
A man is silhouetted against the sky at sunset as he jogs in a park at the close of a hot summer day, Aug. 1, 2022, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)

The new year is a time when many try to start new good habits and commit to improving health and wellness.

But resolutions, lofty as they may be, can turn daunting quickly with all the advice and sometimes contradicting information coming at you from news reports, advertisers, influencers, friends and even politicians.

But they don't have to be.

This year, The Associated Press got the downlow on all manner of health and wellness claims and fads. The good news is that the experts mostly say to keep it simple.

As 2026 arrives, here's what you can skip, what you should pay attention to and how to get credible information when you are inevitably faced with more confusing claims next year.

Protein and fiber are important, but you probably don't need to pay more When it comes to your diet, experts say most people can skip the upcharge. If you're eating enough, you're probably getting enough protein and don't need products that promise some big boost.

And it's true that most people could use more fiber in their diets. But, please, ditch the “fiber-maxxing” trend. Instead, eat whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, beans and whole grains.

A good skin care routine is not expensive or complicated That 20-step skin care routine and $200 serum some TikToker sold you on? Dermatologists say you really don't need it. Stay away from the beef tallow and slather on a good sunscreen instead (yes, even if you have darker skin ), they say.

And the same rule for simplicity applies to that hourlong “everything shower." The best showers are simple and short, dermatologists say, no "double cleansing" required.

There are many simple ways to get that workout in If the gym and all its equipment feel intimidating, you can drop the illusion that a good workout requires either. This year, the comeback of calisthenics put the focus back on no frills, bodyweight workouts you can do in the comfort of home. Research shows calisthenics helps with muscle strength and aerobic conditioning. You may eventually need weightlifting or other equipment, but it is a great place to start to build consistency and confidence.

Be wary of wellness fads and treatments — they are often too good to be true Even if you imbibe too much this New Year's Eve, doctors say you can do without “ IV therapy ” which have vitamins you can get more easily and cheaper in pill form — if you even need more, which is unlikely if you have a balanced diet. You're pretty much just paying for “expensive urine,” one doctor said.

Same for “wellness” focused products like microbiome testing kits that generate information that doctors can't actually act on. And if you don't have diabetes, there's scant evidence that you need a continuous glucose monitor.

To improve your health, go back to the basics The idea of a panacea pill, product or routine can be enticing. But science already knows a lot about how to improve mental and physical health, and they are tried and true:

1. Whether you're in the city or the country — walk more. Research shows walking is great for physical and mental health. It's so good for you, doctors are literally prescribing time in the outdoors to their patients.

2. Take steps to get certain health metrics under control, likehigh blood pressure, which often goes undiagnosed and is known to cause a range of health problems down the road. Prioritize getting enough sleep, and make sure your family does too. Don't just eat right — eat slower.

3. Give your mind some care too. Set better boundaries with your technology andregain and retrain your attention span. Build out your social networks and invest inall forms of love for the people around you.

These lifestyle changes don't just make you feel better in the moment. Research shows they impact your life for years to come, by lowering the risk of dementia and many other health issues.

Don't know who to trust? Start with your doctor It can be tough to know who to listen to about your health, faced with compelling personal stories on social media from people who swear something worked from them, or clever marketing and advertising from companies that scare you or promise an easy fix.

Doubts have been raised this year about established medicine, including the safety of food dyes, fluoride dental treatments,hepatitis B shot for newborns, and hormone therapies for menopause.

While the medical system is not perfect, your doctor remains the best person to talk to about prevention, health concerns and potential treatments.

If you can't get to a human doctor and turn to Dr. Google instead, be sure to follow these tips and never use it to diagnose yourself. When you do get that doctor's appointment, you can make the most of it by bringing a list of written questions — and don't hesitate to ask for any clarification you need.