USA TODAY

Kennedy Space Center holds ceremony for first astronaut who flew untethered in space

The Kennedy Space Center is holding a remembrance ceremony today in honor of Bruce McCandless, who died on Dec. 21, 2017. He was 80 years old. McCandless was the first astronaut to fly untethered from his spacecraft, according to NASA. He performed his famous spacewalk in 1984 when he tried a nitrogen-propelled backpack device called the "Manned Maneuvering Unit" (MMU). McCandless was a retired U.S. Navy captain, served as the Mission Control communicator for Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin's moonwalk on the Apollo 11 mission and was also a member of the astronaut support crew for the Apollo 14 mission. The remembrance ceremony will take place outside of Heroes & Legends at 11 am.

Democrat to sue for Va. House race

Should it count or not? That's the burning question in Virginia as a fiercely contested ballot in the state's legislative race was thrown in the spotlight again. The Virginia State Board of Elections has postponed a name-drawing as Democratic candidate Shelly Simonds plans to file a motion Wednesday asking a court to reverse its decision to count a ballot that marked circles next to both her name and Republican candidate David Yancey. The ballot at first was thrown out, but a panel of judges allowed for it to be counted because Simonds' circle had a slash through it. This race is particularly important because the winner will decide whether Republicans maintain control of the state House of Delegates.

Obama and Prince Harry go one-on-one

Former president Barack Obama shared his memories of the day he left office in a highly anticipated interview with Prince Harry on Wednesday. The recorded interview, part of the royal's guest editorship with the BBC's Radio 4 Today program and recorded, featured topics such as Obama discussing his plans to cultivate the next generation of leaders through the Obama Foundation. Harry and his American actress fiancée, Meghan Markle, announced their engagement last month and set their wedding date for May 19, 2018. The burning question is, will the Obamas attend the wedding?

Driving home? Cold weather to strike the U.S.

With Christmas in the rearview mirror, many Americans making their way home after spending the holidays with family may be in for less-than-ideal traveling weather. A blast of lingering, frigid air across the northern U.S. will keep the snow coming this week from the Pacific Northwest to the Great Lakes, the National Weather Service said Tuesday. Up to a foot of heavy snow is forecast through Wednesday in northern New England, where strong winds with gusts of up to 65 mph, potentially slowing travel and causing power outages, were predicted for Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. Even the slightest bit of ice on the roads can make for treacherous driving conditions, so be sure to slow down and follow these tips.

It's National Fruitcake Day!

Proving that there truly is a day for everything, today is National Fruitcake Day. In years past, many have shared their distaste for the polarizing holiday treat on social media with the #NationalFruitcakeDay. While it may seem like the much-hated concoction was dreamt up in the 90s, the fruitcake is actually much older than that. Fruitcake can be traced to the Middle Ages when dried fruit became more common, according to Smithsonian. While we now associate fruitcake with the holidays, fruitcakes were made for special occasions like weddings in the 18th and 19th century.

Contributing: The Associated Press

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