5 Things You May Have Missed This Weekend
— -- 1. America's Longest War Comes to a Ceremonial End
The longest war in American history came to an end Sunday.In a ceremony at their headquarters in Kabul, the United States and NATO brought the combat phase of their mission in Afghanistan to a close.
"Today marks an end of an era, and the beginning of a new one," said U.S. Army General John Campbell, commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). "Today, NATO completes its combat mission, a 13-year endeavor filled with significant achievements and branded by tremendous sacrifice."
For the most part, U.S. forces will remain at a handful of bases in Afghanistan to conduct the specialized training. Current plans call for U.S. troop numbers to be reduced by half by the end of next year.
By the end of 2016, the expectation is that the only U.S. military presence in Afghanistan will be at the embassy in Kabul.
2. Texas Meteorologist Returns Home After Shooting
A meteorologist in Texas who was shot outside the television station where he works returned home after his release from the hospital.
Patrick Crawford posed with his dog for a photo his wife posted to her Facebook account on Friday. The couple works at NBC affiliate KCEN-TV in Temple, Texas.
The Falls County Crime Stoppers is offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the shooter.
3. Man Fends Off Wolverine in Three Days in Alaskan Wilderness
A man in Alaska says it's a miracle that he survived three days in the wilderness, battling sub-zero temperatures and a wolverine.
Craig Johnson was halfway through an 80-mile trek through remote Alaska on Dec. 15 when his snowmobile fell through the ice. He was on his way to visit family for the holidays.
"I almost gave up ... But I couldn't give up. I had to do it for my boys, my family," he said. "I think it's a miracle that I'm alive."
Johnson was reported missing and several rescue helicopters flew past him.
Johnson was rescued by a search team headed by his cousin and treated for frostbite. He said his will to survive was fueled in part by his father's death in 1998 when he fell through the ice and drowned.
4. Ferguson Police Spokesman Suspended After Calling Memorial 'Trash'
A spokesman for the Ferguson Police Department has been suspended after calling a memorial for Michael Brown a "pile of trash," according to The Associated Press.
The memorial near the site where Brown was killed in Ferguson, Missouri, was damaged after being hit by a car last week.
City officials said the spokesman has been put on unpaid leave pending "disciplinary proceedings" and the remarks "do not reflect the feelings of the Ferguson Police Department."
5. Play Station and Xbox Back Online After Outage
Play Station and Xbox came back online this weekend after their online services suffered an attack that shut down their networks on Christmas Day.
According to a statement, the Playstation online network experienced artificially high levels of traffic designed to "disrupt connectivity and online gameplay."
It took until Dec. 27 for the network to return. The Xbox network also went down on Christmas Day but was able to return the next day.
