News
Southern California is extremely dry, and that’s fueling fires − maps show just how dry
In early January 2025, Southern California faced deadly wildfires due to extremely low soil moisture and dry conditions, raising concerns about future drought amid changing weather patterns.
Ming Pan, University of California, San Diego
Dry conditions across Southern California set the stage for a series of deadly wind-driven wildfires that burned thousands of homes and other structures in the Los Angeles area in early January 2025.
Ming Pan, a hydrologist at the University of California-San Diego’s Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes, tracks the state’s water supplies. He put Southern California’s dryness into perspective using charts and maps.
How dry is Southern California right now?
In early January, the soil moisture in much of Southern California was in the bottom 2% of historical records for that day in the region. That’s extremely low.
Hydrologists in California watch the sky very closely starting in October, when California’s water year begins.
The state gets very little rain from May through September, so late fall and winter are crucial to fill reservoirs and to build up the snowpack to provide water. California relies on the Sierra snowpack for about one-third of its freshwater supply.
However, Southern California started out the 2024-25 water year pretty dry. The region got some rain from an atmospheric river in November, but not much. After that, most of the atmospheric rivers that hit the West Coast from October into January veered northward into Washington, Oregon and Northern California instead.
When the air is warm and dry, transpiration and evaporation also suck water out of the plants and soil. That leaves dry vegetation that can provide fuel for flying embers to spread wildfires, as the Los Angeles area saw in early January.
So, while Northern California’s water and snowpack conditions are in good shape, Southern California is much drier and its water storage is not doing so well.
The Southern Sierra snowpack was starting to dip below normal in early January.
What can California expect for the rest of 2025?
The U.S. Climate Prediction Center’s seasonal outlook through March suggests that drought is likely to develop in the region in the coming months.
The outlook takes into account forecasts for La Niña, an ocean temperature pattern that was on its way to developing in the Pacific Ocean in early 2025. La Niña tends to mean drier conditions in Southern California. However, not every La Niña affects California in the same way.
One or two big rain events could completely turn the table for Southern California’s water situation. In 2023, California saw atmospheric rivers in April.
So, it’s hard to say this early in the season how dry Southern California will be in the coming months, but it’s clear that people in dry areas need to pay attention to the risks.
Ming Pan, Senior Research Hydrologist, University of California, San Diego
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Economy
6 Wild Truths About America’s 2025 Spending Habits: Fetch Reveals Surprising Consumer Trends
The Fetch Finds Report reveals that in 2025, Americans balanced hard work with self-care, reflecting a mix of discipline and indulgence. Notable trends included a resurgence in meat sales, increased dining out, a focus on organization, and a rise in comfort-related purchases.
The Fetch Finds Report reveals a year of hustle, comfort, and delightfully chaotic shopping carts
Americans in 2025 were a study in contradictions. We hit the gym but also hit the couch. We decluttered our homes while filling our carts. We powered through demanding days with energy gels and powered down with weighted blankets and candles.
That’s the picture painted by Fetch’s first-ever full-year Fetch Finds Report, which analyzed more than $179 billion in consumer transactions. With 12 million receipts submitted daily, the data tells a story that’s equal parts discipline and indulgence—a snapshot of a nation trying to balance the hustle with some much-needed comfort.
6 Wild Truths About America’s 2025 Spending Habits: Fetch Reveals Surprising Consumer Trends
The Six Spending Surprises of 2025
1. The Meatless Revolution Has Expired
Remember when plant-based everything was the future? In 2025, Americans said “thanks, but no thanks” and brought meat back to the table. Fresh beef sales jumped 13%, pork climbed 12%, while refrigerated plant-based alternatives dropped 11%. Despite rising grocery costs, consumers chose the real deal over the meatless alternatives.
2. America’s Eating Out—and Sushi’s on a Roll
Even with tighter budgets, dining out surged. And the big winner? Sushi, with a massive 45.6% increase in trip growth. Mexican restaurants saw a respectable 13.9% bump, and pizza grew 6.7%. But sushi absolutely dominated the dining-out conversation this year.
3. Endurance Nutrition Takes a Victory Lap
Energy chews and gels jumped 27.4% in 2025. Whether Americans were actually running marathons or just trying to survive Monday morning meetings, endurance nutrition became a go-to for powering through demanding days.
4. The Great American Declutter Hit Overdrive
Self-care became shelf-care. Household storage bags surged 55.8%, charging valets climbed 37%, and cleaning gloves rose 13.4%. Getting organized wasn’t just about tidiness—it became an act of wellness. A clean space, a clear mind.
5. Protein Moved into the Pantry
Protein isn’t just for gym bros anymore. Everyday staples got a protein makeover:
- Protein-labeled breakfast cereals: +69.8%
- Protein granola: +45.9%
- Protein dry pasta: +35.4%
Consumers wanted their regular foods to work harder, turning breakfast and dinner into opportunities to fuel up.
6. America Powered Down and Got Comfortable
Comfort became the ultimate status symbol. Loungewear sales soared 218%, weighted blankets climbed 45%, and candles rose 20%. After all that hustle, Americans made winding down a priority—and they weren’t shy about investing in it.
What This Tells Us
The Fetch Finds Report captures something real about 2025: Americans were navigating a shifting economy with a mix of practicality and self-care. We pushed hard during the day and gave ourselves permission to relax at night. We organized our homes, fueled our bodies with protein, and treated ourselves to sushi dinners and cozy nights in.
“Fetch sees what others can’t: how people actually spend based on billions of purchases,” said Jacob Grocholski, Vice President of Analytics at Fetch. “This year, we saw a chaotic mix of discipline and indulgence that defined how people navigated 2025.”
About the Data
The findings come from Fetch, America’s Rewards App, which captures billions of spending transactions annually using AI and machine learning. With more than 6 million five-star reviews and users submitting 12 million receipts daily, Fetch has unmatched visibility into what consumers actually buy—at the item level, across every channel and retailer.
Want the full breakdown? Read the complete Fetch Finds Report for all the details on America’s 2025 spending habits.
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News
CES 2026: The Exhibitors and Moments That Stood Out for Entertainment + Tech Fans
CES 2026 delivered big entertainment-tech moments—from Sony Honda’s AFEELA to streaming, smart glasses, AI PCs, and robots that stole the show.
CES 2026 (Jan. 6–9 in Las Vegas) didn’t feel like a “future tech” show as much as a “right now” show. The big shift: AI wasn’t treated like a standalone product category anymore. It was the invisible layer powering everything from streaming discovery to robots that can actually do work.
For STM Daily News readers who live in the overlap of Entertainment and Tech, here are the exhibitors and trends that stood out most—plus why they matter beyond the show floor.
1) Sony Honda Mobility (AFEELA): The car as a rolling entertainment platform
Sony Honda Mobility’s AFEELA presence reinforced a direction CES keeps leaning into: the next generation of vehicles is competing as much on software and in-cabin experience as it is on horsepower.
What made it stand out:
- AFEELA represents the “car as a connected device” idea taken seriously—where the cabin becomes a screen-first, service-driven environment.
- It’s a clean example of how mobility and entertainment are merging: navigation, safety, personalization, and media all living in one interface.
2) Netflix + Amazon Prime Video + Roku + Xumo: Streaming is evolving into ecosystems
CES 2026’s Content & Entertainment story wasn’t about “who has the most subscribers.” It was about streaming as an ecosystem: bundling, ad-supported growth, and smarter discovery.
What made it stand out:
- CES highlighted how streaming platforms are pushing beyond simple libraries into bundles, premium originals, and integrated experiences.
- FAST (free ad-supported streaming TV) continues to gain traction, and device/platform players are positioning themselves as the front door.
3) Dolby: The quiet power behind the best-looking, best-sounding experiences
Dolby isn’t always the flashiest booth, but it consistently shows up as the tech that makes everything else feel “premium.”
What made it stand out:
- In a year where screens, XR, and immersive venues are everywhere, audio and imaging standards are the difference between “cool demo” and “wow.”
- Dolby’s relevance keeps growing as entertainment moves across phones, living rooms, cars, and wearables.
4) Meta + XREAL: Smart glasses keep inching toward mainstream
Wearables at CES 2026 weren’t just about steps and sleep. The momentum was in smart glasses and AR—especially as generative AI voice interfaces make hands-free use feel more natural.
What made it stand out:
- CES noted smart/AR glasses evolving with features like real-time translation, recording, and AI voice interfaces.
- For entertainment fans, this is where “watching” and “doing” start to blend—live overlays, creator tools, and new ways to capture experiences.
5) Samsung + LG + TCL: Screens are still the show’s main stage
Even in an AI-everywhere year, CES still belongs to display tech. Big brands kept proving that TVs aren’t just TVs—they’re hubs for gaming, streaming, smart home control, and ambient experiences.
What made it stand out:
- Display leaders continue to set the tone for how entertainment is consumed at home.
- The conversation is shifting from specs to experience: personalization, AI-powered recommendations, and multi-device continuity.
6) NVIDIA + AMD + Lenovo: The “AI PC” era is no longer theoretical
CES 2026 made it clear that the next wave of consumer computing is built around on-device AI. That matters for creators, editors, and anyone who lives in content.
What made it stand out:
- CES highlighted AI’s move from “digital transformation” to “intelligent transformation,” including edge/enterprise and physical AI in robotics.
- AMD’s CES keynote emphasized AI across devices from PCs to data centers, underscoring how quickly this is becoming standard.
7) Unitree + Richtech Robotics + Hyundai: Robots were the surprise crowd-pleaser
If CES 2026 had a “you had to see it” category, it was robotics. Not just novelty bots—machines built for real environments.
What made it stand out:
- CES framed robotics as “physical AI,” where generative AI and simulation training help robots learn faster than traditional programming.
- Humanoid robots, in particular, are moving from single-task demos toward more collaborative assistant roles.
The big takeaway for STM Daily News readers
CES 2026 wasn’t about one killer gadget. It was about convergence:
- Entertainment is becoming more interactive, more personalized, and more portable.
- Cars are becoming screens.
- Wearables are becoming interfaces.
- Robots are becoming the next “device category” people actually want to watch.
And underneath it all: AI is becoming less of a headline and more of the operating system for modern life.
Here’s a list of what stood out to us at CES 2026:
- Sony Honda Mobility (AFEELA): The car as a rolling entertainment platform
- Netflix + Amazon Prime Video + Roku + Xumo: Streaming is evolving into ecosystems
- Dolby: The quiet power behind the best-looking, best-sounding experiences
- Meta + XREAL: Smart glasses keep inching toward mainstream
- Samsung + LG + TCL: Screens are still the show’s main stage
- NVIDIA + AMD + Lenovo: The “AI PC” era is no longer theoretical
- Unitree + Richtech Robotics + Hyundai: Robots were the surprise crowd-pleaser
Sources
- CES press release recap and exhibitor/topic highlights (Jan. 9, 2026): https://www.ces.tech/press-releases/ces-2026-the-future-is-here
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actors & performers
T.K. Carter, The Thing and Punky Brewster Actor, Dies at 69
Actor T.K. Carter, known for The Thing and Punky Brewster, has died at age 69. A look at his career and lasting legacy in film and television.
T.K. Carter in Punky Brewster (1984) Image: IMDB
Veteran actor T.K. Carter, best known for his roles in The Thing and the popular 1980s television series Punky Brewster, has died at the age of 69.
Authorities confirmed Carter was found unresponsive at his home in Duarte, California. No foul play is suspected, and an official cause of death has not yet been released.
A Career Spanning Decades
Born Thomas Kent Carter, T.K. Carter built a career in film and television that spanned more than four decades. He became a cult favorite portraying Nauls in John Carpenter’s 1982 horror classic The Thing, a film that continues to influence the genre today.
Television audiences widely remember Carter for his role as Mike Fulton on Punky Brewster, where his comedic timing and grounded performances helped make the show a lasting favorite of the era.
Film and Television Legacy
In addition to his best-known roles, Carter appeared in films such as Runaway Train, Ski Patrol, and Space Jam. His television work included guest appearances on a wide range of series throughout the 1980s, 1990s, and beyond.
Known within the industry as a reliable and versatile performer, Carter often brought authenticity and warmth to supporting roles that left a lasting impression, even in brief appearances.
Remembering T.K. Carter
As news of his passing spreads, fans and colleagues alike are reflecting on T.K. Carter’s contributions to film and television. While he may not have always been the leading name on the marquee, his work helped shape stories that continue to be watched and appreciated by new generations.
T.K. Carter is remembered for his enduring performances, professional dedication, and the quiet but meaningful legacy he leaves behind.
Related Coverage
- Los Angeles Times: Actor T.K. Carter Dies at 69
- People Magazine: T.K. Carter, ‘The Thing’ and ‘Punky Brewster’ Actor, Dead at 69
- Entertainment Weekly: T.K. Carter, ‘Punky Brewster’ and ‘The Thing’ Actor, Dies
- ABC News: Veteran Actor T.K. Carter Dies at 69
Stay with STM Daily News for updates to this developing story and more independent coverage of entertainment, history, and culture. Visit www.stmdailynews.com for the latest.
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