1. At least 13 people are dead and more than 20 are injured after heavy rain sent mud and boulders sliding down hills and knocked several homes off their foundations in California on Tuesday. Many more are feared to be dead and buried beneath the mud. Oprah’s house in Santa Barbara was one of the homes impacted. The media mogul took to Instagram on Tuesday evening to share a video of herself walking in knee-deep mud and looking at the destruction around her. (ABC News)
2. Local grocery stores and restaurants are taking a wait-and-see approach before removing romaine lettuce – the suspect in a recent outbreak of foodborne illnesses – from their shelves and menus. Spokesmen for Shaw’s and Hannaford stores said they will continue to sell the lettuce because federal health officials have not yet drawn any conclusions about the E. coli outbreak, which sickened nearly 60 people in 13 states and Canada and killed at least two. None of the illnesses occurred in Maine. The Public Health Agency of Canada did issue a warning about eating romaine after linking the Canadian cases of E. coli to the leafy green lettuce. Last week, Consumer Reports issued its own advisory warning people not to eat romaine. (Press Herald)
3. Four teenagers have been charged with aggravated drug trafficking after pot-laced Jolly Ranchers were distributed at Ellsworth High School. Police said 19-year-old Adam Bradshaw, of Ellsworth, bought the candies at a medical marijuana dispensary and gave them to three current Ellsworth High School students. Although the product was purchased legally, when transferred to a juvenile it constitutes drug trafficking. (WMTW)
4. After the success of the first store in Maine, Krispy Kreme is opening a second location in the state. The city of Auburn announced the doughnut franchise will have it’s grand opening Monday, Jan. 15 at 6 a.m. Krispy Kreme says “free dozen” cards will be given every day to 15 customers who receive a golden sticker inside their doughnut box, during their first week. (WCSH)
5. According to AdWeek, a new print advertisement for IKEA’s Sundvik crib wants prospective customers to do something a little more than just read it: it wants women to pee on it. That’s because the ad is actually a pregnancy test. Or rather, it uses the same technology as a pregnancy test strip to reveal whether a woman’s urine indicates that she is pregnant. If a woman gets that, um, golden ticket, the ad reveals a discount on the crib. (Mashable)
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