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For our first show of 2026, we take one last look over our shoulder at 2025’s coolest and most newsworthy bluegrass, old-time, and folk music. There was a lot of fine music, but for me, there were a few standouts, as outlined in my Dec. 19 feature The Old Fashioned Dozen. The collaboration in which Po’ Ramblin’ Boy CJ Lewandowski coaxed his friend and mentor Bobby Osborne into the studio for one more set of recordings – including “Rocky Top” – before his passing was both beautiful to listen to and one for the history books. Jason Carter and Michael Cleveland showed why they’re the state of the art in bluegrass fiddling and song curation on their IBMA Album of the Year. My favorite discovery of 2025 was The Wild Shoats, an exciting young band from WV and PA. Billy Strings and Bryan Sutton paid Doc Watson the highest homage with their live album and tour. And Rhiannon Giddens and Justin Robinson really surprised us with an al fresco old-time album from the historic Piedmont of North Carolina. Onward to the new year!

In the first criminal conviction of a former Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert is punished for taking bribes related to a real estate deal. His sentence also includes a fine of $290,000.

Pacific Gas & Electric Co. was ordered to pay the fine — the largest ever charged a public utility — for the San Bruno explosion and fire that killed 8 people and destroyed dozens of homes.

"To walk for three or four hours without checkpoints, without seeing soldiers ... it makes you feel, somehow, you can feel some free," says a hiker. There are scores of Palestinian hiking clubs.

Donald Trump's TV fixation led him to the White House. The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol will show that obsession also defined his actions on that day.

At six weeks after conception, many women still don't know they are pregnant. Similar laws have been struck down in other states, but supporters hope for a different outcome in a Trump administration.

The new law prohibits abortion the moment a fetal heartbeat has been detected, before many women are even aware that they are pregnant. Enforcement of the law relies on private citizens.

This week, armed men ambushed and killed the field workers in Afghanistan. Two others are missing. So far, no one knows who did it — or what the motive was.

The Florida Panthers repeated as Stanley Cup champions, becoming the NHL's first back-to-back winners since Tampa Bay in 2020 and '21 and the third team to do it this century.

Democrats will hold 12 presidential primary debates. The Democratic National Committee says it will have about one a month through the process.