Frederick High students returned for second semester this week, and Frederick sports got back to the mat, court, and pool. It was a banner week for Frederick basketball: Girls varsity won over Centaurus 68-23, Boys varsity beat Centaurus 80-74 in overtime and Skyline 92-52, and Unified won their first game of the year against Mead 80-67. Frederick’s freshmen, sophomores, and juniors also began registration for next year’s classes.
This was also a huge week for news outside of Frederick. On January 3, American forces apprehended Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife and brought them to the US to face charges of narcoterrorism. While most Western democracies have viewed the Maduro regime as illegitimate after a fraudulent election in 2024, the operation received sharp criticism because the Trump administration did not inform Congress nor their international allies of the move ahead of time as required by law.
Criticism grew as the week went on after Maduro’s Vice President Dulcy Rodriguez, who was elected in the same sham election, was put in charge of Venezuela instead of the legitimate winner Maria Corina Machado, who won the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize. Trump fanned these flames by telling the press that the US wasn’t putting Machado in charge because “she doesn’t have the respect,” that the intervention was not about democracy but was a ploy to seize and sell Venezuelan oil, and that the US may soon carry out similar operations in Mexico, Iran, Colombia, and Greenland.
Domestically, the Venezuela operation was dwarfed in the public consciousness by the end of the week by another tragedy. On Wednesday, a 37-year-old mother of three named Renee Nicole Good was shot to death by ICE officer Jonathan Ross in Minneapolis for protesting. While DHS and the Trump administration issued statements that Goode was trying to ram the officer with her vehicle and he was taken to the hospital, several videos taken of the incident show this account was untrue. This has led to massive protests in Minneapolis against ICE, and ICE has responded with chemical deterrents and excessive force—this has led to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz activating the state’s National Guard to help local police protect those protesting against federal agents.
While not a lot of other news was able to compete against these two stories, lots of other important events occurred. The FDA came out with a controversial new food pyramid, Telluride reopened after the ski patrol strike ended, the House passed a three-year extension of the ACA subsidies that were the cause of October’s government shutdown, the Trump administration blocked millions of CCDF and TANF funds for Coloradans, and the 120th National Western Stock Show kicked off.
The NFL wrapped their regular season this week, and the Denver Broncos secured the no. 1 seed in the AFC after winning 19-3 over the Chargers—this means they will enjoy a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. In the world of college football, Indiana kept their undefeated streak alive by trouncing Oregon 56-22 at the Peach Bowl, while at the Fiesta Bowl, Miami narrowly beat Ole Miss in a 31-27 upset. Indiana and Miami will face off in Miami on January 19.
While the Panthers and Lightning struck down their winning streak, the Colorado Avalanche still lead their league 33-4. The Denver Nuggets, however, have rebounded to third in their league after winning four of their last five games and standing at 25-13.
Avatar: Fire and Ash was number one for a third weekend and passed a billion dollars worldwide. All of the top five films remained the same, and both the director of Zootopia 2 and the producers of The Housemaid announced that a sequel to each film would be coming in 2-4 years. Disney also made news by sharing that storied producer Kathleen Kennedy would step down from Star Wars and two new creatives, Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennen, would take the franchise in a new direction. On the small screen, The Pitt and The Traitors both returned to record ratings for their streaming services, and Warner Bros. rejected Paramount’s offer to merge with them instead of Netflix for an eighth time.
Hollywood also held the Critic’s Choice Awards on January 4, which is often seen as a bellwether for the Oscars. Notable awards went to One Battle After Another for Best Picture, Timothée Chalamet for Best Actor (Marty Supreme), Jessie Buckley for Best Actress (Hamnet), Amy Madigan for Best Supporting Actress (Weapons), and Miles Caton for Best Young Performer (Sinners). “Golden” from K-Pop Demon Hunters won Best Original Song, and Sinners won Best Score and Best Ensemble Cast. K-Pop Demon Hunters also nabbed Best Animated Feature, while South Park won Best Animated Series.
This was the first full week of 2026, and Epiphany was on Tuesday—2.5% of the year is over.
News You Should Know: January 3 to 9, 2026
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10 Total Questions
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Question 1/10
The Traitors came back to Peacock on January 8 and this contest quickly went viral for his outrageous behavior that many fans felt was ruining the show.
Correct!
Incorrect
Question 1/10
The Traitors came back to Peacock on January 8 and this contest quickly went viral for his outrageous behavior that many fans felt was ruining the show.
Your Answer
Correct Answer
actor Ron Funches
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comedian Michael Rapaport
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musician Eric Nam
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Olympic figure skater Johnny Weir
Your Answer
Question 2/10
After Trump told reporters that the US might have to take over Greenland "the hard way," this country (who owns Greenland) said that any American incursion into Greenland would be met by NATO troops that would "shoot first, ask questions later."
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Question 2/10
After Trump told reporters that the US might have to take over Greenland "the hard way," this country (who owns Greenland) said that any American incursion into Greenland would be met by NATO troops that would "shoot first, ask questions later."
Your Answer
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The United Kingdom
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Norway
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The Netherlands
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Denmark
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Question 3/10
In addition to winning the Critic's Choice Award for Best Picture, One Battle After Another nabbed Best Director for this faker.
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Question 3/10
In addition to winning the Critic's Choice Award for Best Picture, One Battle After Another nabbed Best Director for this faker.
Your Answer
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Paul Thomas Anderson
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Ryan Coogler
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Josh Safdie
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Guillermo del Toro
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Question 4/10
The FDA's new food pyramid has been criticized by nutritionist for recommending several servings of these foods every day.
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Question 4/10
The FDA's new food pyramid has been criticized by nutritionist for recommending several servings of these foods every day.
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red meat and full-fat dairy
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sugars and processed foods
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raw fruits and vegetables
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breads and whole grains
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Question 5/10
Telluride Ski Resort reopened after being shut down for two weeks by a strike from which workers?
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Question 5/10
Telluride Ski Resort reopened after being shut down for two weeks by a strike from which workers?
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artificial snowmakers
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lift operators
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ski patrol
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hospitality (hotel workers)
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Question 6/10
On January 9, Trump announced that we would meet with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado about installing her as the rightful president of Venezuela. Why?
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Question 6/10
On January 9, Trump announced that we would meet with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado about installing her as the rightful president of Venezuela. Why?
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Venezuela has no current leader, as the entire Maduro regime has been arrested
Your Answer
International pressure from America's allies who want Machado in charge
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Russia has pledged to advance peace talks on Ukraine if Machado is made president
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Machado offered to give Trump her Nobel Peace Prize
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Question 7/10
After a viral trend of National Park Service pass holders putting stickers on their 2026 annual parks pass, the NPS announced that any pass with a sticker on it would be voided. Why are people putting stickers on these passes?
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Question 7/10
After a viral trend of National Park Service pass holders putting stickers on their 2026 annual parks pass, the NPS announced that any pass with a sticker on it would be voided. Why are people putting stickers on these passes?
Your Answer
Correct Answer
The 2026 pass depicts Mount McKinley, and folks are placing stickers on it with its original name Denali
Your Answer
The 2026 pass depicts the Gulf Islands National Seashore, and folks are placing either Gulf of America or Gulf of Mexico stickers on it
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The 2026 pass depicts the Lincoln Memorial, and folks are putting stickers of other people on Lincoln's face
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The 2026 pass depicts Donald Trump's face, and folks are covering it with stickers
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Question 8/10
With the cutting Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds this week, the Trump administration has blocked this much money in federal social service, energy, transportation, and education grants to Colorado in the past month.
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Question 8/10
With the cutting Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds this week, the Trump administration has blocked this much money in federal social service, energy, transportation, and education grants to Colorado in the past month.
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$250 million
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$500 million
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$750 million
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$1 billion
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Question 9/10
ICE released a video taken by Jonathan Ross just before, during, and after he shot Renee Nicole Good three times in her Honda Pilot. What were Renee Good's last words, as captured in the video?
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Question 9/10
ICE released a video taken by Jonathan Ross just before, during, and after he shot Renee Nicole Good three times in her Honda Pilot. What were Renee Good's last words, as captured in the video?
Your Answer
Correct Answer
"[I'm a] US citizen. Former f------ veteran!"
Your Answer
"That's fine, dude. I'm not mad at you."
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"You wanna come at us? I say go get yourself some lunch, big boy."
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"Show your face! F------ b----!"
Your Answer
Question 10/10
All 2025 box office totals were finalized this week, and something surprising was discovered: not counting when theaters were closed in 2020, this was the first year in the past fifteen where...
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Incorrect
Question 10/10
All 2025 box office totals were finalized this week, and something surprising was discovered: not counting when theaters were closed in 2020, this was the first year in the past fifteen where...
Your Answer
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Disney did not have the largest share of the total box office
Your Answer
not a single Hollywood film made over $1 billion globally
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not a single Marvel Studios film appeared in the global top ten
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China did not have a film in the global top five
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You can learn more about these topics here:
- Question 1: The Traitors has explosive start to season four
- Question 2: US invading Greenland would be “end of NATO”
- Question 3: Critics Choice Awards 2026: Full list of winners
- Question 4: New food pyramid faces backlash from dieticians
- Question 5: Telluride ski slopes open after two-week union strike
- Question 6: Trump to meet with Venezuelan opposition leader
- Question 7: National park passes will be invalid if they are altered with stickers
- Question 8: Trump administration cuts child care, food assistance from Colorado
- Question 9: Video shows ICE officer’s point of view, Renee Good’s last words
- Question 10: 2025 year-end box office shows changing audience tastes
