Processing times for US passport applications and renewals are back to normal after years plagued by delays and backlogs. Routine services will now take six to eight weeks, the State Department said Monday — a significant improvement from wait times of up to 18 weeks during the pandemic.
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Here’s what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On With Your Day. |
- Student loans
- Northeast storm
- Volcano eruption
Student loans
Nearly 9 million student loan borrowers in the US missed their first payment after the pandemic-related pause ended this fall, the Department of Education said. That means roughly 40% of the 22 million borrowers who had bills due in October did not make payments by mid-November. Federal officials are not handing down significant penalties because they anticipated it may take time for some borrowers to figure out how much they owe and how to fit the payment back into their budget after the long pause. Complicating matters further, millions of borrowers also have different student loan servicers than they did before the pause went into effect.
Northeast storm
At least four people are dead after a powerful storm lashed the Northeast on Monday, knocking out power for more than 620,000 homes and businesses from Connecticut to Maine. More than 60 million people are under winter weather alerts after the storm system unleashed dangerous flooding that has engulfed cars, prompted water rescues and disrupted travel across the region. Cold temperatures and concentrated snowfall are expected in several states today as crews work to survey the damage in flooded communities. The conditions have prompted several school closures in New Hampshire and Maine, where fully restoring power to some areas may take several days.
Volcano eruption
A volcano in Iceland erupted on Monday, sending lava and plumes of smoke into the night sky and threatening a town near the country's famous Blue Lagoon geothermal spa. The eruption on the Reykjanes peninsula began around 10 p.m. local time, following an earthquake around an hour earlier, the Icelandic Meteorological Office said. Thousands of people evacuated the town of Grindavík last month as the threat of a volcanic eruption loomed. Since the area is now clear of residents, officials said the eruption does not pose a threat to life but could damage nearby homes.
Volcano eruption
Apple plans to stop selling some versions of the Apple Watch in the US due to an ongoing legal dispute over its blood oxygen feature.
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