Dispatches

Nov. 3

Thirteen years after terrorists crashed planes into the twin towers, lights are on and 1 World Trade Center is open for business in Manhattan, welcoming new tenants like the Condé Nast magazine empire. The 104-story building, which at 1,776 feet ranks the tallest building in the Western hemisphere, sits on the northwest corner of the 16-acre site overlooking the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey owns the $3.9 billion building and has leased 60 percent of the available space.

Recall the fall

Nov. 9

Hundreds of thousands of Germans and tourists converged at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall. Amid speeches and performances, the height of the day’s festivities featured the Berlin State Orchestra playing Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” while 8,000 helium balloons tracing the line of the former wall lifted into the air, symbolizing its collapse and with it the end of the Cold War. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who grew up on the East side, said the fall of the Berlin Wall serves as a reminder that “dreams can come true, nothing has to stay as it is, even if it’s difficult.”

Unhealthy trend

Nov. 10

By the end of 2015, 9 million to 9.9 million Americans likely will have health plans sold through federal and state insurance exchanges created under the Affordable Care Act—a 30 percent shortfall from the 13 million expected to enroll in the healthcare coverage, according to Congressional Budget Office projections. The wide gap in coverage revives questions about a core purpose of the law—to increase access to affordable insurance—just as the second ACA enrollment season gets underway.

Midterm advantage

Nov. 4

The Republican Party prevailed on Election Day as Americans went to the polls to voice widespread discontent with Democratic leadership in Washington. By the end of the night, Republicans had unseated Democratic incumbents and easily kept GOP-held seats to seize control of the U.S. Senate and pad their advantage in the U.S. House of Representatives. The GOP also dominated governor races around the country, emerging with 31 seats in state capitals. Meanwhile, voters in Alaska, Oregon, and Washington, D.C., approved measures legalizing recreational marijuana—although Congress must approve D.C.’s law before it can take effect (See "Time for action" in this issue).

Red hot

Nov. 6

A slow-moving lava flow from Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano appeared to stall after coming dangerously close to the town of Pahoa—home to about 1,000 residents. With the flow just 480 feet away from the main road in and out of the rural village, the region remains on alert since officials say the flow could resume at any point. Although the Kilauea volcano has erupted continuously since 1983, it hasn’t posed a threat because the lava mostly flowed south toward the ocean. President Obama has declared the situation a major disaster.

Upheaval

Oct. 30

Burkina Faso’s military dissolved the nation’s Parliament and announced a transitional government after the outbreak of violent protests against President Blaise Compaore, who had sought a constitutional change allowing him to seek reelection. Compaore ended his 27-year reign and quickly fled into exile in Ivory Coast. The Burkina Faso army appointed Lt. Col. Isaac Zida to serve as interim leader, but the African Union threatened sanctions unless a civilian-led government returns within two weeks. Zida dismissed the warning and said a council would appoint an “eminent civilian personality” to lead until elections next November.

Series win

Oct. 29

The San Francisco Giants won their third World Series title in five years, defeating the Kansas City Royals 3-2 in Game 7 at Kauffman Stadium. Series MVP Madison Bumgarner, 25, pitched five scoreless innings just three days after pitching a four-hit, complete-game shutout over the Royals in Game 5. The Giants are the second National League team to win three World Series titles in a five-year span; the St. Louis Cardinals did so during 1942-46. San Francisco was also the first visiting team to win a Game 7 in the Series since the Pittsburgh Pirates did so in 1979.