Looking Ahead

Dec. 21

Controversial pastor Rob Bell, who said he left Mars Hill Bible Church in Grandville, Mich., to broaden his audience, has found his ministry’s logical conclusion: an Oprah network television special. Bell will star in a new one-hour talk show set to debut on OWN today. Evangelicals have criticized Bell for preaching universalism.

Dec. 24

Construction on Nicaragua’s proposed interoceanic canal linking the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean will begin today and is slated for completion in 2019. The canal, hailed by Nicaraguan officials as a possible solution to the nation’s grinding poverty, projects to be a competitor with the Panama Canal for interoceanic traffic.

Dec. 26

The Friday after Christmas will be a holiday for all but the most essential federal government employees. Citing recent pay freezes and furloughs, President Barack Obama decided to give federal employees the paid day off through an executive order on Dec. 5.

Dec. 28

USA Today will publish its last edition of USA Weekend magazine, a lifestyle publication that ran as an insert in more than 800 newspapers across the country. Industry experts blame declining advertising revenue for the closure.

Jan. 1

As many Americans enter 2015 paying lower fuel costs, Californians may not get the same break. Provisions in the Golden State’s cap-and-trade law go into effect today that force gasoline wholesalers to purchase carbon offsets. Many analysts expect the regulation to raise prices for gasoline customers by as much as 13 to 20 cents per gallon by 2020.