36 overall on the Forbes 2026 Best Customer Service list. (PRNewsfoto/Ace Hardware Corporation)"To be recognized by Forbes and, more importantly, by customers themselves, is a powerful validation of what makes Ace different," said Kim Lefko, Chief Marketing Officer at Ace Hardware. The annual Forbes Best Customer Service ranking, produced in partnership with customer-insights firm HundredX, is based entirely on consumer feedback and recognizes brands that consistently deliver strong service experiences. Of the more than 3,500 brands reviewed, only 300 earned a spot on the list, with Ace Hardware ranking No. 36 overall, reinforcing the brand's continued commitment to helpful, reliable service in local communities nationwide.

One person is in custody and an investigation is underway following an incident that caused property damage at the Ohio residence of Vice President JD Vance, authorities said Monday. The Vance family was not in Ohio at the time of the incident, according to the US Secret Service and a spokesperson for the vice president. I’m grateful to the secret service and the Cincinnati police for responding quickly. We weren’t even home as we had returned already to DC.”Scanner audio from the Cincinnati Police captured when Secret Service called to report a “possible break-in” at Vance’s residence. Advertisement AdvertisementAdvertisement Advertisement“The U.S. Secret Service is coordinating with the Cincinnati Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office as charging decisions are reviewed,” said Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio took the administration’s message about its strikes on Venezuela to the Sunday talk shows this morning. When Stephanopoulos asked Rubio if he was, indeed, running Venezuela, Rubio again suggested that the U.S. was only pressuring the Venezuelan government by seizing sanctioned oil tankers, and said he was involved in those policies. When Kristen Welker of NBC’s Meet the Press also asked if Rubio was running Venezuela, Rubio seemed frustrated that “People [are] fixating on that. Rubio highlighted again that the Trump administration wants to control the Western Hemisphere, and he went on to threaten Cuba. A December poll showed that 60% of likely voters opposed “sending American troops into Venezuela to remove President Maduro from power.” Only 33% approved.

Millie Bobby Brown became an international household name thanks to her performance as Eleven in Stranger Things NetflixWarning: This article contains major spoilers for the final episode of Stranger Things. The creators of Stranger Things have been weighing in on fans’ theories about the events of the finale. So, in the Stranger Things finale, it appeared that Millie Bobby Brown’s character Eleven died by staying behind in the Upside Down as it was blown up by her adopted father, Hopper. AdvertisementWhat did The Duffer Brothers have to say about fans’ theories over Eleven’s ‘death’ in the Stranger Things finale? I mean, I’m definitely seeing the majority choosing to believe and side with the kids.”Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven in the last season of Stranger Things NetflixWhat has Millie Bobby Brown said about the speculation over Stranger Things’ ambiguous ending?

Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner in December 2025 via Associated PressTimothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner got the whole world talking last month, when they attended the premiere of his latest film Marty Supreme in eye-catching matching outfits. And at Sunday night’s Critics’ Choice Awards, Hacks stars Megan Stalter and Paul W. Downs proved that the Tango-fied look has been cemented in the annals of pop culture forever by putting their own spin on it on the red carpet. Meanwhile, Timothée and Kylie were also in attendance at the Critics’ Choice Awards, with the former celebrating his first major win of this year’s awards season when he was named Best Actor for his performance in Marty Supreme. AdvertisementElsewhere at the 2026 Critics’ Choice Awards, Sinners and Frankenstein came away with the most wins, while Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another took home the coveted Best Film title. As for the TV categories, it was another big night for Adolescence, picking up four awards in total.

Paratrooper gets tangled during college football gameA paratrooper became entangled in field goal netting during a pre-game display at the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas, before falling to the ground. According to USA Today, citing a game spokesperson, the parachutist was able to get up and walk off the field unassisted.

In the final days of 2025, The Los Angeles Times briefly resurrected Hamas spokesperson Abu Obeida (also spelled Abu Ubaida) from the dead. A popular figure within the terror organization, Abu Obeida used his famed oratory skills to justify and call for the killing of Jews. The slain Hamas spokesman’s last speech on camera was in mid-July, not in September after his Aug. 30 death. A diligent terror mouthpiece to the very end, Abu Obeida issued his last written statement on Aug. 29, just one day before he was killed. The correction states:Gaza militias: An article in the Dec. 30 Section A said that Hamas spokesman Abu Ubaida was last seen in a speech in September.

The United States has had a terrible history in Latin America, and no Washington insider should know this history better than Secretary of State Marco Rubio. By invading Venezuela, President Trump just lit America’s eternal exploding cigar. His message to the world: Venezuela is ours until we say so, just like the rest of Latin America. As one of Florida’s U.S. senators, Rubio represented millions of Latin American immigrants who had fled civil wars sparked by the U.S. in one way or another. Yet he’s Trumpworld’s biggest cheerleader for Latin American regime change, helping torpedo the president’s anti-interventionist campaign promise as if it were a narco boat off the South American coast.

Everything you need to solve 'Connections' #939. The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult to solve if you're a social media addict. If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for today's Connections solution. Here's a hint for today's Connections categoriesWant a hint about the categories without being told the categories? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

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AdvertisementAdvertisement AdvertisementRead more: The Times' top 25 high school basketball rankingsTyler Lopez has been leading the way. Berger has been pleased with his players' growing experience and confidence after some early season struggles adjusting. "I was pleasantly surprised how my team responded and some of these young players have jelled," he said. This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. AdvertisementAdvertisement AdvertisementSign up for the L.A. Times SoCal high school sports newsletter to get scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.

John’s College, which has another campus in Annapolis, Md., is in some ways an ideal setting for such an exercise. Ms. Garrett was out of breath from racing around campus, trying to find a friend who had borrowed her car keys. For much of the school’s faculty, it had simply been the college experience.Sarah Davis, the dean of the Santa Fe campus of St. John’s College, remembered students gathering to watch “E.R.” in her freshman dorm at Harvard. St. John’s is always reviewing its security protocols, Ms. Carpenter wrote in an email afterward, “and the Brown event is on our minds. Frost, a sophomore.The students were also reckoning with the fact that smartphones were more necessary for some than others.

Pierce Cohalan, praises recent graduates of the Suffolk County Veterans Drug Court in November. His cases were picked up by the Suffolk County Veterans Treatment Court, which specializes in helping veterans overcome drug and alcohol addiction through rehabilitation courses and mental health treatment so veterans can avoid jail time. Pryer received a second chance after entering the treatment court in 2019 following his first brush with the law and, after his 2022 weapons violation, came back to the treatment court. Left with limited choices, she reluctantly accepted drug court treatment but had no intention of warming up to counselors. (Photo courtesy of Dayton Daily News)Camaraderie Key to SuccessKeeping with military tradition, Suffolk County treatment court volunteers know trust is earned through having another veteran’s back.

Flu is rising rapidly across the U.S., driven by a new variant of the virus — and cases are expected to keep growing as holiday travel plays out. That variant, known as “subclade K,” led to early outbreaks in the United Kingdom, Japan and Canada. AdvertisementWhat is subclade K flu? The flu virus is a shape-shifter, constantly mutating, and it comes in multiple forms. But Hopkins’ Pekosz cautioned it will take time to tease apart whether this subclade K version simply spreads more easily or also is more dangerous.

FILE - South Korean actor Ahn Sung-ki attends an event as part of the 11th Pusan International Film Festival in Busan, South Korea, Oct. 13, 2006. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)FILE - South Korean actor Ahn Sung-ki attends an event as part of the 11th Pusan International Film Festival in Busan, South Korea, Oct. 13, 2006. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)FILE - South Korean actor Ahn Sung-ki attends an event as part of the 11th Pusan International Film Festival in Busan, South Korea, Oct. 13, 2006. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)FILE - South Korean actor Ahn Sung-ki attends an event as part of the 11th Pusan International Film Festival in Busan, South Korea, Oct. 13, 2006. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)SEOUL, South Korea -- Ahn Sung-ki, one of South Korean cinema’s biggest stars whose prolific 60-year career and positive, gentle public image earned him the nickname “The Nation’s Actor,” died Monday.