Morning Briefing: Inauguration Week; Democrats' Boycott; Ringling Bros' Final Bow

Good morning, Patchers, and happy Monday. If it's your day off, we hope it's a good one to commemorate a great man and perhaps relax a bit. If you have to work, we hope you take the day by storm.

GREATEST SHOW NO MORE

It's curtains after 146 years, Ringling Bros. announced over the weekend. The operator of the long-running show said ticket sales are down, particularly since taking elephants out of the program earlier this year. (Patch)

LET THE COUNTDOWN BEGIN

This week is a big one for our country — "big league," one might even say. President-elect Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 45th President of the United States this Friday, and the run-up to that date promises to be busy, to say the least. (ABC)

BOYCOTT INTENSIFIES

Not everyone will there for the inauguration. A planned boycott gained momentum this weekend after yet another Twitter tiff starring the President-elect, this time targeting civil rights leader and Georgia Congressman John Lewis. That was after the Democrat announced he would boycott the inauguration, saying the President-elect is not "legitimate." (Patch)

AND IT'S NOT JUST POLITICIANS

Another would-be inaugural performer, Broadway icon Jennifer Holliday, backed out of her headlining performance this weekend, with apologies to the LGBT community. (Patch)

QUICK HITS

Rapper DMX Dumps 'Sweet' Dog At RI Kennel (Patch)

Hot Tip: Eating Spicy Chili Peppers Is Associated With A Longer Life (Patch)

Seattle Wins Conviction In Case of Drone That Knocked Woman Unconscious (Patch)

YOUR MORNING 'AWWW'

A "precocious preschooler" from Georgia earned an invitation to the Library of Congress last week, after word spread that she has already read 1,000 books. She got to shadow the nation's head librarian. Did we mention that she's only four? The picture says it all. (Patch)

COMPETING FOR THE SUPER BOWL SPOT

Next weekend's matchups will decide. On the one side, it will be the New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers. On the other, the Green Bay Packers and the Atlanta Falcons will face off to determine who makes the big game. The Patriots are playing in their NFL record sixth straight conference title game, and are heavily favored to make the Super Bowl. (Associated Press)

BREAKTHROUGH AFTER 18 YEARS

In a miraculous conclusion to what has long been considered a cold case, a newborn kidnapped from a Florida hospital in 1998 has been found alive and well in South Carolina, officials said late last week. Now a young woman, the victim “has a lot to process” but is “taking it as well as she can.” (Patch)

YOURWEEKEND BOX OFFICE WINNER

You can find all this weekend's new movies, plus reviews from Patch, here.

AND FINALLY...

That's all for us this morning, Patchers. We wish you a very happy MLK Day, and can't wait to see you again tomorrow.

Image by Gage Skidmore, Flickr/Creative Commons