Happy New Year! Our nation's first recreational marijuana stores opened for business this morning in Colorado. Washington State's second in the nation recreational marijuana stores won't open until this summer, because we're a bunch of stoners or something.

No wonder millions of Americans revile Obamacare! Millions of Americans will be added to our nation's health insurance rolls today as the bulk of Obamacare goes into effect.

Because there's nobody more affected by the birth control mandate than a group of nuns. US Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor has temporarily blocked the Obama administration from forcing some religious groups to provide birth control in their health insurance coverage under provisions of the Affordable Care Act that go into effect today. The order applies to a group of nuns, Little Sisters of the Poor, and other Roman Catholic nonprofit groups that use the same health plan.

They're coming for our guns! A Federal District Court judge has upheld most of New York State's new gun control law, one of the most restrictive in the nation. The law, the first to pass in the wake of the Sandy Hook massacre, expands state restrictions on assault weapons and high capacity magazines.

But how will all those Internet millionaires afford their Big Macs? San Francisco's highest in the nation minimum wage rises to $10.74 an hour today, destroying the local economy as businesses flee the city. (Not really.) Washington State's minimum wage rises to $9.32 today.

Great news for blue fin tuna! Japan's population declined by 244,000 in 2013, as deaths continued to outpace births. Japan's population has declined every year since 2007.

Our long municipal nightmare is over. Ed Murray was officially sworn in is as mayor yesterday's ending four years of civil war that left Seattle a hellish wasteland. A ceremonial inauguration ceremony will be held January 6.

Parting dig. Seattle City Council members are grumbling that former Mayor Mike McGinn did not inform them that the cost for replacing the seawall had risen $30 million above the original $300 million estimate, prompting a parting dig from McGinn spokesman Aaron Pickus: “We understand why council members Burgess and Rasmussen would like to change the topic from the current status of the deep-bore tunnel,” Pickus told the Seattle Times.