Everything in nature comes and goes—stars, planets, even our bodies—but what truly endures is repetition. The universe moves to a rhythm: the Sun brings the year’s shortest day on December 21 and its earliest sunset on December 7; the Moon cycles through fullness every 29½ days and repeats its elevation pattern every 18.6 years, reaching an extreme this year. Venus, fading from the morning sky, will return as a brilliant evening star later this winter—part of its elegant 8-year cycle. Saturn’s rings, now edgewise, won’t appear this way again until 2044. Even Earth’s poles follow a 26,000-year rhythm, and we’re now living in the rare moment when Polaris serves as the most perfectly placed North Star in that grand celestial cycle.

State Senator Rob Ortt wants to repeal existing legislation that allows for the early release from parole supervision before a term expires. The North Tonawanda Republican suggests without early release, a Buffalo woman might still be alive.

Earlier this year, "quiet" was one word to describe the Virginia race for governor. Then came DOGE, a text message scandal down ballot, a redistricting surprise, the government shutdown and more.