National: South Dakota became the first state to enact a law to allow public school teachers and school employees to carry guns to work. The National Rifle Association lobbied in favor of the bill. The law leaves it up to local school districts whether they will permit their employees to carry guns.

➢President Obama went on a deficit-diplomacy offensive with Republican leaders this week, inviting them to dine and calling them on the phone. He’s often been criticized for not personally reaching out to legislators. He had dinner at the Jefferson Hotel near the White House with a dozen Republicans, including John McCain and Lindsay Graham. Not invited: Speaker John Boehner and Mitch McConnell. So far though, no agreement to end the $85 billion sequester budget cuts.

➢Bumble Bee Tuna and Chicken of the Sea have recalled 51,000 cases of canned fish because the seals might not be tight enough. The cans are dated for consumption by Jan 14-18, 2016. Go check.

World: International leaders and celebrities collected yesterday for the funeral of Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez. Seen at the services: Fidel Castro’s brother Raul, Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Sean Penn and the Rev. Jesse Jackson.

➢Egyptian soccer fans rioted yet again today in Port Said after hearing that a court confirmed death sentences for 21 people involved in a fatal riot last year. Seven police officers involved in the 2012 violence that killed 74 people were acquitted. Enraged fans burned the soccer federation headquarters and a police club.

➢The papal conclave in which the cardinals elect a new pope begins Tuesday. Voting will continue until one candidate gets a two-thirds majority. So far no names have surfaced as leading choices.

Beach Weather: The earth is getting warmer when it should be cooling, according to a study of global temperatures going back 11,300 years. The earth’s changing tilt and orbit around the sun makes long-term warming and cooling phases, and this should be a time of cooling. Man-made influences reversed that, according to the study by Oregon State and Harvard Universities.

Oh, Waiter!: A least 63 diners got sick last month after eating at the restaurant Noma in Copengagen, which is described by some as the best restaurant in the world. The Danish Food Administration, by its own rating system, downgraded Noma’s “smiley rating” from a big smiley to a small smiley, which is still two grades above the failing “sad face”.

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