5 things you need to know Monday
1. It's time for the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show
Pooches of every pedigree are ready to compete in the 139th Westminster Dog Show today. The canine competition takes place over two days in New York City. Monday will include hound, toy, non-sporting and herding groups and Tuesday will include sporting, working and terrier groups. And get ready for some exciting new additions this year. Two new breeds are being introduced: the Treeing Walker Coonhound and the Russell Terrier.
2. Egypt strikes ISIL group in Libya after video of mass killing
Egypt said Monday it has begun airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Libya hours after militants released a video purporting to show the mass beheading of Egyptian Christian hostages. The strikes were announced on state radio by a spokesman for the country's Armed Forces General Command. Weapons caches and training camps were targeted. The strikes were to "avenge the bloodshed and to seek retribution from the killers.
3. Apple Pay takes to the skies via JetBlue
Apple Pay is taking off — quite literally. Starting this week, passengers on select JetBlue Airways flights can use Apple Pay on their iPhone 6 and 6 Plus handsets to buy food, drinks and certain onboard amenities when the plane reaches cruising altitude. You'll be able to upgrade to available premium seats, too. JetBlue is the first airline to accept Apple Pay at 35,000 feet. It almost certainly won't be the last.
4. Stevie Wonder gets an All-Star Grammy Salute
We don't exactly need proof of Stevie Wonder's enduring influence on popular music. But we'll get a big affirmation tonight. Nineteen brand-name artists from a range of genres — from Beyoncé to Tony Bennett — will pay tribute to the iconic musician on Stevie Wonder: Songs in the Key of Life — An All-Star Grammy Salute, to air at 9 p.m. on CBS. Hosted by LL Cool J and produced by longtime Grammy broadcast guru Ken Ehrlich, the show follows last year's salute to the Beatles.
5. Schools to reopen in Liberia, but Ebola concerns remain
Schools are set to reopen Monday across Liberia after the deadly Ebola outbreak forced them shut last year, but concerns about the virus remain. As recently as last month, the N.V. Massaquoi school was used to screen sick people for Ebola, which has killed more than 3,800 people in Liberia and ravaged the neighboring West African countries of Sierra Leone and Guinea. The school has been disinfected but Principal M. Gleh Mason II said he wants all the furniture replaced after patients sat on the wooden benches and chairs.
Bonus: For #PresidentsDay, share your photos of monuments & memorials.
And, the essentials:
Weather: A storm system will make its way through the Ohio River Valley and the Appalachians Monday, with bitter cold persisting in the Northeast and Mid Atlantic.
Markets: They are closed for the holiday.
TV Tonight: Wondering what to watch tonight? TV critic Robert Bianco looks at Stevie Wonder and Castle.
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Contributing: Brian McCollum, Detroit Free Press; Sarah DiLorenzo, Special for Paste BN, Associated Press