News Bites are back after a holiday hiatus, and in our time away, it seems so many people have died. Still, we have a few good things happening too. Let’s get started:

- Tags #BlackLivesMatter, #EndWhiteSilence, Antonio Martin, Bernard Kay, cards against humanity, Charlie Hebdo, Christine Cavanugh, Colorado Springs, Dame Joan Collins, Darren Wilson, David Ryall, Debbie Purdy, Denis Firkin, Donna Douglas, downton abbey, Edward Herrmann, Edward R. Brooke, Ferguson, Fight Back Pittsburgh, Florida, Friday News Bites, gilmore girls, Harry Potter, India, Joe Cocker, Khan Bonfils, LGBTQ news, Madhu Kinnar, Mariana Trench, Mario Cuomo, marriage equality, Michael Brown, Missouri, MS-Dos Games, NAACP, obits, obituaries, Oregon Trail, pandas, Paris, Pittsburgh, R.I.P., right-to-die movement, same-sex marriage, science, Sir John Hurt, snailfish, snow day, Stuart Scott, U.S. Congress