ONE RURAL COUNTY in Arizona is refusing to certify its election results (Shutterstock).

The 2020 general election is over, perhaps everywhere except in rural Cochise County in Arizona.

According to the Associated Press, Republican election officials there refused to certify results of the vote, despite the absence of proof of error in the count.

Democrats are winning key races in what was once a reliably red state, including a U.S. Senate seat and the governor.

At least two legal actions are underway to compel the county to certify the results. Ironically, if Cochise County’s votes are subtracted from the other totals, Democrats would gain a U.S. House seat and the post of state superintendent of schools.

Winter deadlock in Ukraine?

Despite continuing success against the Russian invasion, the coming of winter could stall efforts by Ukraine to further oust their enemy.

A WINTER deadlock in Ukraine might be possible (Shutterstock).

The New York Times is reporting that after being driven from the regional capital of Kherson, Russian troops were digging in to resist a possible Ukrainian offensive that could result in the reclaiming of the Crimean peninsula, seized by Russia in 2014.

There is also concern that more missile strikes on energy infrastructure could worsen conditions in Ukrainian cities as cold weather begins to set in, with the prospect of electricity and natural gas cut off.

Also in the news … Americans are already spending record amounts of money for the holidays, according to United Press International. On Black Friday, consumers spent $9.12 billion, and perhaps as high as $11.6 billion on Cyber Monday as data is compiled.

Sports: U.S. vs. Iran in key World Cup match

QATAR WORLD CUP

The United States men’s national soccer team is unbeaten, but needs a victory in Tuesday’s match against Iraq.

After ties with Wales and England, the U.S. is in third place in Group B; the top two teams from each group advance to single-elimination games leading to the title.

A win by the U.S. would give it four points (two points for a win, one point for a tie) and propel the team into second place. A tie or a loss would send the Americans home from Qatar empty-handed.

The game is scheduled for 11 am. Pacific time.

Weather: Showers may be on the way

Cool weather early in the week for the West Orange County area could turn to showers toward the weekend. That’s the forecast from the National Weather Service. Mostly sunny weather should be in place Tuesday and Wednesday with daytime highs in the mid-60s (high 40s overnight). By Thursday afternoon showers may begin to move in and could linger through the weekend. Daytime highs will be in the low 60s with overnight lows in the low 50s.