THE FEDERAL government shutdown may soon be over (Shutterstock).

A deal has finally been reached to end federal government shutdown that has dragged on for over three months.

The New York Times is reporting that the Senate on Sunday night voted 60-40 to advance legislation to reopen the government after several Democratic senators agreed to break the logjam.

At issue is a compromise spending program, that will fund most federal agencies through the end of January. Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Illinois), in a statement, explained that he was voting to end the shutdown over the crisis of air traffic controllers working without pay and the uncertainty of SNAP (“food stamp”) for millions of Americans who rely on it to buy groceries.

Other Democrats have withheld their support over the question of tax subsidies for medical insurance, one of the issues that began the shutdown,

The roller coaster of SNAP payments

The rollercoaster story of SNAP – “food stamps” – payments took another sharp turn on Sunday when President Donald Trump ordered the states to “undo” those full payments.

The Associated Press reports that after several court rulings that placed the fate of the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (paid through a debit card) in limbo, the latest turn last Friday was when the U.S. Supreme Court put a temporary stop to a lower federal court ruling requiring that full payments to qualified recipients resume despite the government shutdown

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States that had gone ahead with the ruling authoring full payments warn of “catastrophic operational disruptions” if the federal government doesn’t reimburse them for what’s been paid out.

Rams over 49ers; Chargers beat Steelers 

The Los Angeles Rams defeated their West Coast rival San Francisco 49ers 42-36 and set up a showdown next Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks. Both are 7-2 and tied for first in the NFC West.

Matthew Stafford completed 24 of 36 passes for 280 yards and four touchdowns for the Rams. Kyren Williams rushed for 73 yards and two TDs. Davante Adams caught six passes for 77 yards and one TD. Puka Nacua had five catches for 64 yards and one TD.

The Los Angeles Chargers (7-3) defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers (5-4) on Sunday at SoFi Stadium 25-10. Justin Herbert completed 20 of 33 passes for 220 yards and one TD. Kimani Vidal rushed for 95 yards and one score.

Weather: Warm, then a steep temp drop

The forecast for our West Orange County cities for the coming week calls for a warm Monday, followed by an elevator shaft-type drop to the chilly days and rain. Monday’s daytime high is predicted to be 85 with a low of 58 with partly cloudy skies. Tuesday should cool to 74 (60) with cloudy skies. Wednesday will drop four more degrees to 70 (59) with a cloudy morning and sun in the afternoon. Thursday will be coolest yet at 68 (54) and a forecast of rain.