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PEOPLE & ARTS Friday 3 January 2020
Kisses, cheers, fireworks welcome 2020 in Times Square

By REBECCA GIBIAN tually here just for New
Associated Press Year’s Eve, so it has been
NEW YORK (AP) — Couples pretty cool,” she said.
kissed. Others cheered and While giddiness was ex-
waved balloons as fireworks pected to prevail at the
burst into the night sky and televised event, some im-
confetti fell to welcome the portant global issues will be
start of 2020 in New York driven home, as well.
City’s Times Square. The Associated Press pre-
In one of the globe’s most- sented a news reel high-
watched New Year’s Eve lighting the most memora-
spectacles, the crowd ble events of 2019.
counted down the last sec- High school science teach-
onds of 2019 as a lumines- ers and students, spotlight-
cent crystal ball descend- ing efforts to combat cli-
ed down a pole. Throngs of mate change, were to help
people cheered and sang press the button that be-
along to the X Ambassa- gins the famous 60-second
dors’ soul-stirring rendition ball drop and countdown
of John Lennon’s “Imag- to 2020, followed by 3,000
ine” just before midnight. pounds (1,360 kilograms) of
About 3,000 pounds (1,360 confetti.
kilograms) of confetti show- People celebrate the New Year in Times Square in New York, early Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2020. Thousands of police officers
Associated Press
ered the sea of attendees, were on hand for the festiv-
many of whom were also Brooklyn and the Bronx and contest as much as a rau- the crowd just before 8:30 ities, plus more than 1,000
briefly rained on earlier in I’ve never done this and this cous celebration. p.m. security cameras, helicop-
the evening as they waited was the first time for us and Many people arrive before Still, the celebration was a ters and drones equipped
in security pens for perfor- what better year than 2020 noon to get a spot close once-in-a-lifetime experi- with thermal-imaging and
mances by stars including to do this,” Aileen said. to the action. Alcohol is ence for many. 3D-mapping capabilities
rap-pop star Post Malone, Mathieu Plesotsky, 25, visit- banned. “It was a dream, I wanted and super-zoom lenses.
K-pop group BTS, country ing from Hesse, Germany, Spectators enter through a to do it so this year a lot Christina Genovese and
singer Sam Hunt and sing- said he wanted to be a security screening gauntlet of people helped me to Jessica Vanich, friends from
er-songwriter Alanis Moris- part of the spectacle after to enter pens they cannot get here so I’m here, and Buffalo, New York, said the
sette. watching it for years on TV. leave, including to use the I’m thankful for that,” said security line was about 30
The frenzied moment of He arrived in Times Square bathroom, if they hope to Mariemma Mejias, 48, who minutes long when they ar-
celebration came after at 1 p.m. with his girlfriend return. flew to New York for the fes- rived at 10:30 a.m.
many hours of waiting for and bopped along to the The weather can be brutal. tivities from San Juan, Puer- “It’s not as cold as Buffalo
much of the crowd. performers while waiting for When revelers rang in 2018, to Rico. so we’re OK,” Genovese
Eric and Aileen Sanchez- the ball to drop. it was only 10 degrees Fahr- Amanda Camacho, 25, said.
Himes brought their son “We’ve just stayed, stand, enheit (minus 12 Celsius). from Heredia, Costa Rica, Aubrey Fannin, who trav-
and nephew from Fram- tried not to pee, danced For the dawn of 2019, rain said she and her mother eled from Kirkland, Wash-
ingham, Massachuetts, to to the Village People,” he poured throughout the spent their evening in the ington, with her friend Ken-
experience what they con- said. evening, leaving puddles security pens “talking to nedy Bryne, is optimistic for
sider a “bucket list item.” Ever since the NYPD tight- on the performance stag- people and meeting peo- 2020.
Eric packed granola bars ened security and began es. ple and sharing,” Cama- “This is our year,” Fannin
and water in his coat in cracking down on public The weather seemed per- cho said. said moments after the
case they got hungry. They drinking years ago, Times fect Tuesday, until it wasn’t. “We met people from Ko- clock struck midnight. “This
arrived at 10:30 a.m. Square on New Year’s Eve Rain, which wasn’t in the rea, we met people from is the world’s year. Let’s do
“I grew up in New York, in has been an endurance forecast, briefly drenched Guatemala that were ac- it.”q

Bobbi Kristina Brown’s ex-partner

Nick Gordon dies at 30

Associated Press Brown, the daughter of scription drugs in her body,
ATLANTA (AP) — Nick Gor- singers Whitney Houston but the medical examiner
don, who was found liable and Bobby Brown, was couldn’t determine if she
in the death of his ex-part- found face-down and un- killed herself, if someone
ner Bobbi Kristina Brown, responsive in a bathtub in else killed her or if her
has died. He was 30. January 2015. The 22-year- death was accidental.
Gordon’s attorney Joe S. old died after six months in Gordon was never
Habachy confirmed his a coma. charged in the case, but
client’s death in a state- Investigators with the he was found responsible
ment Wednesday to The medical examiner’s office in a wrongful death law- In this Oct. 22, 2012, file photo, Bobbi Kristina Brown and Nick
Associated Press. The At- were not able to deter- suit. Gordon attend the premiere party for "The Houstons On Our
lanta attorney did not give mine exactly how Bobbi An Atlanta judge ordered Own" at the Tribeca Grand hotel in New York.
a cause of death or say Kristina Brown died. him to pay $36 million to Associated Press
where it occurred. An autopsy showed that Brown’s estate.
Gordon’s death comes she had morphine, co- Houston brought Gordon orphan at the age of 12, ter after divorcing Bobby
nearly five years after caine, alcohol and pre- into her household as an raising him and her daugh- Brown in 2007. q