Family members of those aboard AirAsia Flight 8501 collapsed in agony Tuesday as images of debris and a bloated body flashed across Indonesian television screens, proof that the plane crashed into the sea two days earlier with 162 people on board. The low-cost carrier vanished Sunday halfway through a two-hour flight between Surabaya, Indonesia and Singapore after encountering storm clouds, sparking an international hunt with dozens of planes, ships and helicopters.

Ebola has roared back, claiming more than 7,800 lives, but how? Well-intentioned veterans of past Ebola campaigns tragically underestimated this outbreak, overlooking clues that now seem apparent. Viewing the West Africa epidemic through the prism of nearly two dozen previous outbreaks across the continent, they failed to appreciate that the 2014 version would be unique in catastrophic ways.

After weeks of speculation, Jim Harbaugh has officially contracted to be the University of Michigan’s next head coach, edging past Nick Saban to become the highest-paid college football coach in history.

The annual "Possum Drop" celebration in Brasstown, NC will go on this New Year's Eve, the organizer says. It just won't include a live opossum.