Poet and artist Holly Anderson has died of cancer at age 62. Her disease resulted from the toxic air she inhaled while doing emergency relief work near the site of the World Trade Center towers after the 9/11/2001 terrorist attack.

Anderson, a Cottage Grove native and former MCAD student, was known in the music world for her collaboration with the venerated post-punk band Mission of Burma. She wrote lyrics for Mission of Burma songs including "Mica," and designed the cover art for releases including the band's classic 1981 EP Signals, Calls and Marches. (Pioneer Press, Pitchfork)

Joy Villa files police report against Corey Lewandowski

Joy Villa, a pop singer whose fame rose dramatically due to her ardent support of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, has filed a police report accusing former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski of slapping her buttocks at a November 2016 party celebrating Trump's election.

Lewandowski slapped Villa "violently hard, enough to hurt me," she tells the New York Times. "He says, 'Go ahead, I work in the private sector,'" Ms. Villa said. "He laughs at me and then he does it again, extra hard this time, just to show me that he wasn't afraid. At that point I was so paralyzed by fear. I was very shocked, and my friend grabbed me and pulled me away from him."

Smart speaker sales soar

Speakers you can talk to are becoming increasingly common in American homes. Sales of "smart speakers" like Amazon's Echo tripled in 2017, with 25 million flying off shelves. Consumer electronics experts say the boom reflects the technology crossing over from early adopters to the mass market. (Billboard) FYI, if you have an Alexa-enabled speaker, you can use it to request a song on The Current.

Obama, Chance appear in mentorship PSA

Chance the Rapper appears with his friend and fellow Chicagoan Barack Obama in a video promoting an initiative called My Brother's Keeper. The project "hosts mentorship programs to help reduce violence and improve the lives of young men of color," notes the Chicago Sun-Times. The video also features basketball star Steph Curry.

Carrie Brownstein talks to a ten-year-old

When a kid interviews a rocker, it's always gold. Such was the case when ten-year-old Bea sat down with Carrie Brownstein of Sleater-Kinney. As Pitchfork notes, "The pair talked about Brownstein's favorite Portlandia character and wigs, while Bea talked about her favorite sketch, the 'What About Men?!' song. They also discussed what color they would dye a poodle, if they owned one, and dogs' bad breath."

Mariah weighs in on the tree debate

When should you take your Christmas tree down? Dec. 26? Jan. 1? Jan. 6, after 12 days of Christmas? Holiday icon Mariah Carey has weighed in on the debate — and if you plan to take her advice, you'd better keep watering. (Billboard)