US & World News, Monday 12/24

US & World Summary --- Weather In The Midwest Is Blamed For Nearly A Dozen Deaths People in the Midwest are digging out of a wicked weekend, weather-wise. Officials in Minnesota reported more than 300 weather-related traffic accidents. Blowing snow and high winds also knocked out electricity to more than 200-thousand homes in the Chicago area. The weather is being blamed for nearly a dozen fatalities. More than 300 flights were cancelled at OHare International Airport yesterday which resulted in a kind of domino effect for air travelers around the country. Meanwhile a 32-car pile up between Manhattan and Topeka Kansas closed I-70. --- Sergeant Back To Iraq (Munster, IN) -- An Indiana soldier is doing his duty despite concerns about his newborn son who is in intensive care. Sergeant Chris Williams is being sent back to Iraq. The "Chicago Tribune" reports his son developed a lung infection shortly after birth. Williams told the paper he is re-thinking his military career. At one point officials told him he had an extended leave until after New Years, but later said tough decisions have to be made during war. Williams had previously served two tours in Iraq. --- A Year Of Pain At The Pump (New York, NY) -- This was the year that average gasoline prices rose 21-cents over last year. Thats an eight-percent hike blamed on rising oil prices. The Lundberg survey of about seven-thousand gas stations found the average regular self-serve per gallon price this year was more than two-dollars-78-cents. In 2006 it was about two-dollars-57-cents. The average price of a gallon of regular self-serve Friday was just over two-dollars-97-cents. As 2006 came to a close, a barrel of U.S. crude oil cost about 60-dollars. Near the end of this year that barrel sold for more than 90-dollars. --- Baby Left In Car -- Babysitters Go Drinking (Bay Shore, NY) -- A New York woman and her boyfriend are under arrest after they allegedly left an 18-month-old child in a car while they went off to drink at a bar. Suffolk County police say a Good Samaritan called authorities after noticing a small child locked in the car in the parking lot of the bar in the wee hours. Authorities located the 19-year-old woman and her 21-year-old boyfriend who were supposed to be babysitting the child. The baby was left in freezing temperatures for at least a half hour. --- Clinton Campaign Confused (Des Moines, IA) -- Senator Hillary Clinton may need a new calendar. At a campaign rally on Saturday, her staff handed out cards reminding people to vote for her on January 14th. The only problem is, thats eleven days later than January 3rd, the day Iowa is actually holding its caucuses. Campaign organizers eventually realized the mistake and actually scratched out the wrong date and wrote the right one in. --- Greys Anatomy Star Gets Married In Utah (Los Angeles, CA) -- "Greys Anatomy" star Katherine Heigl is now officially off the market. "US Weekly" reports the 29-year-old married her 27-year-old musician boyfriend Josh Kelley in Utah on Sunday. The Emmy award winning actress, who plays "Izzy" on the hit TV show, first met her now-husband in 2005 on the set of a music video. Some of Heigls co-stars were in attendance at the Park City ceremony, including Sandra Oh, Kate Walsh and T.R. Knight. Kelley plans to release a new album in February. --- An Action Film Is The Big Winner This Weekend (Los Angeles, CA) -- The main action at the Box Office this weekend came from the action film, "National Treasure: Book of Secrets." The Nicolas Cage sequel brought in 45-point-five-million dollars in ticket sales to top the list. Dropping to second this week with more than 34-million-dollars, was the science fiction film "I Am Legend." The ten-day take for the Will Smith thriller reached more than 137-million-dollars (Copyright 2007 by Newsroom Solutions) RNS-12-24-07 0841CST