[U.S.] Cliff avoided: Congress staves off tax hikes

Cliff avoided: Congress staves off tax hikes
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57561534/fiscal-cliff-averted-after-deal-clears-house/
WASHINGTON (AP) - Past its own New Year's deadline, a weary Congress sent President Barack Obama legislation to avoid a national ''fiscal cliff'' of middle class tax increases and spending cuts late Tuesday night in the culmination of a struggle that ...

No evidence of spilled fuel from grounded Alaska oil rig
http://www.sfgate.com/news/us/article/No-fuel-sheen-no-sign-that-hull-is-breached-4159359.php
An offshore drilling rig remained beached on a remote island in southern Alaska Tuesday, but authorities said there was as yet no evidence that it had leaked any of the more than 150,000 gallons of fuel and other petroleum products on board into the pristine ...

Woman Falls On Subway Tracks Early New Year's Day, Dies
http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2013/01/01/woman-hit-killed-by-subway-train-after-new-years-festivities/
NEW YORK -- New York City police say a young woman stumbling around on a Manhattan subway platform not far from Times Square fell onto the tracks and was killed by a train.

OSP identifies first fatality in bus crash
http://www.sfgate.com/news/us/article/Survivors-of-Ore-bus-crash-prepare-to-go-home-4159321.php
PENDLETON - Oregon State Police identified the first of the nine people who died in a bus crash Sunday on Interstate 84 near Pendleton.

OJ Simpson, Patty Hearst attorney denied to practice law in Maine
http://www.wcvb.com/news/local/boston-north/F-Lee-Bailey-denied-bid-to-practice-law-in-Maine/-/11984708/17977592/-/ke3tx4/-/index.html
LEWISTON, Maine - F. Lee Bailey, the attorney who represented O.J. Simpson and Patty Hearst, has been denied his request to practice law in Maine.

Brrrraving the icy waters of Lake George at the 2013 Polar Plunge
http://www.sfgate.com/news/us/article/Hundreds-ring-in-2013-with-icy-plunge-in-NY-waters-4159831.php
LAKE GEORGE - Buck McTee of Orlando, Fla., could have been home basking in the sunshine or spending New Year's Day at Disney World with Mickey Mouse.

Cardinal George, Same-Sex Marriage and the Law of Nature
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-cardinal-george-gay-marriage-0102-20130102,0,1703693.story
With the Illinois legislature poised to consider a bill to legalize same-sex marriage, Chicago's Cardinal Francis George officially entered the political fray by issuing a letter that urges Catholics to urge their representatives to oppose the legislation.

North Carolina governor pardons 'Wilmington 10′
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/n-governor-grants-pardons-wilmington-10-case-article-1.1230964
Members of the ?Wilmington 10? hold a brief communion service before boarding a prison bus on Feb. 2, 1976 in Burgaw, North Carolina, as they surrendered to start prison terms on convictions growing out of 1971 racial disorders in Wilmington, N.C.

Suspect held in fatal shooting at California fireworks show
http://www.kansascity.com/2013/01/01/3989783/suspect-arrested-in-fatal-sacramento.html
(CNN) -- A 22-year-old man was in custody as a suspect in a shooting during a New Year's Eve fireworks show in Sacramento, California, where two people were fatally shot and three were wounded, police said Tuesday.

150th anniversary of Emancipation Proclamation celebrated
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/1309372--150th-anniversary-of-emancipation-proclamation-celebrated
CHARLESTON, S.C.â€"Congregants at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church cried out in testimony, prayer and song at a New Year's Eve service recalling the vigils held by blacks 150 years ago as they awaited President Abraham Lincoln's signing of ...

Push for New Restrictions on Guns Lacks Clear Strategy
http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Column-Gun-debate-revives-enduring-American-fight-4156461.php
WASHINGTONâ€"Democrats hoping to enact new gun restrictions after last month's school shooting have yet to coalesce around a legislative strategy, with views differing over what controls to propose and many lawmakers awaiting White House ...

New Year Brings Hope To Sandy-Ravaged Staten Island
http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2013/01/01/new-year-brings-hope-to-sandy-ravaged-staten-island/
A flag shows hope and patriotism this New Year's Day in Sandy-ravaged Staten Island. (Credit: CBS 2). Filed under. Heard On 1010 WINS, WCBS, WFAN, Local, News, NY News, Radio.