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BELLEVUE, Iowa — Two runaway horses pulling a wagon trampled spectators at a small-town Fourth of July parade, killing a 60-year-old woman and injuring at least 23 other people, four critically.

The horses bolted after one rubbed its head against the other, removing that horse’s bridle, police said. They galloped for several blocks with the wagon in tow, trampling parade-goers. The wagon flipped and ejected its two passengers, police said.

Full Story at msnbc.com

DAUPHIN ISLAND, Ala. — Fireworks displays have been canceled. White-sand beaches that should be crowded with sunbathers are instead dotted with cleanup workers, booms and sand-sifting equipment. Normally packed hotels are trying to fill rooms ahead of what is a crucial weekend for beach businesses.

Across the oil-stained Gulf Coast, it’s going to be a glum Fourth of July.

Full Story at CNN.com

(CNN) — A Salvation Army major was shot dead in front of his three children on Christmas Eve in North Little Rock, Arkansas, authorities said.

Maj. Philip Wise, 40, was gunned down Thursday. He was found lying by the back entrance of a Salvation Army facility, said police spokesman Sgt. Terry Kuykendall.

Wise apparently dropped two bell ringers off at home and returned to the Salvation Army building with his three children, ages 4, 6 and 8. Two men carrying handguns approached them and demanded money before shooting Wise, Kuykendall said.

The suspects fled on foot.

Full Story atCNN.com

Boston, Massachusetts (CNN) — A white van sits at a warehouse loading dock in Boston. Buckled in the front passenger seat is Eeyore, the donkey friend of Winnie the Pooh.

“This is the back seat driver,” says one of several volunteers removing the stuffed animal and other donated children’s items for the local Toys for Tots campaign.

The U.S. Marine Corps Reserve program, which began 62 years ago in Los Angeles, California, now gives Christmas presents to underprivileged children in nearly 700 cities and towns across the country.

Full Story atCNN.com

Arlington, Virginia (CNN) — For Karen and Morrill Worcester, it’s a campaign that blossomed out of a personal family tradition. But for the families of the fallen, it’s a holiday tribute to remember the sacrifice of those who have given their lives in the armed services.

On Saturday, volunteers flooded the grounds at Arlington National Cemetery to take part in the annual wreath-laying ceremony sponsored by Wreaths Across America, a nonprofit organization born out of the Arlington Wreaths Project.

The husband and wife have been laying wreaths at the cemetery on their own since 1992, inspired by a visit Morrill paid to the landmark when he was a boy. Wreaths Across America began laying the decoration in 2006 and now places red-ribboned fir wreaths on veterans’ gravestones across the country.

Full Story at CBS News

(AP) The first visitors allowed into the Statue of Liberty’s crown in nearly eight years made the arduous climb Saturday on an Independence Day journey laden with symbolism of freedom, national pride – and for one couple, romance.

Aaron Weisinger, 26, got down on one knee on the crown’s small floor, pulled out a diamond ring and proposed to his girlfriend, Erica Breder. Stunned, Breder squeezed her eyes shut as tears rolled down her cheeks, and whispered an immediate yes.

“To propose in the crown was perfect,” 25-year-old Breder said later.

Full Story At  CBS News

(CBS/AP) With the nation’s attention turned to President-elect Barack Obama’s anticipated inauguration Tuesday, the celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day may have gotten lost in the shuffle in parts of the country.

In Hempstead, NY, the annual parade marking the birthday of the famed civil rights leader was canceled as too many dignitaries were off in Washington, D.C., to take part in another pivotal moment in the history of race relations in America – the swearing in of the first African-American president, just across the National Mall from the spot where King delivered his famous “I Have A Dream” speech in 1963.