Good morning, it’s Saturday, October 20, the 293rd day of 2007. There are 72 days left in the year. After overnight lows in the lower 50s, it should warm up into the upper 80s later today.

Thirty years ago today, three members of the Lynyrd Skynyrd band died when their chartered plane crashed near McComb, Miss. Singer-songwriter Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines and vocalist Cassie Gaines died in the crash, along with the plane’s pilot and copilot. Other band members were injured, some seriously. Most of the surviving members reunited in 1987, and the band continues to perform, launching a tour this year.

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This month’s photo:

These cowboys are literally poised to ride off into the sunset at the 2nd Annual Evant Ranch Rodeo, which features working cowboys from ranches around Central Texas. The photo was taken by Fred Daschofsky of Gatesville and was selected for the 2007 KWTX Hometown Calendar. Click here for information about the 2008 KWTX Hometown Calendar.

What’s Going On Today
Click Here To Check The Community Calendar For Today’s Events In Central Texas

Today's Highlight in History:
On October 20, 1944, during World War II, General Douglas MacArthur stepped ashore at Leyte (LAY'-tee) in the Philippines, 2 1/2 years after he'd said, "I shall return."

On This Date:
In 1740, Maria Theresa became ruler of Austria, Hungary and Bohemia upon the death of her father, Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI.
In 1803, the U.S. Senate ratified the Louisiana Purchase.
In 1903, a joint commission ruled in favor of the United States in a boundary dispute between the District of Alaska and Canada.
In 1947, the House Un-American Activities Committee opened hearings into alleged Communist influence and infiltration within the American motion picture industry.
In 1964, the 31st president of the United States, Herbert Hoover, died in New York at age 90.
In 1967, seven men were convicted in Meridian, Mississippi, of violating the civil rights of three slain civil rights workers.
In 1968, former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy married Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis.
In 1973, in the so-called "Saturday Night Massacre," special Watergate prosecutor Archibald Cox was dismissed and Attorney General Elliot L. Richardson and Deputy Attorney General William B.
Ruckelshaus resigned.
In 1977, three members of the rock group Lynyrd Skynyrd were killed in the crash of a chartered plane near McComb, Mississippi.
In 1987, 10 people were killed when an Air Force jet crashed into a Ramada Inn hotel near Indianapolis International Airport after the pilot, who was trying to make an emergency landing, ejected safely.

Ten years ago:
Hungarian-born U.S. financier and philanthropist George Soros announced he would donate as much as 500 million dollars in aid to Russia over the next three years. Mir cosmonauts performed history's first "internal spacewalk" (because of the need for spacesuits) to restore power to the damaged Spektr module of the space station.

Five years ago:
With a U.S. invasion looming, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein issued an amnesty decree releasing everyone from pickpockets to political prisoners from prison. The Anaheim Angels evened the World Series in Game 2 by beating the San Francisco Giants 11-10.

One year ago:
President Bush conceded in an Associated Press interview that "right now it's tough" for American forces in Iraq, but the White House said he would not change U.S. strategy in the face of pre-election polls indicating voters were upset. Actress Jane Wyatt died in Los Angeles at age 96.

Today's Birthdays:
Actor William Christopher is 75. Country singer Wanda Jackson is 70. Singer Tom Petty is 57. Actress Melanie Mayron is 55. Baseball All-Star Keith Hernandez is 54. Actor Viggo Mortensen is 49. Rock musician Jim Sonefeld (Hootie & The Blowfish) is 43. Rock musician David Ryan is 43. Rock musician Doug Eldridge (Oleander) is 40. Rapper Snoop Dogg is 36. Singer Dannii Minogue is 36. Country musician Jeff Loberg is 31. Actor John Krasinski is 28. Actress Jennifer Nicole Freeman ("My Wife and Kids") is 22.

Thought for Today:
"Morals is not preaching, it is beauty of a rare kind." -- Ernest Dimnet, French priest, lecturer and author (1866-1954).

(Source: Associated Press)

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