Good morning, it’s Saturday, December 29, the 363rd day of 2007. There are two days left in the year. The forecast calls for sun and highs in the upper 50s—much different from the weather a year ago today when some Central Texas counties were under tornado warnings.

On December 29, 2006, tornadoes touched down near Oglesby, near the Womack Community in Bosque County and in Limestone County, where a pair of twisters destroyed homes, outbuildings and a personal care center for veterans. One of the center’s residents died and more than a dozen injuries were reported.

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This month’s photo:

German immigrants built the Church of the Visitation in Westphalia more than a century ago. It’s one of the largest wooden church buildings in Texas. The photo was taken by Thomas Rinard of Waco 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 Local History:
On December 29, 1845, Texas became the 28th state.
On December 29, 1902, singer Jules Bledsoe was born in Waco.

Today's Highlight in History:
On December 29, 1890, the Wounded Knee massacre took place in South Dakota as an estimated 300 Sioux Indians were killed by U.S. troops sent to disarm them.

On This Date:
In 1170, Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, was murdered in Canterbury Cathedral in England by knights loyal to King Henry II.
In 1808, the 17th president of the United States, Andrew Johnson, was born in Raleigh, North Carolina.
In 1845, Texas was admitted as the 28th state.
In 1851, the first American Young Men's Christian Association was organized, in Boston.
In 1916, Grigory Rasputin, the so-called "Mad Monk" who'd wielded great influence with Czar Nicholas II, was murdered by a group of Russian noblemen in St. Petersburg.
In 1940, during World War II, Germany dropped incendiary bombs on London, setting off what came to be known as "The Second Great Fire of London."
In 1957, singers Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme were married in Las Vegas, Nevada.
In 1957, the Detroit Lions defeated the Cleveland Browns, 59-14, to win the NFL Championship at Briggs Stadium in Detroit.
In 1975, a bomb exploded in the main terminal of New York's LaGuardia Airport, killing 11 people.
In 1989, playwright Vaclav Havel was elected president of Czechoslovakia by the country's Federal Assembly, becoming the first non-Communist to attain the post in more than four decades.

Ten years ago:
Hong Kong began killing 1.4 million chickens to stem the spread of a mysterious bird flu that had already killed four people.

Five years ago:
Secretary of State Colin Powell, making the rounds of the Sunday TV talk shows, said there was still time to find a diplomatic resolution to North Korea's development of nuclear weapons, and that the situation hadn't yet reached the crisis stage.

One year ago:
Word reached the United States of the execution of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein (because of the time difference, it was the morning of December 30 in Iraq when the hanging took place). In a statement, President Bush called Saddam's execution a milestone on Iraq's road to democracy. Gerald R. Ford's flag-draped casket was carried into a church in Palm Desert, California, for a public viewing that marked the start of six days of mourning for the former president. More than 400 people died when a crowded Indonesian ferry sank in the Java Sea.

Today's Birthdays:
Actor Clarence Swensen ("The Wizard of Oz") is 90. Actress Inga Swenson is 75. ABC newscaster Tom Jarriel is 73. Actress Mary Tyler Moore is 70. Actor Jon Voight is 69. Country singer Ed Bruce is 68. Rock musician Ray Thomas is 66. Singer Marianne Faithfull is 61. Jockey Laffit Pincay, Jr. is 61. Actor Ted Danson is 60. Actor Jon Polito is 57. Singer-actress Yvonne Elliman is 56. Actress Patricia Clarkson is 48. Comedian Paula Poundstone is 48. Rock singer-musician Jim Reid (The Jesus and Mary Chain) is 46. Rock singer Dexter Holland (The Offspring) is 42. Actor-comedian Mystro Clark is 41. Actor Jason Gould is 41. Movie director Andy Wachowski is 40. Actress Jennifer Ehle is 38. Rock singer-musician Glen Phillips is 37. Actor Kevin Weisman is 37. Actor Jude Law is 35. Actor Mekhi Phifer is 33. Actor Shawn Hatosy is 32. Actor Diego Luna is 28. Country singer Jessica Andrews is 24.

Thought for Today:
"Sin cannot be undone, only forgiven." --Igor Stravinsky, Russian-born composer (1882-1971).

(Source: Associated Press)

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