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All I want for Christmas is . . . . .

The year 2019 has expired, along with Kim Jong Un’s promise/threat to send President Donald Trump “a Christmas gift” by the end of the year. Since the proffered holiday present was tied to North Korea’s demand that Washington lift sanctions for its nuclear program, it was widely interpreted by U.S. experts to portend an escalation in the negotiations standoff, such as a new long-range missile launch or even a nuclear test. As Gift Day approached, Pyongyang increased its warnings with escalating rhetoric harkening back to the personal insult stage of the early Trump administration. Western concerns and tensions mounted amid...

U.S. officials are on high alert for signs of a possible missile launch from North Korea in the coming days that officials have referred to as a “Christmas gift.” A significant launch or nuclear test would raise the end of North Korea's self-imposed moratorium on missile launches and tests. It would also be a major blow to one of President Trump’s major foreign policy goals to get North Korea back to the negotiating table to eliminate its nuclear weapons. In this Dec. 16, 2019, photo, South Korean army soldiers stand guard at the Unification Bridge, which leads to the Panmunjom...

OKMULGEE, Okla. -- An Okmulgee man is behind bars after police say he beat his girlfriend's five-year-old because the little boy opened a Christmas present early. The child's mother says her boyfriend was watching her children while she was Christmas shopping Saturday. She came home to something she never thought she would see. She saw bruises to her five-year-old son's back and arms, whelps on his forehead, and an apparent hand print on his cheek. In a Facebook post, the mother wrote, "Words cannot explain seeing your baby like this and having no clue what happened. I ran to him...

I was just wondering if anyone would like to share their most memorable and favorite Christmas present. I'm tied between being a kid and getting Darth Vader's tie Fighter (with removable wings) --- and --- This year I got a late model, new in box, .356 Colt Python. My father's service weapon was a Colt Python. When he died, my sister took it because she lived alone. Sister got married, then divorced --- and the ex-husband took my dad's gun. Always has made me MAD. Mrs. TTR replaced it this year -- little early. Cool pistol and she put some...

There is a new video game out called "Dragon Age-origins". It is a knight/warrior elf type game (think Dungeons and Dragons) in the genre of Lord of the Rings. There is more than one sex scene in this game and it's fairly graphic. The kicker is that there are at least three gay (men on men) sex scenes and I'm not sure how many female/female sex scenes, but I know there are a few. Just wanted to warn you guys becuase I myself like role playing games but was really shocked at this with the nearly naked kissing guys and...

Joe the Plumber has signed a book deal! His book about his "ideas of American values" will be out on Dec. 1. Do you see this being on your Christmas list - as either a request from Santa, or as a gift?"...he has signed a deal to write “Joe the Plumber: Fighting for the American Dream.” PearlGate Publishing, a small publisher in Austin, Tex., announced the book on its Web site, pearlgatepublishing.com."

Holiday Shopping: Putting Our Money Where Our Mouth Is Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah FRiends! This is the time of year that is special because is engenders the spirit of giving and selflessness of its sacred origins. Each of us, in his or her own way, has a special place in our heart for this joyful time. As we put others' needs and desires first, as we look forward to the expression of surprise and delight on our loved ones' faces as they receive our gifts, as we peruse the ailes, let us consider the economic import of our duty. Some...

HEBRON - An empty frozen pizza box at his side, Greg Westerkamp paced around an almost empty airport baggage claim area. Westerkamp, who works for a frozen pizza manufacturer, thought he was picking up a client who would know him by the box. Greg Westerkamp of Walton embraces his daughter, Army Pvt. Kristine Timmons, at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport on Tuesday upon her return on leave from duty in Iraq. (Patrick Reddy photo)He had no idea it was all part of an elaborate scheme cooked up by his wife and his employer to get him to the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky...