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Newspaper
Cedar Rapids Gazette
Location
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States of America
Date
Dec 24, 1944
Page
1
Dr. Harlow Shapley argues illiteracy and the tyranny of the unknown threaten society. The piece urges national action to wipe illiteracy, speed reading, and better information use while praising Cedar Rapids postal workers and offering a Christmas planning parable for parents.
Washington AP report details drastic war moves including banning horse and dog racing and denying materials fuel and transport to noncompliant businesses. Byrnes leads steps to enforce employment ceilings, boost WPB authority, and require hearings before actions.
The OPA plans to restore point values to most point free meats and major canned vegetables by year end with Dec 31 effective dates likely. Frozen fruits and vegetables remain point free. Jams and preserves probably stay out of the list as the dispute with WFA continues unresolved.
Mrs Herbert Powell known as the weather woman reports Cedar Rapids temperatures dropping from six below at 1 10 p m to two below by 9 p m with readings at 7 and 8 p m showing two above and two below respectively. She notes a sharp fall and describes the cold as brrr.
Butte and other Montana towns recorded a rapid temperature drop from near 58 degrees to below zero within 12 hours. Readings by 10 am showed Helena at 126 below, Belgrade 27 below, Drummond 32 below, Miles City 10 below, and Custer 22 below.
Readings showed the mercury dropping to five below Saturday night then rising Sunday with a chance of snow. Eastern Iowa temperatures were expected to reach 10 below, with Cedar Rapids potentially the coldest. Humidity at 10 p.m. was 40 percent, unchanged from 2:30 p.m.
Russian troops tighten the pincers on Budapest with renewed offensives northwest and southwest. The siege advances to within 109 miles of Vienna as hundreds of tanks and planes clash around the capital. In the north, German forces claim a defense victory in Latvia as winter fighting continues.
Land-based American heavy bombers and fighters struck Clark field in the Philippines in a first major raid on the Manila area in over three years. Four-motor Liberator bombers escorted by Thunderbolts destroyed or damaged most of about 100 Japanese planes on the ground and started fires. Only nine fighters rose to defend Clark field and eight were shot down.
Washington AP reports Adolph A. Berle will be appointed ambassador to Brazil after resigning as assistant secretary of state in a major departmental shakeup. The Brazil post carries high importance amid Argentina's defection from the war front of the Americas.
President Roosevelt signed a billion dollar flood control program into law, covering flood checking works reclamation hydroelectric power and related projects. Congress must still appropriate the funds for the nationwide plan.
Cedar Rapids residents planning Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve celebrations will find taverns largely closed due to state law restricting beer sales from midnight Saturday to 7 am Monday. Some venues may stay open for soft drinks only, with Piccadilly at the Roosevelt hotel offering cokes and setups on New Year’s Eve. Snyder’s tavern sought and received permission to remain open until 2 am for dancing New Year’s Eve.
Allied air forces flew about 5,000 sorties on Saturday with heavy British based bomber and fighter forces joining 3,000 Ninth air force sorties and 360 First Tactical sorties. They claimed 236 enemy aircraft destroyed or damaged while American and RAF aircrews protected the raid on German transport centers and rail hubs from Kaiserlautern to Coblenz.
The Office of Price Administration invalidated tire ration certificates issued on or before March 31, 1944. The move affects motorists who held these vouchers and may impact fuel and tire supplies during wartime shortages.
President Roosevelt signed legislation approving one billion dollars for postwar flood control projects. The White House stated the measure preserves the plan to establish the Missouri Valley authority without jeopardizing its creation.
More than 500 American soldiers gather in Bethlehem for Christmas at the Church of the Nativity. Pilgrims fly in from France Germany Italy North Africa and the Middle East to attend midnight mass and hear 2000 Polish army choristers sing as they honor the birthplace of Jesus.
Paris describes a German advance up to 15 miles, reaching Libramont 24 miles from Sedan while the Americans conduct counterattacks on the southern flank near Bastogne and Malmedy. Air forces fly thousands of sorties in the western front crisis as fronts shift with Stavelot and St. Vith reportedly lost.
Thousands of gallons of American gasoline intended for front line Allied vehicles are hijacked daily and sold on the French black market. Civilians and soldiers alike are implicated, with hundreds arrested and a French civilian fined for similar offenses. High losses are noted behind the front lines, while the war continues in Belgium and Luxembourg.
War casualty totals for Linn County outside Cedar Rapids include 21 killed in action, two killed in training, 15 missing in action, one died in service, and seven prisoners. The tally also notes 49 total casualties across the county with categories for killed in action and missing in action.
Baldo and wife Diaz learn from the War Department that one of their six sons serving in the armed forces has been listed as a casualty. His rank and unit are not disclosed in the notice.
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