23 Dec 1961
Page 1
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Newspaper
Middletown Journal
Location
Middletown, Ohio, United States of America
Date
Dec 23, 1961
Page
1
In Catanzaro Italy a jammed Christmas shopper car on a three coach train plunged 100 feet down a river embankment killing 34 and injuring 28. Rescue efforts were slowed by rain as 80 travelers remained trapped and hospitals urged blood donors.
President Kennedy, amid Bermuda talks with Prime Minister Macmillan, rushed to St Marys Hospital to see his ailing father Joseph P Kennedy who shows some improvement but faces paralysis and speech concerns. The family gathers. Jacqueline Kennedy and relatives join the hurried visit and Christmas plans remain unsettled at the Cape Cod estate.
The death toll from highway mishaps rose during the opening hours of the Christmas holiday weekend. Within the first hours, more than 79 people died in traffic incidents, starting with Mrs. Cora Marcotte, 31, of Littleton New Hampshire, killed in a two car crash en route to Rhode Island to visit relatives. Her husband and daughter were injured as the nation braces for heavy travel as nearly all of the nations 76 million motor vehicles may be used at least once over the long weekend, though a Midwest blizzard may reduce that figure.
A two car collision at Alum Creek Drive and Refugee Road in Columbus killed Circleville man Michael E. Pharr, 24, and injured six others. Four of the injured are assigned to Lockbourne Air Force Base. Driver Homer E. Blair, 21, and passenger Harriett Paulsen, 63, suffered injuries including leg fractures and head injuries.
In Bermuda talks Kennedy and Macmillan agreed the U S ambassador to Moscow will lead a new effort with Britain to ease East West tension and explore negotiation with the Soviet Union. A communique outlined steps toward possible atmospheric nuclear tests while Britain weighs a request to use Christmas Island for explosions.
Fragmented OCR note references The Inside Comics section with a crossword puzzle and radio TV highlights. Includes entries on deaths and funerals and local notices. contains garbled phrases and illegible names.
A crippling blizzard swept the Midwest including Iowa Illinois and Wisconsin with six foot drifts and closed highways. Wind gusts up to 45 mph stranded motorists shut airports and felled power lines as icy temperatures dipped below zero in the Dakotas Minnesota and nearby states.
In Havana crowds fill downtown sidewalks during a socialist Christmas week. The government grants Christmas bonuses while radios urge restraint, yet shoppers, with money in hand, buy food and clothes from nationalized stores. Pine trees are scarce and palm leaves replace traditional decor as old world carols echo.
Associated Press reports a festive mood amid world tensions as Berlin sees its first snow of the season and 800 Christmas trees along the Communist wall brighten the scene. West Berliners invite U S British French troops to Christmas dinners while Kennedy plans a televised Christmas greeting to Europe.
Hollywood AP reports singer Bing Crosby, who was briefly hospitalized in San Francisco for stomach pains, arrived by private plane in good spirits. His wife Kathy said he had a good night and looks wonderful after the setback.
A weary father refuses to tolerate holiday antics as a caller mutters about reindeer on the roof. The scene captures lighthearted family struggle during festive decorating.
Katanga's provincial cabinet refused to ratify Tshombe's unity pact with the central Congo government. The cabinet said the decision should go to the National Assembly, signaling possible Katanga rejection of the accord amid ongoing tensions after U.N. forces captured the capital.
Four tribal leaders told U N headquarters that white officers led Katanga troops in a massacre of African families hostile to the Tshombe regime. Confirmation was lacking and there was no explanation of how Katanga forces, many fled to the bush after Elisabethville collapses, could have killed amid 6 000 U N troops in the city.
In 1950 Marine Cpl. Richard Lopez asked his mother to save him a Christmas tree. She kept it decorated as he served in Korea, waited for his return, and later learned he died near Kobe, Japan. The tree, now in a protective structure, remains a living tribute with occasional visitors and nightly prayers.
The U S Justice Department seeks a permanent injunction to bar General Electric from conspiring to fix prices or rig bids on any GE manufactured item from light bulbs to missile parts. The action, filed in U S District Court, cites GE's pattern of anti trust violations and consolidates 18 prior orders. Atty Gen Kennedy said the move targets GE specifically, not other firms already facing civil actions.
Police in Dayton Ohio report Roosevelt Walters 27 and Ollie Mae Casey 23 were found shot in a car at a west side intersection. A single male suspect was detained at the scene. two pistols were seized. No motive disclosed.
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