The large headline refers to the ongoing crisis in the Congo. It's complicated (I took a peek at a Wiki page about it) and I think it would be unlikely today that the Journal would allot so much of its front page to something going on in that part of the world. People in the U. S. just don't seem to be that interested in another country's internal problems. Similarly, the war between India and China is big news, but I'm not sure just how much coverage it would get today.
Other news items: another victim of the Boston Strangler; a three-car collision on Lorain's icy west side roads; a terrible winter storm with below zero temperatures that continued to hammer the Northeast; a wedding performed by Mayor Mathna; and a relatively low traffic death toll for the holiday.
There's also a nice photo of some Lorainites celebrating New Year's Eve at Oak Hills Country Club and of course, the much-missed (by me) "Today's Chuckle."
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Next, the blog will take some baby steps in the direction of all those 'first babies.'