On Dec. 27, 1927, the musical “Show Boat” opened in New York.
In 1947, the children’s TV program “Howdy Doody” made its debut on NBC.
In 1970, the musical “Hello, Dolly!” closed on Broadway after a run of 2,844 performances. It had opened in 1964.
In 1985, singer Simon LeBon of Duran Duran and model Yasmin Parvanah were married in Oxford, England.
In 1992, singer Harry Connick Jr. was arrested in New York’s Kennedy Airport because an unloaded gun was found in his carry-on bag. He spent a night in jail.
In 1999, Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs and Jennifer Lopez were arrested following a shooting at a New York dance club during which three people were shot and wounded. Charges against Lopez were dropped. Combs was acquitted of gun and bribery charges.
In 2016, actor Carrie Fisher died, four days after she suffered a medical emergency while on a flight from London to Los Angeles. She was 60. A day later, Fisher’s mother, actor Debbie Reynolds, suffered a stroke and died at the age of 84.
In 2023, musicians Nelly and Ashanti were married.
Today’s birthdays: Guitarist Mick Jones of Foreigner is 80. Singer Tracy Nelson is 80. Actor Gerard Depardieu is 76. Jazz drummer T.S. Monk is 75. Singer Karla Bonoff is 73. Guitarist David Knopfler of Dire Straits is 72. Actor Tovah Feldshuh (“Law and Order”) is 71. Actor Maryam D’Abo (“The Living Daylights”) is 64. Drummer Jeff Bryant (Ricochet) is 62. Actor Ian Gomez (“Felicity,” ″The Drew Carey Show”) is 60. Actor Theresa Randle (“Bad Boys”) is 60. Actor Eva LaRue (“CSI: Miami”) is 58. Bassist Darrin Vincent of Dailey and Vincent is 55. Guitarist Matt Slocum of Sixpence None The Richer is 52. Actor Wilson Cruz (“Party of Five,” ″My So-Called Life”) is 51. Actor Masi Oka (“Hawaii Five-0,” ″Heroes”) is 50. Actor Emilie de Ravin (“Once Upon A Time,” ″Lost”) is 43. Actor Jay Ellis (“Insecure”) is 43. Guitarist James Mead of Kutless is 42. Singer Hayley Williams of Paramore is 36. Singer Shay Mooney of Dan and Shay is 33. Actor Timothée Chalamet is 29.
After 22 years in the Minnesota House of Representatives, Dean Urdahl will be officially retired on January 5th. His eleven terms in the State Legislature have resulted in numerous local and state projects being accomplished.
Urdahl says he served on the Capital Investment Committee for 20 years – two of those years as chair when Republicans were in the majority – and he was able to get many projects included in the bonding bills – mainly for water and wastewater projects – for the small towns he represented, but also big projects such as $6-million for the Litchfield Area Recreation Center, and $10-million for the wastewater expansion project at First District Association which did not get signed into law this past session as the Senate did not get it passed in time for the midnight deadline, but he’s confident it will pass in the 2025 session. He says he was also instrumental in the huge preservation project for the State Capitol Building.
Urdahl says he worked for 7 years on a bill to get civics as a requirement for course credit for high school juniors and seniors and it finally passed, so it will be a requirement for graduation as of 2026. He says he also tried to get a state park located in his district, and eventually Green Leaf – in southern Meeker County – was designated as a state recreation area. He says he’d like to thank the people in this area for the opportunity he’s had to represent them these past 22 years.
Urdahl says his wife, Karen, encouraged him to retire at the end of his current term, and he agreed that it was time. He says they will spend time traveling and attending the events of their grandchildren, and he will also continue writing and hopes to produce another film this summer.
On Wednesday morning at 8:53, the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office received a call regarding an over-turned semi and trailer on Mapleview Road, just north of the T-intersection of County Road 40. Upon arrival, deputies located a 2018 Kenworth semi-truck with a tanker trailer tipped on its passenger side in the west ditch of Mapleview Road.
The truck was registered to Krain Transportation of Freeport. Approximately 55,000 pounds, or 6400 gallons of milk, were loaded in the tanker trailer, some of which were leaking out the top hatch. Deputies identified and spoke to the driver – 24-year-old Joshua Kulzer of Melrose. Kulzer said he was driving southbound on Mapleview Road when the tires of the tanker trailer got too close to the shoulder of the road. The tires caught the softer portion of the shoulder and pulled the rest of the truck off the roadway and it eventually over-turned. Kulzer was not injured. Albany Fire & Rescue assisted at the scene.
On Dec. 26, 1944, Tennessee Williams’ play “The Glass Menagerie” was first performed publicly, in Chicago.
In 1955, Decca Records released “See You Later, Alligator” by Bill Haley and the Comets.
In 1957, Elvis Presley got a temporary draft deferment so he could finish making the movie “King Creole.”
In 1963, Capitol Records released the single “I Want to Hold Your Hand” by The Beatles, which became the band’s first number-one hit in the U.S.
In 1967, The Beatles film “Magical Mystery Tour” premiered on BBC television.
In 1968, Led Zeppelin played its first U.S. show, opening for Vanilla Fudge.
In 1973, the film “The Exorcist” made its premiere nationwide.
In 1974, comedian Jack Benny died. He was 80.
In 1999, musician Curtis Mayfield died outside Atlanta at the age of 57.
In 2010, singer Teena Marie died at her home in Pasadena, California. She was 54. Her death was attributed to natural causes.
Today’s birthdays: “America’s Most Wanted” host John Walsh is 79. Keyboardist Bob Carpenter with The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is 78. Bassist George Porter Junior of The Meters is 77. Humorist David Sedaris is 68. Drummer Brian Westrum of Sons of the Desert is 62. Drummer Lars Ulrich of Metallica is 61. Guitarist J (White Zombie) is 57. Country singer Audrey Wiggins is 57. Guitarist Peter Klett of Candlebox is 56. Singer James Mercer of The Shins is 54. Actor-singer Jared Leto of 30 Seconds To Mars is 53. Singer Chris Daughtry (“American Idol”) is 45. Actor Beth Behrs (“The Neighborhood,” “2 Broke Girls”) is 39. Actor Kit Harington (“Game of Thrones”) is 38. Actor Eden Sher (“The Middle”) is 33. Singer Jade Thirlwall of Little Mix is 32.