Rescuers ‘Crawled' Over Bodies To Reach Survivors: Midwest Storms

ACROSS AMERICA — Good morning. It’s Sunday, Dec. 12 and people in several U.S. states are still reeling today after destructive storms took dozens of lives and devastated some cities. Catch up on this weekend’s tragic weather as well as other headlines we’re following:

• Friday’s tornado could rival the longest on record.
• Football star and TV celebrity Michael Strahan caught a ride to space Saturday.
• This guy is our holiday hero and our unSanta.
• A former Jets player has been sentenced for loan fraud.

A monstrous tornado, carving a track that could rival the longest on record, ripped through the middle of the U.S. in a stormfront that killed dozens and tore apart a candle factory, crushed a nursing home, derailed a train and smashed an Amazon warehouse.

"I pray that there will be another rescue. I pray that there will be another one or two," Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said, as crews sifted through the wreckage of the candle factory in Mayfield, where 110 people were working overnight Friday when the storm hit.

"We had to, at times, crawl over casualties to get to live victims," said Jeremy Creason, the city's fire chief and EMS director.

In Kentucky alone, 22 were confirmed dead by Saturday afternoon. The death toll of 30 across five states includes four people in Tennessee; two in Arkansas, where a nursing home was destroyed; and one in both Missouri and Illinois, where an Amazon facility was hit. »Kentucky Hardest Hit As Storms Leave Dozens Dead In 5 States, via Across America Patch

• RELATED: Midwest Tornadoes: Photos Show Widespread Storm Destruction | 2 Dead After Collapse At Edwardsville Amazon Center

Six Earn Space Wings

Football star and TV celebrity Michael Strahan caught a ride to space with Jeff Bezos' rocket-launching company Saturday, sharing the trip with the daughter of America's first astronaut.

Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket blasted off from West Texas, sending the capsule on a 10-minute flight with the two VIP guests and four paying customers. »TV's Strahan, Astronaut's Daughter Go To Space With Blue Origin, via Across America Patch

The Week In Photos

Bob Dole died Sunday and was remembered this week in services as a statesman who reached across party lines. A strong storm flooded parts of Hawaii and downed power lines. A community mourned the loss of four high school students. And aging veterans returned to Pearl Harbor 80 years later. Week In Photos: Devastation In Hawaii, Dole's Death, Starbucks, via Across America Patch

ICYMI: Shooting May Spark Reckoning

Last week's fatal school shooting that left four dead in Michigan has sparked a reckoning over why it's so easy for kids to get their hands on their parents' or other adults' firearms and gun down their classmates. In her decisions, prosecutor Karen McDonald, a mother of five and former circuit court judge who stepped down in 2019 to run for county prosecutor, is articulating clearly the echo in many Americans' hearts: This has to stop. »School Shootings: Case Seeks Accountability, Not More Gun Control, via Across America Patch

Ginger (And) Bread House

Rich Brandeis, of Darien, Illinois, took the challenge literally when Patch announced its second annual gingerbread house contest. He didn't make it to the finals, but we created a special award honoring his wit — a virtual ugly Christmas sweater. »Now, This Guy Knows How To Make A Gingerbread House, via Across America

• RELATED: Patch Gingerbread House Contest: Vote On 5 Finalists

More national headlines on Patch, other news websites:

• Vaccine Religious Opt-Outs Overused, But Still Supported: Survey
• Supreme Court Allows Suits Against Texas Abortion Law To Continue
• Why U.S. Inflation Is So High, And When It May Ease: Explainer
• As Winter Storms Start, States Struggle To Hire Snowplow Drivers
• 2021 In Books: 'Everything Feels Magnified'

Around ‘The Patch’

• First Case Of Omicron Variant Identified In Rhode Island, via Cranston Patch
• Black Santa 'Dreezy Claus' Brings Chicago Gift Of Representation, via Chicago Patch
• Joshua Bellamy, Former NY Jets Player, Sentenced For PPP Loan Fraud, via St. Pete Patch
• Omicron Variant Detected In Ohio, 2 Cases Confirmed, via Cleveland Patch
• Philly Among 10 Most 'Sinful' Cities In The U.S., via Philadelphia Patch
• South FL Man Charged After Threatening To Decapitate Congresswomen, via Miami Patch
• Illinois Doctor Used Veterinary Catheters To Inseminate Women, via Skokie, Illinois, Patch

House Hunting

Someone who loves the outdoors will love the location of this beautifully designed and modernized home in Highland, New York. Just steps from a walking trail, the century-old home has historic beauty and charm as well as state-of-the-art amenities.

This Day In History

In 2009, Annise Parker was elected mayor of Houston, making it the largest city in the United States to elect an openly gay mayor.

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