SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:51 P.M. ET: 

CHICAGO WELCOMES 2016 – From ABC:   Mere hours after Chicago rang in 2016 with fireworks along its famous riverwalk, the city reported its first homicide.  A 24-year-old man was shot in the chest a few minutes after 2 a.m. in Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood, according to police. He was pronounced dead at the scene and the shooter is at large, a police spokeswoman said. The investigation is ongoing.  Another man, 38, was hurt in the brawl, according to police. He transported himself to a nearby hospital and is listed in good condition after being shot in his hand, officials said.  I'm sure there's more excitement ahead in the president's home town.

YOU CAN'T MAKE THIS UP – From CNN:   Chicago (CNN) Hundreds of police officers at one of the country's busiest airports say in the case of an active shooter, they are instructed to run and hide.  Internal aviation department documents obtained through department sources state, "If evacuation is not possible: hide."  The documents advise locking doors, turning off lights and remaining quiet and calm.  "We must also ensure that unarmed security personnel ... do not attempt to become part of the response, but could be invaluable to the evacuation efforts," the documents said.  In addition, a training video shown to aviation police officers has the same instructions: "If evacuation is not possible, you should find a place to hide where the active shooter is less likely to find you. Block entry to your hiding place and lock the door."  That makes no sense, said aviation police officers interviewed by CNN.  If it made sense, they wouldn't be doing it.  Don't you feel safer now that you've read this?

NO TOUCHDOWN – From USATODAY.COM:   DALLAS (AP) — Jimmy Kimmel told people to watch. Even soap opera stars on "General Hospital" made not-so-subtle references to making plans to watch the College Football Playoff on New Year's Eve.  All the prodding and promoting wasn't enough to convince many fans to tune in.  College football's move to create a new tradition with semifinal matchups on New Year's Eve drew ratings more than a third lower than last season, when the matchups were held on New Year's Day.  The Orange Bowl between Clemson and Oklahoma, which kicked off about 4:10 p.m. EST on ESPN, drew a 9.1 rating, a 38.5 percent drop compared to last year's Rose Bowl, which got a 14.8 rating. The number of viewers dropped 44.5 percent from 28,164,000 for the Rose to just 15,640,000 for the Orange.  Someone tell the genius TV executives that many Americans make other plans for New Year's Eve, like going to a non-football party.  Explain to them what that is.

January 1, 2016