Trump expected to tap Exxon's Tillerson to lead State Dept.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump moved closer to nominating Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson as his secretary of State on Saturday, a decision that would bring a business leader with close ties to Russia into the Cabinet.

Trump has privately signaled that he plans to tap Tillerson for the powerful Cabinet post, but had not formally offered him the job as of Saturday evening, according to people who have spoken with Trump and his transition team. Some advisers worry that Tillerson's Russia connections would lead to a contentious Senate confirmation hearing and keep alive questions about Trump's own relationship with Moscow.

Trump and Tillerson met privately in New York on Saturday, their second meeting in a week. The president-elect's transition team said an announcement was not expected over the weekend. 

Tillerson rose to prominence through Exxon's Russian energy business and was awarded Russia's Order of Friendship. He has argued against sanctions the U.S. and European allies imposed on Russia after it annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.

In an interview airing Sunday, Trump praised Tillerson as "much more than a businessman."

"He's a world-class player," Trump said on Fox News Sunday. "To me, a great advantage is he knows many of the players and he knows them well. He does massive deals in Russia, he does massive deals, not for himself, for the company."

Trump's own relationship with Russia was an issue through much of the campaign. The CIA has concluded with "high confidence" that Russia sought to influence the U.S. election on behalf of the Republican, an assessment Trump has rejected.

The president-elect's deliberations over his pick to lead the State Department — particularly his consideration of Mitt Romney for the post — have exposed anew the deep rivalries within Trump's team. Campaign manager Kellyanne Conway warned publicly that Trump supporters would feel betrayed if he were to choose a fierce rival for the post, especially given that some loyal allies — most notably former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani — also wanted the job.

Giuliani officially took himself out of consideration for the Cabinet on Friday, though his standing had already been diminished. In addition to Romney, Trump has also been considering Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker and John Bolton, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Trump's team has discussed bringing Bolton on as a No. 2 to Tillerson.

The people who have spoken to Trump and the transition team about the State Department decision insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the internal deliberations publicly.

Internal divisions were also complicating efforts to set up Trump's senior White House staff. Longtime aides are fearful of being left out of the mix as incoming White House chief of staff Reince Priebus builds out the West Wing team. Trump had given Priebus wide authority in the decision-making over White House jobs.

But four people involved in the transition said Trump was irritated after learning of his loyalists' frustrations with Priebus in recent press reports. Trump made his displeasure clear to Priebus, who has begun outreach to some of the people who worked on Trump's campaign from the start.

Two of those sources said Trump's irritation contributed to a decision to hold off on announcing his pick to succeed Priebus at the Republican National Committee. Priebus, who is fiercely protective of the RNC, is said to back Michigan GOP chair Ronna Romney McDaniel for the job. She appeared at Trump's rally in Michigan Friday night, but no announcement was made.

McDaniel, who is Mitt Romney's niece, is still likely to get the RNC job, a Trump transition official said.

Priebus was among a handful of Trump advisers who traveled with him to Maryland Saturday for the annual Army-Navy football game. The president-elect was cheered by the crowd as he joined decorated officers in private boxes at the stadium and he pumped his fist in the air a couple of times.

The president-elect flew to Maryland from New York, where he'd met privately with Tillerson. Trump is said to be intrigued by the prospect of putting an international businessman at the State Department. He's already selected others with predominantly private sector experience to his Cabinet, including billionaire investor Wilbur Ross for Commerce.

The 64-year-old Tillerson is a Texas native who joined Exxon straight out of college in 1975 and never left. Exxon also has operations in Indonesia, Azerbaijan, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, and many other countries. Africa and Asia were its leading sources of oil production in 2015, ahead of the U.S. The company says it has a diverse portfolio of oil and gas projects around the world to mitigate risks, including political ones.

Tillerson has held posts in the company's operations in both Yemen and Russia. Success in the latter post required aligning the company's interests with that of the Russian government.

Early in the company's efforts to gain access to Russian market, Tillerson cut a deal with state-owned Rosneft. The neglected post-Soviet company didn't have a tremendous amount to offer, but Exxon partnered with it "to be on the same side of the table," Tillerson said, according to Private Empire, an investigative history of Exxon by reporter Steve Coll.

Tillerson, who became CEO on Jan. 1, 2006, is expected to retire in 2017. Tillerson's heir apparent, Darren Woods, was put in place a year ago, so there would be virtually no additional disruption to Exxon's succession plans if Tillerson were to become secretary of state.

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Trump officially announces Pentagon pick Mattis

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President-elect Donald Trump (all times EST):

8:20 p.m.

President-elect Donald Trump is officially announcing he will nominate retired Marine Gen. James Mattis to be his Defense Secretary, bringing his pick onstage in North Carolina.

Mattis briefly addressed the crowd in Fayetteville, thanking Trump for the nomination.

Fayetteville is the latest stop in Trump's "thank you" tour to salute his supporters. The venue is near several major military bases, including Fort Bragg.

Trump is also repeating his vow to reinforce the nation's military, believing it will lead to "peace through strength."

He says, "We seek to build up our arms not to seek conflict, but to avoid conflict."

Mattis will require a congressional waiver to accept the post since he has not been out of uniform for the required seven years.

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7:50 p.m.

Vice President-elect Mike Pence is claiming a governing mandate for the Trump administration, calling on conservative activists to help the incoming White House pass an ambitiously conservative agenda.

Pence made little reference to still-simmering national divides in his address at a Tuesday night event honoring top donors to the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank that's working closely with Donald Trump's transition effort.

"We truly do believe that our president-elect has secured a mandate for leadership," he said.

Despite winning the electoral vote, Trump is 2.6 million behind Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton in the popular vote. Clinton's lead there has sparked calls from Democrats to abolish the Electoral College.

Pence spoke in the "presidential ballroom" of Trump's Washington, D.C., hotel.

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5:50 p.m.

Vice President-elect Mike Pence is acknowledging that the son of Donald Trump's incoming national security adviser was helping his father with scheduling and administrative items. But Pence says "that's no longer the case."

Pence says in an interview with CNN that Michael Flynn Jr., the son of retired Gen. Michael Flynn, was helping his father during the transition.

Flynn Jr. sent numerous posts on Twitter about the conspiracy theories of Pizzagate, a fake news story that falsely suggested a Washington, D.C., pizza shop had played a key role in a child sex trafficking ring run by Hillary Clinton.

Pence was pressed repeatedly by host Jake Tapper on whether a security clearance was requested for Flynn Jr. The vice president-elect declined to directly answer the question.

___

4:35 p.m.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich is advising state electors not to vote for him in an anti-Donald Trump protest.

Kasich, a Republican who ran unsuccessfully for president, told The Associated Press Tuesday he is not a candidate for president, the election was held and Trump was the winner.

He says the U.S. is divided, with raw emotions on both sides, but an anti-Trump protest vote will only further divide the country.

Kasich says unity is needed now and it's time for all to come together as Americans.

Trump won 306 electoral votes in the Nov. 8 presidential election, easily enough to make him president when the electoral college meets Dec. 19.

Electors are pledged to candidates but allowed to change their votes, though they almost never do.

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3:25 p.m.

When the Trump administration takes office in January, it's going to be back to the future for Republican senators — on Tuesday afternoons, anyway.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says Vice President-elect Mike Pence will periodically have Tuesday lunches with GOP senators. Senate Republicans have closed-door lunches together on Tuesdays to discuss legislation and politics, usually in the Capitol. Senate Democrats do the same thing.

Vice President Dick Cheney used to lunch frequently with Senate Republicans while he served under President George W. Bush from 2001 through 2008.

McConnell told reporters Tuesday that those lunches with Cheney were a big help to lawmakers. The Kentucky Republican says that gives them "access to the second most important person in the executive branch, on a routine basis."

___

2:35 p.m.

After meeting with Donald Trump on Tuesday, Japanese billionaire Masayoshi Son said he would invest $50 billion in the United States and "commit" to creating 50,000 new jobs.

Son said he "came to celebrate" Trump's new job, and said, "The U.S. will become great again."

As the founder and chief executive of Softbank, Son controls the U.S. telecom Sprint. Shares in Sprint spiked after the announcement was made. Son left Trump Tower escorted by the president-elect.

The financial details about the commitment and its time frame are unclear.

But Trump quickly took credit for the commitment, saying on Twitter, "Masa said he would never do this had we (Trump) not won the election!"

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12: 15 p.m.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel says he has spoken to President-elect Donald Trump by telephone and mentioned Chicago's status as a sanctuary city for immigrants.

Emanuel said Trump called him to talk about the White House transition. Emanuel is a former White House chief of staff to President Barack Obama and also worked in the Clinton administration.

Emanuel spoke about the call at an unrelated event Monday. The mayor said he discussed "a range of things" with Trump. He said he specifically mentioned Chicago being a sanctuary city, which means city employees and police officers can't ask residents about their immigration status.

During the presidential campaign, Trump promised to withhold federal funding for sanctuary cities.

Emanuel didn't offer more details about the call.

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11:25 a.m.

A spokesman for Donald Trump says the president-elect sold all of his stocks in June. The spokesman did not provide any proof or specify the stocks that were sold.

Aide Jason Miller was responding to a question from reporters about whether Trump had stocks in Boeing. Earlier Tuesday, Trump said the government should cancel its multibillion-dollar order with Boeing for new Air Force One presidential planes.

Miller confirmed to the AP that he was referring to all of Trump's stocks. He said he was not aware if Trump had any stocks in Boeing at the time.

The AP has requested proof of Trump's stock sales, but Trump's transition team has so far not provided any.

___

11 a.m.

President-elect Donald Trump is slated to attend the annual Army-Navy football game this Saturday in Baltimore.

Transition officials said Tuesday that Trump would attend the 117th annual game. He will sit on Navy's side of the field for one half of the game, and on Army's side for the other.

The game between the two military academies has long drawn commander in chiefs. President Barack Obama attended the game in 2011. President George W. Bush also attended the game while in office.

The game is held at a neutral site and in recent years has largely alternated between Baltimore and Philadelphia. Navy has won the game 14 straight years.

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10:47 a.m.

House Speaker Paul Ryan is defending President-elect Donald Trump's phone conversation with the Taiwanese president, calling it "much ado about nothing."

The Taiwanese president called Trump last Friday.

Ryan told reporters Tuesday that it is "prudent" for Trump to accept congratulatory phone calls. Ryan says he himself spoke to President Tsai Ing-wen two months ago.

Ryan says not taking the call would be "considered a snub."

Taiwan split from China in 1949, but China still considers the island part of its territory and would consider it unacceptable for the U.S. to recognize Taiwan's leader as a head of state.

Trump advisers have made conflicting statements about whether the call was a congratulatory conversation or a signal of a new policy toward China.

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10:20 a.m.

President-elect Donald Trump has thanked Czech President Milos Zeman for his support, and the two have exchanged invitations to visit.

Zeman's office says Trump appreciated the fact that Zeman "was the only European president" to endorse him during the campaign against Democrat Hillary Clinton.

During the Tuesday phone call, Trump invited Zeman to visit him in the White House in April. Zeman's office says the Czech president returned the invitation by suggesting the president-elect visit Prague — and that invitation was accepted.

Their views of the fight against Islamic terrorism and political and economic cooperation between the U.S. and the Czech Republic were also discussed.

Zeman endorsed Trump with several other European leaders, such as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Trump's former wife, Ivana is of Czech origin.

___

9:50 a.m.

Donald Trump wants the government's contract for a new Air Force One canceled.

The president-elect tweeted that the contract with Boeing for a new presidential plane is costing $4 billion.

He later told reporters at Trump Tower that the manufacturer is "doing a little bit of a number" and the cost is "ridiculous."

Trump added that, "We want Boeing to make a lot of money, but not that much money."

The government has contracted with Boeing to build two or more new planes that would go into service around 2024.

___

8:00 a.m.

Vice President-elect Mike Pence says the conspiracy-minded son of a key adviser to Donald Trump has no role in the president-elect's transition. Pence told MSNBC Tuesday that the son of retired Gen. Mike Flynn "has no involvement in the transition whatsoever."

The statement comes after Mike Flynn Jr. sent numerous posts on Twitter about the conspiracy theories of Pizzagate, a fake news story suggesting a Washington, D.C., pizza shop, Comet Ping Pong, plays a key role in a child sex trafficking ring run by Hillary Clinton. Police say the conspiracy theory led to violence Sunday when a North Carolina man fired a rifle in the restaurant as he sought to investigate the accusations. No one was injured, and the man was arrested.

Flynn Jr., who has accompanied his father to presidential transition meetings inside Trump Tower and lists the presidential transition website as part of his Twitter bio, tweeted Sunday night that, "Until #Pizzagate proven to be false, it'll remain a story."

___

7:44 a.m.

Donald Trump's choice for defense secretary will be with him at a Tuesday night rally in North Carolina.

That's according to Vice President-elect Mike Pence. The Indiana governor told MSNBC Tuesday that Trump intends to officially announce the nomination of James Mattis to the helm of the Pentagon. The retired general will escort Trump to the rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

The rally is part of Trump's tour of battleground states where voters helped him defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton. He'll be in Des Moines, Iowa on Thursday and Grand Rapids, Michigan on Friday.

___

7:14 a.m.

NATO's chief says the alliance and the European Union are moving forward on deepening cooperation, as U.S. President-elect Donald Trump insists European allies start pulling their own military weight.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters before chairing talks between NATO foreign ministers Tuesday that "we have a momentum now."

He said NATO and the EU would endorse 40 proposals for boosting cooperation on cyber security and hybrid threats, operations at sea and helping neighboring countries better defend themselves.

Stoltenberg said "questions have been asked with respect to the strength of the trans-Atlantic bond" and that the best way to respond is to boost NATO-EU cooperation.

Trump lambasted Europeans during the U.S. campaign for not paying their fair share of defense budgets and wants NATO to do more against terrorism.

___

3:33 a.m.

President-elect Donald Trump is taking his show back on the road.

Trump is slated to hold the second stop of this "thank you" tour Tuesday in North Carolina, less than a week after his bombastic return to rallies at an Ohio appearance that felt more like a raucous campaign stop than a traditional speech by a president-to-be.

At that Cincinnati stop, Trump disparaged the media as "dishonest," inspired loud "Build the wall" chants and stunned his own aides with his surprise announcement from the stage that that he was appointing retired Gen. James Mattis as secretary of defense.

The Tuesday appearance in Fayetteville will be followed by rallies in Iowa and Michigan later this week as Trump barnstorms the country to salute his supporters.

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City’s oldest active fire station back in business

Lynchburg Fire Department’s Station 6 at Miller Park is up and running again after about 11 months and $815,000 worth of renovations.

Battalion Chief of Training Jonathan Wright said the station’s fire pole — the last one in Lynchburg — will be getting some use again when firefighters respond to calls starting Wednesday. A total of 18 personnel working different shifts will be working from Station 6.

The station was built in 1912, and firefighters said the last major renovation to the building was done in the late ’80s. Compared to the other seven Lynchburg stations, Wright said Station 6 is the oldest but now has the most contemporary equipment and furnishings.  “Preserving this history, I think, is really important. And it’s an icon in the community,” he said.

As they hauled furniture up to the second floor — which has an entirely new layout from before — firefighters who once worked out of Station 6 recalled when there was no central air system or when they’d haul their own furniture to and from the station.

The newly finished third floor once was a dusty storage area with a number of old firefighting artifacts from the station’s earlier days. Many of those pieces will be part of a future exhibit at the Lynchburg Museum.

Rod Smith worked with the Lynchburg Fire Department for more than 32 years and fought his first fire out of Station 6 years ago. He and Wright took out the antiques, including old nozzles, old rubber coats and gear, a 16-foot wooden roof ladder and other equipment from old fire engines dating back to 1913.

“Why they stored and kept that stuff I don’t know, but I’m glad they did,” he said.

Smith took on his own renovation project with the station’s benches, which have been the dining seats and resting spots for firefighters throughout the years.

“I’ve had a lot a guys say that they’ve caught many a nap on those benches,” he said.

Now the third floor is easily accessible by a new, sturdier flight of concrete steps. Firefighters now have an additional 2,500 square feet of training space and an improved exercise room under the building’s original wooden ceiling.

Scott Glass, Lynchburg’s facilities manager, said upgrades to the building’s mechanical, electric and plumbing systems made up a significant portion of the project. A historical architect by trade, he said renovations of such old buildings usually try to keep as many original elements of the building as possible.

“If you don’t have to mess with it, it’s good not to,” he said.

Firefighters from Station 6 began leaving the station to work from Station 1 on Clay Street and Station 2 on Grace Street in November 2015, and work on the building began in January of this year. Renovation work was estimated to end by September, but the building’s age meant there were a few stumbling blocks along the way, according to Glass. 

“We’re a couple of months behind where we would’ve liked to have been, but I’m not surprised,” he said.

Change orders added to the project’s price tag, bringing it from $795,384 to about $815,000.

Lynchburg Fire Chief Steven Ferguson said Station 6 has been iconic within the department and is unique with its three floors.

“It was important for us to maintain the look of the old station. That station happened to be at one time … one of our busiest stations,” he said, adding it may take back that title.

Other Lynchburg fire stations in league with Station 6 in age no longer are in use. Ferguson said building a new facility would’ve been expensive, and the existing station has been an anchor in the community in an ideal, central location.

“I think with a lot of downtown renovations … we’ve become much more aware of maintaining our historic buildings,” he said. “I think it’s been kind of a pretty neat project.”

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Defendant in recovery doesn't halt 9/11 case at Guantanamo

GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba (AP) — A U.S. military judge turned down a request Monday to halt the latest round of Sept. 11 war crimes proceedings at Guantanamo Bay while one of five defendants recovers from a surgical procedure.

Army Col. James Pohl said defendant Mustafa al-Hawsawi may be excused from pretrial hearings in the case this week at the U.S. base in Cuba but that his apparently painful recovery is not an adequate justification to postpone the proceedings scheduled to run through Friday.

The prison doctor who oversees medical care in Camp 7, the maximum-security unit where al-Hawsawi is held with four other alleged members of the Sept. 11 conspiracy, testified that the Saudi underwent hemorrhoid surgery at the base Oct. 14 and has taken pain medication sporadically during his recovery.

Defense attorney Walter Ruiz said that al-Hawsawi cannot sit for prolonged periods in court because of what has at times been "excruciating pain" and that he has experienced side effects from medication that include dizziness and nausea.

The lawyer and others have long raised concerns about the health of the 48-year-old defendant. He had an undisclosed medical emergency while in CIA custody in 2003-2006 and was subjected to rectal exams with "excessive force," according to the Senate Intelligence Committee report on its investigation into the U.S. clandestine interrogation program. Ruiz said that treatment was connected to his most recent surgery.

"This is not some show that we are trying to put on to delay these proceedings," he said. "Mr. al-Hawsawi needs additional time to recover."

Prosecutors urged the judge not to postpone a case that has been subjected to repeated delays. The five defendants were arraigned in May 2015 on charges that include terrorism, hijacking and nearly 3,000 counts of murder for their alleged roles planning and support the Sept. 11, 2001, attack. They could get the death penalty if convicted. A trial date has not been scheduled.

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Devon and Erin photographed by Sophia Sinclair for C-Heads

Watch two girls having a fun day at the Russian River. Starring lovely Devon and Erin photographed by Sophia Sinclair. Swimwear by BikiniBird and clothing by CAMP collection.

“I’ve been dying to do a summer shoot at my cabin at the Russian River in Northern California. Finally decided to grab a few girls & hop in the the car and head north. The rustic beauty of the river never ceases to amaze me. It was a lovely day with an amazing group of girls”

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Why We Should Stop Caring About The AMA’s

Awards shows happen all the time, in music and in film. In music, specifically, there are dozens of awards shows that go on every year, a few too many if you ask us. The American Music Awards is just one of many. However, consider this for a second: No one, not even you, actually cares about who wins what award when it comes to mainstream music. Nobody watches because they’re genuinely interested in seeing the results. We know the results. The results don’t surprise us. What we look for when we watch the AMAs is intrigue, gossip, and shock value. We don’t want to be the person who missed out on Hollywood history the next morning. But maybe it’s time we started caring about something else…
The AMA's. For those unaware, the 2016 AMA's occurred Sunday, November 20th in Los Angeles at the Microsoft Theater. If you didn't know about the AMA's, for the purpose of this article, we want you to ask yourself why. Let us guess – you didn't care? For those of you who did tune in, why did you watch? And be honest.

The celebrity aspect. People don't watch mainstream music award shows for the sake of the music itself or for artistic integrity. They just don't. One reason people do watch award shows like the AMAs is for the celebrity aspect. Our culture is very celeb-centric. For some reason, a lot of us love it when all of the famous people of the moment are gathered in one place.
The music aspect. No one actually cares about the music aspect of any mainstream music awards show, and we'll tell you why. For one, we all know who the mainstream artists are and why they are mainstream. The very fact that they are played on the radio all the time and that they appeal to the masses means they're successful, so naturally, these same people are going to win awards every time an awards show pops up.

The same artists on rotation. The same pop, hip-hop, rap, and the select few rock and country artists always make the cut. Like your local Top 40s radio station, you will have the same artists on rotation every year. You will never be surprised by who ends up with an award in their hands.
No one cares who wins what. The only people who do care are the artists and their entourage. So really, as far as the awards aspect goes, they're just throwing a party for themselves – which is fine, but the general population doesn't need to be there for that.
Shock value. So why else, other than to watch celebrities clump together and wear pretty, shiny things, do we watch the AMA's? Well, we watch it for the same reason we watch any reality TV show. We watch it for shock value. Quite simply, we want to know what's going to happen when all of these characters interact with each other. Someone's bound to get tempers flaring at some point!

Gossip. For the same reason, we watch the AMA's (and shows like the AMA's) so we have something to gossip about with our peers the next day. It's a collective cultural moment that we can all chime in on. We want to be part of the conversation. But there are so many more interesting things to talk about.
The purpose of Hollywood. While this may sound shallow and stupid – and quite often is – this quality can actually be used for good purpose. As it happens, we are currently living in a period of extreme social and political turmoil and unrest. While nobody cares about who wins "Best Music Video," they will care when an artist they listen to all the time gets up and says something controversial.
What it's really about now. Mainstream awards shows like the AMA's are now only useful for the fact that they can be used as a platform for speaking. The general public doesn't watch actual political figures speak on channels like C-SPAN because it's absolutely boring. The general public will watch, however, when someone like Drake or Nicki Minaj gets up on stage and uses that moment to speak up about something.
What to use the mic for. Since everyone who watches the AMA's (and VMA's and whatever else) watches because they want to see what these celebs will do and say, it becomes a prime opportunity for artists to use their voice for something important. Many musicians unfortunately just care about money, fame, and status. Others, however, still hang on to what it means to be an artist and to use that art for something other than your own selfish desires.

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Sunset in Bali with Serinya

Lennart Bader is back with another breathtaking series from Bali starring Asian/ European beauty Serinya.

“I’ve met Serinya on Bali, and shot her spontaneously on the second spot we found on our way to the beach, where we initally wanted to get to. But for the sunset the part was absolutely perfect and predestined. ”

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Authorities: 4 children dead, mom hurt in Indiana house fire

FLORA, Ind. (AP) — An early-morning house fire in central Indiana killed four young sisters and sent their mother and two would-be rescuers to the hospital, authorities said Monday.

The fire at the home in Flora was called in at around 3:40 a.m., said Todd Trent, an assistant chief of the local fire department.

A Flora police officer and Carroll County sheriff's deputy who were the first to arrive entered the home but were driven back by the heat and smoke and weren't able to reach the children in their second-floor bedrooms, he said.

Firefighters who arrived a few minutes later were able to retrieve the children but couldn't revive them, Trent said. He said all four likely died of smoke inhalation. Flora Police Chief Paul Redmon said the girls ranged in age from preschool to the sixth grade, WLFI-TV reported.

The children's mother was on the first floor and survived. Trent said she suffered from smoke inhalation and may have had other injuries, and that she was airlifted to a hospital in Indianapolis, about 60 miles south. Her condition was unknown.

Angela Francis, an emergency medical technician who lives next door the home, said she was awakened early Monday by the mother's screams.

"I heard the mom outside yelling and screaming," Francis told the (Lafayette) Journal & Courier. "By the time I got over there, I was helping one of the ambulances with one of the officers."

The officer, Josh Disinger, and deputy, Drew Yoder, were also injured and were hospitalized, he said.

Carroll County Sheriff Tobe Leazenby told WLFI-TV that Yoder was flown by helicopter to a hospital burn unit in Fort Wayne, about 80 miles away, and that the next 48 to 72 hours will be crucial to his recovery.

Disinger, meanwhile, was in stable condition at a Lafayette hospital, the station reported.

The cause of the fire was being investigated. Trent said it had shaken the town of about 3,000 people.

"For a small community, this is quite a tragedy. All four children attended the local school, you have all the classmates who knew them and the mother worked here in town," he said.

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GIGI HADID GOES TOPLESS FOR GUESS, 'W' TRANSFORMS THE YEAR'S BIGGEST MOVIE STARS

Gigi Hadid’s prodigious success in 2014 is continuing into the new year. Guess has released two preview photos for its spring/summer 2015 campaign via designer Paul Marciano's Instagram. The California girl looks right at home in the sunlight and a revealing, fitted knit dress in one shot, and topless with custom Marciano jeans in the other. Now, let’s see that Victoria’s Secret shoot. {Fashion Gone Rogue}

Swarovski is the latest brand to step into the wearable technology arena. On Monday, the company unveiled its Activity Tracking Crystal, which can be placed in a range of "Shine" pieces -- necklace pendants, bracelets, watch bands -- to track steps, sleep patterns, distance traveled and calories burned. Though wearables are usually more athletic in design, they've got a huge makeover in the past year from brands like Opening Ceremony and Tory Burch. Swarovski hopes to stand out to consumers looking for a more classic, glittery style. 

In honor of the excellent films released in the past year (and the slew of award shows coming up), W magazine has released its "Best Performances" spread, shot by Tim Walker. The year’s best actors and actresses, including Keira Knightley, Bradley Cooper, Emma Stone, Amy Adams, Benedict Cumberbatch and Reese Witherspoon, were transformed into eccentric and whimsical characters with '60s flair. The magazine also revealed seven accompanying covers for its February movie-themed issue. 

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