THE GRAND CANYON SKYWALK

A Happy New Year wish from on the Grand Canyon Skywalk 4,000 up.
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NEW YORK CITY

Victor Tate, that is his wife Tina, of Virginia, spending New Year’s Eve in Times Square for the first time.
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Remember this house? It was the only beachfront house standing in Gilchrist, Texas after Hurricane Ike.

They still don’t have power, but that didn’t stop the owner, Pam Adams, from sprucing it up for the holidays.

Pam’s sister, Judy Hudspeth, sent in this picture of the house decorated with generator-powered Christmas lights and a tree.

See more pictures of the house and other iReports at iReport.com.

Kate Devries
Kernville, California

In Southern California, mountain communities in the Kern River Valley are feeling the pressure of a failing economy. Local food banks are experiencing shortages as more residents are seeking their help to survive.

One neighbor heard the need and spread the word. In less than two weeks several residents had volunteered to form a “Caravan for Compassion.” The Caravan is a food drive…

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In his speech after Tuesday night’s election victory, President-elect Barack Obama promised his daughters a puppy to live with them in the White House.

The Obamas will hardly be the only first family to have a pet — George W. Bush’s family has three dogs and a cat, and the Clintons had a cat and a dog. Thomas Jefferson even had two pet grizzly bears.

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iReport

Bernadette Dunegan, 39, of Patton, Pennsylvania, said the town’s only polling place was blocked this morning after a fire broke out last night across the street.

The fire, at Bowman’s Sporting Goods, started late last night and went into the morning hours. Dunegan said at least 13 fire companies and 40 trucks were at the scene trying to put out the fire.

The store sold hunting supplies including ammunition and hunting clothing, which kept the fire going, Dunegan said. “I could see the flames shooting up behind the buildings behind me. You can still smell the smoke. It smells like a big camp fire.”

Patton is a town of less than 1,000 people, and the polling place at the fire house is the only site in town to vote.

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Tyson Wheatley
iReport producer, CNN.com

We’re hearing some compelling stories as voters head to the polls across the country today — but few can match the intensity of Los Angeles couple Doug and Tracie Van Doren.

Right now, the two are heading to Cedar Sinai hospital to have their first child. Earlier today, Tracie was standing in line to cast her vote when she started feeling contractions — then her water broke. She didn’t want to get out of line, but had no other option.

Doug raced Tracie to her doctor, who confirmed the great news. Tracie asked if she could still vote. Her doctor said she had several hours before she needed to get to the hospital. “She wrote us a doctor’s note,” said Doug. “This is an important election for us, and we just didn’t want to lose our chance to vote.”

Back at the polling station, Tracie and Doug handed election officials their note. “They brought us right in and to the front of the line and we both voted right away,” Doug said. He snapped a picture as Tracie cast her vote. “We’re going to get a new baby and a new president all on the same day.”

Tracie casting her vote.

See their iReport here.

Dennis and Holly Felmlee
iReporters

We are serving our country in the Peace Corps in Romania. We received our absentee ballots on Monday, October 29, filled them out, and sent them via express shipping the same day. We paid $140 for the express service.

Here we are with our sealed envelopes in downtown Suceava, Romania. We were told our package would arrive on Monday, Nov 3. We hope so! We have always voted and really want our votes to count this year.

See more from these iReporters and others like them at iReport.com.

Campbell Brown asked recently “So what if Obama were a Muslim or an Arab?” on her show, Election Center.  Here’s one iReporter’s personal response: Why is someone being a Muslim a bad thing? It’s a religion that so many people in this country practice. Why is it a negative thing?

Latisha Robb of Sandy Springs, Georgia sent us this iReport. She shows us just how difficult it has become to find gas in parts of Georgia. She tells us she spent close to an hour getting in line to fill up her car. “I had to find gas for the week, I have to get my kids to school.”

Katie Hawkins
iReport Producer

Yesterday, we received an amazing submission from iReport.com user ‘austinheli.’ His photos showed a lone house standing in a wasteland left in Ike’s aftermath.

We contacted austinheli, who is Ray Asgar, a private helicopter pilot based in Austin, Texas. He visited Gilchrist and Galveston Monday to photograph the damage left after Hurricane Ike slammed the coastal area last weekend.

The lone yellow house caught Asgar’s attention. He said it was the only structure standing for miles. Considering the extent of Ike’s devastation, he said, it was “odd to have nearly any damage to one home.”

Several users left comments on Asgar’s iReport, joining a debate about whether or not his photos were real. One user who jumped in was Kelley1. “This is my sister’s house. It is real,” she wrote.

Shortly afterward, Kelley1 uploaded a photo of the yellow house that was taken in May. Kelley1 is Judy Hudspeth and the house belongs to her sister, Pam Adams.

Up for the assignment? Go to iReport.com to submit your iReports!