Singer Diana Ross was arrested early Monday in Tucson, Ariz., on suspicion of drunken driving, police said. A breath test showed the pop diva with a blood-alcohol level of 0.20 percent, more than twice the legal limit of 0.08 percent, Tucson police Sgt. Judy Altieri said.

Ross, 58, received misdemeanor citations for driving under the influence; driving with a blood-alcohol content over 0.08; and extreme DUI, or having a blood-alcohol level greater than 0.15 percent. Her initial court appearance was set for Jan. 13.

Bizarre hotel awakening for comedian

British comedian Ali G awoke in his Tel Aviv hotel room to find a bullet had pierced a wall and window. The Jewish rapper, 32, called the front desk of the David International Hotel after discovering the damage Monday morning, said police spokesman Gil Kleiman.

Ali G told the desk clerk he thought he had heard a shot during the night, Kleiman said Tuesday. Police later found the bodies of two Israeli cousins, 18 and 24, in the adjacent suite. The cousins, who apparently had committed suicide with an assault rifle, left a farewell note indicating they were upset over troubles with their girlfriends, Israeli media said.

Jesse Jackson pushes for King holiday

The Rev. Jesse Jackson wants to meet with Greenville County, S.C., officials to encourage them to celebrate Martin Luther King Day.

The civil rights leader deserves the honor, said Jackson, who was in Greenville on Monday to announce the formation of a South Carolina state chapter of the Rainbow/PUSH coalition. The Rev. King brought people of all races together to create prosperity in the South, Jackson said. “He pulled down the Cotton Curtain and connected Mason and Dixon,” said the Greenville native, 61.

Council members are willing to discuss a King holiday with Jackson or anyone else when they reconvene in late January, said Councilman Scott Case, but he urged Jackson to avoid politicizing the issue.

Sitcom will reunite Stiller & Meara

Real-life husband and wife Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara will appear together on screen on the CBS sitcom The King of Queens, the network said in New York.

Meara will guest star as the mother of Spence (Patton Oswalt), a buddy of Doug Heffernan (series star Kevin James), in an episode to air during the February sweeps period. Her character ends up in a gigolo-like scenario with Doug’s father-in-law (Stiller), who tries to get money from her.

Stiller, 75, and Meara, 73, make up the longtime comedy team Stiller & Meara.

ALMANAC

It’s Wednesday, Jan. 1, the first day of the year; 364 days are left in 2003.

ON THIS DATE

In 1752, flagmaker Betsy Ross was born in Philadelphia.

In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring that slaves in rebel states were free.

In 1892, the Ellis Island Immigrant Station in New York formally opened.

In 1898, Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island were consolidated into New York City.

In 1901, the Commonwealth of Australia was proclaimed.

In 1953, country singer Hank Williams Sr., 29, died of a drug and alcohol overdose while en route to a concert date in Canton, Ohio.

In 1958, treaties establishing the European Economic Community went into effect.

In 1959, Fidel Castro led Cuban revolutionaries to victory over Fulgencio Batista.

In 1992, Boutros Boutros-Ghali succeeded Javier Perez de Cuellar as secretary-general of the United Nations.

In 1994, the North American Free Trade Agreement went into effect.

In 1997, Kofi Annan assumed the post of U.N. secretary-general.

In 1998, a new anti-smoking law went into effect in California, prohibiting people from lighting up in bars.

In 2002, Michael Bloomberg succeeded Rudolph Giuliani as New York City’s mayor.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

“It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers.”

— Humorist James Thurber (1894-1961)

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS

Author J.D. Salinger, 84; Sen. Ernest Hollings, D-S.C., 81; actor Frank Langella, 63; rock singer-musician Country Joe McDonald, 61; writer-comedian Don Novello, 60; actor Rick Hurst, 57; country singer Steve Ripley, 53; rapper Grandmaster Flash, 45; actress Ren Woods, 45; actress Dedee Pfeiffer, 39; actress Embeth Davidtz, 37, at left; actor Morris Chestnut, 34; actor Verne Troyer, 34; writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson, 33.