Here are just a few things in Chad’s Pile that you will hear on Lubbock’s First News this morning. Give Chad your feedback on the steaming topics.

1. Gingrich Collapses (link)

Newt Gingrich had it all planned out. Peak at the right time and win Iowa. Win Iowa and build momentum going forward. The only thing wrong with that plan was possibly Newt Gingrich himself. Is he the smartest candidate? Probably. Has he flip-flopped? Yes. Is he a Tea Party guy? No way.

When Gingrich was trailing in the poles he appeared to be the elder statesman, the man who could bring people together. When he starting becoming the frontrunner though, people remembered that they didn't like him. Establishment Republicans balked at the idea of a President Gingrich. Last week it looked as though Gingrich would run away with Iowa. Now it looks like he will be fighting for a top 3 finish.

The question now moves onto who's next. Will another candidate rise to the top or will Mitt Romney finally secure his status as the front-runner? I still believe that Romney is the best chance Republicans have at winning back the White House. I also still believe that Rick Perry will rise again in the polls and possibly finish in the top 3 in Iowa. And finally, I don't think Ron Paul has a chance. His foreign policy is even more dangerous than Obama's and that's tough to pull off.

2. Perry isn't going anywhere (link)

Rick Perry's wife confirmed what most of us were already thinking. Rick Perry isn't dropping out.

Even as Texas Governor Rick Perry has dropped in the polls, his wife, Anita Perry, reassured voters today that he will not drop out of the race.

Anita Perry told voters at a Seacoast Republican Women’s tea that an Air Force veteran who knows Rick Perry stopped her in a store while she was Christmas shopping and said, “Tell Rick not to drop out…. Don’t give up on middle America.”

“I assured him we weren’t going to drop out,” she said.

Forget the polls. We've seen that they really haven't mattered this year. Rick Perry still has the money and the network to keep going, and he will.

3. Prizes from Police (link)

It's not always a bad thing when you see a police officer. At least, not in one Texas town.

Drivers in Prosper, TX may not need to suffer that sinking feeling when a cop approaches their car: the North Texas police department has been doling out $10 gift cards this week to recognize good driving, NBC-DFW reports.

It's a classic carrot or stick scenario: the police department has chosen to reward drivers for proper seat belt use or observation of the speed limit, instead of just punishing drivers for transgressions. The police officers on foot have infiltrated school parking lots or other pick-up/drop-off zones where they can safely communicate with cars that are moving at slow speeds.

Officers have made haste to convey their benevolent purpose so as not to startle drivers or cause any unnecessary distress.

"We wanted to give back to the community to reinforce those safe driving habits," Prosper assistant police chief Gary McHone told AOL Autos.

Good PR.

These and many more topics coming up on Tuesday’s edition of Lubbock’s First News with Chad Hasty. Tune in mornings 6-9am on News/Talk 790 KFYO, streaming online at kfyo.com, and now on your iPhone and Android device with the radioPup App.

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