Looking for the Next Lindsey Vonn; Slain Beauty Queen's Final Instagram

Jan. 8, 2014— -- quicklist: 1title: Who Will Take Lindsey Vonn's Spot?text: With Lindsey Vonn opting out of the Olympics next month because of an injury, the stars of other U.S. skiing Olympic hopefuls are on the rise.

One of the greatest hopes for U.S. female skiers in Sochi might be 18-year-old Mikaela Shiffrin, who is the current world champion in slalom.

Shiffrin, who has drawn comparisons to Vonn, tweeted Tuesday that she was sad her hero wouldn't be competing alongside her in Russia next month.

"It's hard to swallow that @lindseyvonn won't be competing in Sochi, but I'm incredibly impressed at her determination. She's a true #hero," Shiffrin wrote.

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quicklist: 2title: Slain Ex-Miss Venezuela's Final Instagramtext: In what appeared to be her final social media post, former Miss Venezuela Monica Spear shared a video showcasing "the magic of the plains."

The beauty queen turned soap star and her British-born ex-husband, Thomas Henry Berry, 39, died Monday night during a botched roadside robbery in Venezuela.

Their daughter, Maya, 5, was in stable condition after treatment for a leg wound and was with relatives in Caracas, authorities said.

Police in Puerto Cabello arrested five suspects, some younger than 18, according to The Associated Press, citing Jose Gregorio Sierralta, the director of the country's investigative police.

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quicklist: 3title: Velveeta Shortage Might Mess Up a Lot of Football Partiestext: Bad news, football fans. Kraft says Velveeta might be running low in some parts of the country for the next few weeks, meaning some parties might have to go without the star ingredient in queso dip.

"Given the incredible popularity of Velveeta this time of year, it is possible consumers may not be able to find their favorite product on store shelves over the next couple of weeks," Kraft spokeswoman Jody Moore told Ad Age.

She said Kraft expects it to be a short-term issue. Supply and demand, folks.

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quicklist: 4title: Audrina Patridge Has No Regretstext: If drama is what the producers of "The Hills" wanted, Audrina Patridge was more than happy to give it to them.

The former reality-TV star told "Access Hollywood Live" that she has no regrets about her time on the MTV show, which ended its glorious run in 2010.

"It was a show and we had fun. You want to be interesting and cause drama because that's what people want to see," she said. "At the end of the day, I don't think I would do anything different."

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quicklist: 5title: How to Thaw Frozen Pipestext: The record-breaking lows of the polar vortex have likely caused plenty of homeowners headaches as they try to deal with frozen pipes.

If you suspect a frozen pipe, the American Red Cross recommends adding heat to the section of the pipe using a heating pad, electric hair dryer, portable space heater (kept away from flammable materials, of course), or by wrapping it with a towel soaked in hot water.

Another helpful hint: Don't use a blow torch.

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