National (New Year) - Michael Weissenstein, Associated Press - Revelers can expect hovering helicopters and bomb-sniffing dogs with their champagne and confetti as cities hunker down for their most heavily guarded New Year's Eve in memory. From Times Square to the Las Vegas Strip and California's Rose Parade, police were rolling out unprecedented security measures Wednesday, triggered by a hike in the national terrorism alert to orange, its second-highest level. Armed helicopters were to prowl the Las Vegas Strip, where 300,000 people were anticipated. In New York, workers sealed manhole covers and removed mailboxes to guard against any potential bomb attack in Times Square. More than 750,000 revelers were expected to gather under the guard of counter-sniper teams and seven police helicopters.

Source: http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/news/2003/dec/31/123103889.html