December 4, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A1 First District Judge Craig C. Kosonen pleaded guilty to drunken driving Wednesday afternoon, less than 24 hours after he crashed his pickup into a concrete barrier south of the city …

December 4, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A1 Neighbor Stan Urmann tells detective Howard Burke what he saw of a house fire that killed two in Bonner County. Photo by Craig Buck/The Spokesman-Review

December 4, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A1 There’s probably nothing more convincing than word-of-mouth testimonies. They speak for themselves. And they can speak volumes. A $50 contribution to The Spokesman-Review Christmas Fund was received Wednesday, accompanied by …

December 4, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A1 Whether they’re saving to buy a home, pay for college, retire in style or leave money to their grandchildren, Americans are about to get some powerful help: Individual Retirement Accounts …

December 4, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A1 FBI Director Louis Freeh’s public disagreement with Attorney General Janet Reno over the campaign fund-raising investigation appears to have shored up his political support among Republicans in Congress, according to …

December 4, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A1 For an hour Wednesday, the Supreme Court talked about sex - specifically, whether federal civil rights law covers on-the-job sexual harassment by men against men and by women against women. …

December 4, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A2 Ten years ago: Cuban inmates at a federal prison in Atlanta freed their 89 hostages, peacefully ending an 11-day uprising. The agreement provided for a nationwide moratorium on deportations of …

December 4, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A2 Wednesday’s Washington Triple Choice: 3-6-4. Wednesday’s Washington Lotto: 12-13-14-18-38-46.

December 4, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A2 1816: James Monroe of Virginia was elected the fifth president of the United States. 1918: President Wilson set sail for France to attend the Versailles Peace Conference.

December 4, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A2 Convicted killer Jerry Richardson testifies Wednesday at Johannesburg hearing. Photo by Associated Press

December 4, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A2 With Vice President Al Gore contending that Hollywood is partly to blame for teenage smoking, some filmmakers and TV producers agreed Wednesday to clean up their act. Representatives of the …

December 4, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A3 The Clinton administration is seeking cooperation from foreign law enforcers to fight pornography on the Internet and other high-tech crime. Attorney General Janet Reno announced a two-day conference of international …

December 4, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A3 1. Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien puts his arm around Cambodian land mine victim Tun Channareth. Photo by Associated Press 2. Jody Williams, who shared the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize …

December 4, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A3 Reno

December 4, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A4 Amid talk of installing metal detectors at the school doors and in the first day of a new policy of searching students’ backpacks for guns, a still-puzzled county sheriff wondered …

December 4, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A4 Carolyn Hereford, left, mother of lung transplant recipient Tom Hereford IV, talks with Hereford’s wife, Teresa, at Jewish Hospital in Louisville, Ky., on Wednesday. Photo by Associated Press

December 4, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A4 Americans aren’t as restless as they used to be, and when they do move, more are now heading to the countryside than to the cities. The share of Americans relocating …

December 4, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A5 A Bengal tiger known as Sita marks her territory in India’s Bandhavgarh National Park by gouging a tree to leave a scent secreted by glands in her paws. Her young …

December 4, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A5 Targeted by back-to-work legislation, Canada’s postal workers said they would end a two-week strike today - but will vent their anger by allowing delivery of unstamped letters. A bill to …

December 4, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A5 With the allotted time already expired for his town hall meeting here, President Clinton tried to jolt his “national conversation on race” to life Wednesday by confronting one of his …

December 4, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A7 In a closely watched divorce case, a Connecticut judge said loud and clear Wednesday that the wife of a wealthy corporate executive should get one-half of the assets accumulated during …

December 4, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A12 U.S. astronaut Winston Scott, top, and Japanese astronaut Takao Doi assemble a crane in the payload of the shuttle before the spacewalk Wednesday. Photo by Associated Press

December 4, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A12 A funeral Mass will be said today for Josephine M. Pistorino, an avid churchgoer who attended hundreds of weddings and funerals for friends and strangers. Pistornio died Nov. 29, apparently …