July 17, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A1 House Republicans elected Rep. Jennifer Dunn, R-Wash., to be Congress’ top spokeswoman on women’s issues Wednesday, replacing New York’s Susan Molinari as vice chairwoman of the Republican Conference. By a …

July 17, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A1 Robert Berry told jurors Wednesday he couldn’t have terrorized the Spokane Valley: During one set of bombings and robberies, he was driving to Michigan; during another, he was hosting two …

July 17, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A1 What goes up must come down. Says who? The Dow Jones industrial average climbed above 8,000 Wednesday, just seven months after it first topped 6,000. It has doubled in less …

July 17, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A1 Budget cuts on the horizon. Bonner County deputy Cary Kelly stops to chat with a family on Lake Pend Oreille near Sandpoint. The marine division is in danger of losing …

July 17, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A1 After lauding John A. Hern Jr.’s record as an upstanding member of the community Wednesday, a judge all but erased the businessman’s $495,000 fine for a litany of environmental violations. …

July 17, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A1 1. The long wait is over. Seahawks fans follow the flight of a pass from quarterback John Friesz during the opening day of training camp in Cheney on Wednesday. Photo …

July 17, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A2 “In this agency, if you don’t respond to outside phone calls, it’s punishable by death and dismemberment,” explained a helpful bureaucrat. “On the other hand, the government doesn’t work in …

July 17, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A2 Ten years ago: Ten teenagers were killed when raging floodwaters from the Guadalupe River near Comfort, Texas, swept away a church bus and van holding 43 people. Five years ago: …

July 17, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A2 (photo of Jerold Mackenzie)

July 17, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A2 1955: Disneyland debuted in Anaheim, Calif. 1979: Nicaraguan President Anastasio Somoza resigned and fled to Miami in exile.

July 17, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A2 Wednesday’s Washington Triple Choice: 223. Wednesday’s Washington Lotto: 3-6-8-19-21-49. One winner. New jackpot: $1 million.

July 17, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A3 The Clinton administration and computer industry officials Wednesday said they have reached a consensus on how to protect children from smut on the Internet without government regulation. President Clinton said …

July 17, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A3 In the first comprehensive audit of Medicare, federal investigators said Wednesday that the government overpaid hospitals, doctors and other health care providers last year by $23 billion, or 14 percent …

July 17, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A3 House Speaker Newt Gingrich escaped a planned coup last week, in a flurry of backroom intrigue that raises new doubts about the speaker’s future and the loyalty of his inner …

July 17, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A3 In a break with the White House, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Reed Hundt on Wednesday endorsed legislation calling on the television neworks to reinstitute their old code of conduct, which …

July 17, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A3 Sen. Fred Thompson, chairman of the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, oversees Wednesday’s proceedings. Associated Press

July 17, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A4 In the glare of worldwide attention, scores of FBI agents and Miami Beach police Wednesday sifted through evidence and fielded thousands of phone tips on the instantly notorious murder of …

July 17, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A4 The American flag flies at half-mast during a ceremony at New York’s Kennedy Airport. Photo by Associated Press

July 17, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A4 The deal is enticing: Buy a cash-value life insurance policy and watch your money go to work in stocks and bonds - a double gain of insurance protection and financial …

July 17, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A4 Gen. Henry Shelton

July 17, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A5 Tourists hoping to see Paris from atop the intricate iron framework of the Eiffel Tower were locked out Wednesday, after striking workers forced the monument to close. A surprise strike …

July 17, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A5 It may be a long way from traditional children’s classics, but a book about teenage heroin addiction and prostitution won Britain’s most prestigious prize for children’s literature Wednesday. “Junk,” by …

July 17, 1997 in Nation/World on Page A5 Weekend clashes between the Rwandan army and Hutu rebels in northern Rwanda left more than 170 people dead, including civilians, an official said Wednesday. Boneface Rucagu, governor of Ruhengeri prefecture, …