December 12, 2004 in City on Page A1 Christmas shopping is never easy. When you’re buying for 16,000 children, it can be downright unthinkable. Sally Quirk has the difficult job of guessing how many children will need toys …

December 12, 2004 in Nation/World on Page A1 For every American soldier killed in Iraq, nine others have been wounded and survived – the highest rate of any war in U.S. history. It isn’t that their injuries were …

December 12, 2004 in City on Page A1 The day after a student killed himself at school, those who knew Skyler Cullitan gathered at Lakeside High School on Saturday to talk about the tragedy with counselors and members …

December 12, 2004 in Nation/World on Page A2 KABUL, Afghanistan – Some 18,000 American troops have started a winter offensive against Taliban rebels in Afghanistan, vowing to eliminate insurgents who could threaten parliamentary elections slated for the spring. …

December 12, 2004 in Nation/World on Page A3 LISBON, Portugal – Portugal, already reeling from an alarming economic decline, plunged deeper into crisis Saturday when the conservative government quit a day after the president dissolved parliament and called …

December 12, 2004 in Nation/World on Page A4 WASHINGTON – The White House renewed its search for a homeland security chief Saturday as the candidate President Bush thought ideal apologized for an immigration problem involving a family housekeeper …

December 12, 2004 in Nation/World on Page A5 BAGHDAD, Iraq – U.S. military commanders in Iraq, where bombings pose the deadliest threat to their soldiers, have welcomed news the Pentagon wants to speed up production of upgraded armored …

December 12, 2004 in Nation/World on Page A6 Stan Kimmitt, 86, Montana politician Washington, D.C.

December 12, 2004 in Nation/World on Page A6 DELFT, Netherlands – Prince Bernhard’s remains were interred in the royal crypt of the House of Orange on Saturday, after a caisson carrying his coffin rolled past 6,000 marines and …

December 12, 2004 in Nation/World on Page A9 ANCHORAGE, Alaska – With 24-foot seas and 50-knot winds continuing to pound the Aleutian island where a soybean freighter cracked in half, officials Saturday could take only a few small …

December 12, 2004 in Nation/World on Page A9 Student arrested for having scissors Philadelphia

December 12, 2004 in Nation/World on Page A10 COLUMBUS, Ohio – Mourners attended a funeral Saturday for one of the four victims of a nightclub shooting, a fan of “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott who a witness said had tried …

December 12, 2004 in Nation/World on Page A10 GRETNA, La. – Traces of alcohol were detected in the suspected “Jell-O shots” taken to school by a fourth-grader – leading to her suspension – but it could have been …

December 12, 2004 in Nation/World on Page A11 JERUSALEM – Israel’s dovish Labor Party voted Saturday to join Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s ruling coalition, a move that makes it easier for the Israeli leader to implement his Gaza …

December 12, 2004 in Nation/World on Page A11 BELFAST, Northern Ireland – Belfast used to be a place where you dreaded walking past an abandoned car on a lonely street for fear it might blow up. These days, …

December 12, 2004 in Nation/World on Page A17 LOS ANGELES – A man who has filed hundreds of lawsuits accusing businesses of violating the federal Americans With Disabilities Act was running an extortion scam, says a judge who …

December 12, 2004 in City on Page B1 Justin Snyder was turning his life around just as it ended, friends and family members said Saturday. Snyder, 17, was killed early Dec. 5 from a stab wound he received …

December 12, 2004 in Idaho on Page B1 BOISE – Plans to issue bonds to pay for major road construction across the state, including along U.S. Highway 95, got a major boost last week when they were endorsed …