December 25, 2008 in City, News By Wednesday morning, Rev. Andrea CastroLang considered canceling the Christmas Eve service at Westminster Congregational Church. The soloist already had bowed out. TV news was full of footage of cars …

December 25, 2008 in City The National Weather Service is forecasting more snow today with temperatures approaching freezing by 11 a.m. then dropping to the low 20s in Spokane.

December 25, 2008 in City, Outdoors on Page A1 A dearth of parking and deep snow with no substance have left some issues to work out for cross-country skiers and snowshoers in the Inland Northwest. Trail groomers at areas …

December 25, 2008 in City on Page A1 More than 29,500 people woke up this morning to a cheerier Christmas, thanks to a generous community that donated nearly $560,000 to pay for toys and food vouchers for the …

    December 25, 2008 in City on Page A1 First Lt. Mason McCoy hopes for just one thing for Christmas: a bit more sleep. McCoy, a member of the Washington National Guard’s 81st Brigade, said he and other members …

December 25, 2008 in Nation/World on Page A3 VATICAN CITY – Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Christmas Midnight Mass early today by sending out an appeal for children who are abused, forced to live on the street or serve …

December 25, 2008 in Nation/World on Page A4 CHICAGO – With airports across the country recovering from a blast of snow and ice storms, some unlucky holiday travelers stranded for the second night in a row prepared to …

December 25, 2008 in Nation/World on Page A4 WASHINGTON – President George W. Bush took the rare step Wednesday of revoking a pardon he had granted only a day before, after learning in news reports of political contributions …

December 25, 2008 in Nation/World on Page A4 At least five people were injured Wednesday when a home in a Sacramento suburb was leveled during an explosion that officials believe was caused by a natural gas leak. Charred …

December 25, 2008 in Nation/World on Page A7 NAIROBI, Kenya – The embattled president of Somalia, Abdullahi Yusuf, is expected to resign after a bitter struggle for control of his country’s interim government, Western diplomats said Wednesday. Yusuf’s …

December 25, 2008 in Nation/World on Page A7 HARARE, Zimbabwe – With the death toll from Zimbabwe’s cholera epidemic over 1,100 and the country in shambles, Nobelist Desmond Tutu said Wednesday it was time to threaten its longtime …

December 25, 2008 in Nation/World on Page A8 CONAKRY, Guinea – The leader of a coup paraded into Guinea’s capital followed by several thousand soldiers Wednesday, hours after saying his group would hold power for two years. A …

December 25, 2008 in Nation/World on Page A10 OKLAHOMA CITY – A trail of tobacco spit has led investigators to a suspect in at least five burglaries across eastern Oklahoma, police said. Randy Lee Shoopman Jr., 33, was …

December 25, 2008 in Nation/World on Page A10 WASHINGTON – The worsening economic crunch is causing the tab for food assistance programs to balloon, and with the rising costs has come an intensifying debate over whether – and …

December 25, 2008 in Nation/World on Page A11 DALLAS – A former Utah state trooper named a suspect in several Dallas-area roadway shootings has died. Brian Smith died Wednesday night at a Dallas hospital.

December 25, 2008 in Business on Page A12 WASHINGTON – A series of gloomy economic reports Wednesday showed consumers holding tight to their wallets with job losses expected to mount in the months ahead. There was one glimmer …