December 31, 2008 in City Several streets are shut down in Spokane’s downtown core for the First Night celebration. Main Street east from Monroe and Lincoln; Post Street north from Riverside Avenue and Wall Street …

  December 31, 2008 in City, Idaho With wholesale prices for natural gas in a steady decline, Avista Corp. is paying out less for the commodity and says it will pass the savings on to utility customers. 4

December 31, 2008 in City Drifting and blowing snow has closed Highway 231 north of Reardan and is making travel trickier around the region, and Spokane County officials said road closures because of drifts were …

December 31, 2008 in Business, Nation/World WASHINGTON — The number of laid-off workers continuing to draw unemployment benefits has surged again, as finding new jobs becomes even more difficult amid a deepening recession.

December 31, 2008 in City, Idaho Snow is expected to start falling again New Year’s Day about 8 a.m. in the Spokane area as a potentially strong low-pressure system moves into the region.

December 31, 2008 in News, City One by one they lined up, clutching light-up plastic swords and other goodies. Some were marmots, others were space aliens. A few were Vikings, and some didn’t know what they …

December 31, 2008 in City on Page A1 The Christmas Fund has closed for the year with donations totaling $562,804, exceeding the goal by nearly $68,000. The donations ensure the fund will cover bills for the Christmas Bureau, …

December 31, 2008 in Nation/World on Page A2 DETROIT – A movie about a “maverick,” his journey “from Wall Street to Main Street,” his “desperate search” for a “monkey” and a “game-changing” revelation about his “carbon footprint” probably …

December 31, 2008 in Nation/World on Page A3 GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip – Israel, under international pressure, is considering a 48-hour halt to its punishing four-day air campaign on Hamas targets in Gaza to see if Palestinian militants …

December 31, 2008 in Nation/World on Page A3 WASHINGTON – A federal judge on Tuesday awarded more than $65 million to several men who were captured and tortured by North Korea after the communist country seized the U.S. …

December 31, 2008 in Nation/World on Page A3 MIAMI – Mexican authorities have suspended their search for a Florida woman who apparently fell from a ship balcony during a Christmas week cruise. The woman’s family believes she might …

December 31, 2008 in Nation/World on Page A3 WASHINGTON – Two Guantanamo Bay detainees, including a Yemeni man accused of being a bodyguard for Osama bin Laden, were correctly labeled as enemy combatants and are being held lawfully …

December 31, 2008 in Nation/World on Page A3 WASHINGTON – The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence sued the Bush administration Tuesday in hopes of stopping a new policy that would allow people to carry concealed, loaded guns …

December 31, 2008 in Nation/World on Page A4 SAN PABLO, Calif. – Thousands of Salvadoran, Nicaraguan and Honduran immigrants could have their permission to live and work in the United States revoked next year after missing a Tuesday …

December 31, 2008 in Nation/World on Page A4 Russia’s President Dmitry Medvedev signed a constitutional amendment Tuesday extending presidential terms in the country from four years to six, a change that many suspect is intended to benefit his …

December 31, 2008 in Nation/World on Page A4 PESHAWAR, Pakistan – Pakistan suspended truck shipments of U.S. military supplies through the famed Khyber Pass on Tuesday after launching an offensive against militants who are trying to cripple Washington’s …

December 31, 2008 in Nation/World on Page A4 NAIROBI, Kenya – Ugandan rebels have killed more than 400 people in northeastern Congo since Christmas, an aid agency said Tuesday. The Catholic charity, Caritas, cited reports by its staff …