December 23, 2010 in City on Page A5 What started out as 71 city of Spokane layoffs has dwindled to only a couple. In September, Mayor Mary Verner announced that 71 employees would lose their job the day … 6

December 23, 2010 in City on Page A5 Washington’s election system has many virtues, but speed isn’t one of them. Only 40.6 percent of last month’s Spokane County general election ballots were counted on election night.

December 23, 2010 in City on Page A5 A judge on Wednesday decided that the way Spokane city officials enforce the hauling of construction waste is, quite frankly, garbage. Superior Court Judge Annette Plese sided with a local … 3

December 23, 2010 in City on Page A5 From our archives, 100 years ago The murder trial of Joseph Bacilon, an Italian immigrant accused of murdering a fellow Italian laborer near Cannon Hill, featured several dramatic moments.

December 23, 2010 in City on Page A6 Many state offices will be closed Monday as workers for most agencies and departments go on a one-day unpaid furlough, the fifth this year.

December 23, 2010 in City on Page A6 EAGLE, Idaho – Tamarack Resort’s owner on Wednesday selected a preferred buyer, a move that may prompt additional bidding for the bankrupt development whose fortunes rose and plunged with the …

December 23, 2010 in City on Page A6 Two women who died in a fire Sunday morning have been identified by the Spokane County medical examiner. Jill D. Burdett, 56, and UnaBelle Turner, 91, were unable to escape …

December 23, 2010 in City on Page A6 Three men have been arrested on suspicion of burglarizing the home of Ernie Creach, son of Wayne Scott Creach, who was shot and killed by a sheriff’s deputy in August. … 1

December 23, 2010 in City on Page A6 Spokane police are looking for help identifying two men who stole from a thrift shop.

December 23, 2010 in City on Page A6 Two brothers were arrested on suspicion of vehicle prowling Wednesday in north Spokane after police matched their shoes to footprints left in the snow near a stolen car.

December 23, 2010 in City on Page A7 Spokane County Marriage licenses

December 23, 2010 in City on Page A7 Here’s what’s open and closed for the Christmas holiday: Public agencies: Nearly all government offices and courts will be closed Friday as employees take the legal holiday for Christmas.

December 23, 2010 in City on Page A7 For 12-23-2010

December 23, 2010 in Business on Page A8 More collecting jobless benefits Unemployment claims in Washington set new records this year, with more than 500,000 jobless workers collecting almost $4.7 billion in benefits.

December 23, 2010 in Business on Page A8 A Minnesota company on Wednesday officially bought NightHawk Radiology, once one of North Idaho’s fast-rising tech firms. Virtual Radiologic’s purchase of NightHawk was approved Wednesday as shareholders voted to take …

December 23, 2010 in Business on Page A8 A cover for a tail chute opening that allegedly had been “tied open” in apparent violation of Occupational Safety and Health Administration rules may have played a role in an …

December 23, 2010 in Opinion on Page A11 Of the several objectionable provisions included in the tax compromise that congressional Republicans extorted from the Obama administration, none is more noxious than the one that all but guts the … 25

December 23, 2010 in Letters, Opinion on Page A11 President Eisenhower (1961) warned us against a military industrial complex. We have become just that. 6

December 23, 2010 in Letters, Opinion on Page A11 The Singing Nuns Christmas program at the Bing Crosby Theater this week was special this year. They had as special guests the East Valley High School Strolling Strings. This a …