December 15, 2011 in News SIOUX CITY, Iowa — Newt Gingrich found his record challenged repeatedly in a high-stakes debate Thursday, the last chance for him and his rivals to appear together in a televised …

December 15, 2011 in Sports The highly esteemed Tri-State wrestling tournament turns 40 years old today.

December 15, 2011 in News BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Montana officials on Thursday announced environmental approval for a major oil pipeline from Canada’s tar sands to the Gulf Coast, but the proposal still needs approval … 3

December 15, 2011 in Nation/World All eyes on Newt Gingrich, the Republican presidential contenders assembled in Iowa today for the last debate before the state’s leadoff nominating caucuses, now less than three weeks away. 24

December 15, 2011 in Idaho Idaho Gov. Butch Otter dropped something of a bombshell at a campaign fundraiser last night in Coeur d’Alene: He said he’ll run for a third term as governor in 2014. 7

December 15, 2011 in City Spokane isn’t as secure as it was just last year, a study by Farmers Insurance found. 14

December 15, 2011 in City, Idaho Three Lucky Friday miners remained in North Idaho hospitals this morning after a rock burst injured a total of seven miners on Wednesday night. The rock burst was strong enough … 8

December 15, 2011 in City, Idaho As light snow fell over the Inland Northwest, traffic during the morning commute was moving without trouble.

December 15, 2011 in Nation/World After nearly nine years, 4,500 American dead, 32,000 wounded and more than $800 billion, U.S. officials formally shut down the war in Iraq — a conflict that U.S. Defense Secretary … 47

December 15, 2011 in Nation/World Squeezed by rising living costs, a record number of Americans — nearly 1 in 2 — have fallen into poverty or are scraping by on earnings that classify them as … 31

December 15, 2011 in City, Idaho on Page A1 Several trapped miners were saved from the Lucky Friday Mine in Mullan, Idaho, on Wednesday in the third rescue effort launched there this year. Seven miners were transported by air … 1

December 15, 2011 in City on Page A1 OLYMPIA – Realizing it wouldn’t find $2 billion in budget savings in 30 days, the Legislature settled Wednesday on a fourth of that in 17 days, and called it quits … 3

December 15, 2011 in Nation/World on Page A2 PARIS – George Whitman, the American bibliophile whose iconic English-language Paris bookshop, Shakespeare and Company, has been a haven for book lovers for more than half a century, died Wednesday, …

December 15, 2011 in Nation/World on Page A3 ISLAMABAD – Pakistan is planning to tax supplies for U.S.-led coalition troops that are shipped through its territory to land-locked Afghanistan, officials revealed, in retaliation for the recent deaths of …

December 15, 2011 in Nation/World on Page A3 WASHINGTON – A partisan standoff in Congress over President Barack Obama’s payroll tax cut for 160 million working Americans threatens to shut down the federal government as soon as this … 2

December 15, 2011 in Nation/World on Page A3 WASHINGTON – The House passed a massive $662 billion defense bill Wednesday night after last-minute changes placated the White House and ensured President Barack Obama’s ability to prosecute terrorist suspects …

December 15, 2011 in Nation/World on Page A3 Kolkata, India – A tainted batch of bootleg liquor killed at least 80 people and sent dozens more to the hospital in villages outside the eastern Indian city of Kolkata, … 1

December 15, 2011 in Nation/World on Page A3 WASHINGTON – The United States will hold talks with North Korea in Beijing today on the possibility of providing food aid to the impoverished country, the State Department said. The … 2

December 15, 2011 in Nation/World on Page A4 ATLANTA – It’s a startling number: 1 in 4 women surveyed by the government say they were violently attacked by their husbands or boyfriends. Experts on domestic violence don’t find …

December 15, 2011 in Nation/World on Page A4 WASHINGTON – The health care law signed by President Barack Obama last year has now helped as many as 2.5 million young adults get health insurance, despite the lagging economy, … 4