December 22, 2012 in Sports As good as it gets. That’s not just a statement on the quality of Seattle’s grudge match against San Francisco Sunday night at CenturyLink Field. It’s a summary of how … 2

December 22, 2012 in Sports If someone wants a quick study on Washington’s 2012 football season, all they’ll need to do is watch Saturday’s MAACO Bowl Las Vegas.

December 22, 2012 in Sports Raul Ibanez will be joining the Mariners for a third go-round this coming spring.

December 22, 2012 in Sports The Eagles celebrated a 57-54 Big Sky Conference basketball win over Idaho State largely because of Thomas Reuter’s heroics in the final seconds.

December 22, 2012 NEWTOWN, Conn. — Newtown’s children were showered with gifts today — tens of thousands of teddy bears, Barbie dolls, soccer balls and board games — but only a portion of … 1

December 22, 2012 in Nation/World VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI granted his former butler a Christmas pardon Saturday, forgiving him in person during a jailhouse meeting for stealing and leaking his private papers …

December 22, 2012 in Nation/World on Page A1 WASHINGTON – Federal health regulators say a genetically modified salmon that grows twice as fast as normal is unlikely to harm the environment, clearing the way for the first approval … 13

December 22, 2012 in Nation/World on Page A2 INDIANAPOLIS – Three people charged in a gas explosion that devastated an Indianapolis neighborhood deliberately set up the deadly blast to collect a big insurance payout, authorities said Friday. The …

December 22, 2012 in Nation/World on Page A3 MOBILE, Ala. – An Alabama woman said Friday she fell asleep on the couch and didn’t realize a tornado had ripped off part of her roof and damaged most of …

December 22, 2012 in Nation/World on Page A3 Rome – Prime Minister Mario Monti, the technocrat who guided Italy through economic turbulence for the past 13 months following the scandal-plagued rule of Silvio Berlusconi, resigned Friday to make …

December 22, 2012 in Nation/World on Page A5 IOWA CITY, Iowa – A dentist acted legally when he fired an assistant that he found attractive simply because he and his wife viewed the woman as a threat to … 15

December 22, 2012 in City on Page A6 Idaho’s unemployment rate continued to fall in November, dropping below 7 percent for the first time in 3 1/2 years as employers maintained payrolls at a stronger pace than normal …

December 22, 2012 in Business on Page A6 PORTLAND – Members of the longshore union are voting on what Pacific Northwest grain shippers describe as their “last, best and final” contract offer. The proposal is expected to be …

December 22, 2012 in Business on Page A6 NEW YORK – Twinkies, Wonder Bread and Devil Dogs are likely to return to shelves in coming months, but probably not under the same owners. Hostess Brands Inc. said in … 1

December 22, 2012 in Business on Page A6 WASHINGTON – Fresh signs of a strengthening U.S. economy on Friday suggested that if Congress and the White House can avert the “fiscal cliff,” the economic recovery might finally accelerate …