Robin Rivers

Slipping into darkness. Amber Morgan, 12, was pulled from her grandparents' chimney Tuesday evening. Photo by Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review

The Spokane airport saw very little of the fog that blanketed downtown and other parts of the city Tuesday, airport officials said. "The airport has really been OK," said Spokane International Airport spokesman Todd Woodard. "It hasn't been debilitating like downtown."

A sign and county sheriff's car block a section of 14th Avenue on Friday night after two bodies were discovered in the area. Photo by Sandra Bancroft-Billings/The Spokesman-Review

It was a Christmas family reunion of sorts Thursday at Central United Methodist Church. The day came with turkey and trimmings, presents and games. But the "family" that gathered wasn't your average crowd. It was the family of homeless and needy people living in downtown Spokane. And the day's joy was all the Christmas many of them would have.

1. "I want the big smiles," says Christmas photographer Bianca Carroll, who today will take her first day off since Thanksgiving. "Two-year-olds are the entertainment around here," she adds. "About one in 100 will sit and smile." Photo by Sandra Bancroft-Billings/The Spokesman-Review 2. Elmer Smoak, Santa for 17 years at One Hour Photo, tries to find Michael Bageant's smile for Bianca Carroll's camera.

Maintenance workers discovered a decomposing body south of Spokane on Thursday, about a mile from the area where a woman's remains were found six weeks ago, sheriff's deputies said. The body, found by workers at about 1:15 p.m. Thursday, was several feet from a water treatment plant at 11400 S. Hangman Valley Road, Sheriff's Deputy Dave Reagan said. The body was covered with leaves and brush and not buried in a grave. Investigators have not determined the gender of the victim, Reagan said, or whether the case is tied to the murder of 29-year-old Darla Sue Scott.

The committee charged with hiring Spokane's new police chief should find a person who emphasizes diversity and fairness, residents said Thursday. A citizens group placed those attributes above dozens of others during the second of two brainstorming sessions on who should replace Police Chief Terry Mangan. "Each idea is very valuable. We will consider all of them," said Spokane City Manager Bill Pupo. "The chief's position is an important one. We'll look and see how people have prioritized and will develop our job description and job advertisement from that." A hiring committee, which includes Pupo as well as representatives from Spokane neighborhoods and organizations, also will use the information to evaluate candidates during interviews, Pupo said.

A clinic that provides health care for thousands of low-income residents celebrated its new home Wednesday in downtown Spokane. Ceremonies at the Downtown Community Medical-Dental Center, 238 W. Sprague, kicked off expanded efforts to offer public health care to anyone in need. "We get lots of people who are very sick," said Peg Hopkins, executive director of the Community Health Association of Spokane, which runs the center.

Two men were arrested early Monday after nearly 40 vehicles in the Hillyard area were vandalized, Spokane police said. Mike Robert Wigen, 20, of 12208 E. Portland, and Anthony P. Douglas, 19, of 1859 E. Ninth, were booked into Spokane County Jail for first-degree malicious mischief. Officers started receiving reports of vandalism just after midnight Monday. All described a 1970s Bronco as the suspect vehicle, police said.

Travelers check the schedule board Friday at Spokane International Airport. Fog delayed or canceled about half of all flights on Friday. Photo by Shawn Jacobson/The Spokesman-Review

Standardized test scores have dropped this year for District 81 fourth- and eighth-graders, after peaking in 1996. But Spokane students remain above the national average in all subjects except spelling and reading. "You have to look past the one-year to one-year comparison," said Joe Kinney, District 81 testing coordinator.

Spokane police Officer Ken Lesperance, shown training at the academy in 1994, quit the department Monday after filing a lawsuit. File/The Spokesman-Review

Jean Smith, with a pair of surviving ferrets, says the response to the ferret killings "has just been overwhelming." Photo by Torsten Kjellstrand/The Spokesman-Review

Janet Gilpatrick sent more than a handful of co-workers on to bigger and better things. They became lawyers, court clerks, political activists, but it was a bittersweet send-off Friday for Gilpatrick, Tom Foley's longtime administrative assistant.

The next Spokane police chief should promote diversity and communicate well, said Spokane residents during a forum Wednesday. "I want a police chief who will be willing to stand out there, be in front and be visible," said Dean Lynch. "Someone who has proven leadership and values diversity. Someone who is open to the citizens."

A group of Spokane residents lit candles in prayer Monday to remember the lives of people who've died of AIDS. "Some were our friends, our lovers, our children, our parents," said The Rev. Keith Wolter, a member of the Spokane Human Rights Commission. "They taught in their own ways." Members of the vigil, gathered at North Central High School, said those who've died taught patience and tolerance, even how to create joy in the face of death.

Sta-Fit trainer Suzanne Bennett, right, leads a group of Thanksgiving exercizers. Photo by Kristy MacDonald/The Spokesman-Review

More than 80 ferrets were killed in a north Spokane barn last week, possibly stabbed to death with a weapon similar to a syringe, police said. Detectives have a "person of interest" in the case, but aren't releasing any information. They intend to pursue a warrant for 82 counts of animal cruelty and first-degree malicious mischief, Spokane police spokesman Dick Cottam said.

Jim Heath keeps the line at the Salvation Army distribution center moving. Photo by Shawn Jacobson/The Spokesman-Review

There's something to be said for thinking ahead. Dozens of Washington State football fans have called area travel agents. If the Cougars win the Apple Cup today, their Rose Bowl reservations are already made. "We have had all kinds of calls," said Deann Peterson, an agent at Carlson Wagonlit Travel. "People know that, come Monday, tickets will go very, very fast."

Don and Irma Wilson

Timothy Gardner grabbed a kitchen knife late Saturday and stabbed Joseph Gustafson 22 times, Spokane police said. Gardner hid the bloody clothes and the weapon, leaving Gustafson to crawl from a bathtub and die in the alley behind the home of Gardner's girlfriend, Wanda Phillips, at 2518 E. Sinto, detectives said. Gustafson's body was found Sunday by bicyclists.

1. Hughes 2. Johnson 3. Wason

Victory Outreach men's home director Joe Sambrano picks up garbage outside the church's new home on Wellesley. Photo by Torsten Kjellstrand/The Spokesman-Review