Trinity Hartman

COLOGNE, Germany – Millie Duchow spent nine hours squished between young Catholics from around the world who had come to hear Pope Benedict XVI speak Thursday. When Benedict addressed the crowd outside the massive cathedral, not even a language barrier could disappoint the Spokane 16-year-old. "I didn't have to understand him to know what a good man he is," Duchow said of Benedict, who arrived in his homeland Thursday on his first trip from the Vatican since becoming pope four months ago.

Darrin Coldiron and Nick Muzik are firefighters. They don't deliberate in the face of disaster.

Working Christmas Day at Spokane Fire Station No. 4 in downtown did not mean missing out on a Christmas meal. After responding to several morning Interstate 90 crashes, which prevented some folks from making holiday flights but caused no significant injuries, a firefighter served up a prime rib lunch.

Sgt. John Heaton kept his most cherished possessions locked in a metal box in his bedroom. Inside the large box were letters of encouragement and mementos from his Marine Corps training.

Fortunately Theo is cute. The hound dog likes to lick ears, a gross-out move she gets away with because she's so friendly and eager to please. The dog was found running loose without identification near Bigelow Gulch Road and was brought in to the Spokane County Regional Animal Care and Protection Services shelter last week. There was a little gender confusion with Theo, who is less than a year old. Initially, she was listed at the shelter as a neutered male. Turns out, she's a female. Anyone interested in adopting Theo or other animals can visit the SCRAPS shelter at 2521 N. Flora Road, call the shelter at 477-2532 or visit the Web site at www.spokanecounty.org/animal. Dogs cost $75.01 to adopt, which includes a license, neutering, vaccinations, a microchip implant and a trip to the veterinarian.

Angela Jones picked up her daughters from their first day of school. Marissa, a bouncy, energetic 5-year-old, had started kindergarten. Sydney, 9, was eager to get home and tell Jones stories about school. Yet normalcy stopped for the Jones family as Angela turned onto North Vista Road. Firetrucks and police cars blocked the way. Jones' rental house belched thick, black smoke into the late summer air. Jones ran toward the house, distraught. She thought her friend, Mike Wagner, was still inside. Sydney Jones said she can still remember every terrified word her mother said in those first minutes. Wagner was fine. Everything else was not.

Art Herman's calling card was a rectangular sticker the size of two postage stamps. It had Herman's name and that of Graybar, the electrical company where he spent his career as a salesman.

The collie seemed scared to leave her kennel-mate. The collie and her kennel-mate, a male dog with some Rottweiler in him, had been found together. They were running loose near Sprague Avenue and Evergreen Road and were brought into the shelter on Nov. 20. They had no identification, but had collars for an invisible fence. The 5-year-old dog, which has both collie and German shepherd in her, seemed distracted when taken to a play room at the Spokane County Regional Animal Care and Protection Services shelter. Turned out, she had to let loose on the floor. While she might not be entirely housetrained, she understood the command to "sit."

A sign proclaiming "Joy" hung next to the door of Tiffany Benoff's mobile home. Yet Wednesday, sorrow eclipsed the joy that Benoff radiated.

Scott Lasher and Jeff Sevigney pulled onto U.S. Interstate 90 in a nondescript Chevy Impala. All around them, drivers' halos were missing. Cars swerved, sped, tailgated and cut one another off.

A house fire near Upriver Dam killed two people early Friday. Firefighters searched the smoke-filled house and found the body of John J. Gregg, 76, and the body of a woman. The woman had not been identified late Friday afternoon.

The bulldog was one world-weary creature. She stretched out on the floor at the animal shelter this week, her snout on a paw, looking like nothing could surprise her. When thrown a toy, the dog sniffed it, then wandered away to check out the rest of the outdoor kennel. The bulldog mix was picked up by a Spokane County Regional Animal Care and Protection Services officer last week on North Locust Road. The dog had no identification and appeared to be a stray. She looks to be approximately 5 years old and had puppies in the past. The dog is tall for a bulldog and has a stocky build. Shelter workers said the bulldog has acted gentle and quiet during her week at the shelter.