State

• Ill. impeachment panel awaits Blagojevich attorney

• Ill. gov.'s legal woes worsen as fundraisers defect

• Ill. speaker, AG have stormy past with governor

• Source: Ill. gov. nixed job for Jackson Jr.'s wife

• Obama says leave Senate seat choice to state

National

• Father of Oregon bank bombing suspect arrested

• Train cars fall into Mississippi after derailment

• Citibank's computers down, blocking account info

• Microsoft issuing emergency fix for browser flaw

• Body left in car for 2 days after fatal Ohio wreck

• IIHS: Small cars making strides in safety

• Adam Walsh case transformed missing kid searches

  • Adam Walsh case transformed missing kid searches

• Energy agency: Oil demand slowing, causes are many

• Army's new manual warns of 'persistent conflict'

• Most say they, pets understand each other

International

• Iraqi official says he's quitting over shoe-tosser

• Chinese ship attacked by pirates in Gulf of Aden

  • UN gives authority to hunt pirates on land, air

• Police: Alleged Mafia boss hangs himself in Sicily

• Authorities see rise in fake passports on border

Politics

• Kennedy mystique flummoxes N.Y. rivals for Senate

• Obama picks Vilsack, Salazar for Cabinet

ODD & Extraordinary

• Santa gets parking ticket while delivering toys

• Woman goes to the pound and brings home 27 dogs

• Cops arrest woman after drive-through burger order

• Yellow Mo. oleo: I Can't Believe It's Not Legal!

• Toilet-maker pledges to repair smoking bidets

• Woman charged with turning $801 check into $6,801

• Forklift allegedly used to steal ATM in Texas

• Wis. brothers bowl perfect 300 games together

• Two $1 million tickets sold at same Indiana store

• Cake request for 3-year-old Hitler namesake denied

• Man plays same lottery number 11 times, wins $1.1M

• Police: Armed burglars demand man's eggbeater

Science, Technology & The Environment

• Scientists find hole in Earth's magnetic field

• Strange dark energy acts as galactic diet enforcer

• Protected habitat proposed for sea otter in Alaska

Entertainment, Entertainers, The Media and the Arts

• 'Twilight' sequel speeds ahead for November 2009

• Time names Obama 'Person of the Year'

• Top 10 video games:
  'Fallout 3' led an action-packed '08

• Will.i.am to perform on Dick Clark New Year's Eve

• Aretha Franklin talks about new Xmas CD

• Marilyn Monroe pics sold for nearly $150,000

• Ebert gets life membership from Directors Guild

Today

• This day in history

• The nation's weather

  • No respite as wintry storms spread over nation