State

• 1 dead, 12 injured in Chicago high-rise fire

• Chicago man convicted of killing 11 women in 1990s

National

• Stubborn storm leaves behind a shivering nation

• Police kill CD peddler in Times Square shootout

• Mich. AG to give deposition in slain stripper suit

• Man agrees to plead guilty in ESPN reporter case

• Charities still stung by Madoff scandal year later

• US-born Hispanics see gains in education, income

International

• Detained Americans in Pakistan facing deportation

• 40 detained at climate protests in Copenhagen

• US Marines train illiterate farmers to be police

• Defense sec'y tells US troops Iraq mission critical

• Report: Blackwater guards linked to CIA raids

• Police: Body of Cyprus president stolen from grave

• Court hears tale of L'Oreal heiress

Politics & Government

• Nobel award in hand, Obama faces hard work at home

• Health care loophole would allow coverage limits

• House approves $1.1 trillion spending measure

• House scales back proposed Wall Street rules

• Gov't auditors say food-tracing program flawed

ODD & Extraordinary

• Man allegedly assaults wife over snow shoveling

• Sheriff: Bailiff unknowingly sold stolen wreaths

• Woman allegedly pours grits on sleeping boyfriend

• Dutch man reports theft of Ecstasy pill collection

• Man bets against Saints, gets his TV shot to bits

• Stolen Seattle totem pole found near Salem, Ore.

Entertainment, Entertainers, Media & Arts

• AP review: Effects wow but story limps in 'Avatar'

• ABC appoints Stephanopoulos to be 'GMA' host

• Pee-wee Herman's big comeback

• Attorneys ask court to dismiss Polanski sex case

• Billboard names Taylor, Kanye among year's best

• 'N Sync's 'No Strings' decade's most popular album

• Stars turn out to honor producer Weintraub in LA

Science, Technology & Environment

• New fossils shed light on evolution of dinosaurs

• Hurdles remain even if climate deal is reached

• EU nations commit $3.6 billion to climate fund

• Stuck Mars rover struggles with faulty wheel

Today

• This day in history