Week in Review

Sunday

HEALTH: Nineteen states have enacted or proposed cuts in their Medicaid or State Children's Health Insurance Program budgets for the current budget year or for 2010, according to Families USA.

PRESIDENTIAL TRANSITION: As vice president, Joe Biden will oversee an Obama administration effort to find ways of building up the ranks of the middle class. The goal is to recommend proposals to ensure the middle class is "no longer being left behind," Mr. Biden said.

INAUGURATION: U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., said it was a mistake for President-elect Obama to invite the Rev. Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at his inauguration.

AUTO BAILOUT: Vice President Cheney blamed Congress for failing to bail out the auto industry, saying the White House was forced to step in to save U.S. car companies.

WEATHER: Weekend storms in the nation's northern half knocked out power to thousands of customers and created nightmarish conditions for holiday travelers coast to coast on the first official day of winter.

NATION: The U.S. Geological Survey said central California was shaken by an earthquake measuring magnitude 4.1, strong enough to be noticed but without reports of damage or injuries.

Monday

metro: Pumping fists and chanting "no justice, no peace," about 200 people marched through Cherry Tree Crossing housing development in a demonstration against police brutality. The march went peacefully after the funeral of Justin Elmore, who was shot by police Dec. 14. He was taken off life support Dec. 16.

NATION: The nation's great migration south and west is slowing because of a housing crisis that is making it hard to move. Utah was No. 1 in population growth, with an increase of 2.5 percent from July 2007 to July 2008. Georgia is No. 9, and South Carolina is No. 10.

NATION: Five Muslim immigrants accused of scheming to massacre U.S. soldiers at Fort Dix were convicted of conspiracy in a case that tested the FBI's post-Sept. 11 strategy of infiltrating and breaking up terrorist plots in their earliest stages.

NATION: U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, is pushing to get the second half of the $700 billion rescue fund released next month, before President-elect Obama is inaugurated, to help jump-start the economy.

BUSINESS: Toyota Motor Corp. said that it will report the first operating loss in 70 years, acknowledging that after a decade of rapid growth it can no longer escape the slowdown plaguing the global auto industry.

metro: More than 1,000 parents and children started lining up at 5 a.m. to receive toys from the annual James Brown toy giveaway. Organizers said more than 1,500 toys were collected this year to hand out. The Rev. Al Sharpton, on hand to help, said he would continue to participate to honor James Brown's memory.

Tuesday

economy: Government figures for the third quarter showed a 0.5 percent drop in the gross domestic product, a key indicator of economic health. Two reports on home sales sketched a bleaker picture, showing demand for both and existing homes fell more sharply in November than expected.

OBAMA: An internal report of President-elect Obama's interviews with federal agents was released, revealing neither Mr. Obama nor anyone on his transition team was involved in any misconduct involving Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Prosecutors had said Mr. Obama is not implicated in the case.

HEALTH: At least 2 million older Americans take a combination of drugs or supplements that can be a risky mix -- from blood thinners and cholesterol pills to aspirin and ginkgo capsules -- according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Wednesday

economy: Despite a slight uptick in consumer spending in November, a series of reports showed Americans were keeping their wallets shut. Widespread layoffs led economists to predict that it would be a while before consumers ramped up their spending.

PRESIDENTIAL PARDONS: In a rare move, President Bush withdrew one of the 19 pardons he had issued Tuesday after learning that Isaac Robert Toussie's father had donated to the Republican Party in April. Mr. Toussie was convicted of making false statements to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and of mail fraud.

ZIMBABWE: South African Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu called on the world to threaten Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe with removal by force. Mr. Mugabe, who has ruled the country since 1980, has taken violent action against supporters of his political opponents, and he has deemed the country's cholera crisis over, despite a death toll of more than 1,100.

Thursday

hostage standoff: Police were called to a south Augusta residence about 3 p.m. to find a woman had barricaded herself inside and warned authorities that if they entered, she would cut a 5-year-old child's throat. The Richmond County SWAT team eventually forced its way inside and shot the woman in an effort to free the boy.

TERRORISM: An intelligence assessment revealed a five-year threat forecast, detailing ways in which intelligence officials expect terrorists to strike. Though chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear attacks are considered the most dangerous threats the U.S. faces, it is unlikely groups such as al-Qaida have the capabilities for such attacks. A destructive biological attack is expected within the next five years, the report showed.

Friday

Poll: Another big win for President-elect Obama: He dethroned President Bush as the nation's most-admired man by 32 percent of Americans.

SOUTH AUGUSTA STANDOFF: An attempt to break off a romantic relationship might have led to a Christmas Day hostage situation that ended with a woman's being shot by police at a south Richmond County home.

SHOPPING: National retailers hoping to salvage a lackluster holiday buying season with post-Christmas Day sales received little help from Augusta-area shoppers. Traffic was light and parking lots half-full at best late Friday morning at some retail centers in Augusta and Evans.