Former first lady Betty Ford touches the casket of her husband, former President Gerald Ford, as his body lies in state Saturday at the Capitol Rotunda in Washington, D.C. Visitors can file past his body until Tuesday, when a national memorial service will be held. Getty

By Steve Lipsher in Vail – Former President Gerald Ford - who put this ski town on the map when he was in office and was dubbed the community’s “First Citizen” in retirement - was remembered Saturday night with a dramatic torchlight parade of skiers.

About 3,000 people, including residents who knew Ford and tourists who happened to be in town, braved subfreezing temperatures on a clear night to honor the president who made Vail his “winter White House.” He died Tuesday. >> MORE

The Democratic Congress taking power on Thursday faces major tests, but maybe none as mighty as resisting self-indulgence.

Like their Republican predecessors, the Democrats know what Americans want them to do.

The new Congress has a mandate to clean up Capitol Hill, balance the books, win the war on terror and make average folk - not big shots - the masters of government. >> MORE

Author and professor John Mueller Ohio State University

By Christa Marshall – Is the threat of terrorism overblown? According to political scientist John Mueller, the answer is a resounding yes.

In his new book, “Overblown: How politicians and the terrorism industry inflate national security threats and why we believe them,” Mueller points out that more people die in bathtubs than from terrorists every year and argues that most Department of Homeland Security funds have been wasted.

In an interview with the Post during a Washington D.C. visit, the Ohio University professor explains why he believes the reaction to September 11, 2001, often has been more dangerous than terrorism itself. >> MORE

Who were the biggest heroes and villains of 2006? The Associated Press has an answer, after conducting telephone interviews with 1,004 adults in 48 states.

This may be the only time that Brad Pitt, Osama bin Laden, Rosie O’Donnell, O.J. Simpson and Kim Jong II appear on a list together.

Here’s the results: >> MORE

John Edwards announces his candidacy on Dec. 28, 2006 AP

By Christa Marshall in Washington– Former U.S. senator John Edwards officially threw his hat in the 2008 presidential race Thursday, announcing in a battered New Orleans neighborhood that Americans “need to be patriotic about something beyond war.”

Dressed casually in a blue button-down shirt, the North Carolina Democrat said he plans to battle global warming, fight for the middle class, reduce the Bush tax cuts and provide “moral leadership” on issues such as the genocide in Darfur, Sudan.

“It’s not like we don’t know what needs to be done. This is not rocket science,” he said at a press conference. “We are the preeminent power in the world. But we also have to show that we have a responsibility to humanity.” >> MORE

Gerald Ford in 1996 AP file

By John Ingold — Community leaders in the Vail Valley quietly began planning a local memorial service for former President Ford on Wednesday, while elected officials and others praised Ford’s efforts to bring prestige and attention to Vail and Colorado.

“Coloradans, especially those in the Vail Valley, think of him as the first Colorado president,” Rep. Mark Udall, D-Colo., said in a statement. “…President Ford was a great ambassador for Colorado, and for that we will always consider him to be one of us.”

Ford long held a soft spot for the Vail area, owning a condominium there and then a house. As the president’s health declined, the Fords moved their belongings out of their stately home on Elk Track Court and placed the house on the market in recent weeks. >> MORE

AP

By Christa Marshall — Polar bears deserve protection under the Endangered Species Act because global warming is melting their ice habitats, the Bush administration said Wednesday.

The Interior Department ordered the Fish and Wildlife Service to begin a 12-month review to determine whether the bears should be listed as threatened under the Act, a requirement for federal protection.

“There are concerns about the effect of receding sea ice,” Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne said. “We are concerned the polar bears’ habitat may literally be melting.” >> MORE

By Howard Pankratz — Two former federal prosecutors who tried Oklahoma City bombers Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols said Wednesday that they disagreed with a report by a congressional subcommittee slamming the FBI for failing to follow up on potential leads.

One of McVeigh’s defense lawyers also said he placed little credibility in the report by the House International Relations investigative subcommittee. A second McVeigh lawyer, however, said he agreed with the report’s speculation that foreign conspirators might have been involved.

The report said the leads might have shown that an international conspiracy was behind the Oklahoma City bombing. It found no conclusive evidence of a foreign connection but said questions remained. >> MORE

Nick Palmer s photo is displayed next to his casket during Wednesday s memorial service at Lake County High School in Leadville. Post

By Steve Lipsher in Leadville - Childhood photos of Nick Palmer reveal a bright- eyed, grinning boy who took delight in his vampire costume at Halloween and showing off the cake decorated for his fifth birthday.

Palmer never outgrew that overgrown-kid mentality, friends and relatives recalled at his memorial service Wednesday, when he was mourned as a hero killed on the battlefield in Iraq.

“He never failed to have an Otis Spunkmeyer cookie or granola bar hidden somewhere on his body,” said Palmer’s commanding officer at Camp Pendleton, Marine Lt. Col. Wayne Sinclair. “At the most stressful times, he would pull out a cookie.” >> MORE

By Steve McMillan — Former Interior Secretary Gale Norton will join oil giant Royal Dutch Shell as a general counsel in its exploration and production business in mid-January, working primarily out of Colorado.

Norton, who stepped down from Interior in March, is a longtime Colorado resident who served two terms as state attorney general in the 1990s. During her tenure at Interior, she drew fire from environmentalists and praise from industry groups. >> MORE

In a file photo Vice President Gerald Ford enjoys the slopes at Vail, Colo. on Jan. 4, 1974 AP file

By Steve Lipsher in Vail - To the rest of the world, he was Mr. President.

To many people in the Vail valley, however, he was simply Jerry.

Gerald Ford brought the “winter White House” to Vail and placed the developing ski town on the map by regularly schussing down the slopes. He was considered a friend and regular guy by many here, even while lending his name to innumerable local causes in his role as “mountain royalty.”

“We look at everything we’ve done here, and we see his footprints in all of that,” said Ceil Folz, president of the Vail Valley Foundation, a charitable organization for which Ford served on the board of directors for years. “He’s literally part of the fabric of this community.” >> MORE

STATEMENT FROM PRESIDENT BUSH

“Laura and I are greatly saddened by the passing of former President Gerald R. Ford.

“President Ford was a great American who gave many years of dedicated service to our country. On August 9, 1974, after a long career in the House of Representatives and service as Vice President, he assumed the Presidency in an hour of national turmoil and division. With his quiet integrity, common sense, and kind instincts, President Ford helped heal our land and restore public confidence in the Presidency. >> MORE

Gerald Ford in 1996 AP file

By the Denver Post — Former U.S. Rep. Scott McInnis said Gerald Ford held rallies for him while McInnis served in the House of Representatives between 1993 and 2005.

The Republican from Grand Junction called Ford “by far the most admired person in Vail, someone admired in Colorado as well as nationwide. … Colorado feels the loss.”

“Vail loved him, and when he was president, I remember my mom had his political sign out on our lawn and we’d look up and see the presidential helicopter flying over on its way out to Vail,” McInnis said. “I’ve never heard a Republican or Democrat leader speak harshly of him.” >> MORE

Republicans are worried their congressional losses could expand in the next election cycle, and one of the senate seats they are most concerned about is Sen. Wayne Allard’s, according to a Washington Post article published Christmas Eve.

Allard, 63, said he would serve two terms in Congress when elected in 1996, but has not made a definitive statement about running in 2008. The Colorado Republican said he would make a decision in early 2007. >> MORE

A skier takes part in a race sponsored by the National Sports Center for the Disabled, whose $500,000 “earmark” is in jeopardy. Post

By Anne C. Mulkern in Washington - The National Sports Center for the Disabled hoped to expand its therapeutic skiing program in Winter Park next year with $500,000 from the federal government.

The University of Northern Colorado wanted to beef up its nursing curriculum with $500,000 in federal funds.

And the Colorado Department of Transportation planned to press ahead on its list of multiyear road projects with millions of dollars it hoped Congress would send.

All those plans are suddenly in question. >> MORE