4 stories you need to know as you start your day

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FROM INLANDER.COM
• What to do this week
• Christmas music, made locally
• Insight from the woman who lost her job to Monique Cotton

• The Cougs are heading to the Sun Bowl

click to enlarge

WSU Coach Mike Leach is taking his team to El Paso, Texas, to face the Miami Hurricanes.

Standing between them and the team's first bowl win since 2003: The Miami Hurricanes.

• A dead body is found in a Spokane backyard
The investigation is early, but police say it's suspicious. (KXLY)

• Spokane cop charged with rape heads to court this morning
Investigators found the victim's DNA is his car.

• President Obama addressed the nation in a rare Oval Office speech
He reassured Americans he's doing everything possible to fight ISIS and terrorism and urged people not to succumb to fear. RELATED: In another rare move, the NYT published a front-page editorial calling for strict gun controls.