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Gov. Scott Walker's plan cuts at least $1.5 billion from public schools and local governments. The proposal avoids tax or fee increases, furloughs or widespread layoffs — as long as legislators pass his controversial plan to strip public employees of most collective bargaining rights.

Lots of Democrats have problems with the tax deal President Obama made with Republicans, including extension of the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy. And some Democrats are getting heartburn over the proposed reduction in Social Security taxes because they fear it could seriously weaken the program.

In its search for new revenue, Goodwill Industries has been supplementing its retail stores with high-end boutiques that sell designer donations. It's also selling a lot more of its donated goods online through auction sites. This year, it expects to make about $5 million in online sales.

A new report backed by the State Department found a 10 percent jump in students coming to the U.S. for higher education.

Milwaukee Orchestra concertmaster Frank Almond was carrying his rare Stradivarius violin out to the parking lot after a show when he was suddenly attacked. The violin, worth millions, was stolen.

The failure of the congressional deficit-reduction supercommittee extends fiscal uncertainty and pushes a debate over the Bush-era tax cuts into a presidential election year. Congress could try to reverse automatic budget cuts set for 2013 — but President Obama has already warned against that approach.

The year that passed disappointed both investors and job seekers. Economists think the new year will be a bit better, with GDP growth rising to 2.4 percent. Much depends on European leaders' ability to fix the ongoing debt crisis; they may find a solution in 2012, but consequences are dire if not.

Glenn Fine may be the most powerful law enforcement officer you've never heard of. Over 10 years as the Justice Department's inspector general, Fine exposed widespread FBI civil liberties violations, and he called out former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

Serena Frome is more bookworm than spy, but her bosses at MI5 have the perfect mission for her: to cultivate and fund British writers whose politics align with those of the government.

Many economists say the government should spend more in the near term to stimulate jobs and growth, rather than focusing on cutting the debt. But House Republicans' insistence on spending cuts places the fragile recovery on a potential collision course with President Obama's 2012 re-election bid.