Mary Ann Caldwell puts a window sticker on a 2009 F-150 pickup as it goes down the line at the Kansas City Ford Assembly Plant in Claycomo, Mo. Ford plans to ramp up production of its F-150 pickups.
Mary Ann Caldwell puts a window sticker on a 2009 F-150 pickup as it goes down the line at the Kansas City Ford Assembly Plant in Claycomo, Mo. Ford plans to ramp up production of its F-150 pickups.
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By Charlie Riedel, AP
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2008 auto sales may have plunged by 3M

By Sharon Silke Carty, USA TODAY

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The year in pictures

Images that thrilled us, moved us
From the passing of legends of stage and screen, to a sports spectacle second to none, to the unending pain of war and natural disaster ... Here are some of the pictures from 2008 we won't soon forget.

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Sesame Street
Author discusses book on show's history.
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Say what?
Highlight reel of outlandish things celebs said in '08.
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Obama's move
First family prepares for D.C. so girls can start school.
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Test Drive
The Maserati GT will sweep you off your feet.
Celeb Style
H&M's Tony Everett helps pick the best dressed of '08.
10 great places
View unspoiled beauty in these hot geotourism spots.
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Inauguration fashion

Fashion students go to drawing board for Obama inauguration
Who will dress Michelle Obama on Inauguration Day? Instead of querying the pros, USA TODAY checked in with fashion design students at Marymount University.

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Celebrities
Year in review
Sports
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Space
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The Huddle
Shanahan pulls out of running in Jets' coaching search.
Lifeline Live
'Idol' alum blogs about New Year's resolution.
Breast cancer
Women with high insulin nearly 50% more likely to get it.
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Opinion

Racism’s grip on college football
In a nation that is clearing hurdles of discrimination in awe-inspiring ways, one segment of one sport – college football – seems stuck in time. Indeed, of the 119 programs in the NCAA’s Division I-A, only nine head coaches are minorities.
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Football
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US Presswire, AP photos
Survival: Playoff QBs faced long odds for '08 success
By Skip Wood, USA TODAY
The quarterbacks in this weekend's wild-card round of the NFL playoffs seem to have stepped out of a volume of intriguing short stories.
bowls |  | 
Sooners, Gators arrive in South Fla. with a title on their minds
By Kelly Whiteside, USA TODAY
Whoever wins Thursday night's national championship game will become the first coach to claim two BCS titles.
nfl |  | 
AP photos
Falcons' Smith, 'Fins' Sparano win USA TODAY's NFL coach honors
By Sean Leahy, USA TODAY
After both men led their teams to the playoffs following sub-.500 seasons in 2007, Sparano and Smith share USA TODAY's award.
nfl |  | 
Peyton Manning wins record-tying third NFL MVP award
Peyton Manning has joined Brett Favre as the only three-time winners of The Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player Award.
Entertainment
news |  | 
By Mark Lennihan, AP
'Sesame Street' is 40 but young at heart
By Craig Wilson, USA TODAY
The street celebrates its 40th year in 2009 with its largest audience: 8 million viewers on 350 stations in 120 countries.
news |  | 
'Benjamin' and 'Forrest' have a few things in common
By Patty Rhule, Special for USA TODAY
Both films share screenplay writer Eric Roth, though it's too soon to say if history will repeat itself at awards time for Button.
reviews | 
Paramount Vantage
War drama 'Defiance' meets with resistance
By Claudia Puig, USA TODAY
Despite its fascinating real-life origins, Defiance comes across more like an earnest history lesson than a compelling World War II drama.
news |  | 
Stay in the race with Showtime's 'Sahara' doc
By Gary Strauss, USA TODAY
The documentary follows three who as they run the entire length of the Sahara, the world's largest desert.
Science
tech | 
Study weighs benefits of non-alcoholic beer
By Dan Vergano, USA TODAY
Who drinks beer for the health benefits? Nuns apparently, suggests a study that looks at whether alcohol-free brewskis brought any benefits.
Across the USA
religion |  | 
Could you live like Jesus for a year?
The Rev. Ed Dobson has spent most of his life following Jesus. But only now does he realize how hard it is to live like him.
Animals
destinations |  | 
Happily, no 'farewell to cats' in Key West
By Chris Gray, USA TODAY
After a five-year legal battle, the dozens of cats that prowl author Ernest Hemingway's former Key West hideaway are free to stay.
news |  | 
By Charlie Neibergall, AP
'Dewey, the Small-Town Library Cat' gets a successor
Vicki Myron, author of the best-selling book, Dewey changed her mind about waiting to get a new pet when a stray showed up.
Winter Travel
ski |  | 
Lake Tahoe's Heavenly ski resort lives up to its name
Heavenly is the kind of place where you can have something to brag about at the end of the day, no matter what level your skill.
secondhomes |  | 
Artist's rendering by Dbox
Second homes: Head for the hills outside Aspen
By Larry Olmsted, Special for USA TODAY
Snowmass traditionally has been a family resort. A new $2 billion, 80-acre base village now offers condos, shops and restaurants.
inside |  | 
Escapes Under $500: Unbelievable deals to Hawaii and Bermuda
Whether you live on the West Coast or the East Coast, tropical paradise is still in reach.
destinations |  | 
By William Thomas Cain, Getty Images
Atlantic City casinos expect bad run to continue in 2009
When 2008 began, Atlantic City's casinos were fighting an economic slump but still talking and dreaming big.