Morning headlines from DenverPost.com

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Today's Front Page News

Firefighters chase arson fires in Hollywood area
An arsonist swept through the Hollywood area under the cover of dark early Friday, torching vehicles whose flames ignited nearby houses, including one once occupied by Doors frontman Jim Morrison.  

• Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper maintains popularity, but many say that cannot last
• Colorado health officials order additional measures from Suncor Energy over benzene seepage
• Avs keep focus without Duchene
• Lack of snow in Colorado leads to more spills on ski slopes
• Aurora store gunfight kills robber, wounds three other people

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Today's Local Politics

Lawyer Scott Martinez joins Denver Mayor Hancock's administration
Democrat Scott Martinez, the lawyer who played an enormous role in his party's recent victories on new political boundaries, is leaving private practice to work for Denver Mayor Michael Hancock.  

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Today's Business

2011: A look back at the markets
Stock markets took a wild ride in 2011 to end up with some rather mild returns. The S&P 500 ended the year flat, and the Bloomberg Colorado Index, a basket of 88 stocks based in the state, dropped 2.5 percent.  

• Verizon drops plan for $2 fee
• Bison ranchers rebuild their thinned herds as consumer demand grows

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Today's Sports Headlines

Riley Nelson-led BYU football team saves its best play for last
Riley Nelson hurriedly led BYU to the line with a call from the sideline to spike the ball and stop the clock.  

• DU Pioneers zip by Union for victory
• It's goodbye, Versus, hello to NBC Sports Network
• Beckham isn't a lock to return to Europe
• Kleisinger provides Falcons edge in rivalry
• Simple order for Broncos: This time, get it done

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Today's Entertainment

The Denver Post's New Year's Eve events list
Want to get in on the New Year's Eve action? Want some fireworks? Maybe some music or nightclub entertainment? We've rounded up a list of ways to celebrate that offers something for everyone.  

• Cast of true characters to offer up the last laughs of 2011 in Denver
• Theater 2012: On area stages, wintertime means "in with the new"
• Classical Music 2012: A rare piano duet and a visit from Renee Fleming
• Cirque du Soleil production offers "Immortal" tribute to Jackson
• Dance 2012: The ballet flies, while a new company debuts

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Today's Style

Englewood couple ending their gigantic 29-year holiday lights tradition
Taking down festive holiday ornaments, so full of sparkle and promise when they go up after Thanksgiving, can be a letdown. But this year, nobody will feel that more keenly than Richard and Alice Kloewer.  

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Today's Opinion

Editorial: Walk softly and carry a big snow shovel
Who among us hasn't had the annoying, and sometimes dangerous, experience of trying to navigate a sidewalk left unshoveled after a snowfall?  

• Editorial: 2012: decisions and indecision
• Guest Commentary: A stable funding source for state's higher education
• Krauthammer: Will we survive to meet other life forms?
• Barnes-Gelt: 2011's civic highs and lows
• Guest Commentary: A bow to Tebow