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The week between Christmas and New Year's used to be a sleepy spot on the American calendar. Nowadays, it's crammed with people rushing around reminiscing with friends and families, returning presents and raking in gift-card booty. Others, even perhaps members of Congress, go straight back to work in this fiscal cliffhanger of a year.

"I still have to get ready to see how much of the neighborhood I can burn down and do what I like doing best: killing people," William Spenger wrote, according to police. He set a fire at his Webster, N.Y., home, then shot at the first responders. Authorities think Spengler also killed his sister.

The suburban Journal News took publicly available information to produce an interactive database. Critics say the newspaper has treated gun owners as if they are sex offenders.

Many Syrian children have lost family members and are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. Even those who have fled into neighboring Turkey have not been able to leave the trauma behind.

As the year comes to a close, many people turn attention to giving back through charitable donations. With the economic recovery, many are seeking out more information to be sure that the donations go to the intended cause.

Alcestis 'Cooky' Oberg lost her father-in-law unexpectedly on Christmas Day in 1982. For the first few years, it meant that Christmas was a somber time. Oberg, a contributor to USA Today, talks about how the mood of the holidays evolved for her family over time.

The president's coming back to the White House from his vacation. But that was expected. Senators are returning to the Capitol, but don't seem to be in a hurry. And House members haven't yet been told to get back to work. Many signs point to a partial deal, if that, before the New Year's Eve "deadline."

Plenty of apps promise to make life easier for people with life-threatening allergies to nuts and other foods. One scientist even invented a smartphone-based lab to detect potential allergens. But asking "Does that have nuts in it?" may actually be a better and safer option than pulling out your phone.

Gerry Anderson, the man who created the iconic TV series Thunderbirds in the 1960s, has died, the BBC reports. Anderson, whose work was honored by a special set of moving-image stamps in Britain last year, had suffered from Alzheimer's Disease.

The improvement in the unemployment rate in the last year belies the fact that the rate would be so much higher if the number of people in the labor force didn't shrink.