News & Sports

Pauline Phillips, who offered advice via the pen name Abigail Van Buren, was read by millions in hundreds of newspapers worldwide as the original 'Dear Abby' – she eventually co-wrote her column with her daughter, Jeanne Phillips, who said her mother leaves "very big high heels to fill." Pauline Phillips died at the age of 94 after a long struggle with Alzheimer's. NBC's Rehema Ellis reports. (Nightly News)

As the body of North Korea's long-time ruler Kim Jong Il lies on display in a glass coffin, the world is trying to figure out what direction the secretive nation will take now. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports. (TODAY)

On the day Prince William looks to the future, he will, it is reported, speak emotionally about the past. NBC's Keir Simmons reports. (Nightly News)

NBC's Mike Leonard pays a visit to retiree Gary H. Boyd, the self-proclaimed "king" of getting letters to the editor published in newspapers and magazines. 

Dec. 16: One year ago, 76-year-old Sandy Vinge was choked, beaten and thrown in the trunk of her car, where she stayed trapped for more than a day. She updates TODAY's Matt Lauer on her condition now, and how she feels about the man convicted of kidnapping her.