Two adults and two children were sent to the hospital Sunday afternoon in a two-vehicle crash on Highway 97 at Deschutes Junction when a driver lost control of his car on the “treacherously slick” road conditions, spun around, and struck an SUV, deputies reported. All lanes of traffic were closed for more than an hour. According to Deschutes County Sheriff’s Sgt. Vance Lawrence, Madras resident Blake Wallace, 22, lost control of his 2001 Honda Accord suddenly ... [full story]

Three Bend residents were arrested Thursday afternoon in connection with the theft of a life-sized bronze statue of Sacagawea stolen from the Fort Clatsop National Memorial Park near Astoria after they allegedly attempted to sell it for scrap at metal dealers in the Bend and Portland areas, police announced.   (left to right) James P. Storns, John A. Kristiansen,  and Shawna D. Roberson - DCJ photos. (below) The life-sized statue of Sacagawea and her infant son.  The ... [full story]

A cooking oil fire sparked a blaze in a Deschutes River Woods home Saturday evening, and spread to the living room when the homeowner tried to take the flaming pan outside, fire officials reported. Bend Fire crews responded to the home of Justice Larimore at 19250 Sioux Lane in the Deschutes River Woods neighborhood about 7:20 p.m., January 26, Captain Karl Findling said.  Upon arrival, firefighters quickly extinguished a small fire in the living room, ... [full story]

A lengthy investigation into illegal drug trafficking targeted for Central Oregon culminated Thursday night in the arrest of a Beaverton man and a 23-year old woman, a former Bend resident.  Cocaine and marijuana were found in the woman’s vehicle and seized, drug agents reported.   Hossein Talebi (left) and Anna Katherine Hoesly (right) - DCJ photos Central Oregon Drug Enforcement (CODE) team detectives had been investigating the possible involvement of Hossein Talebi, 28, in supplying drugs to Central ... [full story]

SALT LAKE CITY - Gordon Hinckley, the president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has died at age 97.Hinckley died in Salt Lake City, Utah, late Sunday, church officials said in a statement.Considered a prophet by church members, Hinckley had served as president since March of 1995.During his 46 years in senior church leadership positions, including 13 as president, Hinckley traveled to 60 countries and dedicated 95 of the church's 124 temples, ... [full story]

ISTANBUL, Turkey - A passenger train derailed in Turkey Sunday, killing at least nine people and injuring about 50 others, it was reported.The train derailed near the central city of Kutahya, marking the fifth major train wreck in the nation in the past four years, CNN reported.The train was en route from Istanbul to the western city of Denizli when it derailed, the U.S. network reported.Anatolia, the country's state-run news agency, said 734 people were ... [full story]

BAGHDAD - A group of knife-wielding intruders killed a former Iraqi official and three of his family members Sunday in northeast Baghdad, an official said.An Interior Ministry official told CNN Ahmen Ali, who worked as a Baghdad city official during the reign of late Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, was killed in his home along with his wife, daughter and son.No motive was given for the deadly home invasion.The official said that in the southeast portion ... [full story]

BOCA RATON, Fla. - New York expatriates gave former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a GOP presidential contender, a warm welcome at a Boca Raton, Fla., synagogue.Giuliani has focused his campaigning efforts on Florida in hopes of a strong showing there, but is still running a distant third in the polls, the Palm Beach (Fla.) Post reported.But at the Boca Raton Synagogue Sunday morning, the audience was receptive to his anti-terror, pro-Israel message, the newspaper said. Many ... [full story]

PLANT CITY, Fla. - Many residents of Plant City, Fla., are celebrating the closing of a pet store owned by a convicted child molester.The Pet City Center store has been surrounded by controversy for the past three years, the Tampa (Fla.) Tribune reported Sunday. At first, residents were concerned about 37-year-old Gary Hicks, a man who served time in prison for inappropriate conduct with minors, owning a store full of pets that might lure children, ... [full story]

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Fla. residents have filed a lawsuit saying a state law limiting property taxes for long-time homeowners discriminates against more recent arrivals.Save Our Homes is an amendment to the state constitution intended to prevent skyrocketing property values – and the high tax burden that comes with them – from pricing people out of their homes, The Miami Herald reported Sunday. Amendment 1, a ballot initiative voters will consider Tuesday, would strengthen the measure ... [full story]