In a unanimous 7-0 vote during Wednesday night’s meeting of the Bend City Council, councilors voted to terminate the employment of city manager Andy Anderson effective November 17. Following the meeting, speaking of Anderson’s performance in the position which began in August of 2004, Mayor Bruce Abernathy was heard to say “expectations were not being met”. Assistant city manager Eric King will serve until a permanent replacement is hired. A work session will be scheduled ... [full story]

An 18-year-old man and three 17-year-old boys have been arrested in connection with ten instances of flag-burning that occurred this weekend within Redmond, Oregon, police reported.   (inset) Anthony Leonard Small - DCJ photo On Tuesday, police arrested the three juvenile suspects and charged them with first-degree arson, abuse of a venerated object, reckless burning, recklessly endangering, disorderly conduct, and criminal mischief.  According to School Resource Officer CJ Johnson, all three boys were lodged in the Deschutes ... [full story]

Mortgage rates barely budged this week, with the average conforming 30-year fixed mortgage rate now 6.49 percent. According to Bankrate.com's weekly national survey of large lenders, the average 30-year fixed mortgage has an average of 0.35 discount and origination points. The average 15-year fixed rate mortgage popular for refinancing inched lower by the same amount, to 6.17 percent. The average jumbo 30-year fixed rate dipped to 7.24 percent. Adjustable mortgage rates declined as well, with ... [full story]

All three of the counties in Central Oregon saw their unemployment rates decrease from August to September. Only Jefferson County saw its rate decrease more than expected. Deschutes County had the lowest rate at 4.4 percent, while Jefferson County had the highest at 5.7 percent. Crook County: The county’s unemployment rate dropped to 5.5 percent in September, down 0.3 percentage point from August. The decrease was less than what was expected for the month, but the ... [full story]

NEW YORK -- A woman has sued a New York man who pleaded guilty to soliciting underage prostitutes, alleging he repeatedly sexually abused her as a teenager.Maximilia Cordero, now 23, alleges billionaire investor Jeffrey Epstein coerced her into sexual acts when she was 16 by claiming he could help her start a modeling career, the New York Post reported Thursday.Cordero's lawyer, William Unroch, filed the suit in Manhattan Supreme Court.The suit claims Cordero was introduced ... [full story]

WASHINGTON -- Almost half of American citizens believe the United States is in a recession, a new survey said Thursday.The poll by CNN and the Opinion Research Corp. said 51 percent do not believe the nation is in a recession while 46 percent believe it is.In a black-white breakdown, CNN said, 69 percent of black Americans believe the United States is in a recession while 42 percent of whites do.The CNN-ORC poll finds President Bush’s ... [full story]

WASHINGTON -- U.S. President George Bush would support reauthorizing the State Children’s Health Insurance Program if it were modified, the White House said Thursday.Bush was pleased that the U.S. House of Representatives failed to override his veto Thursday of "misguided legislation that would have expanded SCHIP to higher income households," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said in a statement. The White House was looking forward to "finding common ground" with Congress on legislation that would ... [full story]

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. military inadvertently posted recruiting ads on a Web site aimed at gays -- a group barred from serving in the military if their orientation is public.Recruiters for the Army, Navy and Air Force said they were surprised to learn that their ads were appearing on GLEE.com, a networking Web site for gay and lesbian professionals, USA Today reported Thursday."This is the first I've heard about it," said Maj. Michael Baptista, advertising ... [full story]

MIAMI -- The Mexican Consulate in Miami has been given temporary custody of an 11-year-old boy whose parents were deported without him.The parents were detained after a traffic stop Sept. 22, The Miami Herald reported. They were sent back to Mexico.A spokesman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement said that the parents have been found in Mexico. Both ICE and consular officials said that the boy will be returned to his parents.Herman Martinez, an immigration advocate, ... [full story]

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Both candidates next March's Taiwan presidential election appear receptive to an overture from China, but the current president is not.Chinese President Hu Jintao suggested Monday that Taiwan and the mainland should sign a peace treaty ending hostilities stretching back to 1949, but negotiations could only take place under the one China policy.“It is very clear now that if we were to sign such a peace treaty under the framework of the ‘one ... [full story]