ARIES (March 21 - April 19): Take steps to get mentally and physically in shape this week. Play it smart and postpone entering into a contest or competition until you are ready. TAURUS (April 20 - May 20): Do not overlook a social or speculative venture that has great potential for success. Utilize only the time, money or energy that you can spare or afford to lose. GEMINI (May 21 - June 21): Lie low ... [full story]

The medical examiner has determined that the Redmond man whose body was found on Bureau of Land Management property east of Redmond on Saturday did indeed die of natural causes as they had suspected, but theft and drug-related charges may be filed against the two men who discovered the dead man inside his vehicle. Vincent Daniel Martin, 30, and Daniel Lee Rowland, 36, found the body of 54-year old Dale Gordon Ishaug inside his vehicle early ... [full story]

The body of a 54-year old Redmond man was found in a vehicle parked on Bureau of Land Management property east of Redmond early Saturday morning, deputies reported. According to a news release prepared by Deschutes County Sheriff’s Lt. Kevin Dizney, two passersby in the area found Dale Gordon Ishaug shortly after 4 a.m. on October 6. Initial investigation has yet to determine the cause and manner of death, but Dizney said there was no ... [full story]

Oregon State Police troopers arrested a Medford-area man Sunday night after he crashed his station wagon as a Shady Cove police officer was attempting to move into position to stop it on Highway 62 about one mile south of Shady Cove. Two 16-year-old female passengers were injured in the alcohol-related crash.  Shortly after 9:30 p.m. on October 7, Shady Cove Police Officer Scott Waldon observed a 1987 Gray Chevrolet Cavalier traveling at a high rate ... [full story]

Two members of a hunting party, both Bend residents, were accidentally shot by a third hunter who was unloading a firearm in their nearby travel trailer on Sunday afternoon, deputies reported. Jeffry Woods, 24, and Gail Woods, 52, were injured by a bullet fragments from a shot through the trailer’s door frame, Crook County Detective Sgt. Travis Jurgens said. About 2:30 p.m. deputies and Fire & Rescue personnel responded to the Johnson Creek Road area.  ... [full story]

A Redmond, Washington resident died Friday afternoon when he lost control of his motorcycle and crashed on Highway 97 about one mile north of Shaniko in north central Oregon, Oregon State Police reported.Shortly before 2 p.m. on October 5, a 2003 Honda motorcycle operated by Nels James Carlson, 57, attempted to pass a line of traffic southbound on Highway 97 near milepost 55. The last vehicle in the line was a commerical truck and semi-trailer, ... [full story]

48-year old Mike Mizer who failed to return home on Thursday from a day of hunting and cutting firewood in the Ochoco National Forest in Crook County was found dead Saturday evening of apparent natural causes, Crook County Undersheriff Jim Hensley reported. Mizer, a longtime resident of Prineville, left his home early Thursday morning, and was reported missing on Friday.  Over 75 searchers including the sheriff’s office, Oregon Department of Forestry, US Forest Service, Oregon ... [full story]

WASHINGTON -- Rival U.S. private security firms are watching to see if Blackwater's troubles in Iraq mean boom or bust for their futures.Blackwater guards are being investigated for a Sept. 16 shooting incident that left more than a dozen dead in Baghdad.The U.S. Congress is considering making all private contractors in combat zones subject to prosecution and the U.S. State Department is tightening oversight of diplomatic convoys escorted by private contractors, The Washington Post reported ... [full story]

CHICAGO -- A runner who died during the Chicago Marathon was felled by a heart problem rather than the unusual autumn heat wave in the Midwest.The Cook County medical examiner determined Monday that Chad Schreiber, 35, a Midland, Mich., police officer, suffered from a mitral valve prolapse that caused him to collapse and die 19 miles into Sunday's grueling 26.2 mile race.With temperatures at a record 88 degrees, the marathon had to be halted as ... [full story]

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Critics said spraying U.S.-made chemicals over opium fields in Afghanistan could be a boon to Taliban propagandists if food crops are also destroyed.This year marked the biggest opium harvest in Afghanistan’s history and U.S. officials have renewed efforts to persuade the Afghan government to eradicate the fields, The New York Times reported Monday.Afghan President Hamid Karzai walks a fine line because his hold on power is weak and the subject of eradication ... [full story]