Michael Rich, Former President And Chief Executive Officer Of Pac Equities, Inc., Convicted By A Jury Of Securities Fraud, Bank Fraud, Money Laundering, Tax Fraud And Other Charges Michael Marks Rich, former President and CEO of Pac Equities, Inc., was found guilty by a jury on Monday evening of 25 counts related to a securities fraud scheme.  Pac Equities was also found guilty of the securities fraud scheme.  The verdicts were returned after a ten-day ... [full story]

SALEM, Ore. – On Sunday, FEMA Administrator David Paulison approved Governor Kulongoski’s request for Individual Assistance (IA) for Columbia and Tillamook counties to help homeowners, renters and businesses recover from the effects of the storms that hit the region December 1, and asked those who suffered damage to register for disaster assistance by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (TTY 1-800-462-7585 for the hearing impaired).  On Monday, Paulison announced the addition of Clatsop County for IA.  According to FEMA ... [full story]

FLORENCE, Ore. – An Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Division trooper shot and killed a male black bear Tuesday morning in a Florence-area neighborhood after responding to a report of the bear breaking down a door and entering a home. According to the homeowner, the bear broke into his home and approached him inside his garage Monday in addition to attempting to break into his home again yesterday morning. Upon arrival, the trooper spotted ... [full story]

WAHIAWA, Hawaii -- Officials at a Wahiawa, Hawaii, high school say an agriculture pig was released from the school and then hunted with dogs.Leilehua Agriculture Director Russell Wong said the hunters cut into the chain-link fence around the pen that held one of the school's two pigs Nov. 30, and set the animal free so they could chase it down and kill it, KITV, Honolulu, reported Wednesday."(People nearby) heard all this commotion. They heard a ... [full story]

FALLS CHURCH, Va. -- Michael Shaheen Jr., who headed a Justice Department investigation of former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, has died in Falls Church, Va., at age 67.Shaheen suffered from pancreatic cancer, his wife, Polly, told The New York Times. He died Nov. 29 at his home.A graduate of Yale and Vanderbilt University Law School, Shaheen clerked for a federal judge and practiced law in Como, Miss., where he had grown up, before joining ... [full story]

MOSCOW -- The Russian government has given notice to the British Council, a cultural group, it must close its 15 offices in the country by the end of the year.In the notice, the government said the group has no legal basis for teaching English and British history and traditions in Russia, a Times of London correspondent reported from Moscow.A spokesman for the Russian foreign ministry accused the council of violating tax laws, which the council ... [full story]

EXETER, England -- Poultry thieves in Britain stole 350 geese meant for the Prince of Wales's Duchy Originals brand and set a barn fire that killed 800 ducklings.The stolen geese would have been sold for about $100 apiece and the slain ducklings were worth about $30 each, The Times of London reported Wednesday."I don't understand how anybody could commit such a despicable, evil act. It is such a senseless loss and has been terrible for ... [full story]

BOSTON -- The family of a woman killed in a ceiling collapse in Boston's Big Dig is expected to accept a $6 million settlement from one of the companies involved.Powers Fasteners, the only company facing criminal charges over the collapse, has offered the settlement, The Boston Globe reported. Milena Del Valle's family has also sued other contractors, the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority and Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff, the company that managed the project.The Big Dig, which created an ... [full story]

BELGRADE, Serbia -- Three people were killed and eight injured when a fire swept a hotel in Novi Sad, in northern Serbia, police said Wednesday.The bodies of two men and a woman, guests at a Novi Sad hotel, 50 miles north of Belgrade, were found by firefighters, police said. Firefighters said the three apparently died of smoke inhalation.The eight injured were hospitalized with lung injuries, which weren't considered life-threatening.A police official said there were 25 ... [full story]

MIAMI -- Subtropical Storm Olga unleashed torrential downpours on the Dominican Republic on Wednesday and prompted evacuations in Haiti.Jamaica and the Cayman Islands were also on alert after the rare December storm dumped more than 6 inches of rain on Puerto Rico and caused mudslides that washed away 30 houses in the Dominican Republic, Dominican Today reported.A tropical storm watch was issued for the southeastern Bahamas and Turks and Caicos Islands but forecasters at Miami's ... [full story]