Mar. 16 Reports: Patricia Ingor Straight, 27, was arrested on an unspecified outstanding warrant from Marion County. (300 SE 15th) Adam Nicholas Terrill, 18, was arrested for shoplifting from Target. (63535 Hwy. 97) Nicole Brisbine reported unauthorized use of her debit card in California. (NE 15th St.) Michael Roberts reported damage to his vehicle while parked at Farewell Bend Park. (1000 SW Reed Market Rd.) An abandoned vehicle was towed from 629 NE 10th St. ... [full story]

Two men received minor injuries -- including one driver able to walk away from his car after it was split in half -– during a two-vehicle crash Monday morning on Highway 26 at Kelso Road, Oregon State Police (OSP) reported.   Both photos (above and below) show the two halves of Perez-Sanluis’ vehicle following the crash on Highway 26 at kelso Road – OSP photos   About 7:15 this morning, 19-year old Aldo Menchaca Varela of Sandy, Oregon was ... [full story]

A 17-year old Prineville boy was arrested Monday in connection with a sexual assault that occurred near Crook County High School in December of last year, authorities reported.  The teen was initially identified as a suspect, police said, which was later confirmed through DNA evidence. Prineville Police responded to a report of sexual assault at 1220 SE Sixth Street in Prineville shortly before 6 a.m. December 14, 2006, Chief Eric Bush wrote in a news ... [full story]

Residents of a mobilehome in southeast Bend with no working smoke alarm were lucky to escape unharmed early Sunday when they smelled smoke from a fire which was sparked by a smoldering cigarette in a bedroom, fire officials reported. The homeowner at space 70 in the Country Sunset Mobile Home Park at 61445 SE 27th Street noticed smoke coming from a back bedroom about 1:15 a.m., Fire Inspector Dan Derlacki reported in a news release.  ... [full story]

Former Leaders Praise Administration's Requested Park Funding Increase, But Caution That Allowing Additional Yellowstone Snowmobiling Would 'Radically Contravene' Kempthorne Pledge. Every living former director of the National Park Service (NPS) -- except one -- has joined in a letter to U.S. Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne urging him to ensure a continued transition away from snowmobile use in Yellowstone National Park.    Snowmobiling in Yellowstone – NPS photo Spanning every Democratic and Republican presidential administration from Lyndon Baines Johnson to ... [full story]

Waiting has often been part of the equation for the pioneering black aviators known as the Tuskegee Airmen. They're nothing if not patient. When World War II was brewing and they wanted to become pilots, they were told no: We don't take your kind. Then, when legal and political pressure forced open the door, and they walked through it with spectacular results, they still came home to a land of inequality, of separate drinking fountains ... [full story]

Two men were injured Sunday afternoon in a head-on crash involving two dirtbikes on an off-road trail near China Hat Road at milepost 26, authorities reported. Emergency 911 dispatch received a report of the collision on a US Forest Service (USFS) OHV (Off Highway Vehicle) Trail about 12:40 p.m., Deschutes County Sheriff’s Sgt. Chad Davis wrote in a news release. Citizens led USFS Law Enforcement to the area, Davis said, but details including the names of ... [full story]

LAS VEGAS - This city may be best known for casinos, drive-through wedding chapels and Elvis impersonators, but suddenly it's also become a magnet for presidential candidates. Seven 2008 Democratic presidential hopefuls showed up at the University of Nevada Las Vegas on Saturday to outline their health care plans. A similar forum last month in Carson City attracted eight. Traditionally, no one has paid much attention to Nevada in presidential nomination politics. But thanks to ... [full story]

Carlsbad, Calif - In the world of faith, which speaks in the language of forgiveness and deals in the currency of hope, the request would seem simple enough: An ex-con introduces himself in church and asks to become a part of the congregation. Except when the ex-con is a registered sex offender. The request has plunged Pilgrim United Church of Christ in Carlsbad, Calif., into the center of a gathering storm, fueled by an explosion ... [full story]

WASHINGTON - You've heard about it. You've read about it. Now see it for the first time. It's the Postal Service's newest consumer innovation -- the Forever stamp. The stamp was previewed today at the National Postal Forum, the premier trade show for advertising, marketing and mailing executives. Featuring the Liberty Bell image and the word "forever," the stamp will be good for mailing one-ounce First-Class letters anytime in the future -- regardless of price ... [full story]