WASHINGTON - Republican Whip Roy Blunt (Mo.) asked House Democrats today to defend their decision to use the upcoming budget resolution to raise taxes on millions of American families by reinstating the marriage penalty and slashing the amount available to families through the child tax credit: "The absolute last thing American families need this year -- or any other -- is a stiffer, more punitive tax bill. But under the Democrats' budget proposal, hard-working families ... [full story]

Rep. Gene Whisnant (R-Sunriver) will hold a series of Town Hall meetings during the Legislature’s “District Days.”  The public is invited and encouraged to bring any questions, comments and suggestions to their area’s Town Hall.  Whisnant will provide a legislative update and answer questions from the audience. Thursday, March 29 Sisters Town Hall Sisters City Hall, 520 E Cascade Avenue 5:15 – 6:30 p.m. Redmond Town Hall Redmond Public Library, 827 SW Deschutes Avenue 7 p.m. Friday, March 30 Redmond ... [full story]

Bus will stop at St. Charles Medical Center at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Mar. 28Bend, Oregon – The “Help is Here Express” bus will be in Bend on Wednesday, March 28, stopping at St. Charles Medical Center at 2500 NE Neff Rd. from 10 to 11 a.m. to help uninsured Americans find programs that provide prescription medicines for free or nearly free. Since its launch in April 2005, the bus tour -- sponsored by America’s pharmaceutical ... [full story]

Twenty-one percent of Democrats also say they would not vote for United States Senator Hillary Clinton Senator Hillary Clinton is still the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States according to recent polls, even as Senator Barack Obama gains ground on her in the race. However, according to a new Harris Poll, half of U.S. adults say they would not vote for Senator Clinton if she were the Democratic candidate, while ... [full story]

Fraud against US citizens involved funds wired to fake escrow accounts to purchase nonexistent merchandise on eBay, losses reached over $350,000 WASHINGTON – A Bulgarian member of a transnational criminal group has been arrested on U.S. charges by law enforcement authorities in Budapest, Hungary, in connection with an elaborate Internet scheme responsible for defrauding American citizens of over $350,000 – primarily on eBay, Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher of the Criminal Division and FBI ... [full story]

Spot reports of some stations in the state already charging $3 or more With the arrival of spring break, motorists in Oregon are seeing gasoline prices ranging from less than $2.80 per gallon to more than three dollars per gallon.  In the past month, the state's average price for a gallon of regular rose by 36 cents to $2.859.  That compares to a national average price increase in the same time period of a bit more ... [full story]

Public advised of actions that could result in fines From bike jumps to dumping garbage, illegal activities on land owned by the Oregon Department of State Lands (DSL) just outside the Bend city limits are on the increase. “Last Thursday morning we removed bike jumps that were built with dirt that was dug out from the site.  We had to fill deep holes and level the mounds,” said Nancy Pustis, DSL’s eastern region manager. “This kind of ... [full story]

WASHINGTON—ITT Corporation, the leading manufacturer of military night vision equipment for the U.S. Armed Forces, has admitted sending classified materials overseas and will pay a $100 million penalty, Assistant Attorney General for the National Security Division Kenneth L. Wainstein and U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia John L. Brownlee announced today, along with the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The corporation will pay a total monetary ... [full story]

A 33-year old Prineville man who allegedly bid on jobs and dug wells in Central Oregon without a contractor’s license, and who also allegedly failed to complete two wells after receiving payment in advance was arrested Friday, police reported. Daniel R. Davis’s license had been suspended by the Oregon Water Resources Board while he was actively bidding on jobs and digging wells throughout the area, said Crook County Sheriff’s Detective Sergeant Travis Jurgens. In two known ... [full story]

Two fires in two days “human caused”, suspicious Two recent “human-caused” fires in the Bend area have been turned over to police for investigation.  The first fire caused over $100,000 damage Sunday to an unoccupied rental home undergoing renovation in southeast Bend, and on Monday afternoon a brush fire was set in a vacant lot, fire officials reported. Firefighters were called to property owned by James Pasmore at 651 SE Reed Market Road shortly after ... [full story]