Flags to be Lowered Saturday, April 25, 2009 in Honor of Private First Class Richard Allen Dewater SALEM, Ore. - Thursday Governor Ted Kulongoski ordered all flags at public institutions to be flown at half-staff on Saturday, April 25, 2009, in memory of Private First Class Richard Allen DeWater of Grants Pass, OR.   Flags will be flown at half-staff Apr. 25 in honor of PFC Richard Allen DeWater.  DeWater, 21, died April 15, of wounds sustained from an improvised ... [full story]

SALEM, Ore. — Hunters, avoid the long lines and busy fax machines and get your controlled hunt application in as soon as possible. Apply by fax, mail order, at a license agent or online. The deadline to apply is May 15. The ability to apply for controlled hunts online is new this year. Fees are the same as those paid at an ODFW licensing agent or an ODFW office—$4.50 for a controlled hunt application. Online ... [full story]

BEND, Ore. — Oregonians who have been turned down for insurance because of medical conditions or who have lost their health care coverage due to a layoff can learn about their options at an upcoming town hall presentation. The Oregon Medical Insurance Pool (OMIP), the state’s high-risk health insurance pool, is holding the meetings across the state to inform both its members and the general public about the pool and other health care coverage options ... [full story]

SALEM, Ore. – In an ongoing effort to better protect Oregon mortgage borrowers from fraud, the Department of Consumer and Business Services issued a cease-and-desist order permanently barring Larry Jason Somera of West Linn from the mortgage lending industry after he pleaded guilty in Multnomah County Court to one count of forgery. Somera agreed to sign the state’s order as part of his plea agreement. As a branch manager for Northwest Funding Group in Portland, ... [full story]

GRAND RONDE, Ore. – One Oregon State Police trooper cited a half-dozen drivers of exotic sports cars for speed racing Thursday morning when they were allegedly spotted passing in no-passing zones and traveling at high speed on Highway 18 near Grand Ronde, Oregon.   The drivers of a half-dozen exotic cars were cited for speed racing near Grand Ronde, Ore. – OSP photo  According to an OSP news release, dispatch received a report of about ten sports cars ... [full story]

SALEM, Ore. — The House of Representatives on Thursday passed HB 3263 to extend the statute of limitations for certain sex crimes if the defendant is identified on the basis of DNA sample comparisons.  Since the bill is retroactive to include many past assaults, the measure will allow law enforcement and victims to pursue justice against many dangerous sexual criminals. “This bill truly seeks justice for victims because it extends the statute of limitations ... [full story]

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka -- More than 6,400 Sri Lankan civilians have been killed in three months of fighting between the army and Tamil Tiger rebels, the United Nations says in a report. Additionally, almost 14,000 were injured, according to the report, which, The Times of London said, was not released to the media. The report went, instead, to foreign embassies in Colombo, the Sri Lankan capital, and was then passed along to the media by a ... [full story]

LOS ANGELES -- California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger says the state has adopted the world's first law to limit greenhouse gas emissions from fuel used by cars and trucks. The law requires that producers, refiners and gasoline importers diminish the carbon intensity of their gasoline and diesel by 10 percent during the next 10 years. It also creates the groundwork for a planned mid-century goal in California of an 80 percent drop in all heat-trapping emissions. The governor ... [full story]

WASHINGTON -- More than half of the U.S. public believes President Barack Obama has done an excellent or good job during his limited time in office, poll results indicate. USA Today said Friday a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll found that 56 percent of the people surveyed gave Obama positive ratings. Twenty-three percent said Obama has done "just OK" so far and 20 percent rated the president's service as either poor or terrible. The poll taken Monday and Tuesday involved1,051 ... [full story]

LONDON -- A British charity is offering a $15,000 reward for information about a 35-year-old York University chef, who police say may have been a murder victim. Claudia Lawrence was last seen leaving her job March 18 and detectives are now treating her disappearance as a suspected murder, the Guardian reported Friday. The charity Crimestoppers says it decided to offer an "enhanced reward" because of the level of interest in the case. Police in North Yorkshire believe Lawrence ... [full story]