READINGTON, N.J. - An FBI agent tailing suspected bank robbers was killed Thursday morning in New Jersey. The agent was part of a squad assigned to track a group believed to be responsible for a string of violent holdups in the central part of New Jersey, the Star-Ledger of Newark (N.J.) reported. The shooting took place in Readington, N.J., on Route 22. Two suspects were in custody Thursday afternoon and police were searching for a ... [full story]

SAN FRANCISCO - A California blogger has been released after serving more than seven months in prison for refusing to hand over a video to a federal grand jury. Josh Wolf, 24, struck a deal with prosecutors allowing him to publish out-takes of the video of a 2005 San Francisco street demonstration on his Web site, the Los Angeles Times reported. The U.S. attorney wanted the video as part of an investigation into the wounding ... [full story]

CHICAGO - Chicago-area plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit against the pet food company linked to the deaths of dogs and cats accused the company of fraud. Plaintiff Ben DeLong, of Wadsworth, Ill., told CNN one of his three cats died and another became ill after eating the foods recalled by Menu Foods. DeLong claimed Menu Foods "knew something was wrong and they didn't come forward as quickly as they should have." "Basically, my wife and ... [full story]

FORT IRWIN, Calif. - U.S. President George Bush used a recess appointment to bypass the U.S. Congress and push through a controversial choice for ambassador to Belgium. As Bush visited the U.S. Army training base at Fort Irwin, Calif., the White House said he had chosen Sam Fox, a major Republican donor who withdrew his name last month when Democrats on the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee united against him. Fox gave $50,000 to the ... [full story]

BAGHDAD - Four people were injured Thursday when a U.S. military helicopter crashed 25 miles south of Baghdad in Iraq. The U.S. military did not specify the cause of the crash, but witnesses reported hearing weapons fire from the ground and an Iraqi official speaking anonymously said the helicopter is believed to have been brought down by insurgents using an anti-aircraft machine gun, the BBC reported Thursday. A minimum of nine U.S. helicopters have been ... [full story]

WASHINGTON - A government audit in Washington found that the personal information of more than 2,000 taxpayers has been compromised by lost or stolen computers since 2003. The audit, conducted by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, found that 490 Internal Revenue Service computers were lost or stolen in 387 incidents and the majority of the incidents were not reported to the IRS computer security office as regulations require, USA Today reported Thursday. The ... [full story]

50 Fastest-Growing Metro Areas Concentrated in West and South According to population estimates released today by the U.S. Census Bureau, Bend was the second fastest-growing metropolitan area (with urban populations of 50,000 or more) in the nation between July 2005 and July 2006, with 5.6 percent growth. Only St. George, Utah topped Bend’s growth rate for the one-year period. The census also tagged Bend as the fourth fastest-growing metro area between 2000 and 2006, with ... [full story]

WASHINGTON - Camp Pendleton's Wounded Warrior Center will be expanded, with additional staff and new barracks, as part of the creation of a specialized regiment to improve care and services for injured and ill Marines, Pentagon officials said Wednesday. The new Wounded Warrior regiment, headquartered at Quantico, Va., will oversee existing programs for wounded Marines at Camp Pendleton and Camp Lejeune, N.C. The Wounded Warrior program was begun in 2005 to provide injured Marines and ... [full story]

LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles prosecutors say suspected gang members who are in the country illegally could face quicker deportation when arrested for minor crimes. City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo and Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley say that new policies adopted in conjunction with federal immigration officials are aimed at speeding deportation for illegal immigrants suspected of gang activity, the Los Angeles Times reported Thursday. The attorneys said illegal immigrants are believed to comprise ... [full story]

GUANTANAMO - Conditions continue to deteriorate at Guantanamo prison with many detainees pushed "to the edge," Amnesty International said Thursday. Some inmates were dangerously near total mental and physical breakdown, the agency said, calling again for the Cuba facility to be closed and "unfair' trials to be abandoned, the BBC said. The report said about 300 detainees are now being held at a new facility which had created "even harsher and apparently more permanent conditions ... [full story]