Oregon State Police (OSP) and the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department are seeking the public's help in identifying whoever is responsible for the theft of a valuable bronze plaque that was in tribute to Rex T. Barber at the Peter Skene Ogden State Scenic Viewpoint. The plaque was placed at the viewpoint after the Oregon legislature renamed the new bridge over the Crooked River on U.S. Highway 97 the "Rex T. Barber Veteran's Memorial Bridge". ... [full story]

WASHINGTON - Illinois Sen. Richard Durbin said Congress will hold a hearing on the FDA's investigation into pet food contamination linked to the deaths of dogs and cats. "The system broke down," Durbin, the Senate majority whip, told the Washington Post. "It's not just about contaminated food killing pets, it's a system that failed." Menu Foods, which made the dog and cat food and sold it to dozens of other companies, "felt no sense of ... [full story]

The county medical examiner is on scene at the Molalla River in Clackamas County, Oregon and will take possession of a body recovered by a dive team earlier today, authorities reported. A submerged body was reported by a local resident Thursday, April 5, about 6:30 p.m. when the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office was informed they had observed what appeared to be a mannequin or body in the river, between S. Adams Cemetery Road and S. Dickey ... [full story]

A 35-year old Bend man was hurt Thursday afternoon when he lost control of his motorcycle while riding through a series of curves on Fryrear Road west of Redmond and went airborne over a 20-foot embankment, Deschutes County Sheriff’s deputies reported.  The accident happened shortly after 5:30 p.m. April 5 on Fryrear Road near the northwest transfer station, which is about one and one-half miles south of Highway 126, Sgt. Chad Davis said. Peter Charles ... [full story]

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Four top assistants to Minnesota U.S. Attorney Rachel Paulose have resigned their management posts. Sources told the St. Paul Pioneer Press the resignations by career staffers on Thursday were apparently in response to her "dictatorial management style and general lack of management experience." There has been no official statement on the resignations, although Paulose acknowledged Thursday the resignations of three staffers.They came after despite a visit by a high-level Justice Department ... [full story]

Portstewart, Northern Ireland - Everywhere one looks in Europe there are signs that free people are prepared to surrender without a fight to those who would place them in bondage. In England, a new government-backed study has found that British schools are dropping the Holocaust from history lessons. Teachers are afraid to teach about the Nazi atrocity because Muslim students might take offense. The study also discovered resistance by teachers to cover the 11th-century Crusades, ... [full story]

In New York City where a bargain-priced hotel room today is $300 night, Berlin advertising agency executive Stefan Richter has checked the quirky new place called The Pod. Some rooms are a minuscule 100 square feet, have bunk beds, shared bathrooms and rates starting at $89 a night. A flophouse in Hell's Kitchen? Far from it. The 347-room Pod ( www.thepodhotel.com) has a prime midtown Manhattan location - East 51st between Second and Third avenues, ... [full story]

Finnish cell phone maker Nokia, in the last days of a licensing contract with San Diego's Qualcomm, said Thursday that it has paid the wireless giant $20 million for the use of its patents in the second quarter - an amount it calls a "good-faith gesture" but one Qualcomm says is just a portion of what it had been paid. Qualcomm responded by filing a demand for arbitration with the American Arbitration Association to force ... [full story]

A drunk Redmond man armed with a realistic bb-pistol went to the Terrebonne home of an acquaintance, causing the frightened women and two children who were home at the time to flee, then barricaded himself inside for almost five hours before surrendering to the SWAT team early this morning, Deschutes County Sheriff’s deputies reported.   Peter Joseph Caswell – DCJ photo It was shortly after 9:30 p.m. Thursday when a husband received a phone call from his ... [full story]

NEW YORK - Consumer Reports has discovered hazardous and illegal chocolate Easter eggs on shelves in food shops in suburban New York and the Washington, D.C. area. Kinder Surprise Eggs are hollow chocolate eggs that contain surprise toys. They are made by Italy's Ferrero Group. The eggs are popular worldwide, but they have been banned in the United States by the Consumer Product Safety Commission since 1997 because they could pose a choking hazard to ... [full story]