Fifth Oregon Man to be Convicted of this Crime in 2007; Attempted  to Retaliate Against an IRS Official MEDFORD, Ore. – Michael Peter Stemac, 58, of Trail, Oregon, pleaded guilty on June 7, 2007 to one count of filing a false tax document under penalty of perjury.  Stemac’s sentencing is set for October 11, 2007 before United States District Court Judge Ann L. Aiken.  Stemac faces up to three years in prison and a $250,000 ... [full story]

Congressman Greg Walden met yesterday with Eric Fuqua and Noah Pugsley, both of Medford, who were in the capital to receive the VITA Wireless Samaritan Award for their efforts to help locate the Kim family in Siskiyou National Forest in December 2006. A description of Fuqua and Pugsley’s efforts from the VITA website follows:   Congressman Walden met with Eric Fuqua and Noah Pugsley who received an award for their role in the Kim family rescue,“In December ... [full story]

BAGHDAD - U.S. forces in Iraq sealed off Sadr City following an insurgent attack on the holy shrine of Samara. According to a correspondent for the Kuwait News Agency KUNA, U.S. military tanks and bulldozers were placed on bridges that separate the suburb from central Baghdad. In addition, Iraqi and U.S. security forces set up a number of roadblocks to check pedestrians and vehicles. A government spokesman told KUNA that a curfew would be imposed ... [full story]

CHICAGO - A Kane County newspaper is suing the entire Illinois Supreme Court on charges of violating its constitutional rights and those of a former columnist. The suit by Shaw Suburban Media Group, owner of the daily Kane County Chronicle, accuses Chief Justice Robert Thomas of using the court system he controls to win a $4 million libel judgment against the paper, The Chicago Sun-Times reports. Thomas was awarded the money after a jury found ... [full story]

WASHINGTON - Subpoenas were issued Wednesday to two former White House employees in connection with the congressional probe of the firing of U.S. attorneys. The Senate Judiciary Committee issued one for former White House political director Sara Taylor, while the House Judiciary Committee subpoenaed former White House Counsel Harriet Miers, CNN reported. The committees are investigating whether the firings of eight U.S. attorneys last year were politically motivated and possible White House involvement. Tuesday, e-mail ... [full story]

WASHINGTON - A Paris-based exile group charges the government of Iran is finding ways around economic sanctions imposed by the United States and the United Nations. The National Council of Resistance of Iran says two firms recently targeted for sanctions have already been given new names and mailing addresses by the Islamic Republic, the Washington Times reports. The firms, Pars Tarash Co. and the Farayand Technique Co. are involved in the testing, production and storage ... [full story]

WASHINGTON - The unnamed U.S. congressman who allegedly helped Rep. William Jefferson by writing a letter to a corporate executive is former Rep. Billy Tauzin, R-La. Jefferson is under indictment for alleged influence peddling involving companies seeking to do business in Africa. One of the companies involved was iGate, based in Louisville, Ky. The Hill reported Tuesday that it obtained a copy of a letter Tauzin, then chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, ... [full story]

WARRENTON, Ore. - The U.S. Coast Guard and Warrenton Fire Department saved a 42-foot fishing vessel from sinking at the Warrenton Boat Basin in Oregon today. Coast Guard Group-Air Station Astoria received a distress call from the owner of the fishing vessel Doreen about 11:45 p.m., notifying rescue personnel that the vessel was quickly taking on water at the marina. According to a USCG news release, personnel from the Cape Disappointment station dispatched a truck with “dewatering” ... [full story]

MOSCOW - NATO leaders like Russian President Vladimir Putin's proposal to use the Gabala radar station in Azerbaijan as part of the European missile defense system. However, the Interfax news agency reports , the NATO officials think it's unlikely the radar station could be a substitute to the deployment of elements of the U.S. national missile defense in the Czech Republic and Poland. "The radar in Azerbaijan is likely to be too close to supposed ... [full story]

LOS ANGELES - Actor Fred Thompson, a former Republican senator from Tennessee, Tuesday night teased a national TV audience about his possible run for president. Appearing on the "The Tonight Show" with host Jay Leno, Thompson acknowledged he has formed a committee to "test the waters" and is starting to raise money should he ultimately throw his hat in the already crowded ring. He said so far the political waters are "warm." Asked by Leno ... [full story]