One driver was critically injured and another received non-life threatening injuries in a two-vehicle crash north of Coburg, Oregon Monday afternoon when an SUV crossed the median of Interstate-5 and collided with a car head-on, police reported.   A helicopter ambulance (above) lands on I-5 to evacuate the critically injured driver of a car hit head-on by an SUV (below) that apparently crossed the median for unknown reasons - OSP photos  Preliminary investigation by Oregon State Police (OSP) ... [full story]

One driver was critically injured and another received non-life threatening injuries in a two-vehicle crash north of Coburg, Oregon Monday afternoon when an SUV crossed the median of Interstate-5 and collided with a car head-on, police reported.   A helicopter ambulance (above) lands on I-5 to evacuate the critically injured driver of a car hit head-on by an SUV (below) that apparently crossed the median for unknown reasons - OSP photos  Preliminary investigation by Oregon State Police (OSP) ... [full story]

A 74-year old Redman man was killed yesterday afternoon when the dump truck he was driving crossed the centerline of Highway 126 near Redmond and crashed nearly head-on into a large utility truck, police reported.   The driver of the dump truck (above) was killed when his vehicle crossed the centerline of Highway 126 near Redmond and struck a utility truck (below) nearly head-on - OSP photos   Frank Howard Ellis, 74, was traveling east on Highway 126 about ... [full story]

KABUL, Afghanistan, -  More than 100 people, including seven children, have been killed in fighting in southern Afghanistan in the past three days, officials said Monday. NATO military officials said in a statement they could not confirm the exact number killed during the heavy gunfire over the weekend. However, the victims were believed to include civilians, police and members of the Taliban. U.S. military officials said Monday an airstrike by the U.S.-led coalition that was ... [full story]

CARACAS, Venezuela - Venezuela's political and economic troubles are increasing under the leadership of President Hugo Chavez, the U.S. choice to head the World Bank says. Robert Zoellick said during a weekend visit to Mexico City, that Venezuela is "a country where economic problems are mounting and we seeing [that] on the political and press side it's not moving in a healthy direction," The Miami Herald reported Monday. Zoellick's remarks come in the wake of ... [full story]

BAGHDAD - U.S. forces in Iraq have detained 11 terror suspects accused of making explosive devices during a two-day operation that wrapped up Monday. The operations were aimed at trying to break up suspected al-Qaida vehicle-borne improvised explosive device network in and around Baghdad. Six of the suspects were detained Sunday, while four others were arrested Monday. In a separate incident, soldiers captured the 11th suspect accused of associating with a smuggling ring known for ... [full story]

MADRID - Spanish authorities have seized four tons of cocaine found on a ship off the coast of Spain. The Interior Ministry said 11 people were arrested during the seizure operation conducted alongside U.S. and British authorities, El Pais newspaper reported Monday. In addition to the drugs, authorities also seized $27,000 in cash and cars. Six of those arrested were found onboard the ship, with the others apprehended on mainland Spain. Copyright ©  2007, by ... [full story]

HAVANA - Vilma Espin, the wife of Cuban interim leader Raul Castro, died Monday following a prolonged illness. Espin, 77, was a leading proponent of women's rights on the Communist island and was long known as Cuba's "first lady," Cuba's Granma newspaper reported online Monday. Espin also fought alongside her husband and long-time Cuban leader Fidel Castro during the 1959 revolution that resulted in the ouster of former Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista. Her husband Raul ... [full story]

BAGHDAD - There is well-organized trade union opposition to a shaky national oil bill before Iraq's parliament, the independent Global Insight group reported Tuesday. The analytical and forecasting group said all three of Iraq's ethnic and religious factions -- Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds -- have disputes with how oil revenue should be shared, but the Southern Oil Company Union has also become vocal in criticizing the bill. Union leader Abood Umara traveled to New York ... [full story]

Budget is an $87 million increase over Essential Budget Level SALEM, Ore. - The Oregon Senate yesterday passed Senate Bill 5515, the budget for Oregon’s higher education system. The bill is the beginning of a reinvestment in Oregon’s higher education system, which has been devastated by cuts from the previous recession. The budget will increase funding for enrollment growth, regional institutions and faculty salaries. “We have a long way to go to rebuild Oregon’s higher ... [full story]