Deschutes County Sheriff’s deputies gave chase to a suspect vehicle they spotted on Highway 97 that was tied to an earlier shooting of a man in Madras, but lost sight of the pickup in dust when it drove onto a dirt road.  The vehicle was located about three hours later, abandoned, on a logging road. Salomon Albarran, 35, of Madras, suffered “several gunshot wounds” and was found lying in the middle of M Street west ... [full story]

An eight-year-old Cornelius boy was seriously injured and flown by air ambulance to the hospital late Wednesday morning when, for unknown reasons, he drove into the roadway and directly into the path of an oncoming pickup while riding an electric “pocket bike” on private property, deputies reported.   An 8-year-old boy was injured when he rode his pocket bike into the roadway and into the path of a pickup - WCSO photo According to a news release issued ... [full story]

A 30-year old Portland man was arrested at the Corbett, Oregon home of his brother where Multnomah County Special Investigations Unit (SIU) detectives found a sophisticated marijuana growing operation with high-quality plants that could produce almost $500,000 worth of product every three months.   The plants seized were "judged by SIU personnel to be some of the highest quality they have seen" - MCSO photo According to a news release, SIU raided the home of Kevin Phillip ... [full story]

Search and rescue team members from Deschutes County responded to two unrelated calls for help from hikers, one injured and one ill, on Tuesday, authorities reported. According to a news release issued by the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, the first call came in about 4:20 p.m., July 31, summoning help to the Lava River Caves.  Edyta Lukasik, 19, of Ontario, Oregon, suffered from minor injuries he received while hiking with a group from Treasure Valley Community ... [full story]

Redmond Police evacuated the residents of 17 homes in southwest Redmond Monday when a homeowner found what appeared to be an elaborate explosive device on her front porch. According to a news release issued by Redmond Police public information officer Captain Al Maich,  officers responded to the home of Catherine Kral at 3206 W Pumice Avenue about 11:45 a.m., July 30. Area residents were evacuated and SW Pumice Avenue was closed to non-essential traffic between ... [full story]

SAO PAULO -- Pilots of a Brazilian airliner screamed "Oh, no!" and "slow down" before the aircraft crashed into a gas station and burst into flames, killing 199 people. The transcript of the audio recording was read Wednesday during a congressional hearing, O Globo TV reported. Last month, TAM Flight 3054 skidded off the runway while landing in heavy rains at Sao Paulo's Congonhas Airport. Since then, TAM officials have admitted a reverse thruster -- ... [full story]

MOSCOW -- Russian prosecutors say they have a strong case against an accused serial killer believed responsible for dozens of slayings in a Moscow park. Iskandar Galimov, head of criminal investigation for the interior ministry, said investigators have proved Alexander Pichushkin killed at least 62 women, Itar-Tass reported. Galimov allegedly targeted both women he knew and strangers. He was nicknamed "the Bittsa maniac" by some news agencies after his arrest in June 2006 because many ... [full story]

MOSCOW -- Russia has claimed a large section of the Arctic sea floor as it prepares to dive below the North Pole in mini-submarines. The Akademik Fedorov research ship arrived Wednesday at the North Pole, RIA Novosti said. Russia's Arctic Institute said two of the ship's Mir mini-submarines are to begin their dive on Thursday morning. The area has been made made accessible by the receding of polar ice due to global warming. Novosti said ... [full story]

BRUSSELS -- A top European Union official says he wants to see the EU create the position of general prosecutor to handle serious cross-border crimes. EU home affairs commissioner Franco Frattini said the prosecutor would have powers to initiate and proceed with investigations, the EU Observer said Wednesday. The newspaper said the strengthening of Eurojust, the bloc's judicial body, is seen as key to creating single European prosecution office. The network of 27 national prosecutors ... [full story]

LAGOS, Nigeria -- About 40 Nigerian generals have been retired by orders of President Umaru Yar'Adua, whose office said there was no motive for the mass layoff. "The retired officers are those who were due for retirement having spent the stipulated 35 years in service," read a statement from the president's office, This Day newspaper reported Wednesday. "No other motives should be ascribed to this purely routine movement of personnel in the Armed Forces." Some ... [full story]