Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife staff encourage Oregonians and visitors to fish, crab and clam without a license during the 19th annual Free Fishing Weekend June 9 and 10. All current fishing and shellfish regulations apply. More than 40 Free Fishing Events will be held at sites throughout the state. Most are geared toward introductory angling opportunities for young people. Gear, bait and basic angling instruction are provided at most events. Some locations are ... [full story]

CHICAGO - Barry Bonds certainly has the right to hoard remnants of every steroid he "accidentally" has used, every piece of body armor he has donned and every mirror he has smooched. And I certainly have the right to deny him - and the Baseball Hall of Fame - Home Run Ball No. 756 if I catch that sphere-shaped winning Lotto ticket. What's his is his, what's mine is mine and ne'er the twain shall ... [full story]

Many historians consider the Seven Years' War the first truly global conflict, and when it ended in 1763 representatives of the world's most powerful nations gathered in Paris to carve up the planet. France essentially gave most of modern-day Canada to the British in exchange for control of Guadeloupe, a group of five tiny islands and a 4,800-foot volcano on the eastern edge of the Caribbean. Nearly 2 1/2 centuries later, it makes perfect sense. ... [full story]

  Professional Golf Tips: Use hybrid clubs when chipping Many players are not comfortable with the long chip shot, where you have a lot of green to work with and you need to clear just a bit of fringe before landing the ball on the green and letting it roll to the hole. If you are one of these golf players, you might want to consider using a hybrid club for this shot.  [full story]

Q: What should my strategy be when I get short-stacked and the blinds and antes are high? - Newbie, Atlanta   DAN HARRINGTON - A former backgammon champ, chess master and lawyer, 1995 WSOP Main Event champ Dan Harrington made final tables in 2003 and 2004 and has made $4.5 million in lifetime tourney winnings. Known for his tight play, 'Action Dan' is also the author of the well-respected 'Harrington on Hold'em' books. CNS Photo courtesy ... [full story]

Plumed in flaming orange and black, the male Baltimore oriole bows low to an olive-brown female, his tail spread and wings slightly raised in a courtly curtsey. His whistling, flutelike voice serenades her in rich, melodic tones, and the flashy blackbirds pair to breed.Preferring a home with a view, they fashion a distinctive hanging nest, woven from plant fibers and suspended from the twig tips, high in a tree. Affixing just a single fiber at ... [full story]

NEWPORT, Ore.— Fishery managers announced Thursday that preliminary estimates and projections indicate the spring quota in the Pacific halibut fishery off the Columbia River will be reached by Sunday and the fishery will close effective Saturday, May 26 at 11:59 p.m. The decision by Oregon and Washington fishery officials and NOAA Fisheries closes the recreational fishery for Pacific halibut between Leadbetter Point in Washington and Cape Falcon in Oregon. The spring fishery opened on May ... [full story]

PENDLETON, Ore — Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife announced today the re-opening of the lower Umatilla River spring chinook season. The Umatilla River, from the Highway 730 Bridge upstream to Threemile Dam, will re-open Saturday, May 26 of the Memorial Day weekend and close again Monday, May 28. Current adult spring chinook returns to Three Mile Falls Dam has exceeded 2,500 fish and managers expect the run to continue through mid-June. The number of spring ... [full story]

SALEM, Ore. --­ In testimony submitted to the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee today, Big Wildlife, an international wildlife protection organization headquartered in Williams, Oregon, urged lawmakers to oppose legislation that would reinstate the cruel practice of using hounds to pursue cougars. The Senate committee is expected to consider a bill passed by the House that would overturn a 1994 voter-approved ban on hounding of the big cats. The proposal could move to the ... [full story]

You must remember this: Tom Brown acted properly when he chose to put the title of his book, "As Tom Goes By," in the present tense. At 84, his romance with tennis is continuing. As he notes in the foreword, " ... the sentimental things apply." They do for Brown, who in the work he has done with Lee Tyler, his longtime female companion, relives another time in tennis, when there was no money in ... [full story]

INDIANAPOLIS - Standing at the corner of 16th and Georgetown Road Wednesday, the man holding the "I Have Tickets" sign has seen better Mays. "I used to be able to sell tickets for 50 to 100 percent more than I paid for them," said the man, who gave his name only as Jim. "And I used to pay more than face value for the really good seats. "Now, I'm selling them for much closer to ... [full story]

The 10 worst things in sports: 1. The Designated Hitter If nothing else, the stupidest. Growing up, I found that baseball was a game to be played by baseball players. In other words, one did more than swing the bat. The game involved defending - and even running. It rewarded those who at least attempted to do everything. Not everyone was Willie Mays, of course, but flaws also were part of the beauty of a ... [full story]

CHICAGO - Human beings simply can't do what Derrek Lee did. After missing nearly a week's worth of games with neck spasms, mere mortals do not step up to the plate and hit game-clinching grand slams. A producer would have thrown such a script back into a screenwriter's face, saying: "Get this hokey, unrealistic claptrap out of here! And I want the 'Oceans 117' script on my desk in the morning!" Hokey or not, Lee ... [full story]