WASHINGTON -- The chairman of a U.S. congressional oversight committee requested that the White House hand over documents withheld in the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal.Rep. Henry A. Waxman, D-Calif., called on the White House to release 600 pages of documents withheld in the investigation by the U.S. House of Representatives Oversight and Government Reform Committee into contacts Abramoff, a former lobbyist, had with White House officials, The Washington Post reported Thursday.Waxman’s letter to White House ... [full story]

JERUSALEM -- A rights group petitioned Israel's High Court on Thursday to stop the military from performing anthrax vaccine experiments on soldiers.Physicians for Human Rights filed one petition, while a second was filed by a group of soldiers seeking to be recognized as casualties of the experiments, Ynetnews.com reported.From 1999 to 2006, some 800 soldiers underwent vaccinations of a vaccine developed in the United States and the rights group claimed in their petition scientific errors ... [full story]

WASHINGTON -- Former U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld used memos to subordinates to outline how to shape public opinion on the war in Iraq, the memos show.In the memos, which he called "snowflakes," Rumsfeld revealed his dislike for media criticism and his desire to reshape opinion regarding the war, The Washington Post, which obtained the internal documents, reported Thursday.The newspaper didn't say how it obtained the memos but did report they were marked "for official ... [full story]

BAGHDAD -- A roadside bomb killed five Iraqis in Baghdad Thursday, a day after another bomb left two U.S. soldiers dead in Nineveh province.Kuwait's KUNA news agency said Thursday's blast also left nearly a dozen people injured in the capital's Al-Bonook district.The U.S. military said in a statement Thursday that the two G.I.s killed Wednesday were attached to Task Force Iron and had been riding in a vehicle that was struck by a roadside bomb. ... [full story]

A 38-year old Prineville man escaped injury in an early Monday morning crash when he swerved to avoid a deer, lost control of his SUV, hit a large rock, and flipped the vehicle on its side, deputies reported. In response to a report of a single vehicle rollover, Crook County Sheriff’s deputies were called to the intersection of Alfalfa Road and Shumway Road about 5:45 a.m. on October 30, Sgt. Jim Chapman said. The driver ... [full story]

Bank Robbery and High Speed Chase result in Life Sentences for Career Criminal PORTLAND, Ore. -- Michael Baird Jordan, 68, received two mandatory consecutive life sentences today for armed bank robbery and use of a firearm in relation to a crime of violence. U.S. District Judge Anna J. Brown imposed the sentences under the federal “three-strikes” law, which requires life imprisonment for commission of a serious violent felony after two or more convictions for other ... [full story]

The Oregon Department of Human Services has learned it will receive a $1.2 million federal grant to support persons living with HIV/AIDS who have a co-occurring mental illness. DHS is one of four applicants nationwide to be selected for funding by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The three-year competitive grant is through HUD's Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA) program. The DHS proposal was awarded as a special project of national ... [full story]

BLS Commitment To Sustain Tax Rates While Building New Schools Reflected On Statements There was good news for thousands of Deschutes County residents in the Bend, Sunriver, and La Pine areas that opened their county tax statements this month – their tax rate for Bend-La Pine Schools (BLS) went down.“We knew that through careful planning and strategic fiscal investments we could sustain or reduce the current tax rate our community is investing in Bend-La Pine ... [full story]

Redmond police announced yesterday the arrest of three persons - an adult and two 17-year-old boys - in connection with several burglaries that took place in late 2006 at a local cinema and a bank, and an auto theft and home break-in in the Tumalo area on Monday.  The suspects have been linked to other cases, police said, and additional charges may be possible.   Austin Tyrell Gibson - DCJ photoRedmond Cinemas was burglarized on October ... [full story]

Redmond Police announced yesterday that two arrests were made in connection with graffiti at the Redmond High School, Hugh Hartman Campus, and most recently the Albertson’s supermarket. Ivan Jesus Gomez, 19, and a 15-year-old boy were issued citations and released from custody, Captain Brian McNaughton reported.  “Patrol Officers from Redmond PD identified a suspect in the Albertson’s case and their investigation revealed that the suspect was also involved in the high school vandalism,” said the captain. ... [full story]