SALEM – A special legislative session is set to open on February 4 based on a proposal passed early in the 2007 legislative session that establishes annual sessions.  A twenty-eight day time limit is imposed as legislators gather to review proposals ranging from economic stimulus legislation to compensation for volunteers who donate their time to non-profit organizations. “I believe that the idea of annual sessions is one that will make government more accountable and efficient ... [full story]

HARTFORD, Conn. - The Connecticut Supreme Court has ruled that a town zoning board did not engage in religious discrimination when it blocked a Cambodian Buddhist temple.The court's 45-page opinion, released Wednesday, hinged on a detailed analysis of federal and state laws, the Hartford Courant reported. The justices pointed out that Newtown officials had said they would welcome the proposed temple in a more suitable site than a residential neighborhood.The temple, if built, would be ... [full story]

Living Center Patients Will Have Access to Alternative Care Facilities MADRAS, Ore. – After significant efforts to improve operating results for Mountain View Hospital’s Living Center, hospital leadership has made the difficult decision to transition out of the long-term care business. Long-term care includes medical and non-medical services for people with disabilities or chronic illnesses who cannot care for themselves over an extended period of time.  The hospital will continue to provide skilled nursing care services ... [full story]

TORONTO - A Canadian pathologist apologized Thursday to a man who spent 12 years in prison after being wrongly convicted of killing his niece.Dr. Charles Smith, once considered an expert on forensic pathology at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, is now the subject of an inquiry into his work. James Lockyer, a lawyer representing nine people convicted based on Smith's testimony, pressured Smith to tell Bill Mullins-Johnson he was sorry, the Canadian Broadcasting ... [full story]

NAIROBI, Kenya - The human rights organization Amnesty International has asked for protection for nine Kenyan activists who have received death threats, officials said.Eight of the nine people who received death threats are of Kikuyu nationality, and have been slandered by other Kikuyus who accuse them of being "traitors" to their nationality, Amnesty International said Thursday.The nine have reportedly been outspoken about alleged inconsistencies in December's Kenyan elections and have openly denounced the actions of ... [full story]

PORTLAND, Ore. - The Oregon Supreme Court upheld a $79.5 million award Thursday against Philip Morris for the family of a man who died of lung cancer.The award has been going through the courts since a 1999 trial in Multnomah County, The (Portland) Oregonian reported. The U.S. Supreme Court overturned the verdict twice, sending it back to Oregon.Jesse Williams died in 1997. Two years later, a jury ruled that his family should get $821,485 in ... [full story]

After the sharpest four-week decline in more than 18 years, mortgage rates bounced back, with the average conforming 30-year fixed mortgage rate now 5.88 percent. According to Bankrate.com's weekly national survey of large lenders, the average 30-year fixed mortgage has an average of 0.38 discount and origination points. The average 15-year fixed rate mortgage popular for refinancing jumped to 5.38 percent, and the average jumbo 30-year fixed rate leapt to 7.03 percent. Adjustable mortgage rates ... [full story]

As the Oregon legislature prepares to consider stronger regulation of the mortgage loan industry, a new analysis by the Oregon Center for Public Policy has found a racial pattern in the state's subprime lending. A state Senate committee hearing on SB 1090, which proposes to better regulate Oregon's mortgage industry, is scheduled for today. At all income levels, Oregon's African American and Hispanic borrowers are more likely than whites to have received subprime loans, said ... [full story]

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - Officials removed an estimated 200 neglected animals, almost half of which were dead and frozen, from a Virginia Beach, Va., home.Animal Control officials Tuesday found more than 100 ferrets, a bird, a dog and three cats "living in deplorable, unsanitary and crowded conditions," The (Norfolk) Virginian-Pilot reported Wednesday.Nearly every living animal in the home was malnourished and dehydrated. Eighty-nine ferrets, a cat, a rat and an otter were found dead in ... [full story]

TOPEKA, Kan. - A former judge was sworn in Thursday as Kansas's third attorney general in just over a year.Stephen Six succeeds Paul Morrison, The Kansas City Star reported. Morrison, who was elected to the position in November 2006, resigned after admitting that he had had an affair with a former staffer.Six, the son of former Kansas City Supreme Court Justice Fred Six, was in private practice with a Kansas City law firm before becoming ... [full story]