Detectives believe the four men arrested during a traffic stop late Thursday night on Highway 97 just north of Redmond, Oregon were transporting the drugs discovered in their vehicle from the Beaverton area for distribution in Madras and other Central Oregon locations.   (top left) Octavio Real Barajas, (top right) Luis Manuel Avalos Gonzalez, (bottom left) Javier Garcia Reyes, (bottom right) Ernesto Carranza - DCJ photos  Members of the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement (CODE) team assisted Redmond Police ... [full story]

Just three years ago, the housing boom seemed like such a good thing. Property values were skyrocketing. Home equity loans were helping homeowners live in luxury. Mortgage rates were low enough to attract low-income buyers who never thought they'd be able to afford a home.   REAL ESTATE WOES - A sign at this San Diego home last September told prospective buyers it was a foreclosure. CNS Photo by James Baird.  The market was so hot that ... [full story]

Almost one year after radio shock jock Don Imus sent shock waves through the black community with his offensive and inflammatory remarks regarding the Rutgers University women's basketball team, it's as if a repeat of history is upon us, in an election year in which a black candidate has a serious chance of winning the White House. Back in January, Golf Channel's Kelly Tilghman seriously botched an attempt at humor when she suggested that younger ... [full story]

NEW YORK - A judge in New York has refused to allow prosecutors in Brooklyn to back out of a plea agreement with the mastermind of a body parts ring.Judge Albert Tomei said Wednesday that Michael Mastromarino had cooperated with prosecutors and lived up to his part of the agreement, Newsday reported. "There is no question in this case the defendant performed what he had to do," Tomei said at a hearing in Brooklyn Supreme Court. ... [full story]

REDMOND, Ore. -- To meet the needs of a growing student population, safety and aging facilities, the Redmond School Board of Directors approved a bond referendum totaling $110 million at its regularly scheduled meeting on February 27.  The bond referendum will be included in the May 20 election. Passage of the $110 million bond referendum would fund:      1,400-seat high school ($80 million): Build a new high school on the Elkhorn/Canal site that provides a ... [full story]

MEMPHIS - The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a close call between two FedEx planes flying over Memphis.The mistake occurred Feb. 21 as FedEx flights 527 and 257 were preparing for simultaneous takeoff on parallel runways, the Memphis Commercial Appeal said Thursday.The newspaper said it appears both the pilot and air traffic controller believed the other had transposed numerals in the flight number. The mistake put flights 527 and 257 within 100 feet of each ... [full story]

NEW YORK - The lawyers who represented two New York panhandlers in a class-action suit have been awarded more than $300,000 in legal fees.The lead plaintiff in the suit, Eddie Wise, received a payment of $100,000 in 2006 after a judge ruled that New York cannot make arrests for peaceful panhandling. Judge Shira Scheindlin ruled last year that panhandlers across the state should receive damages, a finding that is being appealed in federal court.The arrests ... [full story]

The call came in the morning of my birthday. Had to be Mom, I figured. Mom always calls on my birthday. Or maybe it was one of my two brothers, or my best friend from Baltimore.   BUSINESS BIRTHDAY GREETINGS - These days, some companies are doing a better job of remembering and sending birthday wishes than family and friends. CNS Illustration by Cristina Martinez Byvik.   Or maybe still it was my buddy Jeff, from work, who ... [full story]

The recent seizure by Dutch authorities of three exotic cats that a U.S.-based "designer" pet company says it created has sparked allegations by some cat breeders that the felines aren't what they are advertised to be.   DESIGNER CATS - LifeStyle Pets says the Ashera cat, shown on the company's Web site, is the result of a 'proprietary blend' of exotic bloodlines. CNS Photo courtesy of LifeStyle Pets  On Jan. 17, customs officials confiscated three so-called Ashera ... [full story]

KATHMANDU, Nepal - A coalition of ethnic parties in Nepal agreed Thursday to participate in upcoming elections.The government in return agreed to extend registration deadlines so the United Democratic Madhesi Front candidates can participate, CNN reported.The Madhesi people, who live in the plains of southern Nepal, make up almost half the population. The region was brought into Nepal by conquest, and its people have cultural and linguistic ties to northern India.The front is seeking more ... [full story]