Dear Mr. Berko: What do you think of Denny's Restaurants for a two- to three-year hold? And what do you think of Google for a two- or three-year hold? I only have about $1,200 to invest in two shares of Google or 200 Denny's. I only want to own just one stock, so don't suggest that I buy 100 shares of Denny's and 10 shares of Google. I want to know which of the two ... [full story]

Dear Mr. Berko: My son recently joined Sara Lee Corp. in Downers Grove, Ill., and he is very excited about his new responsibilities. And to show his faith in his new employer he bought 150 shares of the stock. I bought 100 shares way back in 1999 at $24 and still have the stock. I'd consider buying another 100 shares but since it reduced its dividend I'm not sure if I should because I'm an ... [full story]

Recently, I was delighted by the tremendous number of e-mails that I received from readers reacting to my column. Maybe it was my confession that I once couldn't afford a can of grape juice that struck a nerve. To provide further inspiration for those who need prodding, I'm devoting this column to comments from readers, who are faithfully following the gospel of frugality. Here goes: Believe it or not, one of the highlights of our ... [full story]

The first Oregon Chapter Pajama Program pajama and book drive was a wonderful success with over 1,000 items donated by local residents during the month of February. Collected pajamas and books will be distributed to the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) for the Foster Home Program, as well as to other local agencies who serve Deschutes County children in need.  With the help of the 2007 Leadership Redmond Pajama/Team and Bend, Redmond, Sisters, Sunriver ... [full story]

SAN DIEGO - San Diego FBI chief Dan Dzwilewski, who was rebuked by superiors for publicly defending ousted U.S. Attorney Carol Lam, has announced his retirement. Dzwilewski, who has been at the helm of the San Diego office since July 2003, sent an e-mail to his agents and staff Wednesday saying he planned to take a post as director of security at Sempra Energy. His last day at the bureau is to be April 30. ... [full story]

To: President George W. Bush The White House Washington, D.C., 20500 Dear Mr. President: I am glad to see that you fired some U.S. attorneys. But you missed one: U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton, who prosecuted border guards Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean instead of a professional drug smuggler, and who prosecuted Texas Deputy Sheriff Gilmer Hernandez instead of a professional people-smuggler. Yes, you have the presidential prerogative to hire and fire U.S. attorneys for any ... [full story]

WASHINGTON - Sen. Dianne Feinstein on Thursday challenged claims by a former top Justice Department official that Carol Lam was fired from her job as U.S. attorney in San Diego because of a mediocre record in prosecuting immigration cases. During a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee, the California Democrat produced a recent letter from a top federal immigration official in San Diego praising Lam's record in combating migrant smuggling. The three-page letter dated Feb. ... [full story]

HAGERSTOWN, Md. - Charlotte L. Winters, the last surviving female World War I veteran, has died at age 109. Winters died last week in her sleep at the Fahrney-Keedy life care community in Boonsboro, Md., the Baltimore Sun reported. Winters was the oldest woman veteran when she died, and she may have helped pave the way for women to join the U.S. Navy in 1916 when she called on U.S. Navy Secretary Josephus Daniels and ... [full story]

Proposed Changes to ESA Regulations Would Undermine Recent Federal Court Decisions Protecting Endangered Salmon Representatives of a broad-based coalition of fishing businesses and conservation groups this week warned that sweeping changes proposed by the Bush administration to regulations under the Endangered Species Act would pose a direct threat to salmon recovery efforts in the Pacific Northwest. Several of the proposed changes, made public earlier this week, appear to take direct aim at efforts to protect ... [full story]

WASHINGTON - House Republican Whip Roy Blunt (Mo.) released the following statement this afternoon urging Democratic leaders to bring to the House a clean, straightforward funding package for our troops: "This Congress has no greater responsibility than to ensure the men and women who have stepped forward to safeguard our freedoms have what they need to be secure. But that's a responsibility Democrats formally abdicated this afternoon, as they adjourned the House for spring recess ... [full story]