PRINEVILLE, Ore. – A 44-year old Prineville man was arrested on outstanding warrants and more than a dozen new charges after he led officers on a lengthy and at times high-speed pursuit before the stolen vehicle he was driving became stuck in the snow, deputies reported.   Shawn Robert Lee, CCJ photo  Crook County Sheriff’s deputies went to 113 SE Willowdale about 1:30 p.m. to arrest Shawn Robert Lee, 44, for outstanding warrants including fourth-degree assault, menacing, ... [full story]

BEIJING - China says it has developed Tibet's economy since 1959, improving its peoples' lives by overthrowing its former feudal serfdom system. In a white paper released Monday by the State Council Information Office to mark to mark the 50th anniversary of the region's "Democratic Reform," Chinese officials said despite interference from the West and support for the exiled Dalai Lama, China has succeeded since 1959 in abolishing the monks' feudal privileges in economic and ... [full story]

TAMPA, Fla. - The U.S. Coast Guard, hunting off Florida for a fishing boat with four ex-football players aboard, Monday found one person clinging to the overturned vessel. The survivor was Nick Schuyler, who was said to be awake and talking to his rescuers, The St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times reported. He was being taken to a Tampa hospital, the newspaper said. WTSP-TV, Tampa, reported it was getting word that a second person also was being ... [full story]

DALLAS - Historians in Dallas say a scribbled scrap of paper found in a university file is a missing link from the frantic first days of the Republic of Texas. The paper, 5 inches long and 8 inches wide, is an 1836 order to publish the Texas Declaration of Independence that declared the region independent from Mexico, The Dallas Morning News reported Monday. The paper was found several months ago in Southern Methodist University's DeGolyer ... [full story]

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Officials at the Columbus Zoo say Phoebe the Asian elephant is ready to give birth after packing on nearly 750 pounds at the Ohio facility. Zoo assistant curator Harry Peachey said Phoebe's weight gain during the pregnancy is well above optimal levels, which typically range from 500 to 600 pounds, The Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch said Monday. As a precaution, zoo officials are monitoring Phoebe's blood to determine her progesterone levels and have ... [full story]

CHICAGO - U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., says race was a factor when the Senate moved to seat embattled Sen. Roland Burris, D-Ill., the body's only African-American. Durbin said a combative and racially tinged appearance by African-American U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill., at a Dec. 30 news conference called by now-impeached Ill. Gov. Rod Blagojevich to announce Burris' appointment to the Senate added a racial overtone to the situation, the Chicago Sun-Times reported Monday. "My ... [full story]

CHICAGO - U.S. airlines lost 1.3 million fewer bags in 2008 in large part because more people now carrying on bags rather than paying checking fees, travel experts say. "The fewer bags you check, the fewer bags you lose," Robert Mann, an aviation consultant told the Chicago Tribune in a story published Monday. Charging to check bags is part of a push by airlines to charge for services, such as pillows and blankets, that used ... [full story]

WASHINGTON - U.S. President Barack Obama Monday said he would nominate Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius to head the department of Health and Human Services. The appointment will make her Obama's point person on healthcare reform. He also nominated Nancy-Ann DeParle, an expert on healthcare and regulatory issues, as counselor to the president and director of the White House Office for Health Reform. "If we are going to help families, save businesses and improve the long-term ... [full story]

WASHINGTON - A political watchdog group says contributions to lawmakers from special interests could shape U.S. President Barack Obama's agenda in Congress. While Obama shunned contributions from political action committees during his campaign, 175 members of Congress received 50 percent or more of their campaign money from PACs in 2007 and 2008, USA Today reported Monday, noting PACs spent a record $416 million on the federal election. The deep contributions to lawmakers could shape Obama's ... [full story]

BEND, Ore. -- Police say that hours after a male elementary school student reported a break-in at the school Sunday morning, he was later arrested and charged with five crimes in connection with the burglary.   Highland Elementary Magnet School, Bend-La Pine Schools photo  Deschutes County 911 received a call on a non-emergency line about 7:37 a.m., March 1, and were told that a window at Highland Elementary Magnet School at 701 Northwest Newport Avenue was open ... [full story]