SALEM, Ore. – $1.73 million has been awarded to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), funding that can be used to support clean diesel projects and loan programs to address the nation’s existing fleet of over 11 million diesel engines. The Recovery Act funds can create jobs, boost local economies, reduce diesel emissions and protect human health and the environment. "These cost-effective projects will help Oregon speed ... [full story]

CHICAGO -- A jury in Chicago has awarded $13.7 million to the family of a 22-year-old car salesman who was killed while taking a customer for a test drive. Roger Czapski of suburban Crystal Lake was a passenger in a BMW 530i driven by Christopher Maher of Inverness when it struck a vehicle turning into a church parking lot, hit a light pole and exploded, the Chicago Tribune reported Wednesday. Police said Maher was traveling about 95 ... [full story]

SAN DIEGO -- U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano says a $400 million federal effort will include an upgrading of security at the U.S.-Mexico border. During a California visit Wednesday, Napolitano announced the security upgrades will include searches of rail cars traveling into Mexico as well as inspections of other Mexico-bound vehicles, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported Thursday. The Homeland Security official also took time to praise U.S.-Mexico relations and Mexico's commitment to such security efforts. "I ... [full story]

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Eight years after a Canadian boy was born brain-damaged, a Vancouver, British Columbia, court has awarded his mother $4 million in damages. The provincial Supreme Court ruled in favor of Monica Cojocaru, who sought the damages from the British Columbia Women's Hospital in Vancouver. The court heard that the woman had once before had a child by caesarean section, but wanted to deliver her second child vaginally, The Province newspaper reported. ... [full story]

MANILA, Philippines -- A U.S. foundation has donated $50,000 to help fishermen displaced by a 2006 oil spill off the Philippines island of Guimaras, observers said. Citi Foundation Wednesday turned over a check to Petron Corp. President Eric Recto to fund the second phase of a fisherman livelihood program for people in Nueva Valencia, Philippines, who were affected by oil spill from the Petron-chartered ship MT Solar I, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported. The newspaper said the ... [full story]

WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Barack Obama requested an $83.4 billion supplemental appropriation for anti-terrorist efforts in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. "We face a security situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan that demands urgent attention," Obama said in a letter sent Thursday to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. "The Taliban is resurgent, and al-Qaida threatens America from its safe haven along the Afghan-Pakistan border." Nearly 95 percent of the funds would be used for military personnel "as they help ... [full story]

GRENOBLE, France -- Four Caterpillar executives "bossnapped" by workers were to be freed after French President Nicolas Sarkozy pledged to save the plant, union leaders said. A spokesman for the Confederation Generale du Travail union told The Times of London that the executives, taken Tuesday and held overnight at the Caterpillar plant in Grenoble, France, would be released as soon as company officials, at the behest of Sarkozy, agreed to renegotiate severance packages for laid-off workers. In ... [full story]

WASHINGTON -- More than half of U.S. teachers are eligible for retirement during the next decade, says a study urging immediate action to retain younger teachers. "Whether this big retirement tsunami hits in the next two or three years or whether the economy keeps them around for a little bit longer, it's coming," said Elizabeth Foster, director of strategic initiatives for the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future. The commission's study urges the establishment of programs ... [full story]

Jimmy Carter sent the Delta Force to rescue hostages, and their helicopters crashed. Ronald Reagan sent peacekeepers to Lebanon, and 241 of them died when their barracks were blown up. Bill Clinton sent the Army Rangers to hunt down Somalia warlords, and the result was "Black Hawk Down." George W. Bush invaded Iraq, and we're still there. Barack Obama, on the other hand, sent the Navy to the Somali coast to rescue a hero from ... [full story]

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia -- A wind-driven wildfire burned almost 1,000 acres in Halifax, Nova Scotia, early Friday, forcing some 1,200 people from their homes, authorities said. No injuries had been reported as the Canadian Red Cross mobilized to set up shelters and communications facilities. Late Thursday, Halifax Mayor Peter Kelly said eight homes had been destroyed and an untold number of others badly damaged, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported. "The fire is not under control," Kelly said. "We ... [full story]