WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate investigators found a former Johns Hopkins University financial aid director accepted more money from lending companies than previously disclosed. Documents and interviews reviewed by the investigators revealed Ellen Frishberg, who for 18 years was known as a stickler for ethics at the university, accepted at least $133,695 in gifts from eight lending companies, more than twice as much money as previously reported, The Washington Post reported Thursday. Frishberg resigned from the ... [full story]

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The water level in Lake Okeechobee, a reservoir for millions in parched south Florida, dropped to a record low Thursday, the local water district said. The lake water level was 8.94 feet Thursday, breaking a record low of 8.97 feet set in a 2001 drought. Thursday's water level was 4 feet below the average for this time of year, the South Florida Water Management District said. A 12,000-acre section of ... [full story]

DENVER - A Georgia man whose drug-resistant tuberculosis set off an international health alert has been transferred to a Denver hospital. Doctors at the National Jewish Medical and Research Center, a leading lung hospital, had been anticipating treating him for weeks, the Rocky Mountain News reported. Officials confirmed Thursday that the patient had arrived at the hospital. "It is a big challenge," Dr. Charles Daley, head of the infectious disease unit at the hospital said ... [full story]

WASHINGTON - Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger said politicians should learn from the Vietnam War that deadlines won't work in ending the Iraq war. "In Iraq, rapid, unilateral withdrawal would be disastrous. At the same time, a political solution remains imperative. A strategic design cannot be achieved on a fixed, arbitrary deadline; it must reflect conditions on the ground," Kissinger wrote in an opinion piece in Thursday's Los Angeles Times. "But it also ... [full story]

WASHINGTON - The investigation into firings of several U.S. attorneys has been expanded into the hiring practices at the U.S. Justice Department. The probe now includes the Justice Department's civil rights branch and its programs for new lawyers, The Washington Post reported Thursday. "We have expanded the scope of our investigation to include allegations regarding improper political or other considerations in hiring decisions within the Department of Justice," Inspector General Glenn A. Fine and H. ... [full story]

Two 16-year-olds who admitted to starting a fire on the back porch of a southeast Bend home yesterday afternoon while experimenting with gasoline and a magnifying glass have been charged with first-degree arson, officials reported. Bend Fire crews responded to the home of Raoul and Carol Larrinaga at 307 SE Springer Court about 3:30 p.m. May 30, Fire Inspector Cindy Kettering wrote in an incident report.  The fire was already out upon their arrival, and ... [full story]

A property owner burning dead grass on his land without first ensuring proper clearance lost control of the blaze which spread into wildland vegetation and burned about ¼ acre of brush and Juniper before firefighters arrived, officials reported. Bend firefighters were called to 65335 73rd Avenue in the Whispering Pines Subdivision shortly after 11 a.m., May 30, to find that Brian Turner’s fire was out of control and had spread from a large residential lot ... [full story]

An alert passerby who noticed a fire burning the wood shingle roof of a home in south Bend Wednesday afternoon alerted the homeowner who was able to douse it with a garden hose and keep it from spreading before firefighters arrived and extinguished the blaze, officials reported. Bend firefighters responded to the single-story home of George Morton at 60818 Granite Drive about 3:20 p.m., May 30, Captain Jeff Dufour wrote in a news release.  Crews completely ... [full story]

A woman suspected of shooting to death a 36-year old man in southeast Portland early this morning led police on a high-speed car chase in Central Oregon before sideswiping a truck in Terrebonne, continuing on to Redmond, fleeing on foot with a handgun, then shooting herself in the head while officers attempted to negotiate with her.   Jacqueline Kay Fielder - photo provided by PPB & RPD 30-year old Jacqueline Kay Fielder was transported by ambulance to ... [full story]

The Tualatin Valley Highway was closed Tuesday morning as a rescue helicopter evacuated a man seriously injured when he pulled out from a parking lot into the path of an oncoming SUV, authorities reported.   Tualatin Valley Highway was closed to allow a LifeFlight rescue helicopter to evacuate a man seriously injured in a car crash Tuesday - TVFR photo    Firefighters worked for almost 1/2 hour to remove the vehicle's roof and extricate Aloha, Oregon resident Torin Shepard - ... [full story]