18-year-old was allegedly driving 82 in a 35-mph zone before attempting to avoid a traffic stop, abandoning his vehicle and hiding An 18-year-old high school senior from Bend made some poor choices on Friday during “Senior Skip Day” when a state trooper clocked him speeding almost 50-mph over the posted speed limit through the Cooley Road intersection on Highway 97 in north Bend.  The driver allegedly fled from an attempted traffic stop, abandoned the vehicle ... [full story]

Four people were injured, two seriously, Thursday afternoon in a two-vehicle crash on Highway 97 between Grass Valley and Kent. The crash closed a small section of Highway 97 for a few hours during the investigation, and this is a reminder of what Oregon State Police, County Sheriff Departments, and city police departments are attempting to prevent through extra enforcement this Memorial Holiday weekend.   Marlene and Arnold Thomas of San Jose were injured when the ... [full story]

  An academic stands at a podium equipped with microphones in a room with weather charts and computers. In the caption he says: 'We're predicting 7-10 hurricances ... and 12-15 trips to buy hurricane supplies.' Editorial cartoon by Bruce Beattie.  [full story]

If you don't do windows, you might want to start. Canadian researchers say "urban organic films," a fancy name for window grime, may be contributing to air pollution inside homes and buildings.   AN UNCLEAR THREAT - Canadian researchers say 'urban organic films,' a fancy name for window grime, may be contributing to air pollution inside homes and buildings. CNS Photo.    MEDTRONICA - The Museum of Menstruation & Women's Health at www.mum.org is unusual. Once you get ... [full story]

  A man fills his vehicle gas tank. The gas pump makes a ticking sound and the meter says: '$73.29.' The top of the man's head resembles a bomb with a fuse. It is ticking. Editorial cartoon by Gary Markstein.  [full story]

PARIS - French President Nicholas Sarkozy was given an ultimatum by a group of wine activists demanding more money for their products. The group, which calls itself the Regional Committee for Viticultural Action or CRAV, has been known to hijack tankers of foreign wine and dynamite government buildings or supermarkets, The London Telegraph reported. While its members remain anonymous, the group is believed to be an offshoot of the winemakers' unions of the highest wine ... [full story]

A solid script and decent pay for playing the title role in a three-hour telefilm called "Marco Polo" from Robert Halmi Sr. to be shot in China was an offer that Ian Somerhalder couldn't refuse. In fact, as a seasoned traveler, it was the opportunity of a lifetime built into a very interesting, big-budget project.   IAN SOMERHALDER - Ian Somerhalder, lying down, will star in Hallmark Channel's 'Marco Polo.' He is seen here in a ... [full story]

JERUSALEM - Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas will reportedly meet with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in early June. Sources in Israel told Haaretz news that the two officials were supposed to meet Sunday but Abbas postponed the meeting because of increased violence in the Gaza Strip. Abbas has said he'd like to negotiate a new Palestinian-Israeli cease-fire. On Thursday, Abbas described the barrage of rockets being fired by Hamas militants in the West Banks ... [full story]

SDEROT, Israel - A group representing Jewish settlers on Friday said Israel should respond to Hamas rockets with a ground offensive and reoccupy the northern Gaza Strip. "Israel must take its fate in its own hands. There is no other option but to launch a ground offensive in the northern Gaza Strip to reoccupy it," said a leaflet distributed by the Yesha Council in synagogues across Israel Friday, Ynetnews reported. The Yesha Council represents Jewish ... [full story]

On July 4, when fireworks light up the sky over New York Harbor and Ellis Island, similar festivities will be taking place in Germany at Hamburg Harbour to celebrate the opening of its own Ellis Island, a new museum known as BallinStadt, or to be precise, Port of Dreams - BallinStadt Emigrant World Hamburg. Actually, it's a mirror image of Ellis Island, telling the story of the 5 million Europeans who sailed from Hamburg to ... [full story]