MIAMI - The U.S. Coast Guard rescued an infant, a child and four adults from a sinking 65-foot yacht off the coast of Miami. The yacht "Imagination" was headed for Bimini in the Bahamas when it began taking on water 13 miles east of Miami Thursday, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported. People on the craft issued an urgent call for help. Shortly after rescuers pulled people from the yacht, it quickly sank. The Coast Guard ... [full story]

Fire officials report that an escaped debris pile burn has spread to 677-acres of private land in Crooked River Ranch and BLM land northwest of Terrebonne in Central Oregon, estimating containment at 20 percent as of 8 a.m. Friday.  Firefighters continue to make progress, and full containment of the fire is expected today at 6 p.m. The fire was reported Thursday afternoon, with affected acreage increasing throughout the day.  At 6 p.m., the Central Oregon ... [full story]

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Defense Department warns of a new scam that targets spouses of soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. The American Red Cross has received at least one complaint of someone purporting to be a Red Cross representative. The caller, a woman, told a military wife that her husband had been injured and evacuated to Germany for treatment. She said the hospital there needed her husband's date of birth and Social Security number. ... [full story]

NEW RELEASES   'KNOCKED UP' - Katherine Heigl and Seth Rogen shop for baby gear in the romantic comedy 'Knocked Up.' CNS Photo courtesy of Suzanne Hanover.  KNOCKED UP - What an odd comedy (and a sure hit) "Knocked Up" is - an attitude bazooka full of sex, drugs and raw language, yet so high on babies and family values that this must be the first R-rated film for both sleazoid slackers and earnest right-to-lifers. There are ... [full story]

"Gracie" seems a formula sports inspiration movie, except it isn't. It scores a goal right through the net of cliche. The core of why is in the how. "Gracie" has the values of a real family. It was a project of actress Elisabeth Shue ("Leaving Las Vegas") and brothers Andrew and John, who produced with her. It is dedicated to brother Will, a 1970s soccer prodigy who died in 1988.   'GRACIE' - Dermot Mulroney and ... [full story]

What an odd comedy (and a sure hit) "Knocked Up" is - an attitude bazooka full of sex, drugs and raw language, yet so high on babies and family values that this must be the first R-rated film for both sleazoid slackers and earnest right-to-lifers.   'KNOCKED UP' - Katherine Heigl and Leslie Mann ponder the meaning of a pregnancy test in the romantic comedy 'Knocked Up.' CNS Photo courtesy of Suzanne Hanover. There are jokes about ... [full story]

In an effort to beef up tax revenues, an increasing number of government entities are reviving the old technique of imposing a special tax on all property transfers. It seldom works in areas where many residents actively express their negative feelings about such a tax - but does work in other areas. Real estate transfer taxes are state and local taxes assessed on real property, including homes, when ownership is transferred between parties. In some ... [full story]

Senator and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has unveiled her economic vision. Should she be given the power to implement it, we can say goodbye to the prosperity and opportunity we have enjoyed since the Reagan years.In a speech at Manchester School of Technology in New Hampshire, Clinton said it's time to replace President Bush's "ownership society," which she called an "on your own" society, with one based on shared responsibility and prosperity.Clinton said she ... [full story]

Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, stands solidly behind President Bush More often than not, he is a proud defender of all things Bush. When his name comes up you don't usually associate it with the word "maverick," but recently Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission has, in one way or another, strayed, not so much from the Bush Administration line, ... [full story]

BAGHDAD -- Violence in Baghdad has made paying for food, and even getting to the market, difficult, straining many families' diets. Unemployment is high. Electricity is erratic, so many people cannot store perishable food. "Even my family does not eat meat too much; maybe when we have visitors and guests," Jenan, a 20-year-old university graduate, told The Washington Times.  Jenan works as a translator, bringing in her family's only income. She is staying behind when ... [full story]