Q: This pair of ceramic dogs belonged to my great-grandmother. She brought them with her when she immigrated to the United States from Scotland over 100 years ago. Each stands approximately 9 inches tall and neither one has any identifying marks. They are decorated with gold paint, and have yellow eyes and black muzzles.   STAFFORDSHIRE SPANIELS - These Staffordshire spaniels were made in the late 1800s and would probably be worth from $300 to $500. ... [full story]

You could call this a "mea culpa" column. A few weeks ago, I announced with utmost certainty that we had made a mistake leaving cosmopolitan Washington, D.C., five years ago for a historic rural outpost in Maryland - Frederick - and we were heading back, posthaste, to the nation's capital. We had fled Washington after 9/11 fearful that the terrorist attacks in the United States would continue and Washington would be a prime target. But ... [full story]

Q: We live in a cold winter climate area and we planted several plants that we thought were annuals like geraniums, cannas, and fuchsia in a hanging basket. When we looked them up in books, we read that they are perennials. We are not sure how to take care of them over the winter. What is the difference between an annual and a perennial?  A: There are several possible answers to your question. First, the ... [full story]

An eight-year-old Cornelius boy was seriously injured and flown by air ambulance to the hospital late Wednesday morning when, for unknown reasons, he drove into the roadway and directly into the path of an oncoming pickup while riding an electric “pocket bike” on private property, deputies reported.   An 8-year-old boy was injured when he rode his pocket bike into the roadway and into the path of a pickup - WCSO photo According to a news release issued ... [full story]

A 30-year old Portland man was arrested at the Corbett, Oregon home of his brother where Multnomah County Special Investigations Unit (SIU) detectives found a sophisticated marijuana growing operation with high-quality plants that could produce almost $500,000 worth of product every three months.   The plants seized were "judged by SIU personnel to be some of the highest quality they have seen" - MCSO photo According to a news release, SIU raided the home of Kevin Phillip ... [full story]

Search and rescue team members from Deschutes County responded to two unrelated calls for help from hikers, one injured and one ill, on Tuesday, authorities reported. According to a news release issued by the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, the first call came in about 4:20 p.m., July 31, summoning help to the Lava River Caves.  Edyta Lukasik, 19, of Ontario, Oregon, suffered from minor injuries he received while hiking with a group from Treasure Valley Community ... [full story]

Redmond Police evacuated the residents of 17 homes in southwest Redmond Monday when a homeowner found what appeared to be an elaborate explosive device on her front porch. According to a news release issued by Redmond Police public information officer Captain Al Maich,  officers responded to the home of Catherine Kral at 3206 W Pumice Avenue about 11:45 a.m., July 30. Area residents were evacuated and SW Pumice Avenue was closed to non-essential traffic between ... [full story]

SAO PAULO -- Pilots of a Brazilian airliner screamed "Oh, no!" and "slow down" before the aircraft crashed into a gas station and burst into flames, killing 199 people. The transcript of the audio recording was read Wednesday during a congressional hearing, O Globo TV reported. Last month, TAM Flight 3054 skidded off the runway while landing in heavy rains at Sao Paulo's Congonhas Airport. Since then, TAM officials have admitted a reverse thruster -- ... [full story]

MOSCOW -- Russian prosecutors say they have a strong case against an accused serial killer believed responsible for dozens of slayings in a Moscow park. Iskandar Galimov, head of criminal investigation for the interior ministry, said investigators have proved Alexander Pichushkin killed at least 62 women, Itar-Tass reported. Galimov allegedly targeted both women he knew and strangers. He was nicknamed "the Bittsa maniac" by some news agencies after his arrest in June 2006 because many ... [full story]

MOSCOW -- Russia has claimed a large section of the Arctic sea floor as it prepares to dive below the North Pole in mini-submarines. The Akademik Fedorov research ship arrived Wednesday at the North Pole, RIA Novosti said. Russia's Arctic Institute said two of the ship's Mir mini-submarines are to begin their dive on Thursday morning. The area has been made made accessible by the receding of polar ice due to global warming. Novosti said ... [full story]