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Prescription Drugs Causing More Overdose Deaths (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:22:00 -0800)
The number of Oregonians who die from overdosing on prescription drugs is twice the number who die from heroin or cocaine overdoses, according to the state public health division.

New Center WIll Provide Resources To Portland's Homeless (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:17:00 -0800)
Construction has begun on a new daytime center for people living on Portland's streets.

Much-Discussed 'Nuclear Renaissance' Slow To Arrive (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:00:00 -0800)
For several years now, energy experts have been predicting a "nuclear renaissance" in this country. But that's not materializing very quickly.

Oregon Settles With College Fund Investment Firm (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:37:00 -0800)
Some Oregonians who lost money in their child's college savings fund will get a portion of it back.

Idaho Game Commission Extends The State's Wolf Season (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:31:00 -0800)
Hunters in Idaho will be allowed to shoot wolves in most parts of the state for an extra three months.

Washington State Tax Collections Drop Another $760 Million (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:25:00 -0800)
Washington state's chief economist Thursday subtracted another three-quarters of a billion dollars from the state checkbook. The updated revenue forecast widens Washington state's budget deficit to more than $2.5 billion.

UO Mascot In Trouble Over YouTube Video (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:41:00 -0800)
The University of Oregon Duck mascot got in trouble for appearing in a YouTube video that's spread to internet sites all over the world.

Portland Trying To Convince EPA That Bull Run Water Is Safe (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:01:00 -0800)
The city of Portland has sent two messages recently to the federal Environmental Protection Agency in hopes of avoiding expensive changes to its municipal water system.

California’s Latest Product Ban Could Change Oregon’s TVs (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:55:00 -0800)
California has become the first state in the nation to ban some power hungry televisions from store shelves.

GAO Rules Seattle Can’t Stop NOAA Move To Newport (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:52:00 -0800)
The Port of Newport can breathe a small sigh of relief.

H1N1 Virus Dangerous To Pets Too (Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:23:00 -0800)
The H1N1 virus can travel to your pet -- and be deadly, according to research by veterinarians in Oregon.

Oregon's Economy Has Been Down So Long, Flat 'Looks Like Up' (Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:15:00 -0800)
Oregon's financial outlook is holding steady. That's according to state economists, who released their latest revenue projections to lawmakers Thursday.

Officials Say Forests Fight Climate Change On Two Fronts (Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:45:00 -0800)
And at a hearing on Capitol Hill Wednesday, forest officials and lawmakers discussed ways that federal forestland could help combat climate change on at least two fronts.

Frohnmayer Proposes Major Change For Oregon's Higher Ed System (Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:41:00 -0800)
Former University of Oregon president Dave Frohnmayer made an urgent plea for increased funding and greater indepedence for the state's universities.

Protestors For Many Causes Gather For Gore Event (Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:38:00 -0800)
As a near sell-out crowd awaited former Vice President Al Gore in Portland's Keller auditorium Wednesday night, a group of protestors gathered outside.

Headlines from NPR

Tracking A 'Missing' Man By Virtual Bread Crumbs (Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:18:00 -0500)
Evan Ratliff eschewed his identity and picked up a new one, challenging Wired readers to find him in 30 days in a contest sponsored by the magazine. Lured by a cash price, readers mobilized online in a mad dash to locate Ratliff — who got a little too cocksure for his own good.

Socialite's School Brings Hope To Brazilian Slum (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:01:00 -0500)
Brazil's ghettos are poverty stricken and violent. But there are people fighting against the odds to turn things around for the poor children of Rio de Janeiro. Among them is an unusual apostle: a Rio socialite who founded a school for slum-dwelling children and views education as an equalizer.

Military Unaware Of Hasan E-Mails To Radical Cleric (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:04:00 -0500)
Sen. Carl Levin, the chairman of the Senate Armed Forces Committee, said there may be additional e-mails that could have tipped off law enforcement or military officials to the alleged Fort Hood shooter before the deadly rampage.

Feds To Drop Charges Against Blackwater Guard (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:57:00 -0500)
The Justice Department intends to drop manslaughter and weapons charges against one of the Blackwater Worldwide security guards involved in a deadly 2007 Baghdad shooting, prosecutors said in court documents Friday.

Leader Of Sears Tower Plot Sentenced To 13 Years (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:21:00 -0500)
Narseal Batiste, who faced a maximum of 70 years in prison, was convicted in May of conspiracy to provide material support to al-Qaida, plotting to blow up buildings and conspiracy to wage war against the U.S. Officials acknowledged the plot never got past the discussion stage and the group never acquired the means to carry it out.

Museum: Galileo's Fingers, Tooth Found (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:06:00 -0500)
Two fingers and a tooth removed from Galileo Galilei's corpse in a Florentine basilica in the 18th century and given up for lost have been found again, a Florence museum said Friday.

Marines Reflect On Duty, Death In Afghanistan (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:16:00 -0500)
When the Marines of "America's Battalion" first arrived in Afghanistan, they were eager to get into the fight against the Taliban. Now, as they wrap up their seven-month deployment — and after the loss of a dozen comrades — they see warfare in a different light.

Evidence-Based Medicine: Hard For Some To Swallow (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:07:00 -0500)
Based on studies, two panels of medical experts this week recommended fewer screening tests for breast and cervical cancer. But people don't always want to do what the data say to do.

Obscured By War, Water Crisis Looms In Yemen (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:56:00 -0500)
News from Yemen has been dominated recently by an escalating rebellion along the border with Saudi Arabia. But the country has been making news for decades because of its severe overuse of a rapidly disappearing water supply, the result of natural and political causes.

In Massillon, High School Football Is 'Who We Are' (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:16:00 -0500)
The Ohio school has a 20,000-seat stadium, a $3 million indoor practice facility and a live tiger for a mascot. Massillon teams have won 22 state championships and they're in the running for another one. It's football "sunup to sundown," the head coach says.

Hard Lessons From Two Mass Killings In Texas (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:49:00 -0500)
The Senate is conducting hearings into the recent shootings at Fort Hood — a tragedy that took place just miles from the site of a deadly 1991 attack. That episode, in which a gunman killed 23 people at Luby's Cafeteria in Killeen, Texas, reshaped how police, medical and psychological personnel respond to such tragedies.

'Botax' In Senate Health Bill Upsets Plastic Surgeons (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:38:00 -0500)
Levies on liposuction, breast augmentation and other cosmetic procedures would generate billions of dollars to help cover the uninsured.

Record Rainfall Wreaks Havoc In Britain, Ireland (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:35:00 -0500)
Raging floods engulfed northern England's Lake District on Friday, killing a police officer and trapping dozens in their swamped homes. In Ireland, more than 3 feet of water shut down the center of the country's second-largest city, Cork, and more than a dozen other towns and villages.

Peruvian Police Say Gang Killed People For Their Fat (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:08:00 -0500)
Police arrested three members of a gang in the Peruvian jungle that allegedly has been killing people and draining fat from the corpses to sell on the black market for use in cosmetics. Medical experts expressed doubt about an international black market for human fat, though it does have cosmetic applications.

Senate Ethics Committee: No Punishment For Burris (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:26:00 -0500)
The Senate Ethics Committee on Friday admonished Sen. Roland Burris, D-Ill., for making "inconsistent, misleading or incomplete" statements about the circumstances surrounding his appointment to the seat once held by Barack Obama. The committee didn't recommend any punishment.

NATION

Insurance Mandate Could Spur Walk-In Clinic Boom (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:09:00 -0500)
As it gets more difficult to see a primary care doctor, walk-in medical centers are picking up the slack. And if Congress succeeds in passing a nationwide health insurance mandate, the urgent care industry expects even more growth.

Scientist: 'Don't Give Up' On Stopping Asian Carp (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:00:00 -0500)
Two Asian carp species that could devastate the Great Lakes ecosystem may be a few miles from Lake Michigan. To halt their migration, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built an underwater electric fence on a canal 20 miles south of the lake. But tests conducted by David Lodge at Notre Dame indicate that they have gotten close to the lake despite the barrier.

Lawsuit Adds To Tumult At 'Washington Times' (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:00:00 -0500)
The Washington Times has long thought to be immune from the economic forces challenging the rest of newspaper industry because of the deep pockets of its founder and owner, the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, head of the Unification Church. But the recession has taken a toll on the paper and now an apparent power struggle among Moon's sons is adding to the paper's challenges.

Boeing Hopes Long-Delayed Plane Takes Off In S.C. (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:00:00 -0500)
Boeing has moved to South Carolina from its ancestral home in the Pacific Northwest to build the 787 Dreamliner. The company will spend less on labor and receive more than $175 million in state incentives. But it will have to train a new workforce, which Boeing's Seattle unions predict may be the undoing of the Southern operation.

Chicago School Board Chief's Death Raises Questions (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:54:00 -0500)
Michael Scott was found shot in the head Monday, his body partially submerged in the Chicago River. The medical examiner ruled the death a suicide, but so far police have not reached that conclusion, and there's widespread disbelief among the mayor and others that Scott would have killed himself.

Army Mom Refuses To Deploy (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:00:00 -0500)
Army Specialist Alexis Hutchinson is facing a special court martial for missing her deployment to Iraq. The army says Hutchinson went AWOL. But she says she deliberately didn't4 go because she couldn't find adequate child care for the year that she would be away. Host Michel Martin speaks to Hutchinson’s civilian attorney Rai Sue Sussman about the charges.

Palin Does Oprah, Oprah Calls It Quits ... For Now (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:00:00 -0500)
Freelance journalist Jimi Izrael, civil rights attorney Arsalan Iftikhar, syndicated columnist Ruben Navarrette and NPR Political Editor Ken Rudin give their take on the latest headlines. This week, the guys discuss former GOP vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin's return to the national stage, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder's decision to try 9/11 co-conspirators in civilian court and Oprah's big announcement that "The Oprah Winfrey Show" will end In 2011.

Without Further Ado, Sarah Palin Returns (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:11:01 -0500)
Cultural and political phenomenon Sarah Palin returned to the national spotlight this week to promote her memoir "Going Rogue" and fielded questions about a possible run for the White House in 2012. Host Michel Martin talks with Mary Kate Cary, a columnist with U.S. News and World Report, and Matt Continetti, author of "The Persecution of Sarah Palin: How the Elite Media Tried to Bring Down a Rising Star" about what might be next for the former Alaska governor.

WORLD

Suicide Motorcycle Bomber Kills 16 In Afghanistan (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:33:00 -0500)
Two children and a policeman were among those killed in the blast, which wounded at least 23 others when the motorcyclist detonated the explosives in a busy city square in western Afghanistan, officials said.

Another Minn. Man Indicted In Missing Somalis Case (Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:28:00 -0500)
Another man has been indicted on terrorism charges in a federal investigation into the recruitment of Minnesota Somalis to fight in Somalia.

European Union Selects Belgian, Briton For Top Posts (Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:09:00 -0500)
Trade commissioner Catherine Ashton of Britain was selected as the EU's new foreign policy chief and Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy was picked for president. Their appointments suggested the need for compromise outweighed the desire for big names like former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Police, Courthouse Targeted In Pakistan Attacks (Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:13:00 -0500)
Two police officers were killed by a suicide bomber a day after 19 people were killed outside a courthouse in Peshawar. The bombings brought to eight the number of militant attacks in less than two weeks in the city on the Afghan border.

Karzai Sees Afghan Security Control Within 5 Years (Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:16:00 -0500)
Afghan President Hamid Karzai pledged Thursday to prosecute corrupt officials, and said the country would control it own security within five years. Karzai's comments came in an inauguration speech that kicked off his second term of office amid a growing Taliban insurgency and a cloud of corruption allegations.

New Term For Karzai Brings Same Old Problems (Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:32:00 -0500)
Afghan President Hamid Karzai was inaugurated in Kabul on Thursday for a new term amid tight security and ceremonial flourishes. But his second term is already beset by severe doubts that he will be any more effective at tackling the country's rampant corruption.

Recovery In Developed Economies Gathering Pace (Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:05:00 -0500)
Recovery will accelerate next year due to "substantial improvements" in financial markets and fast-growing Asian countries, but is likely to remain fragile, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said. The OECD more than doubled its estimate for 2010 growth in its 30 member countries to 1.9 percent, from the 0.7 percent forecast in June.

Afghan President Pledges To Clean Up Corruption (Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0500)
Afghan President Hamid Karzai was sworn in for another five-year term Thursday. Watching with a critical eye were foreign dignitaries who are pressing Karzai to make his second term in office far better than his first. Karzai promised to prosecute corrupt officials.

Obama Ready To Keep Pressure On Pyongyang (Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0500)
President Obama wraps up his trip to Asia with a stop in South Korea, where leader Lee Myung-bak joked that Obama had saved the best for last. The two men discussed a range of issues, including free trade and the ever-present nuclear threat from North Korea.

POLITICS & POLICY

Politics, Breast Health Have A Long History Together (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:20:00 -0500)
Meddling in medical recommendations is nothing new for politicians

Week In Politics Examined (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:03:00 -0500)
Senate Democrats hoped to have enough votes this week to pass a health care bill, Obama Cabinet officials faced hostile lawmakers on Capitol Hill and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's much-awaited book hit bookstores. Political analysts E.J. Dionne, of The Washington Post, and David Brooks, of The New York Times, offer their insight.

Health Care Concessions A Bow To Moderates (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:00:00 -0500)
The public option looms large in the minds of voters and certain lawmakers, but not so much in the Senate health care bill. There it limits eligibility, kicks in late, includes an opt-out provision for states, and is expected to cost more than private plans. Leaders say they had to weaken it to round up the 60 votes they need to move the bill forward. Still, its inclusion continues to jeopardize needed support for passage, because several members of the Democratic caucus adamantly oppose any public option.

Senate Health Bill Faces Saturday Showdown (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:42:00 -0500)
Democrats will need to vote in lockstep to overcome GOP opposition in a key procedural vote to move the $848 billion measure to full debate. But it's not yet clear whether Majority Leader Harry Reid can round up enough support.

Legislating In Secret Irks GOP, But Insiders Say It's SOP (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:55:00 -0500)
Squawking aside, closed-door legislative engineering is business as usual for the Senate.

Is Ron Paul Right About The Fed? (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:15:00 -0500)
Rep. Ron Paul, the Texas Republican and lifelong critic of the Federal Reserve, scored a big win on Capitol Hill by getting a House panel to pass a bill requiring new reviews of the Fed's interest-rate decisions.

Senate Tries To Strike Balance On Abortion Language (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0500)
The fight over health care has moved to the Senate, and that means the fight over abortion is there as well. Earlier this month, the House passed legislation that would ban federal funding of abortion, but most Democrats say it went too far. Can the Senate's version find a compromise?

Pelosi: Obama Needs Room To Make Afghan Decision (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:18:00 -0500)
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi says she believes a health-care bill will pass, despite fierce debate over language about abortion. She tells Renee Montagne that when it comes to Afghanistan, she doesn't sense wide support among House members for a significant troop increase. Pelosi says she's asked members to give President Obama room to decide his Afghan strategy.

House Votes To Cancel Medicare Pay Cuts For Doctors (Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:56:00 -0500)
Majority Leader Steny Hoyer was able to get the bill passed while the Senate couldn't by appending it to a more popular bill. Republicans complained that the cost of the measure was not offset and also charged that it was repayment to the AMA for endorsing the Democrats' health care bill.

Army Relents; Allows Limited Media At Palin Event (Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:28:00 -0500)
Army officials had said they would prohibit coverage of Palin's on-post event, saying it would turn into political grandstanding against President Barack Obama.

Pelosi: Abortion Issue Won't Sink Health Care Bill (Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:30:00 -0500)
In an NPR interview, the House speaker predicted she can corral enough votes from moderate Democrats to guarantee final passage of health care legislation — even if it contains the less-restrictive rules on abortion contained in the Senate version of the bill.

Geithner: Use Leftover Bailout Money To Cut Deficit (Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:18:00 -0500)
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said the government's $700 billion bailout program will end "as soon as we can," and that part of it will be used to lower the record deficit. He urged Congress to move quickly in overhauling the nation's financial rules, which he says is key to a healthy economy.

Headlines from BBC

WORLD

Large Hadron Collider works again (Sat, 21 Nov 2009 02:21:09 GMT)
The Large Hadron Collider experiment, designed to shed light on the cosmos, restarts after 14 months of repairs.

China mine blast death toll rises (Sat, 21 Nov 2009 06:36:34 GMT)
A gas blast at a coal mine in China has now killed 31 people and left more than 80 trapped, state media reports.

Sri Lanka refugees 'to be freed' (Sat, 21 Nov 2009 06:58:27 GMT)
Sri Lanka says refugees living in camps after the fight against the Tamil Tigers will have freedom of movement from next month.

Vatican talks over Anglican plan (Sat, 21 Nov 2009 05:48:29 GMT)
The Archbishop of Canterbury is meeting the Pope in Rome amid tensions over an offer to welcome some Anglicans into the Catholic fold.

US couple admit spying for Cuba (Sat, 21 Nov 2009 05:27:18 GMT)
A retired US state department official and his wife have admitted spying for Cuba for nearly three decades.

Childhood abuse 'quickens ageing' (Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:48:10 GMT)
Physical or emotional abuse during childhood could speed up the body's ageing process, US research suggests.

US sets marker on Afghan corruption (Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:57:33 GMT)
US Defence Secretary Robert Gates says foreign aid donors must use their influence to tackle corruption in Afghanistan.

Sears Tower plot leader is jailed (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:57:59 GMT)
The leader of a plot to blow up the Sears Tower in Chicago is sentenced to 13-and-a-half years in prison.

UN condemns Iran on human rights (Sat, 21 Nov 2009 06:13:03 GMT)
A UN committee approves a resolution condemning Iran for its post-election crackdown on political opposition supporters.

Mussolini brain 'stolen by criminals keen to sell it on the web' (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:48:37 GMT)
The granddaughter of Italy's fascist dictator Benito Mussolini says criminals have stolen part of his brain and blood to sell on the internet.

France reject Irish replay hopes (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:51:47 GMT)
The French Football Federation turns down the Republic of Ireland's request for a replay of their controversial World Cup play-off game.

Mercedes want Schumacher - Jordan (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:54:25 GMT)
Michael Schumacher will race in Formula 1 for Mercedes' new team in 2010, BBC Sport's Eddie Jordan believes.

Homecoming hell (Sat, 21 Nov 2009 02:47:52 GMT)
Tamil activists' horror at what has become of Jaffna

Water world (Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:11:21 GMT)
Filipino villages still deluged weeks after storms hit

Earth Watch (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:10:59 GMT)
Korean model for Obama as Copenhagen looms

Dangerous seas (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:23:06 GMT)
Can EU's taskforce defeat pirates off Somalia coast?

Puzzling choices (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:09:57 GMT)
What EU appointments mean for bloc's future

Coaxing Karzai (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:32:53 GMT)
Will Clinton's approach to Afghan leader pay off?

Riot over Egypt football defeat (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:02:11 GMT)
Police are injured as Egypt fans' anger over reported violence after a World Cup game erupts in Cairo.

Sani Abacha son 'must pay $350m' (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:03:39 GMT)
A Swiss court orders the seizure of $350m in assets from the son of Nigeria's ex-ruler Sani Abacha after a 10-year investigation.

Blackwater guard charges to drop (Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:26:42 GMT)
US prosecutors ask for charges against one of five Blackwater guards accused of killing up to 17 Iraqi civilians to be dropped.

Peru arrests 'human fat killers' (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:18:58 GMT)
Police in Peru arrest members of a gang accused of killing dozens of people to sell their fat for use in cosmetics.

Vietnam denies blocking Facebook (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:51:00 GMT)
Vietnamese officials deny blocking access to Facebook for the site's million users, instead blaming a technical fault.

Five shot dead on Pacific island (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:45:30 GMT)
At least five people are killed in a shooting incident on Saipan, one of the Northern Mariana Islands in the Pacific.

Flood-hit UK braced for more rain (Sat, 21 Nov 2009 04:51:00 GMT)
Flooded parts of the UK are set for more rain after "unprecedented" rainfall swamped homes and brought down bridges.

Profile: Herman van Rompuy (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:59:42 GMT)
A profile of Belgian PM Herman van Rompuy, the European Union's first permanent president.

Israel halts stadium construction (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:26:20 GMT)
Israel orders construction work on an internationally financed football stadium for Palestinians in the West Bank to halt.

Easyjet sorry for Holocaust error (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:14:09 GMT)
Easyjet apologises after fashion photographs shot at the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin were published in its in-flight magazine.

Bodies of Mumbai gunmen unburied (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:40:36 GMT)
The unclaimed bodies of nine gunmen who were killed during the Mumbai attacks a year ago are still awaiting burial.

India plans surge in solar power (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:34:13 GMT)
India backs plans for a massive increase in the amount of electricity it generates from solar power.

Cordoba, the city with many faiths (Sat, 14 Nov 2009 12:00:06 GMT)
The historic clash of Muslims, Christians and Jews in Cordoba in southern Spain has left the city with a tangled legacy, David Edmonds finds.

New realities for ancient Timbuktu (Tue, 17 Nov 2009 01:46:43 GMT)
With talk of North African Islamists extending their operations into Mali, Andrew Harding travels to the tourist-draw city of Timbuktu to find out what the locals think.

Can Iran nuclear deal be reached? (Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:16:06 GMT)
Six major powers say they are disappointed with Iran�s response to the offer of a nuclear power deal.

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