Mothers Day is Sunday - Don't Forget Your Mom

Americans will spend approximately $2.6 billion on flowers, $1.53 billion on pampering gifts — like spa treatments — and another $68 million on greeting cards for Mothers Day.

(SALEM, Ore. ) - Mother's Day, a day we honor our mothers is this Sunday, but did you know that it is celebrated on various days in many places around the world.

Different countries celebrate Mother's Day on various days of the year because the day has a number of different origins. In the United States, Mother's Day was loosely inspired by the British day and was imported by social activist Julia Ward Howe after the American Civil War.

Obama and Clinton Doing Battle in Oregon

There are 260-plus superdelegates who are yet to be claimed and are not bound by the outcome of any state's vote.

(PORTLAND, Ore. ) - Democratic Presidential hopefuls Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton will be visiting various sites throughout the state of Oregon over the next few days, hoping to win the 52 pledged delegates to be apportioned by voters on May 20.

Obama is holding a town hall meeting in Albany on Friday at the Linn County Fair and Expo Center that is scheduled to begin at 3:30 PM. Hillary Clinton is holding a health care discussion Friday at Doernbecher Children's Hospital. The health care discussion is not be open to the public.

Doctor Addresses Viewers' Questions About Medical Marijuana and PTSD (VIDEO)

This is a special segment in our ongoing medical marijuana education series with Dr. Phillip Leveque, noted physician, toxicologist and pharmacologist.

(SALEM, Ore) - In our 19th edition of medical marijuana questions and answers with Dr. Phil Leveque, we seem to be learning that the list of questions will never end.

In this week's video segment with Bonnie King and Dr. Phil Leveque many viewer questions are answered and we learn some good news; that the U.S. government removed a major obstacle for active duty military personnel who suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

War Coverage Tim King in Afghanistan

Ask Dr. Leveque Only on Salem-News.com

Fewer Oregon Women Smoking While Pregnant

Women who smoke while pregnant are more likely to miscarry or have a still birth

(SALEM, Ore.) - Officials with the state say that since the beginning of Oregon's Tobacco Prevention and Education Program in 1996, the proportion of mothers who smoked while pregnant has decreased 30 percent. Because of this decrease in smoking, about 17,000 infants have had a healthier start to life.

"This decline in the number of moms smoking during their pregnancies is great news for Mother's Day," said Mel Kohn, M.D., state epidemiologist with the Oregon Department of Human Services Public Health Division.

Salem Restaurant Dining Critic!

Salem's Cartoon Strip Only on Salem-News.com

Salem, Get Ready: It's SHOW-BIZ Folks!

Take the "work" out of networking today. The Salem Chamber's biggest networking event of the year opens at 3 o'clock this afternoon at the Oregon State Fair & Expo Center... Show-Biz!

(SALEM, Ore.) - Over 200 businesses under one roof - a spectacular showcase of products and services with something for everyone, is ready to burst into action for one day only, today!

There are plenty of reasons to be come to the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce's biggest show of the year.
Convenient parking, product demonstrations, door prizes, kid care and lots of great food, all upon a completely carpeted exhibition hall.

Political Insiders Say Obama Will Win the Democratic Nomination

Political insiders are saying Clinton gave it her best shot, but it wasn't enough to stand down her upstart rival, Barack Obama.

(SALEM, Ore.) - It is predicted that the Clinton Presidential campaign will see a drop in financial support after Tim Russert said on MSNBC this week, "We now know who the Democratic nominee’s going to be, and no one’s going to dispute it."

His remarks continued, "Those closest to her will give her a hardheaded analysis, and if they lay it all out, they’ll say: ‘What is the rationale? What do we say to the undeclared superdelegates tomorrow?"

Cartoon Strip: Nota Bene by Leonardo No. 93 - Got Yer Rebate?

This is the ninety-third installment of the Salem-News.com original series "Nota Bene by Leonardo" by Salem cartoonist Glen Bledsoe.

(Earth-Spiegel 17) - How kind and thoughtful of American governments across the universes in parallel to give tax-payers a little bonus for their support of policies which in every other regard do them little good.

For the moment Christmas in April is here. Buy yourself a gift. You earned it and will pay dearly for it in the long run.

Fire Damages Woodburn School District Building

Police are looking for a group of five kids, ranging in ages from 12 to 14, who were dressed in dark clothing.

(WOODBURN, Ore. ) - Woodburn police are investigating a fire last night at the Woodburn School District's maintenace offices, located at 1091 Newberg Highway behind French Prairie Middle School.

Woodburn police say a portable toilet near the offices caught fire and spread to a food storage building. Woodburn fire says twenty-five firefighters responded to the call which was extinguished within 20 minutes.

Death Toll in Burma Could Reach 100,000, Radio Free Asia Reports

As Burma reels from a devastating cyclone and tidal surge, officials set the death toll at more than 22,000 and rising—while a top U.S. diplomat in the country says the number of deaths could reach 100,000.

(BANGKOK) - The devastating cyclone and tidal surge in Burma may eventually kill as many as 100,000 people, according to a top American diplomat. At least 22,000 people are reported dead, with more than 40,000 missing, according to state-run media. Hundreds of thousands are meanwhile struggling to survive without shelter or clean drinking water.

According to Shari Villarosa, the U.S. charge d'affaires in the former capital, Rangoon, "There may well be over 100,000 deaths in the delta area."

School Bus With 35 Kids Onboard Involved in Fatal Traffic Crash

Police aren't sure why the driver of a 2008 Honda Civic crossed the paved center median into the southbound lanes and crashed head-on with the school bus.

(SCAPOOSE, Ore.) - One person died and four others were injured Wednesday afternoon in a crash involving a Scappoose school bus and a passenger car on Highway 30 about three miles north of Scappoose.

Police say the four injured people included the bus driver and three elementary School students. The crash happened as the driver was transporting approximately 35 students from Warren Elementary School southbound on Highway 30 in the right hand lane.

Amnesty International Cites Routine Killings of Civilians in Somalia

Security in many parts of Mogadishu is non-existent and the entire population of the city bears the scars of having witnessed or experienced egregious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law.

(MOGADISHU) - The dire human rights and humanitarian crisis facing the people of Somalia has been revealed in a groundbreaking new Amnesty International report.

First-hand testimony from scores of traumatized survivors of the conflict is included in the report, which exposes the violations and abuses they have suffered at the hands of a complex mix of perpetrators.

Al Sharpton and Civil Rights Protesters Arrested in New York

Reverend Al Sharpton led protests today in New York City over the acquittal of police officers in the 50-bullet shooting of an unarmed black man on his wedding day.

(NEW YORK) - Arrests were part of a civil rights demonstration that was organized and held today in New York City, in protest of the recent acquittal of three New York City Police detectives over the police shooting death of Sean Bell.

Before it was over, Reverend Al Sharpton, founder of the National Action Network and noted and outspoken leader in the movement for civil rights, was arrested.

UN Presses Myanmar to Facilitate Aid Delivery to Cyclone Victims

The UN World Food Programme has sent four aircraft loaded with critically needed food aid, including 45 metric tons of high energy biscuits, and other relief items.

(RANGOON) - Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the top United Nations humanitarian official today urged Myanmar authorities to facilitate the delivery of aid in the wake of the deadly cyclone that wreaked death and destruction in the country several days ago.

The Government in Myanmar has confirmed that over 22,000 people have died, and more than 41,000 people are missing, following Cyclone Nargis which struck the South-East Asian nation from May 2nd through 3rd. Initial estimates suggest that up to 1 million people are currently homeless, and many more require assistance.

Coast Guard Launches Search for Three Missing Fishermen Near Stevenson, Washington

A capsized unregistered tribal vessel, matching the description of the missing vessel, has been found in shallow water on the Columbia River.

(STEVENSON, Wash.) - The Coast Guard Sector in Portland is responding to a report of three missing fishermen in the vicinity of Stevenson, Washington.

The Coast Guard says they received a call at noon from the Skamania County Sheriff reporting three men missing. It is reported that he three men, treaty tribal fishermen from the Yakima Nation, left Tuesday and were scheduled to return at 8:00 AM today.

Salem-News.com Sees Technical Problems Tuesday

An update on today's downtime, email problems and our scheduled trip to Iraq.

(SALEM, Ore.) - Technical issues have been the order of the day here at Salem-News.com today. Everything fortunately, has been resolved due to the teamwork of Matt Lintz, David Duncan and Bonnie King who were able to save the day and get the site mostly back online by 8:30 AM Pacific time.

When a site has a technical problem it can take many hours to the site to "repropagate" on the World Wide Web. Our apologies to our regular visitors who have had to go more hours without us.

One Person Dies in Crash on Highway 34 East of Highway 101

Police have not been able to notify the driver's next of kin.

(WALDPORT, Ore.) - One person died early Wednesday morning in a single vehicle crash along Highway 34 about fifteen miles east of Highway 101. The victim's name is withheld pending next of kin notification.

According to Oregon State Police (OSP) Lieutenant Kelly Collins, on May 7, 2008 at approximately 3:46 AM a report was received through Lincoln County Communications Center of a vehicle off Highway 34 near milepost 15.

Obama Dominates North Carolina; Hillary Barely Survives Indiana

115 delegates were at stake in North Carolina and 72 in Indiana.

(INDIANAPOLIS ) - Barack Obama scored a blow-out win in North Carolina while Hillary Clinton clung to a narrow victory in Indiana last night - delivering a huge blow to Clinton's White House hopes and intensifying a mad-dash for undecided superdelegates.

Obama cruised to a 58 percent to 42 percent win last night in North Carolina, due to the 91 percent support among blacks. In Indiana, Clinton barely survived Obama, 51 percent to 49 percent, but she vowed to press on in her quest for the nomination.

Marine Death Camp: Camp Lejeune Trichlorethylene - the Culprit

Phillip Leveque has spent his life as a Combat Infantryman, Physician, Toxicologist and Pharmacologist. He is an expert in medical marijuana treatment.

(MOLALLA, Ore.) - Very few people including those who lived on the Marine Corp's Camp Lejeune facility knew or know that it is a toxic (lethal) waste dump.

Thousands of similar stories have a couple of things in common: one is Camp Lejeune, another is contact with a substance known commonly as TCE that is used to clean aircraft parts, it is a degreasing agent, and a real killer as it turns out. The Camp Lejeune story could just be the tip of the iceberg unfortunately.

Steve Alten, NY Times Best-Seller Warns of a Likely Future Catastrophe if We Do Not Act Quickly

As recently noted by Thomas Friedman at the New York Times, the 2007 energy bill failed to extend any stimulus for wind and solar, while oil and gas kept all their tax credits despite record profits.

(HOUSTON, Tx.) - NY Times best-selling author, Steve Alten, famous for his thrillers that include MEG and The LOCH, wrote his latest novel, The SHELL GAME as a cautionary tale because he felt compelled to warn the American people to start getting the facts regarding oil, specifically what lies ahead when world reserves finally run out.

Have you ever really thought about what would happen if we do run out of oil? According to Alten, through his extensive contacts and research, the end will begin with higher gasoline prices, fuel shortages at the pump, power failures... but things will get worse... a lot worse.

Online Education that is Cutting-Edge, Going Green and World-Friendly

The World Class Online site currently offers 300+ courses and has an English and Spanish version of the site.

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - Live classes in Gaelic, video credit repair, mortgage EBooks millionaire mentoring, and over 1,000+ courses offered in Spanish and international languages as well as English?...this online educational provider has plans to bring an extensive menu of offerings to people all over the world.

When Dezra Lehr-Guthrie formed World Class Educational Services in Oregon in 2007, it was her goal to dish up a smorgasboard variety of online offerings, and make them available in every major language world-wide.

Pipes Strewn Across Lanes Closes Oregon Highway 22

Load of Pipe Partially Blocks Highway 22E west of Detroit Following Truck Crash

(DETROIT, Ore.) - A late Tuesday commercial truck crash resulted in approximately 400 feet of Highway 22E west of Detroit being partially blocked for several hours by a spilled load of plastic water pipe, police said.

The driver was not injured and was cited. Police investigators believe he was trying to negotiate a curve and crossed over the oncoming lane onto the south shoulder of the highway.

Police Investigate Man's Death Near Roseburg

The man's wife and his mother, an 84-year old passenger in the car, were injured. All were using safety restraints.

(ROSEBURG, Ore.) - Police say a Roseburg man died at an area hospital Tuesday night when he apparently suffered a medical problem while driving on Interstate 5 south of Roseburg. The man's wife was able to stop the vehicle after it collided with a guardrail.

The 1992 Cadillac Deville driven by 68-year old Ralph Phelps of Roseburg, was northbound on Interstate 5 near milepost 116 when he became unresponsive from a possible medical problem.

Oregon Letter Carriers Hope to Collect 2 Million Pounds of Food

Most wanted foods include: tuna fish, soups, stews, chili, canned fruits, vegetables, beans, rice and pasta.

(PORTLAND, Ore. ) - Close to 3,000 letter carriers throughout Oregon and Clark County, Wash., will join with letter carriers across America to collect donations of nonperishable food from their postal customers during the annual National Association of Letter Carriers Food Drive on Saturday.

Look for a yellow, plastic food drive bag in your mail during the first week of May. Fill the bag with nutritious, nonperishable food and place it by your mailbox early on Saturday.

65-Year-Old Oregon Man Hit by Over 130 Pellets

The victim was reportedly in the area scouting for a later hunt.

(CENTRAL POINT, Ore. ) - Oregon State Police will be referring an investigation to the Jackson County District Attorney's Office for review of possible charges after a hunting-related incident last Saturday that resulted in the non-life threatening injury to a Central Point man.

A 14-year old Medford male was hunting with another juvenile male and their fathers. As they were walking up a forested road they heard turkeys calling and gobbling when the 14-year old boy saw a dark shape in the brush he thought was a turkey.

96 Arrested in San Diego State University Drug Bust

75 SDSU students and 21 non-students have been arrested for various drug offenses ranging from possession of marijuana and cocaine to sales of cocaine.

(SAN DIEGO) - Ralph W. Partridge, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration San Diego Field Division and the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office and the San Diego State University Department of Public Safety today announced the culmination of an extensive undercover drug operation on the San Diego State University campus.

They say it led to the arrest of 96 individuals, including 75 students selling or buying cocaine, marijuana, or ecstasy.