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One Death Reported on an Oregon Halloween

Preliminary OSP DUII arrest statistics for Halloween night‏.

(SALEM, Ore.) - As Halloween fell on a Friday this year, Oregon State Police, ODOT and county and city police agencies urged parents, children and motorists to take special care, to be alert, and drive sober because Oregon statistics showed during the last ten years all eight traffic fatalities on Halloween night was associated with an impaired driver. The increased DUII enforcement was part of the national "Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest." campaign.

Preliminary OSP DUII arrest information indicates between 6:00 PM, October 31st, and 5:59 AM. November 1st, troopers reported 15 DUII arrests. The OSP Springfield office reported 4 DUII arrests during the time period; Salem and McMinnville offices each reported 2 DUII arrests, and all other offices reporting a DUII arrest had one each.

Khalidi: The Republicans` Latest Smear Against Obama

The latest in a series of guilt-by-association tactics by the GOP to make the staunchly pro-Israel Obama appear to be anti-Israel.

(SAN FRANCISCO) - The smear campaign by John McCain, Sarah Palin and their supporters reached a new low this past week with their attacks on Democratic nominee Barack Obama for his former ties with Palestinian American scholar Rashid Khalidi. This is just one of a series of desperate guilt-by-association tactics by the Republicans to make the staunchly pro-Israel Obama appear to be anti-Israel and may be designed less to harm the Democratic nominee's chances of election as to limit politically his options for addressing urgent matters of Israeli-Palestinian peace upon becoming president.

Unlike education professor and former Weather Underground member Bill Ayers, Obama and Khalidi and their wives actually did have a social relationship back when they both taught at the University of Chicago and their kids attended the same lab school. It is ironic that Khalidi -- a U.S.-born graduate of Yale and Oxford who formerly served as president of the Middle East Studies Association -- has become the focal point of these attacks, however. Indeed, the political orientation of this highly regarded scholar, who currently has an endowed chair at Columbia University, has been absurdly mischaracterized.

Salem Camp Counselor Arrested for Child Pornography

Detectives say that due to Mr. Munter’s position as a camp counselor, they are concerned that other victims may exist who have not come forward.

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - Deputies in Washington County arrested a man for possession of child pornography and they say the arrest is connected to a computer camp in Salem.

Sgt. David Thompson with the Washington County Sheriff's Office says Aaron Leonard Munter, who worked as a camp counselor, was recently indicted after detectives reported finding child pornography in his house.

"The suspect has been involved in teaching children at a computer camp in Salem. The Salem Police have also charged the suspect with crimes involving a child at the camp," Thompson said.

Hands Off Our School Children`s Recession Cookie Jar

Oregon's legislature should repeal the earmarks that rob the Education Stability Fund of money that the Constitution and voters say must be saved for Oregon's school children.

(SILVERTON, Ore.) - There's little doubt that Oregon's economy is sliding and that state revenues will not be adequate to meet this and the next budget cycle's demands for public services. When the last recession struck, Oregon had no rainy day fund, forcing schools and programs to shut down. Our woes became a joke in the comic strip Doonesbury and fodder for the front page of The New York Times.

In response, the legislature sought and obtained voter approval to create an Education Stability Fund. But shortly thereafter, a hard-up-for-cash legislature drained the meager savings in the fund to partially meet the needs of Oregon's school children.

You'd think coming up short in a recession and becoming the laughingstock of the nation would have led to prudent fiscal management of the new Education Stability Fund. It didn't.

Escalating Violence Threatens Civilians in DR Congo

Non governmental organizations are forced to evacuate staff from key towns.

(NEW YORK) - Concern Worldwide today warned of a looming humanitarian disaster in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The UN High Commissioner for Refugees reported yesterday that in the past few days, as many as 45,000 people have fled fresh fighting as rebels advanced toward the provincial capital of Goma, which they threatened to overtake.

More than 1.3 million people have already been displaced from their homes, and humanitarian agencies are struggling to maintain effective operations. Rebel CNDP forces continue their advance against government FARDC troops in the eastern province of North Kivu.

Concern has evacuated its staff from Masisi and Goma, and is calling on the international community to broker a ceasefire. Concern has approximately 300 local and international staff based in DRC.

Chinese Authorities Arrest Tibetan Monks Over Blast

The mostly teenage monks were among dozens who were detained in Markham county on or around May 14th.

(KATHMANDU) -

Chinese authorities in Tibet have arrested three young Tibetan Buddhist monks in connection with a September blast at a local power station, Radio Free Asia (RFA) reports.

20-year old Ngawang Tenzin, 19-year old Tenzin Norbu, and 17-year old Tenzin Rinchen are now in police custody on suspicion of causing an explosion September 8th at a local power station that knocked out television broadcasts but caused no casualties, Tibetan and Chinese sources told RFA’s Tibetan service.

The explosion, in Markham county, Chamdo [in Chinese, Changdu], in China’s Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), came less than six months after simmering anti-China resentment erupted in massive protests and rioting throughout Tibetan regions in China.

Nelscott Reef Surf Contest in Lincoln City Sees Seasonal Setback

Contest organizer says too much wind for first big swell of the season.

(LINCOLN CITY, Ore.) - The only big wave surfing contest in the world that breaks within view of a residential neighborhood, The Nelscott Reef Tow-In Classic, will take place a little later this year.

Contest organizer Behemoth, LLC changed the contest status back to red last Friday after a week of monitoring the first big swell of the season. A large swell was forecast for Saturday, but unfortunately, the wind did not want to cooperate.

Although the holding period for the 2008 Nelscott Reef Tow In Classic began on October 1st, good swell and wind combinations usually start in November, says contest founder John Forse.

“We are looking for a solid swell with offshore winds for the event. This was just too much wind, from the wrong direction, to call the event”, Forse said.

Prohibition and the Popobawa

Research shows that a creature of the night in Zanzibar, the Popobawa, tends to only show up at election time. Closer to home, marketing fear is also a popular means of selling candidates and measures to the voters.

(SALEM, Ore.) - It’s that time again when the days become shorter, the shadows grow longer, and little ones all around make the final preparations for their annual masquerade. It seems like everywhere we look there are ghosts, goblins, and an endless assortment of other scary symbols for our entertainment. Movies and television shows are filled with spooky story lines that are tailored to feed our appetite for the macabre and urban legends seem just a little more believable on Halloween.

Since this is an election year, there’s also an endless assortment of political propaganda begging our attention, which is its own kind of scary. When urban legend and propaganda combine, the results can be even more disturbing.

Dump Truck Loses Concrete Blocks on Interstate 205 During Crash

Police say the truck's operator was unable to keep control as the trailer began to fishtail and then jackknifed.

(CLACKAMAS, Ore.) - Police say the driver of a dump truck pulling a trailer loaded with approximately 28,000 pounds of large concrete blocks lost control of the vehicle Thursday morning on northbound Interstate 205 north of Highway 224. The concrete blocks went skidding across the freeway, shutting down the traffic flow on this busy Oregon freeway.

As of this afternoon, it is reported that Oregon Department of Transportation crews are still coordinating clean-up efforts as one lane reportedly is still closed.

Oregon State Police Senior Trooper Jim Neufeldt says just before 11:30 AM this morning, the dump truck pulling a flatbed trailer loaded with concrete blocks merged northbound Interstate 205 from Highway 224.

Happy Valley Woman Shot During Carjacking (UPDATE)

The woman was not seriously injured; there is a $1000 reward being offered at this time for the recovery of the 2009 Mini Cooper.

(HAPPY VALLEY, Ore.) - A woman was shot in Happy Valley today during a carjacking near the intersection of SE Natalya Street and SE Antea Way, according to police. Clackamas County deputies who responded to the scene kept their eyes open for a stolen 2009 Mini Cooper. The vehicle was stolen around 8:30 AM.

Detective Jeff Green with the Clackamas Sheriff's Office says the woman driving the car had just left her home and headed for work when she pulled up behind a vehicle that was stopped in the road.

She was driving a 2009 Mini Cooper, white with a black roof and a black racing stripe on the hood. The Mini Cooper displayed Oregon license CK67886. This plate is a Crater Lake plate.