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Inmate Work Crews Join Vernonia Clean-up

The prisoners are staff-supervised, they're helping our with the major flooding in this Oregon log town.

(VERNONIA, Ore.) - The Oregon Department of Corrections dispatched 14 staff supervisors and 100 minimum-security inmates earlier today to help remove debris and clean-up around the city of Vernonia, which has been severely affected by weather damage and flooding.

Staff and inmates will erect a mobile work camp and a kitchen in L.L. "Stub" Stewart State Park, which is 11 miles south of Vernonia. The Department of Corrections is prepared to distribute 4,000 meals to inmates, staff and other personnel helping with the clean-up and repair.

Students Alarmed by Threatening Graffiti at West Salem High

The graffiti contained an apparent threat for December 6th.

(SALEM, Ore.) - A series of threats scrawled on the walls of the boy's bathroom at West Salem High School has students and parents alarmed. We did not learn of this until Wednesday night and were unable to confirm information with authorities.

While there is no reference to it on the school Website, West Salem High apparently issued a call to student's families, one parent told us, "The school sent strange recorded messages to parents. Mine said something about the boy's bathroom, that police were involved and school would go on as usual tomorrow."

Dedication Honors Local Fallen Hero

Kory Wiens was from Independence, Oregon, and was named after his grandfather, who was a canine handler in the Korean War.

(FORT LEONARD WOOD, Missouri) - At a dedication ceremony here Tuesday, the newest, most state-of-the-art military working dog kennel and veterinary hospital was named after an Army dog handler who gave the ultimate sacrifice for his country.

The 5th Engineer Battalion dedicated the Corporal Kory D. Wiens Dog Kennel in memory of their fallen comrade, Corporal Kory Wiens, a member of the 94th Mine Dog Detachment, 5th Engineer Battalion, 1st Engineer Brigade, Fort Leonard Wood.

Eight Victims and Suicidal Gunman Die in Nebraska Mall (VIDEO)

President George W. Bush, visited Omaha earlier on Wednesday morning, he had left the city hours before the incident.

(OMAHA, Nebraska) - Police in Omaha, Nebraska say a 19-year-old man opened fire with a rifle in a crowded shopping center today, killing eight Christmas shoppers before taking his own life. It happened in Omaha's Westroads Mall.

Topix.com reports that the shooter from Sarpy County left a suicide note saying, "I'm going out in style." Nebraska television station KETV identified the dead assailant as 19-year old Robert Hawkins.

Oregon Gas Prices Decrease Slightly

Some encouraging news at the pumps as the price of gas inches down this week.

(PORTLAND,Ore.) - "Gas prices are creeping down this week." AAA Oregon Public Affairs Director Marie Dodds says, "The national average is down about four cents to $3.05, while Oregon's statewide average is also down about four cents to $3.11 per gallon. Portland drivers are paying $3.076 for regular, Salem motorists are paying a little more; $3.084. The average price for a gallon of regular gas in the Eugene/Springfield area is $3.116.

Prices have stabilized amid speculation that OPEC will agree at tomorrow’s meeting to raise production. The price of crude has fallen to around $88 per barrel after being close to $100 per barrel last month."

NASA to use balloon flotilla to study radiation that affects Earth

(WASHINGTON) - A new NASA project will use more than 40 high altitude balloons to return new scientific insights about Earth's Van Allen Belts. The type of radiation in the belts can be hazardous to astronauts, orbiting satellites and aircraft flying in high altitude polar routes.

NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, has awarded $9.3 million to Dartmouth College of Hanover, N.H., for the study. Research using the balloons can be carried out at a fraction of the cost of using an orbiting satellite.

Update on Oregon`s Storm Battered Highway System

While a number of highways remain closed, several have reopened.

(SALEM, Ore.) - Slides, fallen trees and high water have closed or are partially blocking several highways in Oregon at this time. Even though the worst is over, drivers still have to be extremely careful and avoid several areas in the state.

These closures include Interstate 5 in Washington State from mileposts 68 to 88, in the Chehalis and Centralia areas, due to floodwaters from the Chehalis River. Washington state officials say motorists will not be able to travel I-5 between Portland and Seattle for at least the next few days.

Group Offers Thousands to GOP Candidate Who Can Prove Medical Marijuana Doesn`t Work

These GOP candidates are on the record in having little to no interest in honoring state's rights when it comes to medical marijuana.

(MANCHESTER, New Hampshire) - The Marijuana Policy Project and two New Hampshire patients will challenge presidential candidates Rudy Giuliani, John McCain and Mitt Romney to back up their statements regarding medical marijuana with scientific evidence. It happens during a press conference set for Thursday at 10:00 AM.

The challenge will be announced in front of Giuliani's Manchester headquarters, featuring a mobile billboard with images of the three candidates bearing Pinocchio noses.

Cartoon Strip: Nota Bene by Leonardo No. 71 - Reality Distortion

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

(All Earth variations across the mult) - If Karl Rove told you that day was night and that red was green would you believe him? (For those who are scratching their heads, it's not a trick question. A simple, "No!" will do.) At this point you have to wonder if the butterball got his meds mixed up. But no, the media in all its dazzling stupidity has given this wacko air time to attempt to change the back-story so that history might remember the disaster of the Bush White House differently.

Deceased Man Found In Gribble Creek Identified by Clackamas Investigators

The Clackamas Sheriff's Office would like to hear from anyone who may know about the vehicle theft and Joshua Carver's death.

(CANBY, Ore.) - The Clackamas County Deputy Medical Examiner has identified a deceased 20-year old man whose body was recovered by his father in Gribble Creek, along South Lone Elder Road, in Canby.

He is identified as Joshua Wiley Carver, whose address was listed with a residential family address in Hubbard. He had prior residential addresses in Milwaukie and West Linn.