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Four Iraqis Implicated in Journalist Kidnap Case Arrested

“Troops on the ground, young Marines and sailors, paid attention to what may have been considered minor details at the time,” - Army Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell VI

(WASHINGTON D.C.) - U.S. forces in Iraq have arrested several Iraqis suspected of involvement in the Jan. 7th abduction of an American journalist, a senior U.S. military officer told reporters in Baghdad today.

“Coalition forces have detained four Iraqi men that we believe to have been involved in the kidnapping of Jill Carroll, the ‘Christian Science Monitor’ journalist held hostage in Iraq for 82 days earlier this year,” Army Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell VI said during a Baghdad press briefing.

Ferrari Club Rally Continues to Net High Speed Citations in Mount Hood Area

More trouble for owners of the prancing horse marquee world's hottest sports cars as their rally leads them through Oregon.

(MOUNT HOOD) - Oregon State Police troopers cited at least six other participants in the "Ferrari Challenge Rally" Wednesday in the Mt. Hood area. One of the drivers was cited at 123 MPH on Highway 97 north of Maupin.

Between August 7th and 9th, the "Ferrari Challenge Rally: The Rally of Northern Oregon" is being held in the area.

OSP troopers say they responded to numerous driving complaints on Highway 20 Monday and stopped and cited six Ferrari operators for speed violations west of Sisters ranging between 83 and 98 mph.

Pile Driving at Willow Lake Water Pollution Control Facility

Pile driving for the new headworks is scheduled to begin in mid-August.

(KEIZER) - Beginning in mid August 2006, intermittent pile driving will be required at the at Willow Lake Water Pollution Control Facility (WPCF) in order to complete the Headworks and Primary Treatment Improvements Project.

Pile driving is required to complete a deep excavation that will add new influent screens and influent pumps to the facility. This headworks structure is the ‘heart' of the plant and the collection point of multiple wastewater streams.

Firefighters Getting Upper Hand on Willamette National Forest Fires

The majority of the fires are single trees that were struck by lightning.

(EUGENE) - Firefighters made good progress Wednesday on the numerous small fires that are scattered throughout the Willamette National Forest.

Afternoon winds and warmer temperatures increased fire activity at 3 locations and each of those fires grew to approximately 5 acres in size.

In general, though, cool temperatures, the efforts of ground crews, helicopter water drops, and retardant delivered by air tankers are limiting fire spread.

Salem Sailor Jailed on Charges of Spying

Sources report that Weinmann is in solitary confinement in a Navy Brig.

(NORFOLK, VA.) - A U.S. Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class named Ariel J. Weinmann is in solitary confinement at a Norfolk, Virginia Navy base facing an accusation of espionage on three continents.

CNN reported Wednesday that sources close to the case involving the 21-year old submariner say he is accused of spying on Russia's behalf. In a related story, The Jerusalem Post says a Saudi Arabian newspaper claims Weinmann was spying for Israel.

According to reports, Ariel's father Robert Weinmann says the authorities don't know what they are talking about, pointing to everything being a matter of speculation at this point.

Navy officials told The Virginian-Pilot on condition of anonymity, that they can't comment on reports that Weinmann was passing classified information to the Russian government.

Oregon One Step Closer to Offshore Ocean Observing System

OSU will operate the project, known as the Oregon Coastal Ocean Observing System, or OrCOOS, which would provide some of the first coordinated “real time” oceanographic data from Oregon’s coastal waters.

(CORVALLIS) - Oregon’s long-awaited offshore ocean observing system has moved one step closer to reality after the U.S. Senate Commerce-Justice-State Appropriations Subcommittee, which approved its 2007 spending bill, proposed $2 million for the project.

The bill still needs to pass through the senate floor, and then go to conference with the U.S. House of Representatives – likely in December.

Extra Finger Leads to Arrest by Salem Police

Police say a man's attempt to fake his identity came up one number short.

(SALEM) - Police say you could call it an extreme lie, or a lie about an extremity, it just depends on how you look at it.

Meth suspect Kenneth McPherson won't be pointing fingers ar anyone for a while, but if he does decide to finger somebody, he can use any one of his ten digits in the process, unlike his brother who he allegedly tried to impersonate, who is down by one, finger that is.

The police records division did their jobs well, according to Salem Police Lt. Steve Bellshaw. On Tuesday, officers from the Salem Police Drug Activity Response Team responded to...

Health officials Warn Parents: Bendable Toys Pose Lead Hazard

If parents have seen a child chewing or sucking on one of the toys, Leiker advises they contact their health care provider and arrange for a test to determine lead level in blood.

(SALEM) - Public health officials in the Oregon Department of Human Services are alerting parents that bendable toys given to children as summer reading program incentives pose a potential health hazard.

The toys are a bendable dog and cat, each about four inches long, given to children by public libraries.

Salem-Keizer State Assessment Results Show Growth in Student Achievement

Math scores stayed steady in almost all grades except for eighth, whose scores increased by 3.6 percentage points.

(SALEM) - State assessment results for 2005-06 school year show growth in student achievement in just about every subject and grade tested.

The scores were released Wednesday by the Oregon Department of Education, and reflect a similar picture of last week's preliminary Adequate Yearly Progress report.

Mt. Hood Complex Fire Wednesday Night Update

Popular sites on the south end of the Forest, such as Trillium Lake, Clear Lake and Timothy Lake, are not affected by the fire and are all open.

(TIMBERLINE) - The Northwest Oregon Interagency Incident Management Team says the Mt. Hood Complex fires are estimated at 400 acres, 300 acres on the Bluegrass and 100 acres on the Gumjuac.

There are 9 additional spot fires, 8 of them in Badger Creek Wilderness and one in Mt. Hood Wilderness.