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Coast Guard Establishes Controlled Access Area During Rose Festival Fleet Week

The controlled access area will be located on the Willamette River between the Steel and Morrison Bridges throughout the fleet's visit -- June 7-12th.

(PORTLAND) - The face of our nation has changed making it necessary to enforce and maintain a controlled access area on the Willamette River, while Navy vessels are tied up at the seawall, during Rose Festival's Fleet Week.

As U.S. Naval vessels transit the river system, please be aware of the restricted 100-yard naval vessel protection zone. If you need to pass within a 100 yards you must contact the Coast Guard security escort vessel on VHF-FM channel 16.

Commercial vessels have developed special transit requirements with the Captain of the Port, Portland, Oregon prior to this year's Fleet Week.

A Calendar Date to End All Others Nears

Is Tuesday's date `6-6-6` merely a curious number or could it mean our number is up?

(WASHINGTON D.C.) - There's a devilishly odd nexus of theology, mathematics and commercialism on the sixth day of the sixth month of the sixth year. OK, it's just the sixth year of this millennium, but insisting on calling it 2006 takes the devil-may-care fun out of calendar-gazing.

Something about the number 666 brings out the worry, the hope and even the humor in people, said the Rev. Felix Just, a professor in San Francisco. A Jesuit priest, Just has taught both apocalyptic theory and mathematics and maintains a "666-Numbers of the Beast" Web site that contains history, theology, math and precisely 66 one-line jokes about 666.

You can even make sport of it, betting online whether the apocalypse will happen on that date. The good news is that...

News Report With Kevin Hays (AUDIO)

(SALEM) - Here are today's top stories from Salem-News.com with Kevin Hays reporting...

Parents Charged With Murder in Son`s Death

(ALBANY) - A Linn County Grand Jury has indicted the parents of an autistic 19-year-old boy who died in an Albany apartment fire last month with murder.

Cherriots Taking Part in Dump the Pump Day June 8th

National Dump the Pump Day is sponsored by the American Public Transportation Association, a non-profit association of more than 1,600 member organizations, including almost 400 public transit agencies.

(SALEM) - Cherriots will join with other public transportation systems throughout the country to highlight that public transit offers a quick, easy alternative to the high cost of driving.

"With gasoline prices at record levels, many Oregonians are having to change their transit habits," said John Whittington, Director of Transit Development.

"By using public transportation on a regular basis, a person can save hundreds of dollars in fuel costs per year," Whittington said. "Those savings could be added back into household budgets to meet necessities, pay off bills, or just have fun," Whittington added.

Salem-Keizer High School Graduations Coming Soon

(SALEM) - Here is the list of Salem-Keizer high school graduation dates and times.

Salem-News.com congratulates and wishes the class of 2006 all the best!

McKay Royal Scots – June 9th, at 8:00 PM, at the Oregon State Fair Pavilion

McNary Celtics – June 9th at 5:30 PM at the Oregon State Fair Pavilion

North Salem Vikings – June 9th at 8:00 PM at the Salem Armory

The American Dream Coming True For Three Salem Families This Week

The Habitat for Humanity homes, are a dream come true for 17 children and four adults, and will be part of the Salem Tour of Homes, June 17th-25th.

(SALEM) - Three deserving Salem families will be moving out of their inadequate housing and moving into a new place to call home this summer, thanks to three mid-valley builders, a Salem building company, and hundreds of Habitat for Humanity volunteers.

Two 4-bedroom homes and one 4-bedroom manufactured home, will be built on adjacent lots on Valley View Drive N.W., as part of Habitat for Humanity`s Home Builders Blitz 2006, a national campaign to build 500 Habitat homes in five days.

Op-Ed: Bush`s Plan to Help Fight Meth is Hogwash

In February, the Bush/Cheney team released its proposed budget for the 2007 fiscal year, which cut more than $1.1 billion from core local law enforcement programs, eliminating any chance of helping the meth problem, is anyone still buying this?

(SALEM) - Ask any Oregon cop who works a drug beat how much the federal government has been helping them out in the last few years in their fight against meth. There have been some grants, but instead of helping, the administration has stripped away the funding from local police and that is the last thing they need.

Until recently, the administration paid little heed to the growing meth epidemic that for too long, has grown by the minute.

The Bush administration`s reductions in law enforcement funding sits badly with Oregon State Police Superintendent Ronald C. Ruecker, who visited Washington D.C. in March 2006 with 100 other police chiefs from around the nation to protest the cuts.

Handicapped Drivers Seek Compensation After Victory in City Parking Dispute

(SALEM) - The rules for handicapped drivers in Salem changed in an unprecedented way in October 2004, when the City of Salem began demanding payment from state-issued disabled placard holders for a city-issued disabled permits.

The rules applied to handicapped individuals who wished to park in certain areas of Salem.

These areas were the "Capitol Mall Parking Zone" and the "Downtown Parking Zone". The focus of this action was to force disabled employees and volunteers to pay for their parking, when state law says they don`t have to.

A group of affected individuals formed The Fair Parking Coalition to pursue this issue with the City, and other authorities, in several venues.

Exclusive- Oregon National Guard Fighter Pilot Promoted to General

Salem-News.com's Tim King interviewed the newly promoted General who is the first African-American to earn the rank in the Oregon National Guard, and filed this report.

(SALEM) - An Oregon National Guard fighter pilot was promoted to brigadier general at the guard headquarters in Salem Wednesday.

The promotion was historic, because Garry Dean is the first African American to ever attain the rank of General in the Oregon National Guard.