Oregon

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No Lie: Polygraphs On the Rise
 No Lie: Polygraphs On the Rise 

No Lie: Polygraphs On the Rise

Critics hold firm, but use of test growing nationwide

(Newser) - Despite lingering reservations about its effectiveness, the polygraph is gaining traction with law enforcement. The lie-detection program has spiked 53% in the last decade, and truth be told, just the threat of a test keeps convicts honest, drug addicts and sex offenders told the Wall Street Journal. “Don’t...

Oregon's Having a Grape Year
 Oregon's Having a Grape Year

Oregon's Having a Grape Year

Good weather, high pinot demand have growers toasting bumper crop, again

(Newser) - Thanks to good weather and rising demand, Oregon crushed a record number of grapes in 2007—good news for its 370 wineries. And despite selling 1.7 million cases worth $208 million last year, the state hasn't quenched thirst for its wine, the AP reports. "Fussy superstar" pinot noir...

Pacific Salmon Season in Peril
 Pacific Salmon Season in Peril 

Pacific Salmon Season in Peril

Incredibly low stocks prompt action from federal agency

(Newser) - A shortage of salmon in the waters along the Pacific coast has driven regulators to consider a ban on salmon-fishing this season, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The Pacific Fishery Management Council has never recommended canceling the season before, and about 1,000 commercial fishermen could see their livelihood devastated...

Doc Linked to 17 Aussie Deaths Busted in Portland

Bungling 'Dr. Death' faces extradition

(Newser) - A doctor accused of leaving a bloody trail of surgical mistakes from New York to Australia to Oregon, has been arrested in Portland, the AP reports. Jayant Patel, a US citizen, fled to Oregon in 2005 after an inquiry was launched into botched operations linked to 17 deaths at a...

Oregonians Enter Lottery for Health Insurance

Coverage will extend to small fraction of state's 600K uninsured

(Newser) - Oregonians are flocking to sign up for a state-sponsored lottery with a high-stakes prize: health insurance. The state will begin drawing names this week to award health insurance plans to uninsured residents, the AP reports. More than 83,000 have signed up since January to have a shot at about...

Municipalities Challenge Bond Ratings

Local officials say double standard cheats taxpayers

(Newser) - City and state officials are mounting a rebellion against bond rating firms they say are siphoning off billions of taxpayer dollars by giving them unfairly low credit ratings, the New York Times reports. Even though municipal bonds are generally safer than those issued by corporations, municipalities get lower credit scores,...

US Abortions Down 25% Since 1990 High
US Abortions Down 25%
Since 1990 High

US Abortions Down 25% Since 1990 High

More women using the Pill; both sides of debate claim victory

(Newser) - About 1.2 million abortions were performed in the US in 2005, a 25% drop from the practice’s 1990 heyday, new data show. About 1 in 5 pregnancies ended in abortion in '05—the most recent year with data available—compared to 1 in 3 in the 1980s, the...

Floods Follow Storm in NW
Floods Follow Storm in NW

Floods Follow Storm in NW

Helicopter rescues underway; at least 7 are dead

(Newser) - The massive storm that pummeled the Pacific Northwest this week has left treacherous flood conditions throughout Washington and Oregon. At least seven were dead as helicopters rescued residents from their rooftops, the AP reports. The main regional interstate has been shut for days—effectively doubling the distance between Seattle and...

Washington Declares Storm Emergency

Flooding, high winds wreaking havoc, causing deaths

(Newser) - A state of emergency was declared yesterday for the western part of Washington, the area hardest hit by severe storms in the last few days. Massive flooding, heavy rains and high winds have killed at least two people, caused a three-day shutdown of an interstate and other major highways, and...

Winter Storm Pounds Northeast
Winter Storm Pounds Northeast

Winter Storm Pounds Northeast

Hundreds of flights cancelled in New York

(Newser) - The storm that blanketed the Midwest in snow and ice is now battering the Northeast. Wind and ice have delayed hundreds of flights at New York City airports. The National Weather Service said a foot of snow was possible in the mountains of northern New England, with the potential for...

Oregon Moves to Quash RIAA Subpoenas

University says it can't, won't, shouldn't finger students for file-sharing

(Newser) - The University of Oregon will support 17 students the RIAA accused of illegal file-sharing. Represented by the Oregon Attorney General's office, the university requested a federal judge invalidate the RIAA's subpoena seeking the students' names. The school argued the subpoena puts an undue burden on it to "create documents...

Legal Assisted Suicide Hasn't Led to Abuse

Study of Oregon, Netherlands finds fears to be unfounded

(Newser) - Fears that legalizing physician-assisted suicide would lead to its use on unwilling, disabled people are unfounded, concludes a new study conducted in Oregon and the Netherlands, where the practice is legal. Researchers scoured hundreds of cases for any kind of bias, finding, “no evidence to justify the grave and...

9 Perfect Places to Live
9 Perfect Places to Live

9 Perfect Places to Live

Arts, culture, beauty, jobs—these towns have it all, and real people, too

(Newser) - Outside magazine selects 30 sweet spots—the best towns for mixing city life with the big outdoors—and, oh yeah, getting a job, too.  Here are the top nine:
  1. Santa Cruz, California
  2. Jackson, Wyoming
  3. Iowa City, Iowa
  4. Bend, Oregon
  5. Santa Fe, New Mexico

Couch Flies High in Chair
Couch Flies High in Chair

Couch Flies High in Chair

(Newser) - Kent Couch of Bend, OR, floated 193 miles at an average height of 11,000 feet  to La Grande, OR, in a lawn chair attached to 105 balloons. It took him almost 9 hours. He equipped himself with all the essential high-tech equipment to make the flight—a cell phone...

Prison Hasn't Mellowed Dr. Death
Prison Hasn't Mellowed
Dr. Death

Prison Hasn't Mellowed Dr. Death

Kevorkian's outraged at meager progress on assisted suicides

(Newser) - Jack Kevorkian, who was paroled Friday after 8 years in prison, says he won't be involved in any more suicides—except perhaps his own. "When I’m going to do it, I’m going to do it right,” he tells the New York Times. But prison hasn't blunted...

Kevorkian Set to Leave Prison Friday
Kevorkian
Set to Leave
Prison Friday

Kevorkian Set to Leave Prison Friday

'Doctor Death' will retire from mercy killing, won't stop lobbying for legalization

(Newser) - Jack Kevorkian, the champion of mercy killing, will be released from prison June 1 after doing eight years for helping a Michigan man commit suicide. The 79-year-old retired pathologist spent a decade assisting terminally ill patients end their lives, using a homemade machine to administer the fatal drugs and then...

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