Bush signs OK on land for tribes
They’ve waited for more than a century for the return of their sacred land.

College closes chapter on presidential resignation
Judith Hansen made it official Friday. She delivered her letter of resignation as president of Southwestern Oregon Community College.

Don’t eat the mussels
PORTLAND (AP) — Blame it on algae.

Medicare Rx talk set for Wednesday
Regence Blue Cross/Blue Shield is sending its Medicare experts to Coos Bay to talk with people about Medicare options.

Newspapering topic for business luncheon
World Publisher/Editor Clark Walworth will be the guest speaker Wednesday at the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce Independent Business Operators luncheon forum.

School tours start today over levy information
The Coos Bay School District is inviting residents to tour Millicoma Middle School and the former Eastside Elementary school today. The school tour is part of the the district’s effort to pass a school improvement bond measure.

League voter forums start Wednesday
The Coos County League of Women Voters will host candidate forums at Coos Bay City Hall. These events are opportunities for voters to hear from the candidates and to ask questions.

Discrimination complaint denied by Pacific Seafood
PORTLAND (AP) — The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has filed a lawsuit against Pacific Seafood Company after a Hispanic worker claimed he was the victim of discrimination.

Colleges brace for economic meltdown’s punch
For many colleges, the last 15 years have been a golden age. Philanthropy and Americans’ grudging tolerance for high tuition fueled an unprecedented boom — investments in everything from gyms, dorms and labs to faculty and expanded financial aid.

World industrial powers promise to take ‘decisive action’ to prevent catastrophe
WASHINGTON — The government will buy an ownership stake in a broad array of American banks for the first time since the Great Depression, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said late Friday, announcing the historic step after stock markets jolted still lower around the world despite all efforts to slow the selling stampede.

Gas prices drop, but habits have changed
DENVER — Prices at the pump are dropping fast, and gas could fall below $3 a gallon in a matter of weeks, if not sooner. Does that mean Americans will return to their heedless, gas-guzzling ways?

McCain, Obama offer ideas on economy
WASHINGTON — John McCain and Barack Obama outlined modest steps to counter the faltering economy and plummeting stock market on Friday, fresh evidence of the dominant role of pocketbook issues in their race for the White House.

Was it a ‘crash’?
Did stocks “crash”?

N.Y. election mix-up: ‘Osama’ on the ballot
TROY, N.Y.  — Who is running for president? In an upstate New York county, hundreds of voters have been sent absentee ballots in which they could vote for “Barack Osama.”

Man killed when balloon crashes in NM
BERNALILLO, N.M. (AP) — A hot air balloon crashed into power lines and burst into flames Friday during Albuquerque’s annual balloon fiesta, throwing both men on board to the ground and killing one of them.

Rat-hunting woman causes lockdown
HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Police in North Carolina say a woman hunting rats on her property caused a scare at a neighboring public school.

Pirates threatening to blow up hijacked ship
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The pirates who hijacked an arms-laden Ukrainian tanker off the coast of Somalia threatened Friday to destroy the ship if no ransom is paid, a spokesman for the bandits said.

 Some overseas soldiers’ voting hampered
American soldiers can hump 60-pound packs through the broiling desert, kill for their country and die for it, but they can’t always vote for their commander in chief.

Man, 88, fatally shoots ailing wife at hospital
TOMS RIVER, N.J. (AP) — An elderly man fatally shot his ailing wife in her hospital bed Friday and was in critical condition after turning the gun on himself, an official said.

NASA presses ahead for Mars rover launch
LOS ANGELES (AP) — NASA has decided to press ahead with plans to launch a big new rover to Mars next year.

Smugglers throw migrants into shark-infested waters
SAN’A, Yemen — Dozens of bodies washed ashore Friday in Yemen after smugglers threw nearly 150 Somali migrants overboard in shark-infested waters, the latest such tragedy in one of the most lawless stretches of ocean in the world.

Cuba limits food sales during crisis
HAVANA (AP) — Cuba is limiting how much basic fruits and vegetables people can buy at farmers’ markets, irritating some customers but ensuring there’s enough — barely — to go around.

 Ghost hunters in action
COOS COUNTY — They wandered in the dark for hours, waiting for something — a movement, a knock, a voice.

 Portland flights shift to SkyWest
NORTH BEND — A faltering Horizon Air sent its last flight to Portland this morning, but the new air carrier, SkyWest-United Express says the outlook is good for its Portland service that starts Sunday.

LNG supporters catch up in making presence seen
It’s a loaded question. What do Coos County residents think about building a liquefied natural gas terminal on Coos Bay’s North Spit?

Brownlow could be spoiler in Senate race
SALEM (AP) — He wasn’t invited to take part in Thursday night’s televised debate between Oregon GOP Sen. Gordon Smith and Democrat Jeff Merkley, but David Brownlow could influence the outcome of the heated U.S. Senate race nonetheless.

Sliding Portland house draws stabilizing effort
PORTLAND (AP) — City and private engineers are considering ways to shore up a steep hillside where a house slid off its foundation this week.

Company fined for illegal tractor imports
PORTLAND (AP) — Prosecutors say an Oregon company that illegally imported tractors from China is believed to be the first prosecuted criminally for violating a new Clean Air Act regulation.