Wal-Mart worker dies after being trampled
NEW YORK — A worker died after being trampled by a throng of unruly shoppers when a suburban Wal-Mart opened for the holiday sales rush Friday, authorities said.

 Hostages said dead in Mumbai Jewish center in India
MUMBAI, India (AP) — Commandos who stormed the Mumbai headquarters of an ultra-orthodox Jewish group found the bodies of five hostages inside, an Israeli emergency medical crew said, as a fresh battle raged at the luxury Taj Mahal hotel and other Indian forces ended a siege at another five-star hotel.

 Shoppers out in full force
NORTH BEND — At 6 a.m., J.C. Penney Co. Inc. at Pony Village Mall was teeming with people. The staff had already been working for several hours. They opened the store’s doors at 4 a.m.

 Ringing in the holidays
For a season synonymous with sleigh bells, Christmas carols need a healthy serving of jingling and chiming.

National heritage day honors American Indians
PORTLAND — It may be a small step, but a day meant to honor American Indians’ contributions acknowledges a history and culture that many say is often overlooked.

College student housing policies:some good, some bad
COOS BAY — Southwestern Oregon Community College received a mixed review in a recent audit of its student housing policies, practices and programs.

McMinnville displays artificial tree
MCMINNVILLE (AP) — Oregon provides most of the nation’s Christmas trees, but one Willamette Valley city decided to make its community tree a fake.

No Snowball's chance: Couple loses pet deer
SALEM (AP) — The Oregon Court of Appeals says Snowball, the deformed deer nursed back to health by a Molalla couple, won’t be going back home with them.

Ore. board suspends nurse aide's license
MEDFORD (AP) — State officials say the license of a certified nursing assistant was suspended after she failed to respond to an investigation into whether she had improperly accepted $100,000 from a client who suffers from dementia.

Federal judge orders release of priest sexual abuse documents
PORTLAND (AP) — A federal judge ordered the release of more documents from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Portland that may shed light on how church officials responded to allegations that priests sexually abused minors.

Coast Guard: Crab boat towed to safety
PORTLAND (AP) — The Coast Guard says a 17-foot crab boat that ran aground at the Columbia River bar and was taking on water over the stern has been towed to safety.

Gas drops below $2 a gallon in Oregon
PORTLAND (AP) — The average price of a gallon of gasoline has fallen below $2 a gallon in Oregon.

Food Bank: More Oregonians getting emergency food boxes
PORTLAND (AP) — The Oregon Food Bank says requests for emergency food are rising sharply.

Hard-hit county may see more bad job numbers
ROSEBURG (AP) — In one of the counties hardest hit by the run-up in Oregon’s unemployment rate, there’s more bad news on the way.

 Storms helped Gulf Coast fish
It turns out there may be an upside to a busy Gulf of Mexico hurricane season — if you happen to be a shrimp or a clam.

Zoo creates ornaments from reindeer poo
BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (AP) — The Christmas ornaments for sale at the Miller Park Zoo’s gift shop are partly manufactured by reindeer. Honest!

Malls, hotels may be next victims in meltdown
WASHINGTON (AP) — Black Friday’s retail shoppers hunting for holiday bargains won’t be enough to stave off what’s likely to become the next economic crisis. Malls from Michigan to Georgia are entering foreclosure, commercial victims of the same events poisoning the housing market.

U.S. sends investigators to probe Indian attacks
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States is sending investigators to India to help unravel who was behind the terrorist attacks that targeted largely foreigners in the commercial and tourist center of Mumbai. Three Americans are confirmed among those injured.

'Space family' savors in-orbit Thanksgiving meal
HOUSTON (AP) — Seven astronauts piled into space shuttle Endeavour for the return trip to Earth after eating Thanksgiving dinner, leaving their counterparts at the international space station like relatives parting ways from a holiday visit.

'Miracle Worker' playwright and author Gibson dead at 94
NEW YORK (AP) — Playwright William Gibson, whose “The Miracle Worker” has thrilled audiences for nearly a half-century with the true story of the deaf-blind Helen Keller’s rescue from a world of ignorance, has died. He was 94.

Spain: Cleaner who turned in $20,000 can keep it
MADRID, Spain (AP) — A Peruvian immigrant who found $20,000 (16,000 euros) while cleaning an airliner and turned it in to the police can now call the booty her own.

Iraq: Single suicide bomber kills 12 south of Baghdad
BAGHDAD (AP) — A suicide bomber blew himself up among worshippers waiting to be searched outside a mosque run by followers of anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr today, killing at least 12 people, Iraqi officials said.

Russian president visits Cold War ally Cuba
HAVANA (AP) — Russia’s president visited old Cold War ally Cuba on Thursday, spending hours with President Raul Castro on the final leg of a Latin America tour designed to increase Moscow’s profile in a region long dominated by the United States.