Army vet faked injury to avoid Iraq deployment
EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. (AP) — An Army veteran admitted in federal court Friday to plotting with his wife to bilk the U.S. government by faking paralysis after a car wreck to get disability benefits and avoid being deployed to Iraq.

 Judge to defendant: Prove it
COQUILLE — Bobbye Cikanek knows she probably won’t be able to own horses anymore.

Maj. Hasan earns praise from imam
WASHINGTON (AP) — The personal Web site for a radical American imam living in Yemen who had contact with two Sept. 11, 2001 hijackers is praising alleged Fort Hood shooter Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan as a hero.

Suspect is awake
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — A U.S. Army hospital spokesman says the man suspected in a deadly shooting spree at Fort Hood, Texas, is conscious and able to talk.

Man, 7 children found stranded by Breitenbush Lake
SALEM (AP) - An Oregon man and his seven children were found safe Sunday after being stranded by snow during a camping trip.

Questions emerge over sheriff's candidacy
PORTLAND (AP) - There may be a problem with Bruce McCain’s campaign for the job of Multnomah County sheriff.

I want to know: Tower tests wind turbine potential
Question: A while ago, there was a very tall antenna with guidelines and orange balls constructed on the northwest corner of West Beaver Hill Road and Whisky Run Lane. Have all of the required permits been obtained for whatever the project is for both building and communications?

Ida weakens as it approaches Gulf
MIAMI (AP) — Ida is no longer a hurricane as it loses strength over the water on its way to a landfall on the U.S. Gulf Coast sometime early Tuesday.

Germans remember when the wall fell
BERLIN (AP) — With prayers, music and pomp, Germany today remembered the 20th anniversary of the day the Berlin Wall fell, sending East Germans flooding west and setting in motion events that soon led to the country’s reunification.

Officials: Woman had 20 dogs buried in yard
SELDEN, N.Y. (AP) — Authorities in New York say a woman who had about 20 dead dogs buried in her backyard on Long Island faces a misdemeanor animal cruelty charge.

Insurers pay for alternative care
Acupuncture, not pain pills that “make me loopy,” is what Cynde Durnford-Branecki wants for her aching back, and a treatment costs her only a $20 copayment.

 Museum unpacks '150 Years of Toys'
NORTH BEND — Only old-timers may remember Coquille’s toy company.

Much of stimulus goes to schools
PORTLAND — The math isn’t so hard when it comes to the faculty of the Tigard-Tualatin school district.

What's next for health care?
WASHINGTON — Don’t look for the Senate to quickly follow the House on health care overhaul.

CB officials begin search for city manager
The city of Coos Bay has scheduled a special council meeting Tuesday to decide who should manage City Hall.

The World seeks T-day memories
Do you remember a Thanksgiving when the smoke alarm and the doorbell both went off at the same time?

Tornado rips through Lincoln City
LINCOLN CITY (AP) — The National Weather Service has confirmed that it was a tornado that tore through a coastal area of Lincoln City over the weekend and packed winds that reached 85 mph.

Al-Qaida training sites are harder to locate
WASHINGTON (AP) — Under growing pressure from U.S. missile strikes, the al-Qaida terror network is relying more heavily on local insurgent groups along the Pakistan border to house training camps that are growing smaller and more mobile, according to counterterrorism officials and analysts.

Landslides hit 20 homes, killing 14
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Torrential rains triggered a series of landslides on Indonesia’s Sulawesi island, killing at least 14 residents and burying many more, a local official said today.

Local panel fields questions on health policy
When Rep. Peter DeFazio visited the coast three months ago, people crowded into town halls to vehemently voice concerns and ask questions about public health care reform. 

Fort Hood is on the mend after shootings
FORT HOOD, Texas (AP) — Pvt. Joseph Foster took a bullet in the leg during the Fort Hood shooting rampage. He pauses when he’s asked about the mayhem, then credits a stout heritage with bringing him through the ordeal and leaving him eager for his scheduled January deployment to Afghanistan.

Transportation union calls off six-day strike
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Representatives of Philadelphia’s transit system and its largest union signed a contract early today, bringing an end to a strike that idled the city’s subways, buses and trolleys for six days.