Gunman: 'Allahu Akbar!'
FORT HOOD, Texas — Soldiers who witnessed the shooting rampage at Fort Hood that left 13 people dead reported that the gunman shouted “Allahu Akbar!” — an Arabic phrase for “God is great!” — before opening fire, the base commander said Friday.

Defense criticizes Smart case report competency report in Smart case
SALT LAKE CITY — Defense attorneys for the man charged in the 2002 abduction of Elizabeth Smart say a psychiatrist’s report deeming him competent for trial is advocacy, not an objective evaluation of facts.

 Time to make a decision on dump
BEAVER HILL — It’s time for the county to start thinking about where it is going to put its garbage, since space is getting tight at the Beaver Hill incineration facility.

Obama to sign jobless benefit
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is set to sign a $24 billion economic stimulus bill providing tax incentives to prospective homebuyers and extending unemployment benefits to the longtime jobless who have been left behind as the economy veers toward recovery.

Exhibit will honor veterans' service
The Bandon Historical Society Museum will offer veteran talks Saturday and an exhibit in honor of Veterans Day.

Rain drenches area
North Bend street department workers spent several hours Thursday night clearing plugged drains and standing water from several city streets.

Mushroom pickers find human remains near Gold Beach
The Curry County Sheriff’s Office is asking for help in identifying a deceased person found north of Gold Beach.

Thanksgiving drama? We want to know about it
Do you remember a Thanksgiving when the smoke alarm and the doorbell both went off at the same time?

Poets give reading at NB library
Northwest poets Gary Adams and Bill Siverly give a free reading at 1 p.m. Saturday at the North Bend Public Library.

British PM: Afghan success is vital
LONDON (AP) — Prime Minister Gordon Brown warned Afghanistan’s government today to take action against corruption, saying he would not risk more British lives there unless it reforms.

Ida heads for U.S. after drenching C. America
MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) — Former Hurricane Ida drenched Central America as a tropical depression today and forecasters said it had some chance of regaining force and heading toward the U.S.

Pastors urge families to give DNA samples
CLEVELAND (AP) — Police say there’s only one way for the families of missing women to know for sure if their loved ones are among the victims found in suspected serial killer Anthony Sowell’s house: Give DNA samples. But relatives with checkered pasts in the hardscrabble neighborhood seem reluctant to come forward.

Army: Suspect said 'Allahu Akbar!' before shooting
FORT HOOD, Texas (AP) — The base commander at Fort Hood says soldiers who witnessed a shooting rampage that left 13 people dead reported that the gunman shouted “Allahu Akbar!” before opening fire at the Texas post.

 CB man helps Fort Hood victims
When Bridgette Whinery heard about the shootings at Fort Hood in Texas, the Coos Bay woman knew her son would be among those lending a hand — not one of the victims.

Man fatally shot by ex-wife after breaking into her house
REDMOND (AP) — A man was shot and killed by his ex-wife after he broke into her house in Redmond and tried to attack her with an “improvised weapon” as she defended her children, authorities said.

Governor expands flu readiness authority
SALEM (AP) — Gov. Ted Kulongoski has signed an executive order giving the state public health director more authority to prepare Oregon for a major flu outbreak and manage the response.

Dems push for health care votes
WASHINGTON — House Democrats are scrambling to secure enough support to pass President Barack Obama’s historic health overhaul initiative, working to soothe last-minute concerns from rank-and-file Democrats ahead of a make-or-break vote.

Here is a look at unemployment rates around the world:
GERMANY — German unemployment fell for a second month in October, but the effects of the financial crisis lingered and it is still too early to expect a turnaround in the economy, the country’s labor ministry said. The unadjusted jobless rate in Europe’s biggest economy was 7.7 percent, down from 8 percent the previous month and below the 8.3 percent in August, the Federal Labor Agency said. The dip in unemployment comes nearly two weeks after the German government raised its growth forecast and predicted that Europe’s biggest economy will expand by 1.2 percent in 2010, up from an earlier prediction of 0.5 percent.

Boat center isn't exactly breaking ground
Saturday’s boat building center groundbreaking on the Empire waterfront will be atypical for several reasons. The most obvious is there’s already a building there. In fact, workers already have spent time improving the facility since the city signed a lease in August to the property at the west end of Newmark Avenue.

 Childhood chums paddle the Rogue to the sea
MEDFORD — Waking in a sleeping bag to a bone-drenching rain on the fifth day of a nine-day raft trip down the Rogue River, Sam Jackson and his two childhood pals wondered whether this adventure would match what it looked like on paper.

Official: discipline needed for Oregon custody death
PORTLAND (AP) — The Portland city commissioner who oversees police has recommended that two officers be disciplined in the custody death of a mentally ill man in 2006.

New Multnomah Co., Ore., sheriff sworn in
PORTLAND (AP) — Multnomah County has sworn in a new sheriff to replace one forced to resign. It’s the second time in 16 months that’s happened.

Oregon Zoo chimp died of blood clot in heart
PORTLAND (AP) — A popular Oregon Zoo chimpanzee who drew hundreds of people to his memorial service died of a blood clot in the heart.

Hitting 10 percent
WASHINGTON (AP) — The unemployment rate has surpassed 10 percent for the first time since 1983 — and is likely to go higher.

 Former employee opens fire at Orlando office tower - 1 dead, 5 injured
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Officials searched Friday for a gunman who opened fire in a downtown office building where he used to work. At least six people were hurt.

Hotel deck collapse sends five into water
ASTORIA (AP) — Astoria police say a deck outside a room of the Red Lion Inn of Astoria has collapsed, dropping five men into a mooring basin of the Columbia River.

Relief as Fla. infant missing for 5 days is found alive, hidden in box under bed
CHIPLEY, Fla. (AP) — Sheriff Bobby Haddock knew time was running out for a 7-month-old girl missing in the Florida Panhandle.

Oregon judge says furrier protected from elder abuse
PORTLAND (AP) — A judge has ordered animal rights activists to keep their distance from a 75-year-old furrier because state law protects the businessman from elder abuse by shouting profanities.

Elton John released from hospital; plans to resume US shows with Billy Joel
LONDON (AP) — Elton John has been released from a London hospital after being treated for flu and an E. coli bacterial infection.

Army post shooting rampage leaves 13 dead, 30 hurt
FORT HOOD, Texas (AP) — Military officials were starting Friday to piece together what may have pushed an Army psychiatrist trained to help soldiers in distress to turn on his comrades in a shooting rampage that killed 13 people and wounded 30 in Texas.