Whole Foods to report third-quarter results Tuesday

PORTLAND, Ore. — Investors will be watching Tuesday to see how Whole Foods Market Inc. is faring as the recession drags on.

Washington deputy arrests suspect in Oregon triple slaying

ELGIN, Ore. — An Oregon house painter wanted for the murders of three acquaintances, including a woman whose severed hand was found by a child catching goldfish, has been captured in Washington state.

Oregon governor signs bills to reduce foreclosures, verify mortgage originators’ backgrounds

SALEM, Ore. — Gov. Ted Kulongoski signed two new consumer protection bills Thursday, including one aimed at reducing the number of home foreclosures in Oregon.

Another day of high temperatures expected in Seattle as Pacific Northwest heat wave continues

PORTLAND, Ore. — “Brutal” temperatures are predicted for the Seattle area on Wednesday as a record heat wave afflicting the Pacific Northwest continues to bake everything west of the Cascades, a National Weather Service meteorologist said.

Grants Pass, Ore., man grabs shotgun, kills bear that climbed in through window

GRANTS PASS, Ore. — Everett Skinner and his family have started keeping their windows closed at night after a bear broke into their southwest Oregon home and he fatally shot it.

Pacific Northwest sweats through heat wave as demand for air conditioners and shaved ice rises

PORTLAND, Ore. — It’s feeling more like Phoenix in the Pacific Northwest this week, with temperatures throughout the region spiking along with demand for the cool comforts of air conditioning, water fountains and icy treats.

Pacific Northwest faces heat wave as temps in Portland edge close to all-time highs

PORTLAND, Ore. — It’s feeling more like Phoenix in the Pacific Northwest this week, with temperatures throughout the region spiking along with demand for the cool comforts of air conditioning, water fountains and icy treats.

Supervalu 1st-qtr profit plunges, co. lowers forecast, but adjusted results top expectations

PORTLAND, Ore. — Supervalu Inc. said Tuesday that its profit dropped 30 percent in the first quarter as it cut prices to stay competitive in the tough economy, but the grocery chain’s adjusted results beat Wall Street expectations and its shares rose.

SPIN METER: Under pressure to show job creation, politicians strain to make numbers look good

PORTLAND, Ore. — How much are politicians straining to convince people that the government is stimulating the economy? In Oregon, where lawmakers are spending $176 million to supplement the federal stimulus, Democrats are taking credit for a remarkable feat: creating 3,236 new jobs in the program’s first three months.

Voter-approved measures again collide with states’ desperate need to cut costs, pols pushback

SALEM, Ore. — There may be no state more in love with letting residents vote on ballot measures than Oregon. They have voted hundreds of times over the past century and brought the state a property tax limit and nation’s first state assisted-suicide law.

FAA says it will take years to consider proposal for Crater Lake helicopters

GRANTS PASS, Ore. — A company wants to fly helicopter tours over Crater Lake National Park, but the Federal Aviation Administration says it will take “several years” to consider the proposal.

Ore. faith-healing parents acquitted in sick girl’s death; dad guilty of criminal mistreatment

OREGON CITY, Ore. — The jury forewoman in the trial of an Oregon couple acquitted of manslaughter in their daughter’s pneumonia death says she felt the pair were “loving people” who didn’t mean to harm the 15-month-old girl.

Safeway’s sales fall 6.5 pct in second quarter, company lowers outlook for the year

PORTLAND, Ore. — Budget-conscious shoppers and falling fuel and commodity prices took a toll on Safeway Inc. during its second quarter, and the grocery chain, which doesn’t expect the picture to improve soon, lowered its earnings forecast for the full year Thursday.

Correction: Barnes & Noble e-bookstore story

PORTLAND, Ore. — In a June 20 story about Barnes & Noble Inc.’s electronic bookstore, The Associated Press reported erroneously that trade and traditional titles would be sold for $9.99. Their prices will vary. The $9.99 price applies to new releases and best sellers.

Correction: Barnes & Noble electronic bookstore

PORTLAND, Ore. — In a June 20 story about Barnes & Noble Inc.’s electronic bookstore, The Associated Press reported erroneously that trade and traditional titles would be sold for $9.99. Their prices will vary. The $9.99 price applies to new releases and best sellers.

Precision Castparts posts 13 percent drop in fiscal 1st-quarter profit as sales tumble

PORTLAND, Ore. — Precision Castparts Corp., which makes metal components and products, said Tuesday its fiscal first-quarter profit fell 13 percent as sales tumbled on a volatile aerospace market and soft overall demand.

Oregon bank reopens 7 months after bombing that killed 2 officers, wounded police chief

WOODBURN, Ore. — An Oregon bank that was the scene of a bomb explosion that killed two police officers and severely wounded a police chief has reopened after seven months.

Federal grant goes to bumblebee habitat projects near farms in California, elsewhere in US

GRANTS PASS, Ore. — With bumblebees and other native insects that pollinate crops dying off, scientists are working on the best ways to restore natural habitat on or near farms.

Interior finds Bush plan to boost Oregon logging violates Endangered Species Act

GRANTS PASS, Ore. — The Obama administration on Thursday scrapped the Bush administration’s last-ditch attempt to boost logging in Northwest forests by scaling back protection for the northern spotted owl.

Federal judge denies pro online poker player’s request to win back USGA amateur status

PORTLAND, Ore. — A federal judge has denied a pro online poker player’s request to have his amateur golfer status reinstated.

Federal grant aims to retrieve some of the thousands of fishermens’ lost crab pots

NEWPORT, Ore. — During his 35 years as a commercial fisherman, Jeff Feldner lost his share of crab pots when storms blew them out of position, a passing boat propeller sheared off the buoy, or a bank of kelp overwhelmed everything and dragged it away.

Federal project to help Ore. fishermen retrieve lost crab pots, but thousands more will remain

NEWPORT, Ore. — During his 35 years as a commercial fisherman, Jeff Feldner lost his share of crab pots when storms blew them out of position, a passing boat propeller sheared off the buoy, or a bank of kelp overwhelmed everything and dragged it away.

Oregon WWII veterans honored with French award for valor

PORTLAND, Ore. — Three World War II veterans have been awarded the Legion of Honor by France for their military service.

Comcast employee arrested after bloody Portland, Ore., robbery at check-cashing store

PORTLAND, Ore. — Police have arrested a 25-year-old Comcast Corp. employee after a check-cashing store in Portland was robbed and a female employee was clubbed in the head with a crowbar.

Portland, Ore., renames street to honor labor leader Cesar Chavez after 2 years of wrangling

PORTLAND, Ore. — The City Council voted Wednesday to rename 39th Avenue as Cesar Chavez Boulevard after a two-year debate that brought charges of racism and government heavy-handedness, and groans from residents who wanted the late Hispanic labor leader honored elsewhere.

Study finds Bush owl plan based on false conclusion that fire increasing threat to habitat

GRANTS PASS, Ore. — A new study challenges a basic justification about the threat of wildfires that the Bush administration used to make room for more logging in old growth forests that are home to the northern spotted owl.

Oregon woman obsessed with rabbits sent back to jail after she’s found in hotel with bunnies

PORTLAND, Ore. — An Oregon woman obsessed with bunnies has been ordered back behind bars after police found her in a hotel room with more than a dozen rabbits.

Judge overturns Bush administration change to rule protecting spotted owl habitat

GRANTS PASS, Ore. — A federal judge has struck down the Bush administration’s change to a rule designed to protect the northern spotted owl from logging in national forests.

Lost wallet returns after 63 years behind school bleachers, rekindling memories for Oregon man

BAKER CITY, Ore. — Bill Fulton doesn’t remember losing his wallet, but getting it back more than 60 years later helped him remember the past.

Forest Service claims it’s done better job thinning forests to protect homes than study said

GRANTS PASS, Ore. — The U.S. Forest Service says it has done a lot more forest thinning to protect rural homes from wildfire than a study by outside scientists indicates — though it still falls short of the goal set by Congress.