Salem-News.com Weekend Wrap Up (AUDIO REPORT)

Here are today’s top stories from Salem-News.com, Kevin Hays reporting. (Scroll to bottom to listen to audio report)

Salem-News.com

(SALEM) - A fire Friday night in southeast Salem has displaced four families from the Village East Apartment complex. Fortunately no one was injured during the 11:00 PM fire and evacuation. One firefighter was taken to Salem Hospital with unknown injuries. A city bus was brought in to use as a warm shelter for displaced apartment residents and volunteers from the Willamette Chapter of the Red Cross provided emergency assistance to the displaced families by arranging for local hotel lodging and providing financial assistance for clothing, food and medication. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. CLICK to Read Article The War in Iraq may dominate the headlines but as Salem-News.com’s Tim King tells us in his latest Dispatches From Afghanistan report, soldiers at remote outposts in Afghanistan are seeing plenty of action. Soldiers there say Taliban forces are afforded plenty of vantage points near the Pakistan border. CLICK to Read Article (Video) Members of Salem's art, business and school communities recently completed restoration of two historic Depression-era murals originally located at the old Bush Elementary School. Over the winter break, the murals were reinstalled in the North Salem High School auditorium. The two murals -- “Alice in Wonderland” and “Arabian Nights' Entertainment” -- were painted on canvas and glued to the walls of the library at Bush Elementary. CLICK to Read Article The Oregon Insurance Division and the Oregon Department of Human Services plan to introduce health-care bills during the Oregon Legislature's upcoming session, which convenes on Monday. If approved, the DHS bill would require employee benefit plans and health insurers to reimburse state Medicaid expenditures made for enrollees under specified circumstances. The Oregon Insurance Division bills include discount medical plans, long-term care insurance, and a medical malpractice program for rural physicians. Read Article Salem-News.com will have complete coverage of the 2007 Legislative session beginning on Monday. Salem police are asking for the public’s help in finding a suspect who robbed two northeast Salem convenience stores early Friday morning. Salem police spokesman Lt. Dan Deitz says at approximately 1:59 AM, the Plaid Pantry at 1504 Broadway St. NE, reported an armed robbery. Then at approximately 5:11 AM, the Circle K Store at 2459 Fairgrounds Rd. NE, also reported an armed robbery. During both robberies, the suspect entered the store, armed with what is described as a rifle, demanded money, then fled on foot, Deitz said. The suspect is described as a Hispanic or white male, 18 - 20 years old, 5' 10 - 6'0, last seen wearing dark colored hooded sweatshirt, armed with a rifle. Anyone with information is asked to call, Salem Police Detectives at (503) 588-6050. Reaed Article The Keizer Fire District will be holding its annual Babysitting Workshop which will begin on Tuesday, January 30th. All classes will be held in the Community Room of the Keizer Fire Station, 661 Chemawa Rd. NE in Keizer. There is no cost for the workshop. Participants in the babysitting workshop will study emergency first aid procedures, breathing emergencies, fire and police emergency procedures, the care and handling of infants, how to plan safe activities and ways to effectively communicate with children. Pre-registration is required as class size is limited to 30 students. For more information or to register, call the Keizer Fire District Business Office at (503) 390-9111. CLICK to Read Article From the Salem-News.com sports desk: Oregon guard Aaron Brooks scored 25 points, including the game-winning base-line jumper with :13 seconds left, as #16 Oregon handed #1 UCLA its first loss of the season, 68-66 on Saturday at McArthur Court. Marty Leunen added 18 points, and seven rebounds, while Bryce Taylor chipped in 11 points for the Ducks. UCLA was led by Josh Shipp who had 16 points and five rebounds. Lodrick Stewart had a career-high 28 points to lead USC to a 91-46 Pac-10 win on Saturday over Oregon State at Gill Coliseum. Taj Gibson added 20 points and five rebounds for the Trojans. Angelo Tsagarakis had 10 points to lead Oregon State. WEATHER: Here is your latest Salem-area weather forecast from Salem-News.com

• Sunday – Rain at times – High 46
• For Monday – Mostly Cloudy – High 51
• On Tuesday – Showers – High 48