Local poster artist featured on radio

Summit-based poster artist Earl Newman will be the guest on today’s broadcast of the Oregon Public Broadcasting radio program “Think Out Loud.”

The program will air at 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. on KOAC, 550 AM and 91.5 FM.

Although he keeps a low profile locally, Newman has been producing widely recognized graphic art for more than 40 years. His credits include designing the posters for the Monterey Jazz Festival since 1963.

Hospital workers show crafty skills

Employees at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center will reveal their crafty side at the hospital’s annual holiday craft fair from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today.

The free event will showcase hand-made pottery, jewelry, quilts, holiday cards, decorations, paintings, bath products and more. They will be on display in conference rooms A and B, on the first floor across from the cafeteria.

Media critic to talk on Mideast conflict

Journalist Alison Weir will discuss the Israel-Palestine conflict from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday at First United Methodist Church, 1165 N.W. Monroe Ave., in the basement Martha Room.

Her talk, “Israel-Palestine: What the Media Leave Out,” will include observations from her time as a freelance reporter in Gaza and the West Bank in February and March of 2001.

Weir is the executive director of “If Americans Knew,” a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing Americans with information on topics of importance that are misreported or under-reported in the American media.

“If Americans Knew” has completed seven in-depth statistical studies of U.S. media coverage of Israel-Palestine, releasing reports on the New York Times, the Associated Press, the major primetime news broadcasts and various other news media, research that is increasingly cited by analysts on Israel-Palestine.

Weir’s appearance is sponsored by Albany/Corvallis Friends of Middle East Peace.

City Club session will look ahead

The December meeting of the City Club of Corvallis will take a look at the “big-picture” trends that are shaping the city and will ask what the city should be doing to prepare for the future.

The meeting is scheduled from 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Monday at the First Presbyterian Church, 114 S.W. Eighth St.

The session will include panelists Pat O’Connor, the regional economist who covers the mid-valley for the state Employment Department; Terryl Ross, the director of community and diversity at Oregon State University; and Christopher Klemm, director of the Austin Entrepreneurship Program at OSU.

The meeting is free for City Club members, $5 for nonmembers, although first-timer visitors can attend free.

An optional buffet lunch costs $10, but it requires registration by noon today. Call 757-1505 or register online at www.cityclubofcorvallis.com.

Health seminar targets colds, flu

J.P. Kaesermann, N.D., and David Myers, D.O., will offer a free seminar, “Flu and Cold Care: An Integrative Approach,” from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Corvallis Heartspring Wellness Center.

Kaesermann and Myers will present both the Eastern and Western approaches they use to help patients with infections of the upper and lower airways, including the ears and sinuses. Topics will include diet, exercise, hand hygiene, Chinese medicine and supplementation. Myers also will demonstrate osteopathic techniques for the lymphatic system that patients can do at home to help lessen the symptoms and severity of certain infections.

Corvallis Heartspring Wellness Center is located at 990 N.W. Circle Blvd., Suite 201. Registration is not required. For information, call 768-6412.

Siletz man sought in Polk assault

DALLAS — An arrest warrant has been issued for a man suspected in a kidnapping and sexual assault that occurred in southwest Polk County last month.

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office says 41-year-old Michael Joe Bowers of Siletz is a registered sex offender and has been under the supervision of the Lincoln County Parole and Probation Department.

Authorities say he should be considered armed and dangerous.

The sheriff’s office asks those with information about Bowers to call 911 or Detective Mark Garton at 503-623-9251.

Oregon gun sales brisk after holiday

PORTLAND — Oregonians are arming themselves for the holidays.

The Oregon State Police announced that Black Friday was a bonanza for gun sales. Officials know this because they processed the most background checks ever since the OSP Firearms Instant Check System was instituted in 1996.

The agency said Thursday it processed 2,198 background checks on the day after Thanksgiving. The previous record number of single day transactions occurred on Black Friday three years ago, when there were 1,731 transactions.

State opens park south of Brookings

BROOKINGS — Crissey Field has become the fifth state park to open since Gov. Ted Kulongoski embarked on his park-a-year initiative in 2004.

The 40-acre park is located five miles south of Brookings in Curry County. Its boundaries include U.S. 101, the California state line, the Winchuck River and the Pacific Ocean.

— Staff and news services