Monday, 7-24-06: An American Bar Association task force issued a report that's highly critical of President Bush's penchant for writing exceptions to laws he has just signed. They say it violates the constitution. He's attached these challenges to hundreds of new laws, reserving his right to revise, interpret or disregard. Next month at their annual meeting, ABA policymakers will decide whether to just denounce the "signing statements" or encourage a legal fight over them. Ooh. I hope they start a fight.... Tuesday, 7-25-06: Richard Hatch won a million dollars on the first season of Survivor, the first American reality show. He's been sent to federal prison in Oklahoma for 51 months, for failing to pay taxes on the money. Wow! Wednesday, 7-26-06: In local news, 2 boys wandered away from their parents' summer home near Astoria, and wound up spending the night in the woods. They were 4 and 5 years old, and their Labrador pup was with them. 90 volunteers searched overnight, and about noon the next day one of them found the boys walking along a logging road. "They said they were out picking flowers for their mom, and that they'd slept in the dirt by the road." In more local news, a Portland woman has settled her lawsuit against a prison counselor for $2500. She originally sued for $120,000, because he called and left a hoax email that her husband had died in prison. Her husband was in prison for robbery. Thursday, 7-27-06: Yesterday in Milwaukie, Oregon, a driver crashed into the wall of a medical care center, and 20 people had to be evacuated until a structural engineer could shore up a support beam. A spokesman for the fire district said, "A bee flew into the guy's car, and the guy was swatting at it. In the process of trying to get the bee out, he hit the side of the building." Friday, 7-28-06: Saddam Hussein's trial is proceeding in Baghdad. The prosecutor's asking for the death penalty. Executions in Iraq are carried out by hanging, but Saddam has asked to die before a firing squad and not by the gallows "like a common criminal." Saturday, 7-29-06: Last August, after 3 years of distinguished service, a border patrol agent was arrested. It turns out Oscar Ortiz is an illegal immigrant, and he'd been smuggling people across the border in his patrol truck. He got the job with fake ID that said he was from Chicago. Yesterday he was sentenced to five years in prison. A Roman Catholic priest in Connecticut misspent $1.4 million in parishioner donations. The Reverend Michael Fay spent half the money on limousines, jewelry, clothing and a condominium. And the other half was in a secret bank account. A disabled, crewless ship loaded with 5000 cars drifted into American waters yesterday. The Cougar Ace is listing sideways and drifting towards the Aleutian Islands. It tilted sharply Sunday night, and the crew was rescued Monday night.