Police in Seattle, Wash. shot and killed a University of Washington student dressed as a World War II-era German soldier at the man's home on New Year's Day.

Police say officers went to the multi-family boarding house where 22-year-old Miles Murphy lived at around 2 a.m. on Jan. 1 after receiving reports that a group of young men were shooting guns in an alley. Murphy lived in the basement apartment.

While thousands of dogs and cats are being given up by pet owners across the U.S. as times become harder, chickens are gaining popularity as household pets in some U.S. cities.

The rising popularity of the feathered creature is due to the chicken's ability to provide eggs, pest control, fertilizer and eventually meat. To address zoning regulations, homeowners are working to amend local laws in areas like Fort Collins, CO, Bloomington, IN and Brainerd, MN.

An anti-religious sign displayed alongside a Christmas exhibit at the Washington state capitol in Olympia went missing Friday and later was found in a radio station in Seattle.

Washington State Patrol Sgt. Ted DeHart told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer an investigation is ongoing to find out who removed the sign and took it to the station of 94.1 KMPS. The officer said the removal of the sign was a crime.

As more Canadians shift to public transport or alternative methods of traveling caused by high fuel cost, transportation-related policies have taken center stage in the city halls of major cities.

At Ottawa, the city's Transit Committee rejected a proposal to allow pets on public buses during a six-month pilot test period. The proposal came from Capital Coun. Clive Doucet. After two hours of debate his proposal was thumbed down.

A driver was injured by a group of cyclists Friday after several from the group became violent when he attempted to drive his vehicle through the mass of bicycle riders.

The group of bikers came together, as they do every last Friday in Seattle, to ride in a "Critical Mass Ride," which one web site says is an event "to celebrate cycling and to assert cyclists' right to the road."