Ducks and Badgers prepare for a Rose Bowl battle in Pasadena; but how do the mascots compare in the wild?  Bob Sallinger with the Audubon Society of Portland says Ducks have one significant advantage: wings, so they can fly.  Cyndee Maunu  with Wildlife Images in Grants Pass says badgers are tough - even black bears back off when they meet.  They’re strong and squat with sharp claws and teeth.  The Rose Bowl is Monday at 2 p.m. And KBND will bring you all the excitement, beginning with the pregame at 1 p-m.

A scam involving Bank of America drew the most complaints to the Oregon Attorney Generals Office this year. The scammers made thousands of random calls hoping to get personal information. Spokesman Tony Green says that in most cases...the scammers are located outside of the United States which makes it difficult to stop them. 

It’s a large theft ring. Beaverton Police say three men who were recently caught shoplifting items from a local Home Depot were part of the large group of thieves.  Authorities say the operation is responsible for the thefts of ski boats, utility trailers and a 24-foot RV. Officials say when William George Hazelwood the Third, Michael Sean O'Sullivan, and Charles Daniel Smith were apprehended, police found other stolen items in their vehicle and the suspects told officers about storage lockers that contained scores of other stolen goods. Police say the monetary worth of the items that have been recovered from about 15 theft cases totals more than $484,000. 

The Oregon Lottery was criticized for the planned "Orcade" website.  Some thought it would target kids and give problem gamblers a new outlet for their addiction.  The Lottery's Chuck Bauman says they've formed an advisory group of experts to review future plans. T hey will send their recommendations to the Lottery Commission to be used in development of the website and marketing strategies.

Last week was one of the darkest weeks in Trailblazers history when Brandon Roy announced his retirement and the team announced Greg Oden had yet another setback. Friday the feeling much different as the team introduced Jamal Crawford and Craig Smith as the two newest Blazers. Crawford is a Seattle native and the former “Sixth Man of the Year.” Smith is known as a bruising player, nicknamed “The Rhino.”

An Oregon State government-hiring freeze is in effect. You'll still see jobs posted on the state's website. Donna Sandoval Bennett with the State's Human Resources Department says the freeze doesn't affect people who were offered jobs before it was implemented. But some positions must be filled, for public safety or required by the federal government. Bennett says most applicants may positions are no longer available unless they are contacted by the agency.

The National Center on Family Homelessness issues its annual "report card" documenting the "best" and "worst" states regarding child homelessness. The report gives Oregon a composite score of 31, saying the state had more than 34,000 homeless children in 2010. That's up by about 10,000 since 2006. The report bases its rankings on factors including child homelessness, child well being, risk for child homelessness, and state planning and policy activities.  The report says Vermont is the best for homeless kids and Alabama the worst.

Oregon’s unemployment dropped to its lowest level in three years last month.  Oregon's unemployment was 9.1% in November. That's down from 9.5% in October. Educational and health services added jobs, as did trade, transportation and utilities. Government added jobs in November too. Manufacturing and financial activities cut jobs in November. Nationally, the U.S. seasonally adjusted unemployment rate also dropped by almost half a percent to 8.6%.

Three Port of Portland terminals were closed by “Occupy Wall Street” supporters.  Donna Brelia, 50,  of Vancouver, a plumber, says some port workers who lost a day's wages won't be badly hurt by the protests in the long-run. The protests at the Port were part of a west coast port shutdown effort designed to target corporations like Goldman Sachs.

Now that the federal government's given its blessing to the Columbia River Crossing, project managers are digging into the details of how the new bridge will look:. The project's Ann Pressenteen says the color of the bridge and the landscaping will all be decided with plenty of public input. They're also working with the legislatures in Salem and Olympia to pin down the states' share of the funding.

Police say two bodies were found in the charred rubble of a Washougal home that burned Wednesday while shots were being fired from inside. Investigators also say an "arsenal" of weapons was found in the debris.  Authorities have not yet identified the bodies, saying it's unknown whether they're male or female. Officials say the owner of the home, Steve Stanbary, has not been accounted for.

A fire, shooting and explosions from a house in Washougal, Washington  Wednesday morning.  Neighbor Bobby Bean says he saw smoke coming from the house and tried to alert the people inside, when shots were fired.  One bullet hit the windshield of a police car and the glass injured the officer.  The house is a total loss.  Police don't now how many people were in the house and whether they were killed by the fire.  They also don't know what sparked the incident and how the fire started.

You can see a sky show if you get up early Saturday morning and it's not cloudy. There will be a full lunar eclipse at 6:30 Saturday morning. Jim Todd, at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, says the moon will be near the horizon in the northwestern sky. Normally during a lunar eclipse the moon turns red, but because this event is happening near sunrise, it'll probably just turn orange. 

Oregon is in a sixth place, three-way tie with North Carolina and Arkansas for "most quit friendly state" in the country. Bev Stewart, with the American Lung Association says Oregon requires health insurance plans to fully cover the treatments. For help kicking the habit contact the quit line at 1-800-quit-now.

Springfield Congressman Peter DeFazio is blasting an announcement by the Postmaster General that starting next year, First Class mail will be delayed one to two days. The Post Office says it's closing over 250 mail processing centers nationwide to close a budget gap.  DeFazio says the budget problem has been manufactured by Congress because of a mandate to "prefund" retiree benefits for the next 75 years.

Oregon Zoo officials say Akeem, an aging reticulated giraffe, was euthanized over the weekend after he was found to be suffering and was deemed unlikely to recover from declining health. The zoo's Deputy Director, Chris Pfefferkorn, says veterinarians found no sign of disease or traumatic injury, but Akeem was nearly 25-years-old and may have been suffering the effects of old age. The giraffe had been at the Oregon Zoo for more than 20-years.

Two Oregon State University students face charges.  The two are accused of spray-painting stenciled pictures of "storm trooper" characters from the "Star Wars" films throughout the Corvallis campus.  Authorities say John Zaikoski, 19, and Kamela Hasselman, 18, were arrested on suspicion of second-degree criminal mischief. 

Police say at least 15 areas of the campus were hit by the alleged sci-fi graffiti artists. They were identified after a review of surveillance video.

After Monday’s firing of former University of Oregon President Richard Lariviere, the faculty is demanding a separate governing board and voice in selecting the new president. They've asked the State Board to vote by the end of the year on whether to renew the contract of George Pernsteiner, Chancellor of Oregon's University System. The State Board says it fired Lariviere for failing to follow its direction at the expense of seeking autonomy for the University.