PORTLAND, Ore. -- Authorities are investigating the deaths of six sea lions on the Columbia River. At least some of them appear to have been shot.

The discovery comes a day after three elephant seals were found shot to death at a breeding ground in central California.

All three species are federally protected. But Oregon and Washington state are trapping some California sea lions to keep them from eating salmon at the Bonneville Dam.

The dead sea lions were found at traps below the dam.

Washington, Oregon and federal investigators are treating the area as a crime scene.

SAN DIEGO -- A suspected pipe bomb exploded at a federal courthouse in downtown San Diego early Sunday, damaging the front entrance and blowing out a window, authorities said. No injuries were reported.

Few people were around the building, which is a block from nightclubs in the Gaslamp Quarter, when the powerful blast also damaged the lobby area of the Edward J. Schwartz Federal Courthouse about 1:40 a.m., said FBI spokeswoman April Langwell.

The bomb was reported by two guards in the building, who were uninjured. About 40 agents combed the front courtyard after the area was swept for explosives. No arrests have been made.

Debris was found lodged in a window about eight stories up the AT T building that faces the courthouse.

NEW YORK -- Queens-based food company Gourmet Boutique is recalling more than 286,000 pounds of meat and poultry because they might be contaminated with the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes.

The voluntary recall of fresh and frozen products includes more than 30 items sent to food service and retail establishments nationwide.

Products include some types of chicken salad and sandwiches sold under the name Gourmet Boutique, and several frozen wraps and burritos sold under the names Jan's and Archer Farms.

Target sells the Archer Farms brand, but Amy Reilly, a spokeswoman for the company, said Sunday that the recalled items are sold only in SuperTarget stores.

Of the recalled items, she said, the SuperTarget stores carry only 15-ounce packages of Archer Farms Frozen Mini Beef Burrito, 9-ounce packages of Archer Farms Frozen Pulled Pork Burrito and 9-ounce packages of Archer Farms Grilled Chicken Burrito With Corn and Black Beans.

The fresh meat and poultry salad products were produced between April 19 and April 24. The frozen products were produced between Oct. 23, 2007 and April 23, 2008, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said.

WASHINGTON -- Tucked into a vast public lands measure approved by Congress last week was a bill that thrilled Hispanic lawmakers and activists.

The legislation, which the White House is expected to approve, creates a 23-member panel to study the viability of a National Museum of the American Latino Community in Washington. Proponents hope the museum will rise above the din of the illegal immigration debate to highlight the contributions to U.S. society by the 45 million-strong Latino community.

"This could really happen," said Florida Republican Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. "We could really make this come true."

The museum still faces big obstacles, including the lack of space in the Smithsonian complex in Washington, a hefty construction bill and what supporters say is the almost certain opposition by groups who believe it would cast a positive light on illegal migrants. Backers counter that the museum will educate the public on the richness of America's social fabric thanks in part to Latino presence.

Potato becomes hero

NEW YORK -- Potatoes: They're not just for side dishes anymore.

Among the most maligned and misunderstood of vegetables, the lowly potato may be poised to save the world. Or, at least, many of the world's hungry and poor, according to the United Nations, which has declared 2008 the International Year of the Potato.

It is a concept that at first might sound amusing but hardly could be more serious or timely.

Far more than just the source of such guilty pleasures as vodka, chips and stuffed skins, the inexpensive spud might be one overlooked response to the growing grain-based world food crisis. Potatoes could help offset the kind of shortages and soaring prices of rice, wheat and other basic food commodities that are igniting riots and leaving stomachs growling around the globe.

A highly nutritious, fast-growing and high yielding global vegetable, the potato can be grown in soils where other crops falter. Not only can it feed a small farmer's family but it can provide a source of employment and modest income in developing countries, according to the U.N. In the next 30 years, food and agricultural production must increase by about 60 percent to meet the needs of the global population and, if the U.N. has its way, the potato will play a greater role in meeting that goal.

"It's a crop for hungry people, I would say, because it provides a lot of energy and calories," said NeBambi Lutaladio, the coordinating secretary for the International Year of the Potato (IYP) at the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome.

Free of fat, cholesterol and sodium, a medium-sized (5.3 ounces) potato with skin provides 100 calories, 8 percent of the recommended daily requirement of fiber, 18 percent of potassium, 45 percent of Vitamin C, 10 percent of Vitamin B6 and 6 percent of iron.