The city of Portland, Oregon, has settled a federal lawsuit over its police bureau's use of tear gas and other crowd control devices during racial justice protests in 2020. Under the settlement, filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Portland, the city has agreed to pay $250,000 to five dem…
One of the 31 members of a white supremacist group arrested near an Idaho Pride event earlier this year has pleaded guilty to disturbing the peace. The Coeur d'Alene Press reports Alexander N. Sisenstein of Midvale, Utah, pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor charge on Monday. Prosecutors said S…
A lawsuit against the maker of an anti-malarial drug blamed for causing psychotic and neurological damage in U.S. servicemembers has been thrown out. U.S. District Court Judge Trina Thompson ruled late Monday that the lawsuit doesn't belong in a California court. An Army veteran said Roche L…
An Oregon state senator who made veiled threats against the Oregon State Police and the Senate president says he’s pursuing a freedom of speech lawsuit against fellow lawmakers who sanctioned him. The Senate Conduct Committee on Monday rescinded the 3-year-old requirement that Sen. Brian Boq…
An Oregon Senate panel has rescinded the security measure it imposed on state Sen. Brian Boquist after he made threatening statements during an acrimonious 2019 legislative session, in a case that centers on free speech. Since July 2019, Boquist has been required to give 12 hours notice befo…
Courts in Oregon's Multnomah County, home to Portland, have dismissed nearly 300 cases this year, including felonies, due to a shortage of public defenders. Mike Schmidt, the county's top prosecutor, calls the shortage “an urgent threat to public safety" and released a tally showing that mor…
A historic home featured in the classic film “The Goonies” is for sale in Astoria, Oregon. Built in 1896, the house has sweeping views of the Columbia River flowing into the Pacific Ocean. It's listed with an asking price of $1.7 million. The home's relator says potential buyers are consider…
The National Weather Service urged holiday travelers to heed their warnings about a winter storm that was expected to bring snow to the mountain passes starting Saturday night and could drop snow on the metro areas by Sunday into next week. Heavy mountain snow was expected in the Cascades and travelers should be prepared for restrictions. The storm was expected to reach Eastern Washington and Idaho by Sunday and continue east to Montana. As snow levels drop, the white stuff will likely fall in Portland and Seattle by Monday. Winds are expected to pick up as the storm moves in, which could cause power outages in some areas.
A gun rights group, sheriff and gun store owner filed an emergency motion in federal court late Wednesday seeking to stop enforcement of one of the strictest gun control laws in the nation. The gun control measure narrowly approved by Oregon voters is set go into effect on Dec. 8. A judge on Thursday scheduled a hearing on the motion for Dec. 2. The Oregon Firearms Foundation, Sherman County Sheriff Brad Lohrey and Adam Johnson, owner of Coat of Arms Firearms, sued the Oregon governor and attorney general on Nov. 18 saying Measure 114 is unconstitutional. Backers say banning large-capacity magazines will save lives and argue the measure will reduce suicides.
A federal judge has sentenced a Renton, Washington man to 10 years in prison for his role in a violent drug distribution ring. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Seattle says Benjamin Fuentes was indicted in 2020 with a dozen co-conspirators after an extensive wire-tap investigation into drug trafficking and firearms sales in the region. U.S. Attorney Nick Brown says Fuentes and his coconspirators distributed massive amounts of methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, and fentanyl pills in King, Pierce, Lewis, and Snohomish counties. In addition to the 10-year prison term, the judge also ordered four years of supervised release to follow incarceration.
A shortage of snow plow drivers has made clearing the roads in Oregon a challenge. That's according to the Oregon Department of Transportation. The agency has almost 40 vacancies for seasonal and permanent positions on its road maintenance team in the eastern part of the state. The agency says new federal licensing rules for drivers resulted in longer wait times to obtain a commercial driver’s license, which contributed to the snow plow driver shortage. The transportation department will pay for new snow plow drivers to get the special driver’s license. Many drivers leave the agency for new jobs after the six-month snow plow season is over.
Two of Oregon’s most economically disadvantaged and racially diverse communities — one in Portland and the other along the coast — are getting a boost in their fight against air pollution. Oregon Public Broadcasting reports Environmental Protection Agency grants will go to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, environmental nonprofit Verde and the Confederated Tribes of Coos Lower Umpqua & Siuslaw Indians. The grants will go toward increasing air quality monitoring and awareness in communities where many residents are disproportionately burdened by pollution such as those living near industrial facilities or highways.
Officials say a 30-year-old man has died after Portland police shot him early Saturday while responding to a reported armed robbery in Southeast Portland. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports Portland police said Wednesday that the state medical examiner’s officer determined Immanueal Jaquez Clark-Johnson of Portland died from a gunshot wound. Police did not say what day Clark-Johnson died. The Portland Police Bureau’s homicide unit is investigating the shooting with the Multnomah County District Attorney’s office and East County Major Crimes Team. Clark-Johnson is the fourth person Portland police have killed in 2022. Police have not released the names of the officer or officers who shot Clark-Johnson.
Medical examiners have released the names of the four people who died in a small plane crash Friday northeast of Seattle. The Snohomish County Medical Examiner said Wednesday that the victims included three men from Washington state: 33-year-old Nathan Precup of Seattle; 49-year-old Nate Lachendro, of Gig Harbor, and 52-year-old Scott Brenneman of Roy. The medical examiner's office also said 67-year-old David Newton of Wichita, Kansas, died in the crash. All died of blunt-force injuries, according to the medical examiner’s office. Raisbeck Engineering of Seattle said previously that two were “highly experienced” test pilots, one was a flight-test director and one an instrumentation engineer.
The Portland City Auditor has reversed its determination that Rene Gonzalez’s city council campaign violated campaign finance limits by accepting a subsidized monthly rent for office space and parking spots owned by a campaign supporter. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports the announcement comes a month after Oregon administrative law Judge Joe L. Allen revoked a $77,000 fine the city issued against Gonzalez’ campaign. In his opinion, Allen said the discounted office space did not surpass the fair market value of the property and therefore did not qualify as an unreported campaign contribution. The city must pay thousands of dollars it withheld from Gonzalez, who beat incumbent Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty in the city council race.
Children’s hospitals in the Pacific Northwest are struggling to maintain enough space for their young patients. Some report being over capacity, amid increasing strain due to a surge in respiratory illness and hospitalizations. Two hospitals in Portland have moved to crisis standards of care. OHSU's Doernbecher Children’s Hospital and Randall Children’s Hospital at Legacy Emanuel account for much of the state’s pediatric intensive care capacity. In neighboring Washington state, health officials in King County, home to Seattle, have reported the first death of a child from flu complications this season.
Courts in Oregon's Multnomah County, home to Portland, have dismissed nearly 300 cases this year, including felonies, due to a shortage of public defenders. Mike Schmidt, the county's top prosecutor, calls the shortage “an urgent threat to public safety" and released a tally showing that more than 700 low-income defendants lack legal representation. Oregon's public defender system has shown cracks for years but worsened during the pandemic. The state has been sued twice this year for failing to provide public defenders in a timely manner. While the original lawsuit was dismissed, a similar second suit was filed last month.
A jury has found a Salem police corporal justified in the use of force in a non-fatal shooting involving three people, according to the Marion County District Attorney’s Office. The Statesman Journal reports a Marion County Grand Jury found Cpl. Joshua Buker justified Monday for using deadly force against Vincent Nesbitt, Daren Shelton-Olson and an unknown person allegedly involved in an attempted carjacking Nov. 12. The district attorney's office says a woman reported two men tried to rob her vehicle. Officers found potential suspects and when their vehicle stopped, all three occupants fled on foot. Buker chased them, was shot at by one of them and returned fire. No one was injured.
A historic home featured in the classic film “The Goonies” is for sale in Astoria, Oregon. Built in 1896, the house has sweeping views of the Columbia River flowing into the Pacific Ocean. It's listed with an asking price of $1.7 million. The home's relator says potential buyers are considering making it more accessible to the public. Since the film was released in 1985, fans have flocked to the home, prompting the owner to close it to foot traffic at times. The steady stream of visitors has also sparked resident complaints and forced local officials to restrict parking. The city celebrates Goonies Day each June 7.
Sheriff's officials say a small town in central Oregon was evacuated and five people were hurt due to a fire at a hemp manufacturing plant. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports the Sherman County Sheriff’s Office said five employees were burned in the fire Sunday. Flames engulfed the building for several hours and the sheriff’s office reported multiple explosions. The evacuation order for Grass Valley 150 residents was lifted around 11:30 a.m. Monday. Officials say residents were evacuated to the town of Moro because the chemicals stored in the plant posed a risk for a larger explosion. The Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Office and the Department of Environmental Quality are investigating the cause of the blaze.
The National Transportation Safety Board says a wing from a Cessna 208B broke away before the plane crashed Friday into a field northeast of Seattle, killing the four people on board. The Seattle Times reports the NTSB said Monday the wreckage has been recovered and taken to a facility for reconstruction. The NTSB says the small plane departed Renton Municipal Airport around 9:30 a.m. and at about 10:20 a.m. crashed and then burned near Snohomish. The names of the people on board haven't been released. Raisbeck Engineering of Seattle in an emailed statement identified them as two “highly experienced” test pilots, a flight-test director and an instrumentation engineer.
An Oregon gun rights group and a county sheriff have filed a federal lawsuit challenging a voter-approved ballot measure that is one of the strictest gun control laws in the nation. The Oregon Firearms Federation and Sherman County Sheriff Brad Lohrey filed the lawsuit Friday in U.S. District Court contending the measure scheduled to take effect Dec. 8 is unconstitutional because it violates the Second Amendment. Oregon voters earlier this month approved the measure that requires residents to obtain a permit to purchase a gun, bans magazines over 10 rounds except in some circumstances and creates a statewide firearms database.
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Investigators say four people are dead after a fiery plane crash Friday northeast of Seattle. The Seattle Times reports that authorities on Saturday confirmed four people died in the crash. First responders initially reported that two people had died. Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Courtney O'Keefe says additional examination of the wreckage with help from the county Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed the deaths. The Federal Aviation Administration has said the single-engine Cessna 208B crashed in a field Friday morning. The FAA's website says the aircraft was owned by Copper Mountain Aviation of Alaska. The National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA are investigating.
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown says she and her husband Dan have tested positive for COVID-19 after returning from Vietnam. Brown said on Twitter Saturday afternoon that both of them are recuperating at home. She said while it means their Thanksgiving plans have changed, they are grateful for effective vaccines and booster shots that help ensure their symptoms don't become serious. Brown was overseas for the Vietnam-United States Trade Forum. Oregon officials have warned that the combined effects of COVID-19, the flu and RSV could strain hospitals in the coming months. Brown declared a state of emergency Monday to aid hospitals as viral infections and hospitalizations rise among infants and children.
A man was shot and killed and a woman was injured after police believe the two interrupted a vehicle break-in at a shopping center parking garage near Seattle. Tukwila police say the shooting was reported at 6:39 p.m. Friday near the Southcenter Mall. Police say emergency personnel tried unsuccessfully to save a man at the scene who had been shot. An injured woman was taken to a hospital and was expected to survive. The Seattle Times reports no arrests had been announced as of Saturday morning and police said they didn't have any updates yet to report. The Tukwila Major crimes unit is investigating.
The U.S. government has taken a step toward approving the expansion of a natural gas pipeline in the Pacific Northwest. It's a move opposed by environmentalists and the states of Oregon, California and Washington. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission completed an environmental impact statement that projected a positive view of the proposal. But a coalition of groups said the commission's environmental impact statement didn’t properly address harmful impacts on climate change, particularly that caused by fracking. The pipeline runs from the Canadian border, through a corner of Idaho, and into Washington state and Oregon, and connects with a pipeline going into California.
The Washington State Patrol was involved in a shooting after a person reportedly carjacked a trailer trailer, rolled it on Interstate 5 and then refused to exit the vehicle, closing the interstate in Olympia. Trooper Robert Reyer said on Twitter Friday afternoon that I-5 was blocked at Martin Way because of the rolled truck. Reyer said the person inside the cab refused to exit the truck and negotiations were ongoing. The State Patrol later said their agency was involved in a shooting at the location. KING 5 reports aerial footage showed a man running at police before falling. He was taken away by ambulance. One northbound lane had reopened around 7:30 p.m.
Washington has banned fish-farming with net pens in state waters, citing danger to struggling native salmon. Public Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz issued an executive order Friday banning this aquaculture method. California, Oregon and Alaska have already outlawed net pens. In 2017, a net pen operated by Cooke Aquaculture collapsed, releasing 260,000 nonnative Atlantic salmon in Puget Sound. The Canadian company argued that the fish were sterile and would not threaten native salmon stocks; after the collapse, they transitioned to raising native steelhead. But many Native American tribes and environmental groups still objected, saying that raised fish spread disease to wild populations and degrade the environment.
Two people have died in the fiery crash of a small plane northeast of Seattle between Snohomish and Monroe. News outlets report that the Federal Aviation Administration says a single-engine Textron 208B crashed in a field at around 9:30 a.m. Friday. The fire chief confirmed that two people on board died in the crash. Preliminary reports indicate that the plane crashed in a field near U.S. 2. The highway in that area was temporarily closed. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board were at the scene Friday afternoon. The NTSB will handle an investigation. The names of those killed will be released later by the Snohomish County Medical Examiner's Office.
City Council members in Portland, Oregon, have pushed back a vote on a disputed budget measure that would fund the creation of designated camping areas for homeless people. The move came after public comment during Thursday's council meeting grew so heated that the meeting was moved online. The budget would allocate $27 million to build a network of city-sanctioned outdoor homeless encampments. City Council approved the designated campsites, along with a ban on street camping, during a similarly contentious meeting two weeks ago. The camping ban will phase in once the designated camping areas are built.
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