(Portland, OR) -- Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge Alicia Fuchs is about to retire. The governor's office says after that 12 years, the judge's retirement will take effect on December 31st. Fuchs grew up in Portland and graduated from Gonzaga University and from the university's law school. Governor Kate Brown will appoint a successor to Fuchs.
(Salem, OR) -- Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum says an investigator with the state Department of Justice targeted supporters of Black Lives Matter while searching social media for potential police threats. Rosenblum made the remarks after a letter from the Urban League of Portland, which went public yesterday, accused the department of conducting "digital surveillance" of Oregonians who used the hashtag "Black Lives Matter" on social media. Rosenblum says the investigator used software to conduct profiling, and she put a stop to it after learning about it. She says a complete human resources investigation is being conducted.
(Portland, OR) -- A new forecast by the Northwest Power and Conservation Council predicts the closures of three coal-fired power plants would considerably shrink the Northwest's carbon footprint over the next 20 years. The report says closing those plants in Boardman, Oregon; Centralia, Washington; and Valmy, Nevada, would reduce the region's carbon footprint from about 55-million metric tons annually to 34-million metric tons by 2035. The "Spokesman Review" reports the forecast, which is part of the draft Northwest Power Plan, also assumes that the region will continue pursuing aggressive energy-efficiency to decrease new demand.
(Portland, OR) -- Portland City Commissioner Steve Novick will run for a second term. In yesterday's announcement, Novick said he wants to run again because it's possible to be progressive and fiscally responsible at the same time. He says he wants to make a push for the Memorial Coliseum to be sold to a developer for affordable housing. Three other candidates have announced challenges to Novick, including two realtors and a restaurant cook.
(Milwaukie, OR) -- Milwaukie police say a K-9 named Kilo was instrumental in nabbing a burglary suspect who was armed with a knife at a Milwaukie insurance office. Authorities say officers arrived at a State Farm office on Southeast Rusk Road early yesterday morning, and found that the suspect had broken in and was trying to hide in the building. Police sent in Kilo, who bit the suspect on the arm even though the burglar began violently swinging a samurai-style knife. Police say 37-year-old Timothy Allen Nelson was already on parole for burglary.
(Portland, OR) -- Police are looking for a man who reportedly exposed himself to women at businesses in Southeast Portland. Investigators say the latest such incident happened Friday at a store on Southeast 17th Avenue and Hawthorne Boulevard. Police say the suspect is described as an African-American man in his late teens or early 20s, standing five-feet-ten and weighing 130 pounds. Authorities say similar incidents have been reported at businesses on Southeast 47th Avenue and Southeast 13th Avenue.
(Woodburn, OR) -- A former Portland assistant police chief will become the new top cop in Woodburn. Jim Ferraris, who also served as a deputy chief for Salem police, is set to be sworn in next month. Ferraris was with the Portland Police Bureau for 28 years before serving as a deputy chief with the Salem Police Department for four years. He says he looks forward to working as the chief of police in Woodburn, which he describes as a great community that's supportive of the police department.
(Portland, OR) -- Gasoline prices are still rising in the Portland area. Triple-A reports the average for regular is two-42 a gallon, a penny higher than yesterday. It's also nine cents above the average at this time last week.
(Salem, OR) -- Health officials say they haven't found the source of an E. coli outbreak that sickened more than 40 people in Oregon and Washington. Forty-three Chipotle restaurants in both states were closed pending the investigation of the outbreak, and are preparing to reopen. Officials initially suspected a raw vegetable was the likely source, but numerous lab tests have failed to turn up the bug. The company has been given the go-ahead to reopen the locations, provided they remove all of the food, deep-clean the closed restaurants, and allow county food inspectors to check the locations.
(Salem, OR) -- The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission says the gray wolf has been removed from the state's endangered species list. "The Oregonian" reports that while the announcement doesn't change much about current wolf management, it could pave the way for the possibility of a controlled wolf hunt in the future. The Fish & Wildlife staff has been directed to work with the Legislature to consider a bill to change the statute that includes the gray wolf on the endangered species list. Activists say they may sue over the decision, contending the science behind it didn't undergo an adequate peer review.
(Beaverton, OR) -- A man accused of picking up a 13-year-old girl and sexually abusing her is facing criminal charges. Police say 27-year-old Nathan Khingratsaphone of Beaverton picked up the teen in downtown Portland and committed the abuse at his apartment. The teen reportedly told investigators the suspect offered her marijuana and took her to the apartment. Khingratsaphone is facing multiple charges.
(Portland, OR) -- A new report from Multnomah County health officials says Portland ranks fifth in the nation for the rate of syphilis cases. The county health department says Portland averages about 250 cases of syphilis per year, and has seen an increase of about 15-hundred percent since 2007. That year, Oregon registered about 30 syphilis cases, compared to about 450 so far in 2015. KOIN-TV reports the Oregon Health Authority is launching an awareness campaign that will include ads on TriMet buses and an informational website.
(Albany, OR) -- Authorities are looking for a 69-year-old Albany woman who's been reported missing. Linn County sheriff's deputies say Rozanne Elaine Spann, who suffers from Alzheimer's, was reported missing around 7:50 last night after she left her Spicer Drive home. Rozanne Elaine Spann is described as white, standing about five feet eight inches, weighing 148 pounds, with shoulder length brown hair, and last seen wearing blue jeans, a brown jacket, and a vest. Anyone with information is asked to call 541-967-3950.
(Portland, OR) -- Portland police say they've arrested a man who sprayed a security guard with insect spray as he tried to leave a Safeway with 700 dollars worth of groceries. Authorities say Lawrence H. Dorris tried to leave the Northeast Portland supermarket in August without paying for the groceries when he was confronted by the guard. Officials say after the guard was sprayed, another employee intervened and sprayed Dorris. Dorris is charged with robbery and unlawful use of a weapon.
(Portland, OR) -- Drivers in the Portland area are still paying more for gasoline. The latest survey by Triple-A shows the average for a gallon of regular is two-41, up a half-cent from yesterday. It's also about a dime a gallon above the average of a week ago.
(Undated) -- Results of a new study give Washington a low grade for government transparency and accountability. The Center for Public Integrity gives the Evergreen state a "D-plus" in government openness, even though it ranks 12th in the nation in that category. The study grades states based on the laws and systems they have in place to deter corruption. Oregon has a grade of "F" and ranks 44th in the study, while Alaska, California, and Connecticut rank first, second, and third, respectively.
(Douglas County, OR) -- Police are investigating a crash that killed one person and injured three others in Douglas County. Oregon State Police say the wreck happened around two o'clock Saturday afternoon on Highway 101, four miles south of Reedsport. A vehicle traveling north crossed the centerline and slammed into an oncoming car, killing 40-year-old Heather Walseth. Three other people are being treated at hospitals.
(Portland, OR) -- Officials say about one-thousand gallons of sewage leaked into the Willamette River over the weekend. The sewage reportedly flowed into the river from a stormwater outfall pipe, less than a mile south of the Sellwood Bridge. People are being urged to avoid the river at least until this afternoon. The cause of the leak hasn't yet been determined.
(Portland, OR) -- Police continue to investigate a deadly shooting in Northeast Portland. Officials say the body 27-year-old Arthur Simon Aihebhoria was found around 7:30 Saturday night in the area of Northeast Rodney Avenue and Shaver Street. Police believe the body wasn't discovered until about an hour after the shooting. No arrests have been made.
(Klamath Falls, OR) -- Health officials are trying to identify what caused at least 75 students and nine teachers to get sick at a Klamath Falls elementary school. Officials suspect a norovirus may be at play. People in the area are being urged to wash their hands frequently in order to prevent the spread of the suspected norovirus.
(Federal Way, WA) -- Weyerhaeuser Corporation is acquiring Plum Creek of Seattle for nearly eight-and-a-half-billion-dollars. The companies have announced they'll combine to form the largest private owner of timberland in the U.S. Weyerhaeuser CEO Doyle Simons will be the president and chief executive for the combined companies. Simons told the "Seattle Times" there will be some overlap in terms of personnel, but it's too early to tell how many positions would be eliminated.
(Portland, OR) -- Fuel prices are continuing a steady climb in the Portland area. The latest Triple-A survey shows the average for regular at two-40 a gallon, which is up ten-and-a-half cents from a week ago. The national average for regular is two-22 a gallon.
(Portland, OR) -- TV weatherman Al Roker is on his Rokerthon 2 tour, and made Portland one of his stops. Roker's goal is to set a record for the number of states from which he reports the weather. That goal, of course, is 50. He made it into Portland around 1:30 yesterday afternoon and read the area forecast. The Rokerthon is taking place to raise money for Feeding America.
(Portland, OR) -- A Portland aluminum manufacturing plant is under suspension as a federal contractor. KGW-TV reports Sapa Profiles has sent a letter to its customers, saying certain employees altered test results for aluminum extrusions manufactured by the plant. The company says after it discovered the misconduct, the employees in question were fired and the false test results were reported to government officials, who then conducted their own investigation.
(Portland, OR) -- Multnomah County will launch a new sex-education program, with the help of a six-and-a-half-million-dollar grant. The Adolescents and Communities Together project is intended to reduce the number of teen pregnancies and curb sexually-transmitted diseases across the Portland metro area. The goal is to develop sex education for middle- and high-school students to help them finish school, develop positive relationships, and stay healthy. They'll be advised by a youth advisory committee composed of teens.
(Vancouver, WA) -- Authorities say they've arrested three people as a result of a sizable drug bust in Vancouver. Detectives say two of the suspects left for Seattle Wednesday, and all three arrived later back in Clark County, where deputies pulled them over and found two pounds of heroin inside their vehicles. Officials say a raid at the Evergreen Park Apartments yielded more than 14 pounds of meth and six pounds of heroin, and more than 200-thousand dollars in cash and a stolen AR-15 rifle were seized from a safe in Portland. Each of the three suspects is charged with possession, delivery, and other charges.
(Undated) -- The March of Dimes ranks Oregon and Washington among the states with the lowest premature-birth rates in the nation. Both states earned a grade of "A" according to the March of Dimes Premature Birth Rate Report Card. Oregon's preterm-birth rate is seven-point-seven percent and Washington's is eight-point-one percent, compared to the national rate of nine-point-six percent. The organization says about 380-thousand babies nationwide are born too soon each year.
(Hillsboro, OR) -- Authorities say a suicidal woman shot and killed herself after firing at Washington County sheriff's deputies who arrived to help. Deputies were dispatched around 12:30 yesterday afternoon to the area of River Road and Minter Bridge in Hillsboro after a report of a suicidal woman. Investigators say the 57-year-old Hillsboro woman eventually shot herself to death. Officials say a deputy caught either a bullet or a piece of shrapnel, but is expected to be fine.
(Portland, OR) -- The price of gasoline continues to rise in the Portland area. The latest Triple-A survey shows the average for regular jumped more than three cents from yesterday, now standing at two-38 a gallon. That's about a dime above the average of a week ago.
(Portland, OR) -- The union representing drivers on MAX lines blames TriMet for ordering a train to drive through standing water. President of Amalgamated Transit Unit 7-5-7 Shirley Block said yesterday the driver of the car under the Morrison Bridge was told to slow down but drive through several feet of standing water during Halloween's storm. TriMet says no manager ever gave that order to the driver. TriMet is investigating the incident along with the O-D-O-T.
(Hillsboro, OR) -- A Catholic school in Hillsboro wants your help finding whoever vandalized a statue. Saint Matthew Catholic School says security footage caught at least two people, one dressed up as Snow White, vandalizing a statue of Saint Francis on Halloween. KATU-TV says the school has filed a police report after finding the statue broken Sunday morning. You can see pictures of the suspects on the school's Facebook page.
(Portland, OR) -- Portland police say a 29-year-old man tried to bribe a 14-year-old girl for sex using marijuana. Investigators say Joshua Poehler asked the teen, who didn't know him, over a dozen times to have sex with him, reportedly offering her pot in exchange for sex. Poehler also reportedly offered sex to an arresting officer in exchange for his freedom. He is facing numerous charges, including luring a minor, coercion and attempted third degree rape.
(Wood Village, OR) -- Investigators say a 16-year-old kidnapped his great-grandmother with two other teens so he could kill her. Investigators didn't disclose why Dylan Martin wanted to take the life of the 86-year-old woman. Martin and 15-year-old Billy Underwood along with another 14-year-old girl kidnapped Hazel Abel in Kennewick, Washington on Monday and threw her in the trunk of a car. Abel escaped when the three stopped at a Wal Mart in Wood Village. Underwood and Martin are facing numerous charges, including kidnapping and robbery and investigators say they're being charged as adults. The other teen involved was not identified.
(Oregon City, OR) -- Health officials have lifted an advisory for the Clackamas River near Clackamette Park. They issued an advisory on Monday about high levels of algae in the cove at the park in Oregon City. Officials lifted that advisory yesterday after monitoring the algae for about 48 hours. KGW-TV reports people who got drinking water from that portion of the river were also told to stop using tap water for a couple of days.
(Portland, OR) -- The Portland City Council is saying no to more oil trains coming through the Rose City. They adopted a resolution against an increase in those trains at their meeting last night but no laws were passed. The council is also expected to vote on another resolution to voice their opposition to any infrastructure used to support the oil industry in the city.
(Corvallis, OR) -- A man remains behind bars for allegedly chasing people around a park near Oregon State University with an axe. The Oregonian reports Zachary Williams is facing 13 charges for allegedly following people through Central Park and verbally threatening them earlier this week. Authorities say no one in the park was injured. Williams is facing menacing and unlawful use of a weapon charges in the incident.
(Vancouver, WA) -- A man pleads guilty to hitting and killing a seven-year-old girl on Halloween last year. A judge set Duane Abbott's sentencing for November 20th after he entered his guilty plea in a Vancouver court room yesterday, according to The Columbian. He faces over 17 years behind bars for hitting and killing Cadence Boyer on Northeast 112th Avenue last Halloween. Investigators say Abbott was high on marijuana when he crashed into Cadence, her mother and her friend.
(Portland, OR) -- Health officials say the number of E. coli cases in Oregon is up to 12, and up to 28 in Washington. Most of the patients reportedly ate at Chipotle restaurants, 43 locations of which have been temporarily closed in Oregon and Washington. The ages of the patients range from one to 61. No deaths from the outbreak have been reported. Health officials say contaminated produce may have been the cause of the E. coli cases.
(Portland, OR) -- TriMet is strongly denying an allegation that it ordered its drivers to travel through floodwaters. The union representing the transit agency, the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 757, says a manager ordered drivers to go through high water during the weekend, despite drivers' objections. Union president Shirley Block says it's dangerous for trains to travel through floods because of the high voltage carried by the trains. TriMet categorically denies that management ordered an operator to proceed through the flooded area.
(Troutdale, OR) -- A proposal for a penny-a-gallon gasoline tax in Troutdale is leading in initial returns. The tax, which would be phased in over three years, is ahead by a 53-47-percent margin. So far, about two-thirds of those voting in the Riverdale School District are favoring a five-year local-option levy to fund operations. It would mean a dollar-37 for each one-thousand dollars in assessed value.
(Wood Village, OR) -- Three teenagers are accused of abducting an 86-year-old woman from her home in Kennewick, Washington, locking her in the trunk of a car, and driving her to the Portland area. Multnomah County authorities say Hazel Abel told sheriff's deputies she was able to engage an emergency release inside the trunk and escape, after the car had stopped early yesterday morning at a Walmart in Wood Village. Deputies got descriptions of the suspects from Abel, and tracked them to a gas station across the street from the Walmart. The suspects are being held in juvenile detention and will be transported back to Kennewick.
(Portland, OR) -- A suspect is in custody in connection with the murder of a 19-year-old in Southeast Portland. Police say Deandrea Sanders is accused of killing Anthony Jackson, Jr. in July. Sanders was already being held on unrelated charges, and is now facing a murder charge. Jackson was found with gunshot wounds on July 12th in the 13-thousand block of Southeast Powell Boulevard, and died later at a hospital.
(Portland, OR) -- The price of gasoline is on the rise in Portland. Triple-A reports the average for regular is two-32 a gallon, which is a penny-and-a-half higher than yesterday's average. It's also three cents a gallon above the average of a week ago.
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(Seattle, WA) -- For the first time in two decades, Seattle's famed Gum Wall is getting a scrub. Officials at the city's Pike Place Market say all gum stuck to the wall will be removed starting next week. Word is the gum is damaging the bricks at the unsanitary landmark, and KING-TV reports the wall will be steam cleaned. People started sticking their chewed gum to the wall in the early 1990s, and there's now an estimated one-million pieces hanging from it.
(Portland, OR) -- Oregon Public Health officials say it's likely that contaminated produce was the cause of E. coli cases in Oregon. Many of the cases have been linked to Chipotle restaurants in Washington and Oregon and have led to the company temporarily closing 43 locations. Three E. coli cases have been confirmed in Oregon and 19 have been diagnosed in Washington. There have been no deaths.
(Portland, OR) -- A man who's accused of robbing a US Bank branch is in police custody. Police say the holdup happened around one o'clock yesterday afternoon at the branch in the 16-thousand block of Southeast Division. Authorities say the robber demanded money but didn't display a weapon. He was arrested in the 33-hundred block of Southeast 158th following the robbery.
(Vancouver, WA) -- Authorities say a Vancouver-area man is accused of stealing his friend's massive collection of "Star Wars" memorabilia to pay off a debt. The collection was stolen from a Vancouver home on October 23rd and was sold to Showroom Collectibles. Police have arrested 24-year-old Benjamin Milam, who was arraigned yesterday on charges of residential burglary, theft, and trafficking in stolen property. Investigators say Milam told them he made several trips to the store to sell off the collection until he had the money he needed to pay the debt.
(Portland, OR) -- TriMet officials say about a dozen of the agency's trains are out of service following Saturday's flooding. The flood resulted in standing water being left on the Southwest 1st Avenue line under the Morrison Bridge. Transportation legal consultant Carl Berkowitz told KATU-TV that it was a mistake to send trains through because it posed a hazard to passengers who stood in ankle-deep floodwater. TriMet officials say safety procedures regarding operating in flood conditions will be reviewed and revised.
(Hillsboro, OR) -- Among the issues being decided by Washington County voters is a five-year public-safety levy. It would total 42-cents for each one-thousand-dollars of assessed property value, and would generate revenue for prosecutions; jail, parole and probation services; a mental-health response team; and other services. A five-year replacement levy of 22-cents per one-thousand-dollars is being requested by Washington County Library Services. The revenue would be used to maintain and add library hours, buy books, and fund children's programs.
(Troutdale, OR) -- Voters in Troutdale have until eight o'clock tonight to return their ballots for the proposed three-cents-a-gallon gas tax to pay for street maintenance. The tax would be phased in over three years. The Riverdale School District is asking its voters to approve a five-year local-option levy to fund operations. The proposed levy is a-dollar-37 for each one-thousand-dollars of assessed property value.
(Portland, OR) -- The price of gasoline is higher in the Portland area. Triple-A reports the average for regular is two-31 a gallon, a penny-and-a-half higher than yesterday. The national average for regular is two-19 a gallon.
(Portland, OR) -- Police say impaired driving contributed to the death of a pedestrian during a crash in North Portland. Investigators believe the 27-year-old pedestrian was hit around one o'clock yesterday morning by a vehicle driven by 21-year-old Matthew Tyler Freeman. Authorities say Freeman crashed his car into a pole about a block away, in the area of North Lombard Street and Peninsular Avenue. Freeman will appear in court later today. The name of the pedestrian hasn't been released.
(Salem, OR) -- Health officials say they expect an increase in the number of E. coli cases linked to Chipotle restaurants in Washington and Oregon. As of Friday, 19 cases of E. coli infection had been confirmed in western Washington and three in northwest Oregon, with some of those patients having eaten at Chipotle locations. About one-third of those have been hospitalized, but there have been no deaths from the infections. All 43 Chipotle locations in Oregon and Washington will remain closed until health officials say it's safe for them to reopen.
(Hillsboro, OR) -- Cleanup will continue today at the Washington County Justice Services Building, which was a casualty of the flooding that took place in the Portland metro area over the weekend. "The Oregonian" reports water from clogged drain pipes began flooding the building around 4:30 Saturday afternoon. Firefighters were at a Halloween event in downtown Hillsboro when they were dispatched to the county building. About three-thousand gallons of water, reaching a level of four feet in an emergency stairwell, were removed from the building.
(Portland, OR) -- Investigators are trying to find out what caused a motor-home fire that spread to a nearby tire business in Southeast Portland. Firefighters responded yesterday morning to the blaze on Southeast 82nd Avenue at Lambert Street. Authorities say one person in the trailer was injured, but there's no word on that person's condition. Police reported several small explosions coming from inside the trailer.
(Portland, OR) -- Portland-area fuel prices continue to decline. The latest Triple-A survey shows the average for a gallon of regular is two-29, down more than four-cents from a week ago. The national average for regular is two-19 a gallon.
(Corvallis, OR) -- An Albany teenager is facing a DUII charge following a crash that critically injured a pedestrian in the Corvallis area. Oregon State Police say 18-year-old Adrean Antonio Magana struck the pedestrian around 1:30 yesterday morning on Highway 34. The pedestrian is being treated for life-threatening injuries. Magana and a passenger in his vehicle were also injured.
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