1st Oregon News Minute from the AP

AP-OR–1st NewsMinute,323
Here is the latest Oregon news from The Associated Press

MOUNT RAINIER NATIONAL PARK, Wash. (AP) – Rescuers will return
to Mount Rainier today to resume the search for four overdue
climbers and campers – including one from Oregon. Park spokeswoman
Patti Wold says searchers didn’t find any signs of the two groups
yesterday, but said –quote– “we’re optimistic, so we’ll keep
searching.” Among the missing climbers is 52-year-old Sork
“Erik” Yang of Springfield, Ore. He and the three others had been
expected off of Mount Rainier on Jan. 15 or 16.

ASTORIA, Ore. (AP) – The Coast Guard is closing multiple river
bars in Washington and Oregon to all vessels because of hazardous
conditions Sunday. Coast Guard officials in Seattle and Astoria,
Ore., are closing the bars at Quillayute (KWIL-uh-yoot) River in
Washington, as well as Siuslaw River and Depoe Bay in Oregon. They
also closed the bars at Yaquina Bay and the Columbia River. The
Coast Guard says it will re-open the waterways as soon as offshore
weather improves.

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) – Preliminary construction work could begin
this spring on a state psychiatric hospital south of Junction City
– if state lawmakers back funding. For work to commence this year,
the Oregon Legislature must approve a $29 million allocation of
general fund-backed bonds for the hospital. A small portion of the
funding would go to the nearly completed Salem psychiatric
hospital. The timing, however, is difficult given state
government’s dire financial problems.

COTTAGE GROVE, Ore. (AP) – Oregon State Police say a bicyclist
is dead after he was hit while trying to cross Interstate 5 near
Cottage Grove. The crash happened at about 9:45 p.m. Saturday in
the southbound lane of I-5. Trooper Cale Day says an SUV driven by
Amber Vincent of Sutherlin struck the bicyclist. Vincent’s two
children were in the vehicle and weren’t hurt. The bicyclist was
trapped under the vehicle as it stopped. Police say he wasn’t
wearing reflective clothing and the bicycle had no lights.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

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