AP-OR–1st NewsMinute,323
Here is the latest Oregon news from The Associated Press
GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) – Police in Grants Pass say a 30-year-old
man has been arrested in the fatal shooting of a transient.
Officers responded to a gas station yesterday afternoon after a
report of a shooting. The Oregonian says police identified the
victim as 29-year-old Daniel Baker. He died at the scene. Witnesses
said a man fled in a green Chevrolet pickup. Oregon State Police
and Jackson County sheriff’s officers stopped a vehicle matching
that description and arrested Laurence King of Selma.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Portland firefighters say they had to
crawl into a burning house past towering stacks of magazines and
newspapers to search for the lone occupant, who died. They found
67-year-old Thomas Owen in a back bedroom early yesterday. The
Oregonian reports that Owen died of smoke inhalation after
household items left too close to a fireplace ignited. Fire Bureau
spokesman Paul Corah says investigators didn’t find any smoke
alarms. Damage was estimated at about $150,000.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Gov. John Kitzhaber is pushing back
against a legislative budget proposal that would close a prison and
lay off hundreds of middle managers in state government. His office
is asking lawmakers to consider other options, such as spending
down reserves or tapping the state’s share of a $30 million
settlement with mortgage lenders. Officials say he’d prefer not to
have to cut school funding. Lawmakers are trying to rebalance the
budget amid a $340 million drop in anticipated tax revenue.
SALEM, Ore. (AP) – Five Oregon state workers have asked a
federal court to block a new health insurance program that requires
them to fill out an online risk assessment survey or pay a monthly
penalty: $20 for individuals, $35 for couples. The Salem Statesman
Journal says the class-action lawsuit says the wellness program
coerces workers into providing personal medical information,
violating their civil rights and privacy. The board that governs
state benefits is considering suspending the program.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
AP-NY-02-17-12 0400EST
