Date: 06/14/2012 03:59 AM
OR–1st NewsMinute/337
Here is the latest Oregon news from The Associated Press
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – State Rep. Matt Wingard has stepped down as deputy Republican leader in the Oregon House after a former aide accused him of pressuring her to have a sexual relationship three years ago. Wingard apologized last night, saying he should not have entered into the relationship. He did not address the woman’s allegation that he pressured her. The Oregon Department of Justice closed its investigation without charges after the woman, now 23, said the sex was consensual.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Oregon voters get bombarded every two years with dramatic claims and counter-claims over the latest crop of ballot measures. Now, a panel of citizens is coming to the rescue. The state Legislature last year voted to keep and expand an experiment with hiring average voters to cut through the drama and offer an objective view of ballot measures. The new Citizens’ Initiative Review Commission held its first meeting yesterday in Portland.
UNDATED (AP) – People are flocking to an Oregon beach to see a Japanese dock that floated across the Pacific after last year’s tsunami. But state officials aren’t interested in turning it into a tourist spot. Some residents who live nearby want to see the dock left on Agate Beach as a memorial to tsunami victims. Oregon Department of Parks and Recreation spokesman Chris Havel said yesterday that the state feels the integrity of the beaches should be preserved, and is pressing ahead with the dock’s removal.
BEND, Ore. (AP) – The popularity of the cable TV show “Storage Wars” has led to some Central Oregon skirmishes. The Bend Bulletin reports that buyers in the region are flocking to storage units where the renters have defaulted. They’re bidding up the prices for the chance to go through the contents in hopes of finding valuable objects. The risk is they’ll get junk instead. Still, Dave Romine of Old Mill Self Storage in Bend says 40 to 50 people are showing up for auctions that used to draw three or four.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.