Here is the latest Oregon news from The Associated Press
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Oregon Veterans Administration medical centers fared poorly in a national audit. The state’s facilities recorded some of the nation’s longest wait times for primary care, specialist care and mental health care. The Portland VA Medical Center had the nation’s fifth-longest wait time for new patient primary care. New patients had to wait an average of 80 days before they could be seen.
GRESHAM, Ore. (AP) – Police in Gresham say a car driven by an 82-year-old man hit two neighboring houses last night but no one was hurt. Lt. Claudio Grandjean says both homes suffered extensive damage. He says the accident did not involve drugs, speed or alcohol. Grandjean says Donald Eads told officers he confused the brake pedal with the gas pedal at an intersection and drove straight through a yard into both houses.
BEND, Ore. (AP) – A $2,000 reward is being offered for information leading to a conviction to those responsible for a wildfire on the outskirts of Bend. Authorities say the 6,800-acre Two Bulls fire was human-caused. About 50 homes remain under an evacuation notice. Fire officials say fighting the blaze that started Saturday has cost $2.2 million so far.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Federal authorities say a 31-year-old man who escaped from a Central Oregon prison is back in custody after a month on the run. The Oregonian reports that Clinton Swearingen was arrested Friday in downtown Portland. He was captured after a brief chase. He was identified through a fingerprint check at the jail.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press.
