Date: 04/05/2016 03:59 AM
AP-OR–Right Now/1282
Latest Oregon news, sports, business and entertainment
COAST GUARD RESCUE
Coast Guard rescues man with severed leg
WARRENTON, Ore. (AP) – The Coast Guard rescued a 41-year-old man who suffered a severe leg injury while on the north jetty of Grays Harbor, Washington.
A Coast Guard Jayhawk helicopter crew hoisted the man and brought him to the Bowerman airport on Sunday. He was taken to Seattle for medical care.
The initial report came in to Grays Harbor station via 911 dispatch. The station personnel relayed the report to watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Columbia River who directed the launch of the helicopter crew.
Chief Petty Officer Justin Urbano says the severity of the man’s injuries made it critical to get him medical attention quickly.
The man was not immediately identified.
SHEEP BEHEADING
2 men arrested in Oregon for decapitating bighorn sheep
(Information in the following story is from: The Oregonian, http://www.oregonlive.com)
BIGGS JUNCTION, Ore. (AP) – Two men accused of shooting and beheading a pair of bighorn sheep along a highway in northern Oregon have been arrested.
The Oregonian reports state police arrested the men after finding them near the dead sheep along Interstate 84 near Biggs Junction. Bighorn sheep are protected by law in the state, and hunters wishing to kill a sheep must win a tag in a lottery.
Authorities said they found one man inside a suspicious vehicle and another hiding in the bushes.
Police arrested 32-year-old Justin M. Samora, of Layton, Utah, and 37-year-old Cody J. Plagmann, of Albany, Oregon.
ALASKA AIR-VIRGIN AMERICA
Alaska Air buying Virgin America in more than $2B deal
NEW YORK (AP) – Alaska Air Group is buying Virgin America in a deal combining their West Coast presence and reigniting the debate over airline consolidation.
The deal would be worth more than $2 billion, with the combined business to be based in Seattle.
Alaska Airlines says the deal will expand its route network to include 1,200 daily departures. The airline is currently the sixth-largest U.S. carrier by traffic and serves 90 destinations in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
This deal gives it a bigger presence in San Francisco and Los Angeles, two coveted gates at Dallas Love Field, and more transcontinental service. The transaction also gives Alaska more access to some East Coast airports such as Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport in New York.
KLAMATH DAMS
States, federal agencies will seek removal of Klamath dams
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – Oregon, California, the federal government and others have agreed to go forward with a plan to remove four hydroelectric dams in the Pacific Northwest without approval from a reluctant Congress.
A spokesman for dam-owner PacifiCorp says the removal agreement is part of a “major announcement” planned for Wednesday by the governors of both states and U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell.
The agreement keeps alive a struggling effort to broker peace in the Klamath basin, which has long been the site of intense fighting over the sharing of scare water between farms and fish.
PacifiCorp spokesman Bob Gravely says a nonprofit corporation will take ownership of the dams and assume liability for any damages that stem from their removal. The plan still must be approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
CLIMATE CHANGE-WOLVERINE
APNewsBreak: Judge says climate change threatens wolverines
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) – A federal judge says the Obama administration brushed over the threat of climate change to the snow-loving wolverine when it denied protections for the elusive predator also known as the “mountain devil.”
U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen on Monday ordered wildlife officials to act as quickly as possible to protect the species as it becomes vulnerable to a warming planet.
Wolverines need deep mountain snows to den. Scientists warn that such habitat will shrink as the planet heats up.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rejected the views of many of its own scientists in 2014 when it said the effects of climate change on wolverines remained ambiguous.
The case carries potential ramifications for other species, including the Pacific walrus and dozens of corals.
MEDFORD-ABANDONED HOMES
Medford considers foreclosures to help address blight
MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) – Officials in Medford are considering using a 1989 state law to get owners of abandoned properties to fix them up and reduce neighborhood blight.
The Medford Mail-Tribune says across the city there are more than 400 mostly bank-owned homes that sit vacant, often creating problems for law enforcement and a nuisance for neighbors.
The state law, which has been used by cities such as Portland and Gresham, allows cities to foreclose on properties that have become a threat to the health and safety of a community.
Deputy City Attorney Kevin McConnell says the threat of foreclosure could prompt banks and others to fix or renovate properties.
Mayor Gary Wheeler says he likes the idea of a housing receivership. The Medford City Council appears to be receptive to a program dealing with the large number of abandoned properties.
OWYHEE IRRIGATION-EARLY WATER
Owyhee Irrigation District to start irrigation early
ONTARIO, Ore. (AP) – Water will start flowing in the Owyhee Irrigation District in eastern Oregon and southwestern Idaho one week earlier than expected.
The Capital Press reports that irrigation district board members have decided to turn on the system Monday rather than April 11 in part because high winds have dried out soil and many farmers have already planted.
The Owyhee Irrigation District provides irrigation water to 1,800 farms and 118,000 acres through a system of 400 miles of canals, laterals and ditches.
The Owyhee Reservoir had 402,000 acre-feet of usable storage water as of March 30, which is 56 percent of its total capacity. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and Natural Resources Conservation Service estimate the reservoir will likely gain between 250,000 and 400,000 acre-feet of water.
TRAFFIC FATALITIES-INCREASED PATROLS
Portland police increase patrols due to rising fatal crashes
(Information in the following story is from: KOPB-FM, http://news.opb.org)
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Portland police will be spending more time out on patrols in hopes of combatting the rising number of traffic fatalities in the city.
KOPB-FM reports that 12 people have died in traffic crashes in the past three months in Portland, which is nearly double the number of deaths in the same time last year.
Portland Police Bureau spokesman Pete Simpson says officers are watching for the three most frequent causes of crashes: drunken driving, speeding and distracted driving.
The Portland Bureau of Transportation recently adopted a goal of ending fatal crashes, called Vision Zero. Spokesman John Brady says that will eventually require redesigning some city streets, crosswalks and bike lanes, but for now relies on drivers being cautious and aware.
INMATE DEATH
Eastern Oregon prison inmate dies after taken to hospital
PENDLETON, Ore. (AP) – Officials say a 44-year-old man convicted of first-degree child sex abuse died in a hospital where he was taken for treatment from the state prison in Pendleton.
Oregon Department of Corrections officials said in a news release that Shawn McMillian was taken to a local hospital from the Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution in Pendleton Sunday afternoon. He died unexpectedly on Monday morning.
McMillian was sentenced to prison in August 2015 on five counts of child sex abuse in Lane County. Detectives said last year they found evidence of child pornography on electronic devices and digital storage devices at McMillian’s home.
McMillian pleaded guilty to the charges. His earliest release date was May 30, 2020.
Oregon State Police are investigating the cause of death.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press.