AP-OR–Right Now/1344
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS-BODY-THE LATEST
The Latest: University of Texas vigil honors slain student
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Hundreds have attended a University of Texas vigil honoring a first-year dance student whose slaying has shocked the campus.
Eighteen-year-old Haruka Weiser was last seen leaving a university drama building Sunday night. Her body was discovered in a creek in the heart of the university’s Austin campus on Tuesday.
The crowd that gathered Thursday evening on UT’s East Mall held a moment of silence, then heard speeches from students, administrators and faculty members.
Organizers distributed black ribbons and note cards for writing messages. Grief counselors also attended.
Police have released surveillance video of a man they say is a suspect in the case. An autopsy showed Weiser was assaulted, but authorities have not shared details of how she died.
GOVERNOR SPEECH
Gov. Brown giving second State of the State on Friday
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Gov. Kate Brown is slated to give the State of the State address on Friday, her second since taking office a little more than a year ago.
She’ll be speaking at the Portland City Club’s Friday Forum in downtown Portland, but hasn’t given much detail about what she’ll be discussing.
When giving the speech last year, she was only two months into the role that John Kitzhaber left amid influence peddling allegations. She promised at the time to make government transparency and accountability a top priority in response to the scandal, although she’s since been criticized for not doing enough.
Brown, who’s running this November to keep her seat and finish Kitzhaber’s term, will likely tout the minimum wage and pro-climate bills on Friday as some of her biggest accomplishments.
RANCHING STANDOFF
Oregon standoff defendant Jake Ryan detained until trial
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A federal magistrate judge has ordered Oregon standoff figure Jake Ryan to remain in custody until trial.
The 27-year-old Plains, Montana, man had been on the run for weeks before his arrest Tuesday in Clark County, Washington.
Judge Paul Papak said he was concerned that Ryan went into hiding with a firearm when he knew he was wanted in connection with the 41-day standoff at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.
He sided with a prosecutor who argued that Ryan, if released, would not return to Portland for court dates.
Public defender Jesse Merrithew said Ryan ran because of fear and because others gave him bad advice. He said Ryan would be motivated to return because he wants his day in court.
OREGON-TOXIC AIR
Gov. Brown unveils plan to clean Oregon’s air
(Information in the following story is from: The Oregonian, http://www.oregonlive.com)
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Gov. Kate Brown says she will appoint a special adviser to lead what she calls a major overhaul in the state’s air pollution regulations.
The Oregonian reports that Brown on Wednesday recommended Pete Shepherd, a former Oregon Department of Justice attorney now in private practice, to serve as interim leader of the Department of Environmental Quality.
The governor secured $2.5 million for air monitoring from the state Legislature after the toxic air crisis erupted Feb. 3. And former DEQ leader Dick Pedersen, before resigning, announced his agency’s intent to establish health-based rules for toxic air polluters.
Brown says she hopes to appoint a special adviser in an effort that is expected to require industrial sources to reduce their pollution if they pose a health risk to nearby residents.
HEALTH OVERHAUL-CYBERSECURITY
Security flaws found in 3 state health insurance websites
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Federal investigators found significant cybersecurity weaknesses in the health insurance websites of California, Kentucky and Vermont that could enable hackers to get their hands on sensitive personal information on hundreds of thousands of people.
And some of those flaws have yet to be fixed.
The vulnerabilities were discovered by the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, and were shared with state officials last September.
The publicly released version of the GAO report did not identify the three states that were studied, but The Associated Press obtained their names through a Freedom of Information request.
Vermont authorities would not discuss the findings, but officials in California and Kentucky said this week that there was no evidence hackers succeeded in stealing anything.
CANDY FACTORY-CARBON MONOXIDE
4 hospitalized from carbon monoxide at Oregon candy factory
(Information in the following story is from: Mail Tribune, http://www.mailtribune.com/)
MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) — A carbon monoxide leak at an Oregon candy factory has sent four people to the hospital and sickened four others.
The Medford Mail Tribune reports that 11 workers were inside Pete’s Gourmet Confections on Wednesday when the leak happened.
Medford Fire-Rescue Chief Brian Fish says the cause of the leak has not been determined, but firefighters suspect malfunctioning equipment.
Fish says no one was seriously injured, but paramedics monitored gas levels in the workers’ blood. Those hospitalized needed oxygen therapy.
Workers at Pete’s Gourmet Confections make marshmallows and other sweets.
PROPERTY MANAGER-TAX FRAUD
Former Eugene property manager pleads guilty to wire fraud
(Information in the following story is from: The Register-Guard, http://www.registerguard.com)
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — A former Eugene property manager has pleaded guilty to federal charges of wire fraud.
The Register-Guard reports that 63-year-old Terry Shockley on Wednesday admitted that he engaged in a scheme to defraud clients and investors, resulting in a loss to victims of more than $3.5 million.
Shockley managed rental properties in Eugene for several years up until he surrendered his real estate license in 2015 while under investigation. Federal prosecutor Nancy Olson says Shockley misused his clients’ money, which should have been paid to the property owners, between 2012 and 2015.
In court, Shockley said he provided victims with monthly statements showing rental income and deposits he supposedly held in a trust account but that he in fact had spent.
Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 6.
BEND-JUNIPER WATER
Bend selling Juniper Water Co., a years-long headache
(Information in the following story is from: The Bulletin, http://www.bendbulletin.com)
BEND, Ore. (AP) — The Bend City Council voted to sell a condemned water system to two private companies.
The Bulletin newspaper reports the Juniper Utility Co. water system has long been a problem for the city.
Developer Jan Ward built the system in the 1970s to serve subdivisions on his family’s old dairy ranch.
In 1998, the Oregon Public Utility Commission enforced rates Ward felt were too low, which led him to decrease water pressure. Three years later, the council condemned the system after residents complained about their difficulty taking showers and doing laundry.
A legal battle followed and the city ended up paying Ward nearly $10 million in a settlement.
Most of the system is being purchased by Roats Water System, a privately held water utility company owned by the family of Councilor Casey Roats. He recused himself from Wednesday’s vote.
ASTORIA ACTIVIST SENTENCED
Activist convicted after citizen’s arrest attempt
(Information in the following story is from: The Daily Astorian, http://www.dailyastorian.com)
ASTORIA, Ore. (AP) — A man who tried to make citizen’s arrests on the mayor and police chief of an Oregon town has been found guilty of interfering with a police officer.
The Daily Astorian reports that 30-year-old Zachary Seidel tried to arrest Astoria Mayor Arline LaMear and Police Chief Brad Johnston at a City Council meeting last June and ignored Johnston’s order to leave City Hall.
A jury on Tuesday found Seidel guilty of interfering with an officer but acquitted him of disorderly conduct and criminal trespass.
Seidel was sentenced to five days in jail and 18 months of probation. He was also ordered to have a mental health evaluation.
Seidel strongly objected to the mental health evaluation and told the judge he’d prefer jail to probation because he doesn’t want to be monitored.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press.
