Date: 04/14/2016 03:59 AM
AP-OR–Right Now/925
EMERGENCY LANDING
Plane makes emergency landing in Portland
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – An Alaska Airlines flight has made an emergency landing in Portland.
The Boeing 737 flight was headed to Phoenix from Portland Wednesday. It returned to Portland International Airport, safely landing at 11 a.m.
Alaska Airlines spokeswoman Bobbie Egan says the plane returned because of a loss of pressure in the cabin. She says the airline was working to put the 144 passengers on another flight to Phoenix.
IDAHO-NUCLEAR WASTE
Feds list Idaho as possible site for nuclear waste storage
BOISE, Idaho (AP) – The U.S. Department of Energy lists the Idaho National Laboratory as a possible site for storing about 1,300 dump truck loads of low level radioactive waste.
A final environmental impact statement says possible methods of disposal at the 890-square-mile federal site in eastern Idaho include an intermediate-depth borehole disposal facility, a near-surface trench, or in a vault.
The federal agency’s preferred alternative according to the document made available in March is the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant geologic repository near Carlsbad, New Mexico.
The INL is listed as a possibility in three other alternatives that also include the Hanford nuclear reservation in Washington state, the Nevada National Security Site and the Savannah River Site in South Carolina.
A final decision must involve Congress. The timeline on that isn’t clear.
UO-PRESIDENT
UO president responds to criticisms, looks toward future
(Information in the following story is from: The Register-Guard, http://www.registerguard.com)
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) – The president of the University of Oregon says he takes responsibility for everything that’s happened in his nine-month tenure, both good and bad.
The Register-Guard reports that President Michael Schill acknowledged during a campus address Tuesday that his recent dismissal of 79 non-tenured faculty members was “yucky.” But he went on to say that his plan to improve UO’s reputation involves hard choices.
Romance Literatures Professor Gina Pasaki called the cuts demoralizing.
Schill said he didn’t want to cut positions, but arrived determined to make UO a better research university, which he called an expensive proposition.
He said the school has been struggling financially and he is making hard, strategic decisions to ensure the school’s future growth.
HIRING PREFERENCE RULING
Court affirms ruling in veterans’ preference case
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – The Oregon Court of Appeals affirms that the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office violated a hiring preference law when it failed to give special consideration to a disabled military veteran.
Sgt. Rod Edwards filed a civil rights complaint in 2013 after he failed to win a promotion to lieutenant.
The Bureau of Labor and Industries sided with Edwards and awarded $50,000 in damages. The agency said the county wasn’t required to promote Edwards, but it must show how it gives special consideration to veterans.
In agreeing with BOLI, the appeals court said Wednesday that the county failed to adopt a coherent veterans’ preference method that was capable of being applied and evaluated.
SCHOOL PLOT
Police: High school students planned mass shooting
LA GRANDE, Ore. (AP) – Police say two students are facing criminal charges for planning a mass shooting targeting specific people at La Grande High School.
KPTV reports that officers took the two boys into custody at around 1 a.m. Wednesday.
The La Grande Police Department launched an investigation after receiving a report from the school district that some students overheard talk of classmates planning a shooting.
Authorities say they discovered evidence that two students, both under 18 years old, were plotting to shoot people. Both boys are facing charges of conspiracy to commit murder and were taken to a youth detention facility.
EMERALD PARK SHOOTING
2 dead, 1 wounded in shooting at Eugene’s Emerald Park
(Information in the following story is from: The Register-Guard, http://www.registerguard.com)
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) – Authorities have identified the gunman in a fatal shooting at Eugene’s Emerald Park.
Lane County sheriff’s officials said 31-year-old Orlando Centeno killed one man and injured another Tuesday night before dying from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Witnesses told The Register-Guard that the victims were at a barbecue with friends when Centeno approached them after apparently fighting with a woman. One of the victims confronted Centeno and was fatally shot. Witnesses say the victim who survived was shot in the arm.
Records show Centeno was released from the Lane County Jail last week after being convicted March 15 of menacing in connection with an incident at the same park.
TRAVEL OREGON-THE ONION
Travel Oregon is advertising in The Onion. Seriously.
(Information in the following story is from: The Oregonian, http://www.oregonlive.com)
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Travel Oregon’s latest advertising campaign is in The Onion, but you should take it seriously.
The Oregonian reports that the commission’s communications director Linea Gagliano says the voice of Oregonians — which she describes as “nonchalant, fun and confident, but not overly confident” — fits right in with The Onion, a satirical news website.
She says the idea came from advertising agency Wieden+Kennedy.
The commission launched the $75,000 campaign in March. It includes the usual elements like banner ads and social media promotion, but Travel Oregon is also paying for The Onion staffers to write satirical articles about tourism in the state.
The first article, “Tips For Setting Up A Campsite,” appeared March 21. It offers helpful advice, such as making sure nearby bears sign a non-aggression pact.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press.
