Date: 06/22/2016 06:20 AM
AP-OR–2nd Right Now/1220
TRAIN-DIESEL LEAK
Train leaking diesel fuel stops in Columbia River Gorge
(Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com)
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Authorities say a train heading east from Portland was leaking diesel fuel and has stopped in the Columbia River Gorge.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports a Union Pacific spokesman confirmed the fuel leak Tuesday night.
Union Pacific spokesman Justin Jacobs says railroad hazmat workers and other officials were responding to the Bridal Veil area about 27 miles east of Portland. He didn’t know how much fuel had leaked.
Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Steve Alexander said the fuel wasn’t actively leaking as of about 9 p.m. and that there were no immediate hazards.
He said the source of the leak appears to be a broken cap on a fuel filter.
The leak comes after a fiery train derailment along the Columbia River earlier this month.
No further information was immediately available.
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INFANT ASSAULT-SENTENCE
Man gets 18 years for assault on infant daughter
(Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com)
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – A man has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for an assault on his 7-month-old daughter that left her eating through a feeding tube and unable to speak.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports a Washington County judge sentenced 27-year-old Timothy Gonzalez Tuesday after a jury found him guilty of assault and criminal mistreatment.
Court documents say the apparent attack on Chloe Boulange happened in December 2014 when she stayed at Gonzalez’s house for the first time. A child abuse doctor determined Chloe’s injuries were the result of inflicted trauma, but investigators never discovered what had occurred.
In court, a doctor who reviewed Chloe’s hospital records concluded she had viral encephalitis, which caused her brain to swell.
Police say Gonzalez told them the infant awoke from a nap that way.
Gonzalez plans to appeal his conviction.
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PORTLAND SUPERINTENDENT-RETIREMENT
Superintendent of Portland schools announces retirement
(Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com)
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – The superintendent of Portland Public Schools plans to retire at the end of the coming school year after 10 years of leading Oregon’s largest district.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports Superintendent Carole Smith made the announcement Tuesday.
Smith says she’s proud of her accomplishments since becoming superintendent in 2007. She says her success have been raising graduation rates and winning voter approval of a 2012 construction bond to improve district facilities.
Smith also acknowledged her failures, saying her efforts to make people feel heard have often fallen short. Smith has also struggled to close the district’s achievement gap between minority and white students.
Smith and school board Chairman Tom Koehler deny Smith’s departure is related to last month’s disclosure of high lead levels found in drinking water at two Portland schools.
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OIL SPILLS-WEST COAST
West Coast states meet to share spill-response efforts
SEATTLE (AP) – Washington and Oregon environmental regulators said Tuesday that regional coordination and planning exercises such as drills aided their response to the fiery train derailment along the Columbia River earlier this month.
The Northwest officials briefed their counterparts from other states on the June 3 train accident in Mosier, Oregon, at the annual meeting of the Pacific States/British Columbia Oil Spill Task Force.
The task force, consisting of members from British Columbia, Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California and Hawaii, collects and shares data on oil spills and works together on oil spill prevention projects. They were in Seattle to update each other on their spill response efforts and other projects.
Dale Jensen, Washington’s Ecology spills program manager, says the Oregon derailment is a reminder of how vulnerable the region is to oil spills and underscores the need for states and federal agencies to continue to work together to improve spill prevention and response.
LEAD TESTING
Gov. Brown wants annual toxics reports from Oregon schools
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Gov. Kate Brown says she wants all Oregon school districts to have a plan ready by Oct. 1 for testing lead, radon and other chemicals at school facilities and sharing any results with the state and parents.
The move stems from the recent discovery of elevated lead levels in drinking water at two Portland Public Schools campuses and the ongoing public relations crisis that followed.
Brown said Tuesday the Oregon Department of Education has drafted rules for the districts to follow, which are being discussed at its meeting Thursday and will weigh any public input before being finalized this fall.
The preliminary rules don’t say how often tests should be conducted, but they’d require separate plans for testing air quality, water and hazardous waste sites, with any results reported annually.
DOGS-NEW BREED
American Kennel Club’s newest breed: Meet the lively pumi
NEW YORK (AP) – A high-energy Hungarian herding dog is the latest new breed headed to the Westminster Kennel Club and many other U.S. dog shows.
The American Kennel Club is announcing Wednesday that it is recognizing the pumi (POOM’-ee). It’s the 190th breed to join the roster of the nation’s oldest purebred dog registry.
That means the pumi can vie for best of breed at Westminster for the first time next February.
The pumi has a coat of corkscrew curls, ears that flop at the tips and a whimsical expression. But fanciers say it also has a strong work ethic. The medium-sized dogs go back centuries in Hungary, where they herded cattle, sheep, and swine.
AKC recognition requires having at least 300 dogs of the breed nationwide, among other criteria.
PORTLAND FATAL SHOOTING
Police ID victim of shooting in Portland’s Old Town
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Portland police say a man fatally shot in the Old Town neighborhood has been identified as 50-year-old Chester Newborn, and a woman injured by the gunfire is 52-year-old Wendy Mustacci.
Homicide detectives believe the Sunday night shooting was in connection with a drug transaction.
Thomas Dorris was arrested a few streets from the corner where the shots were fired. The 48-year-old has been charged with murder.
Court records show Dorris has prior felonies and served time in prison. He was convicted of first-degree sex abuse in 2001 while living in Lane County. Seven years later, he was convicted of burglary in Deschutes County. News reports from the time said he entered a home in the middle of the night, but fled when the resident woke up.
DIVERTED FLIGHT-ASSAULT
Official: Plane diverts after man tries to kiss teen
SEATTLE (AP) – An official says a flight was diverted to the Seattle area after a man tried to kiss a sleeping girl next to him on the airplane.
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport spokesman Perry Cooper said Tuesday that Port of Seattle police arrested the 23-year-old California man for investigation of fourth-degree assault.
Cooper says the man attempted to kiss a 16-year-old girl who was sleeping next to him. The pilot was notified and reported it to police.
The Alaska Airlines flight was heading to Anchorage, Alaska, from Portland, Oregon. The girl remained on the plane when it later departed for Anchorage.
Cooper says the man was cooperative when he was arrested. He is expected to be booked into King County Jail.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press.