AP-OR–2nd Right Now/1083
OREGON WILDFIRES
Eastern Oregon wildfire forces evacuations, closes highway
MEACHAM, Ore. (AP) — About 20 homes in eastern Oregon have been evacuated and officials on Sunday told residents in the nearby small town of Meacham to be ready to leave due to a wildfire.
Authorities say the eastbound lanes of Interstate 84 are closed while the westbound lanes reopened at about 10 a.m. Sunday after being closed overnight.
Fire spokeswoman Jamie Knight says the 1-squre-mile fire burning in grass, brush and ponderosa pine stands is being fought by about 280 firefighters.
Two helicopters and a small aircraft are also trying to slow the blaze.
Knight says crews are working to get eastbound lanes of the interstate open, but it wasn’t clear when that might happen.
She advised caution for motorists on the westbound lanes due to firefighting equipment in the area.
MISSING HIKER-MOUNT JEFFERSON WILDERNESS
Marion County launches search for missing 21-year-old hiker
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Search and rescue crews are looking for a missing hiker in the Mount Jefferson Wilderness.
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office says in a news release that 21-year-old Riley Zickel, from the Portland area, has not been seen since Wednesday, when he arrived to hike in Jefferson Park. He had been planning to camp there for one night.
Search crews had been looking for Zickel on Sunday and planned to continue their efforts Monday morning.
The agencies involved in the search include Marion County Search and Rescue, the Linn County and Polk County sheriff’s offices, the United State Forest Service and the Air National Guard. The Lane County Sheriff’s Office and Corvallis mountain rescuers were expected to join the search Monday.
FATAL FARMING ACCIDENT
Authorities investigate fatal farming accident near Helix
(Information from: East Oregonian, http://www.eastoregonian.com)
PENDLETON, Ore. (AP) — Umatilla County authorities say a 27-year-old man has died in a farming accident near Helix after being pinned between a water truck and a semitrailer.
The East Oregonian reports that Guy Simer, of Tygh Valley, died at the scene of the Saturday incident. Sixty-eight-year-old James Harris, of Pendleton, suffered broken bones and was taken to a hospital.
Sheriff’s officials reported that the two men had been trying to tow the semitrailer with the water truck after the semitrailer got stuck on a hill. Simer and Harris had been hooking a tow strap between the vehicles when the water truck rolled backward into them.
Simer had been trapped between the two vehicles and was found unresponsive by a deputy and medical personnel, who unsuccessfully tried to revive him.
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HARDWARE STORE FIRE
Fire destroys 50-year-old hardware business in Tualatin
(Information from: KPTV-TV, http://www.kptv.com/)
TUALATIN, Ore. (AP) — A fire destroyed a hardware store in Tualatin on Sunday.
The Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue tells KPTV that firefighters responded to a report of fire at the Clark Lumber and True Value Hardware at about 2:30 a.m.
Firefighters say the fire was so intense they had to fight it from outside the building.
The business has been in Tualatin for 50 years.
The cause of the fire hasn’t been determined, and no estimate of the dollar amount of the loss was provided.
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CAVE JUNCTION KILLING
2 arrested after gunshot wound found in car crash victim
CAVE JUNCTION, Ore. (AP) — A man and a woman have been taken into custody after authorities discovered that another man who at first appeared to be car crash victim near Cave Junction had been shot in the head.
Police arrested 29-year-old Kyle Forester and 39-year-old Renee Edrington on Saturday at a residence in Cave Junction.
Police responded to a report of a car crashing into a tree on Wednesday and found 39-year-old William Roberts dead.
Police discovered that Roberts had been shot in the back of the head and that his wallet, cellphone and pistol were missing from the vehicle.
Oregon State Police say Forester and Edrington were in a different vehicle when they shot him. A motive hasn’t been given.
Forester and Edrington face a murder charge and are being held in the Josephine County Jail.
CHILD DEATH-LAWSUIT
Oregon Department of Human Services sued for $10 million
(Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com)
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A $10 million lawsuit has been filed against the Oregon Department of Human Services and the Dallas Police Department following the death of a 2-year-old boy.
The Oregonian reports in a story on Sunday that the lawsuit filed in Marion County Circuit Court contends child welfare workers should have done more after Hayden Henry’s mother and father separately alerted police and child protective workers to bruises on the child.
Henry was found dead in October 2014 and his stepfather, Richard Tyle, is charged with manslaughter and five other felonies in connection with the death.
Tyle’s trial in Polk County Circuit Court is scheduled to start in September.
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COMMUNITY COLLEGE-LYNCHING MEME
Mt. Hood Community College censures board member for meme
(Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com)
GRESHAM, Ore. (AP) — The Mount Hood Community College Board of Directors has censured one of its members who had been pressured to step down after sharing an internet meme that depicted President Barack Obama in a noose.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports that the board voted 6-1 Friday to publicly denounce Yellott’s actions, which include making several remarks about “illegal immigrants” during a meeting and posting the photo of Obama in a noose on Facebook.
The censure is a public condemnation by the board of directors.
The censure comes about a week after the state Republican party asked Yellott to withdraw his November bid for an Oregon House seat.
The Obama meme has disappeared from Yellott’s Facebook page, but it still features a number of posts denouncing the president and other government bodies.
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CYCLIST KILLED
Cyclist struck, killed by box truck in Portland
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Police say a female bicyclist is dead after being struck by a box truck in Portland.
Authorities say it happened at 8 a.m. Saturday at Southeast 82nd Avenue and Flavel Street.
Officers and medical personnel tried to save the woman but she died at the scene.
They say the man who was driving the truck remained at the scene and has been cooperating with investigators.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press.
