AP-OR–2nd Right Now/1291
FATAL TREE FALL
Sheriff’s: Tree falls, kills child near Fall Creek
(Information from: KVAL-TV, http://www.kval.com/)
FALL CREEK, Ore. (AP) — The Lane County Sheriff’s Office says a 9-year-old child is dead when a tree fell on a family that was using a beach near Fall Creek.
KVAL-TV reports that authorities believe the tree likely snapped about 30 feet up from its trunk Friday evening.
Sgt. Scott Denham says family members were camping in the area and on rocks near the creek when the tree fell. An 8-year-old child was taken to a hospital.
The sheriff’s office says witnesses had to drive about 10 minutes to call for help because cell phone reception in the area was weak.
Signs posted on the road in the area warn of falling tree limbs and trees.
A message left with a sheriff’s spokesman seeking additional details was not immediately returned Sunday.
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BLUE POOL CITATIONS
30 cited for trying to access Blue Pool during fire closure
(Information from: The Register-Guard, http://www.registerguard.com)
CASCADIA, Ore. (AP) — A popular swimming spot along the McKenzie River has been closed due of wildfires but that hasn’t stopped people from trying to reach its sapphire waters.
The Register-Guard reports that federal law enforcement officers have cited about 30 people for violating the fire area closure.
Officials closed access to Tamolitch Pool, known as Blue Pool, because of a 60-acre burning in the area. The fire, which started July 27, is still smoldering in hard-to-reach spots in the vicinity of the pool.
A spokeswoman for the firefighting team, Alexis West, says penalties for violating the closure could include a $500 fine and up to six months in jail. She says the closure will continue at least through the end of August.
The McKenzie River emerges from an underground channel into Blue Pool, making the sapphire water an attraction for visitors.
Fire officials say when firefighters must escort violators out of the closed area it causes unnecessary delays in their suppression efforts.
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OREGON WILDFIRES-ARSON
Arson suspected in at least 14 central Oregon wildfires
(Information from: KTVZ-TV, http://www.ktvz.com/)
BEND, Ore. (AP) — State authorities and forest officials say at least 14 wildfires that have erupted across central Oregon over the last three weeks are believed to have been intentionally started.
Officials on Sunday did not release details on which fires were started by arsonists, but they are urging the public to report suspicious activity.
KTVZ-TV reports that authorities say it’s too early to tell if one or several people have been starting the fires.
The Bend TV station and KOIN-TV in Portland did say officials have determined arson is to blame for the southern Oregon fire that has scorched more than 5 square miles. The blaze near Paisley, which started Wednesday, was reported to be about 65 percent contained Sunday.
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OREGON WILDFIRE-BILLING COSTS
2 men suspected of starting fire could get $37 million bill
(Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com)
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Two men suspected of starting a wildfire last year that scorched 40 square miles of Oregon forestland could soon get a bill for at least $37 million.
Jeff Bonebrake with the Oregon Department of Forestry says they’re still finalizing firefighting costs for the 2015 Stouts Creek fire that burned east of Canyonville. The agency will send a bill once that’s done.
The Oregonian/Oregon Live reports that fire investigators believe 70-year-old Dominic Decarlo, of Days Creek, and 64-year-old Cloyd Deardorff, of Yuma, Arizona, used their lawnmowers during hours prohibited by fire restrictions when the blaze started July 30, 2015.
Kyle Reed with the Douglas Forest Protective Association says the men were cited for unlawful use of fire. Decarlo paid $110 in fines and Deardorff paid $440.
But Oregon also holds individuals financially responsible for fire suppression costs.
The men could not be reached for comment. Bonebrake says people can challenge the costs or their responsibility in the fire.
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CARJACKING SPREE
Portland Police: Man jailed after crashing stolen car on I-5
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A 29-year-old man is in jail after Portland police say he tried to steal several vehicles before crashing one on Interstate 5, causing a traffic jam.
Portland Police say Casey Graham was booked into Multnomah County Jail following Saturday’s carjacking spree. He faces third-degree robbery, unlawful entry into a motor vehicle and other charges.
Police believe he tried several times to steal vehicles. He tried to steal two cars in southwest Portland but was confronted each time and ran.
Later, the suspect found an unoccupied vehicle left running at a nearby apartment complex, stole that and headed north on Interstate 5. Police say he hit several vehicles on I-5 before crashing it near Morrison Bridge.
Police say he then tried to steal a vehicle from a motorist who had stopped but was arrested by officers who happened upon the scene.
TRUMP-OREGON
Trump cancels Aug. 31 events in Oregon
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has canceled an Aug. 31 rally and fundraiser in Portland.
Oregon Public Broadcasting reports that Trump’s Oregon campaign director, Jacob G. Daniels, said the candidate’s recent trip to visit flood-ravaged areas in Louisiana prompted scheduling changes and forced the cancellation of the Oregon trip.
Washington Republican State Sen. Don Benton said Trump is still planning to attend a Seattle fundraiser in Seattle on Aug. 30.
Washington and Oregon haven’t voted for a Republican presidential nominee since President Ronald Reagan in 1984.
FATAL FIRE-SENTENCE
Jefferson man gets 7 years for fire that killed father
(Information from: Statesman Journal, http://www.statesmanjournal.com)
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — A Jefferson man has been sentenced seven years and three months in prison for starting a fire that set a duplex ablaze and killed his 81-year-old father.
The Statesman Journal reports that John Anthony Duran’s sentencing Friday came one week after he pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter, reckless burning and three counts of reckless endangerment.
Marion County sheriff’s investigators said the 38-year-old Duran told them he was on a four-day methamphetamine binge when a chair in his room caught fire, starting the December 2014 fire, which killed his father, Candido Duran, and displaced three other people.
The defendant, handcuffed and dressed in a suit, declined to formally address the court, stating that his family advised him not to due to the presence of news organizations.
Candido Duran’s daughter, Rosa Duran-Perez, described her dad as a father of 10 who baled his own hay and was proud of passing a driving exam into his 80s.
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PEDESTRIAN KILLED
Police: Driver arrested after killing teen girl in Portland
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Portland police say they’ve arrested a 20-year-old driver who ran over and killed a teenage girl.
Investigators said Saturday that Abdulrahman Noorah was driving 55 to 60 mph in a 25-mph zone when he struck the girl as she tried to cross Southeast Hawthorne Boulevard on Friday afternoon. They say Noorah’s license had been suspended.
Witnesses reported that Noorah’s gold Lexus was speeding by other cars while traveling in the center turn lane, and that the vehicle made no attempt to stop after striking the girl.
Police said the vehicle eventually returned to the scene. Noorah was arrested for investigation of second-degree manslaughter, felony hit-and-run and reckless driving. They are investigating whether intoxication factored into the crash.
Authorities say the girl was with several family members when she was struck.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press.
