AP-OR–3rd Right Now/1276
TOTEM POLE JOURNEY
Tribe trucks totem pole 4,800 miles in fossil fuels protest
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A Pacific Northwest tribe has begun a 4,800-mile road trip with a 22-foot-tall totem pole in tow.
The Lummi Nation embarked on its fourth “totem journey” since 2012 to galvanize opposition to coal and crude oil projects it says could imperil native lands.
The tribe took a similar totem trip last year to raise awareness about a massive coal export terminal being proposed in their ancestral homeland in northwest Washington state.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers denied a permit for the Cherry Point project earlier this year over concerns it would impact the Lummi Nation’s treaty-protected fishing rights.
This year, the focus is on the Millennium coal export terminal proposed for Longview, Washington along the Columbia River.
It would be the largest such terminal in the U.S.
CAPSIZED VESSEL-RESCUE
3 rescued from capsized vessel including 6-year-old boy
WINCHESTER BAY, Ore. (AP) — The Coast Guard and a local diver rescued three people after their boat capsized in the Umpqua River near the Oregon Coast, trapping a 6-year-old boy under the hull.
Coast Guard officials say a boat crew responded Thursday afternoon to a disabled 21-foot pleasure boat that was unable to anchor in the area of Winchester Bay. The boat had reportedly run onto a jetty and capsized.
The boy, who was wearing a life jacket, was stuck underneath the overturned boat, prompting officials to call a rescue diver.
Coast Guard spokeswoman Sarah M. Wilson says the boy was under the hull for at least 30 minutes. It wasn’t clear how he became unconscious.
Wilson says rescuers administered CPR to the child who was unconscious and unresponsive when they transferred him to ambulance personnel. Wilson said Thursday night she was hearing reports that the boy’s condition had improved and that he was being transported to a children’s hospital in Portland.
The Coast Guard crew pulled the boy’s father and grandfather out of the water. Neither were hurt.
HOUSE FIRE-INJURY
Fire levels house, sends man to hospital with burns
(Information from: Mail Tribune, http://www.mailtribune.com/)
MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) — Authorities say a man suffered burns in a fire that leveled a house and damaged two others in east Medford.
The Mail Tribune reports two people were inside the home Thursday morning when the fire started.
Medford Fire Marshal Greg Kleinberg says a man who was burned on his hands and feet was taken to a hospital. The other person inside the home wasn’t injured.
Medford Fire-Rescue Chief Brian Fish says the fire spread through the attic and via landscaping to a nearby residence, damaging about 25 percent of it. Another house was damaged by heat from the blaze. Fish says the fire was brought under control within 30 minutes.
Tires on a car in the driveway also exploded and police reportedly told neighbors that ammunition was also igniting.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
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HUNTING LICENSES-HACKERS
Oregon fishing, hunting license information hacked
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — State officials are investigating whether personal information was compromised during a breach of an online system used to process hunting and fishing licenses.
Oregon’s chief information officer said Thursday the system has been shut down until further notice.
The closure applies only to online sales, which comprise less than 20 percent of all hunting and fishing license sales.
Licenses may still be purchased at Oregon Fish and Wildlife Department offices and at various retail outlets throughout the state.
Idaho and Washington state, which use the same online system, have reported similar breaches.
HOMELESS CAMPERS-EXPLOSIVE
Police: Man tired of homeless campers throws bomb under RV
(Information from: KATU-TV, http://www.katu.com/)
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Police have arrested a man who told them he tossed an explosive under a motorhome because he was tired of homeless campers in his Portland neighborhood.
KATU-TV reports police responded to the scene early Wednesday after receiving a report that someone had thrown an explosive underneath an occupied motorhome parked on the street.
Police called a bomb disposal unit to remove the homemade explosive device, which had not detonated. No injuries were reported.
The suspect was gone by the time police arrived but later that day they arrested 46-year-old Jeremy Kidwell on charges of manufacturing a destructive device, possession of a destructive device and first-degree arson.
Portland Police spokesman Pete Simpson confirms Kidwell threw the device because he was tired of homeless campers in his neighborhood.
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EUGENE CRASH-COUPLE KILLED
Harrisburg couple killed in Eugene crash
(Information from: The Register-Guard, http://www.registerguard.com)
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Authorities say a Harrisburg couple has died in a three-vehicle crash on Highway 99 that left two other people injured.
The Register-Guard reports that Oregon State Police say Steven and Annette Skinner had been traveling south on the highway when they approached a stoplight at an intersection and were rear-ended by another vehicle. The impact pushed their car into another vehicle that had been stopped at the intersection.
The Skinners died at the scene of Thursday morning crash in Eugene.
The two other drivers involved were taken to a hospital for treatment of their injuries. Police say at least one of them had serious injuries.
The Skinners had owned a motorcycle equipment store in Eugene.
A memorial motorcycle ride was set to be held in their honor Thursday night.
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WIFE’S SHOOTING DEATH-SENTENCE
Portland man who shot, killed wife gets 12-years in prison
(Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com)
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A Portland man whose attorneys say he was too drunk to understand what he was doing when he fatally shot his wife last year has been sentenced to 12 years in prison.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports that 58-year-old John Grant Coffey was sentenced Thursday after pleading guilty to manslaughter as part of plea deal.
Coffey had a blood-alcohol level more than three times the legal limit for driving when he shot and killed his 42-year-old wife, Samantha, in April 2015.
His attorneys argued the killing wasn’t intentional and pointed to a recording of a 911 call in which Coffey reported the shooting and can be heard with slurred speech.
Coffey had been arrested multiple times during the couple’s 15-year marriage for violence in their relationship.
Coffey apologized in court Thursday, saying there’s no one to blame but himself.
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OVERDOSE DEATH-ARRESTS
2 arrested, guns and drugs seized in Portland overdose death
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Authorities in Portland have arrested two men in connection with the overdose death of a man who police believe may have taken a counterfeit OxyContin pill laced with Fentanyl.
Portland Police said in a news release Thursday their Drugs and Vice Division began investigating Aug. 16 when officers learned 24-year-old Gino Miller overdosed. He died a few days later.
Officers say he took a counterfeit pill he thought was the painkiller OxyContin. Officers believe the pills were coming from China.
Police arrested 44-year-old Antonio Benjamin last week on multiple charges including manufacturing and delivery of a counterfeit controlled substance.
Alfred Warren, 42, was arrested on charges of delivery and possession of Oxycodone.
Officers seized some 2,000 pills, four guns, approximately $10,000 in cash, and other drug trafficking items.
Once the investigation is complete, the case will be presented for possible federal prosecution.
This was the 30th drug overdose death investigated by the Portland Police Bureau this year.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press.
