HIKER DEATH
Man dies while hiking up Oregon’s third-tallest peak
(Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com)
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Authorities say a 63-year-old man has died while climbing Oregon’s third-tallest peak.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports hikers found Tom Shakespeare face down and unresponsive Tuesday morning on the South Sister Climber Trail.
The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office says deputies are investigating but that the death doesn’t appear to be suspicious.
Shakespeare was at about 8,417 feet, or approximately 1,941 feet from the mountain’s summit.
Deputies say he seemed to be hiking to the summit by himself.
Deputies say hikers who found Shakespeare performed CPR but weren’t able to revive him.
Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Bryan Husband says the man had a hiking background.
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TRUCK BLOCKS SIDEWALK-LAWSUIT
Truck blocking Troutdale sidewalk prompts $540,000 lawsuit
(Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com)
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — An Oregon woman is suing her neighbors for more than $540,000 after she says she suffered a fractured wrist when she had to walk around their pickup truck, which was parked across a sidewalk.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports that the suit filed by Loretta Caldwell, of Troutdale, says she underwent surgery on her broken wrist after tripping on the curb in the October 2015 incident.
The woman accuses her neighbors, Melissa and Michael Sparks, of violating city code by blocking the sidewalk with their truck.
The Sparks couldn’t be reached for comment Tuesday. Portland Attorney Jennie Clark says the Sparks’ insurance company has denied liability on their behalf.
Caldwell is seeking payment for medical bills, lost wages as well as physical pain and mental suffering.
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INVESTMENT ADVISER-DRUG CHARGES
Eugene man accused of investment scheme faces drug charges
(Information from: The Register-Guard, http://www.registerguard.com)
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — A former Eugene investment adviser under investigation by the Securities Exchange Commission has pleaded not guilty to charges that he manufactured and sold methamphetamine and heroin.
The Register-Guard reports Stephen Dauler Alison pleaded not guilty to the charges Wednesday.
Court records say Alison was arrested in March after a traffic stop in which police allegedly found a pound of methamphetamine in his vehicle. Documents say drug agents later seized additional evidence in the case from his home.
His attorney, John Kolego, maintains that police illegally searched Alison’s car without a warrant.
Kolego also says his client denies wrongdoing in a case related to his investment firm. The SEC has accused Alison of illegally steering his clients to mutual fund investments that generated large fees for him.
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FECAL BACTERIA ADVISORY
Officials advise no contact with water in Oregon Coast city
(Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com)
NEWPORT, Ore. (AP) — State officials are advising the public to avoid contact with water along the Oregon Coast at Newport’s Nye Beach and nearby waterways after high levels of fecal bacteria were detected.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports the health advisory issued Wednesday says children and older adults are at the greatest risk for contracting diarrhea, stomach cramps, skin rashes, upper respiratory infections and other illnesses if infected.
The Oregon Health Authority says the origin of the increased pathogen and fecal bacteria could include shore and inlands sources, including stormwater runoff, sewer overflows, failing septic systems and animal waste from livestock, pets and wildlife.
State and Lincoln County officials say recreational activities on the beach remain safe.
Officials did not predict how long the alert would remain in effect.
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MEDICAL MARIJUANA-GUNS
US court upholds ban on gun sales to marijuana card holders
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal appeals court has upheld the government’s ban on the sale of guns to medical marijuana card holders.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Wednesday the ban does not violate the 2nd Amendment.
The ruling applies to the nine Western states that fall under the court’s jurisdiction, including California, Washington and Oregon.
It came in a lawsuit filed by S. Rowan Wilson, a Nevada woman who tried to buy a firearm in 2011 after obtaining a medical marijuana card.
The gun store refused, citing the federal rule on the sale of firearms to illegal drug users. Marijuana remains illegal under federal law.
An email to her attorney was not immediately returned.
WOLVES-KILLING
Newspaper: Killing of wolf pack leads to death threats
(Information from: The Seattle Times, http://www.seattletimes.com)
SEATTLE (AP) — The killing of a pack of wolves in northeastern Washington to protect cattle is producing death threats for people on both sides of the issue.
The Seattle Times reported Wednesday that researcher Rob Wielgus of Washington State University is declining further comment on the pending elimination of the Profanity Peak pack by hunters for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Wielgus told the newspaper that his friends at the agency have received death threats.
Last week, state Rep. Joel Kretz, R-Wauconda, told the newspaper that ranchers also were receiving death threats.
Wolves were exterminated in Washington in the early 1900s. They began returning to the state in 2008 from other areas.
Six of the 11 members of the Profanity Peak pack had been killed as of last Friday.
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OFFICER SUICIDE-WIDOW
Widow of Portland officer goes to court over benefits
(Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com)
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The widow of a Portland police officer who killed himself is going to court after being denied survivor benefits.
The Oregonian/Oregon Live reports that Robyn Reister (RY’-stur) has asked a Multnomah County Circuit Court judge to review the denials.
Her husband, 43-year-old Dane Reister, was the first Portland officer to face a criminal indictment for force used on duty. He was fired in 2013 over a 2011 incident in which he seriously wounded a man by mistakenly firing lethal rounds.
Reister was struck by a train last May in a death that police ruled a suicide.
The city’s public safety fund said it denied Robyn Reister’s request for benefits because Dane Reister wasn’t a city employee at the time of his death and was too young to be eligible for retirement.
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BEAMS CRASH
Fallen construction beams trigger investigation in Oregon
(Information from: The Bulletin, http://www.bendbulletin.com)
BEND, Ore. (AP) — Oregon officials are investigating after fallen beams shut down an overpass construction site in La Pine.
The Bulletin reports that two 130-ton concrete and steel rebar beams crashed onto the railroad tracks near U.S. Highway 97 on Monday. No one was injured.
Oregon Department of Transportation spokesman Peter Murphy says officials are waiting for investigation results before allowing construction work to resume. It will probably be delayed until next week.
He says support walls will need to be inspected and new beams need to be ordered.
Murphy said Monday he doesn’t know how much the beams cost but that they are “not cheap.”
The $17 million project involves construction of an overpass above the railroad tracks, which currently cross the highway.
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Copyright 2016 The Associated Press.