ARMED MAN LIQUOR STORE
Police: Man takes hostages at liquor store, shoots self
(Information from: Albany Democrat-Herald, http://www.dhonline.com)
ALBANY, Ore. (AP) — Police say a man with a handgun entered a liquor store south of Salem and held two people hostage before apparently shooting himself.
Albany police said in a news release they received a call saying there was a robbery happening at a liquor store at about 11:25 a.m. Monday.
Albany Police Department Lt. Brad Liles told the Democrat-Herald three people had been in the store but one was able to leave and call police.
About 20 minutes later, police say they heard two shots fired from inside the store and then two hostages exited, reporting the suspect had shot himself.
Police then went inside and found the suspect. He was taken to a Corvallis hospital.
Albany police identified the suspect as 62-year-old Gerald Armand Thompson of Eugene. Hospital officials said Monday night that Thompson died from his injuries.
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TRANSGENDER INMATE-LAWSUIT
Transgender inmate sues DOC over denial of medical care
(Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com)
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The Oregon Department of Corrections has been hit with a lawsuit on behalf of a transgender inmate alleging she was denied medical care.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon Foundation filed the suit Monday. It says Michale James Wright, an inmate at the Two Rivers Correctional Facility, has been subjected to cruel and unusual punishment by the state denying her multiple requests for hormone treatment and counseling.
The suit says Wright was diagnosed with gender dysphoria and has attempted suicide several times while in custody.
Wright was convicted of attempted armed robbery in 2013. Her earliest release date is November 2018.
DOC spokeswoman Elizabeth Craig says the department can’t comment on pending litigation, but she noted that the DOC has been working to address the needs of transgender inmates.
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MARIJUANA-CRAIGSLIST AD
Man caught trying to trade pot for snowmobile on Craigslist
(Information from: KATU-TV, http://www.katu.com/)
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Authorities say they have arrested a man who arranged to trade a pound of marijuana for a snowmobile that was posted for sale on Craigslist by an Oregon State Police trooper.
KATU-TV reports that the 29-year-old Sandy man was cited over the weekend for possession and delivery of marijuana as well as driving on a suspended license.
Police say the suspect had offered the trooper a pound of weed in exchange for the vehicle online.
The trooper agreed to meet up with him at a gas station on Saturday.
The suspect was then stopped while driving around the parking lot and cited.
Oregon law allows adults ages 21 and older to have up to an ounce of marijuana outside their home and 8 ounces in their home.
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GOVERNOR-DEATH PENALTY
Gov. Brown to continue death penalty moratorium if elected
(Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com)
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Gov. Kate Brown says if elected in November she plans to maintain a moratorium on the death penalty in Oregon.
Spokesman Bryan Hockaday told The Oregonian/OregonLive Monday that Brown has made clear her personal opposition to capital punishment and her support of the current moratorium.
Former Gov. John Kitzhaber announced the moratorium two weeks before the scheduled 2011 execution of Gary Haugen. After Brown took over the office in February 2015, she said she would continue the stoppage of public executions until further study.
Hockaday said the governor directed her general counsel to review the policy and practical implications of the state’s capital punishment law. He said Brown will continue the moratorium because “serious concerns remain about the constitutionality and workability of the law.”
Oregon’s death row has 34 prisoners.
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TRAFFIC STOP-ATTEMPTED MURDER
Armed man accused of trying to shoot Kaizer officer
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — A 37-year-old man has been charged with trying to kill a Keizer police sergeant during a traffic stop.
The Salem man appeared in court Monday on several charges, including attempted aggravated murder and unlawful use of a weapon.
Authorities say the sergeant had been trying to stop a speeding vehicle Friday when the suspect jumped from the moving vehicle.
The officer reported that the suspect got into a “shooting stance” while holding a black object in his hand that authorities later determined was a handgun.
Police say the suspect pointed the gun at the sergeant and tried to fire it, but the gun never discharged.
The suspect ran from the scene but was later caught and taken into custody.
Police say they recovered a pistol from some nearby bushes.
BACKYARD CHINOOK
Rains bring wild chinook salmon to southern Oregon backyards
(Information from: Mail Tribune, http://www.mailtribune.com/)
MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) — Biologists say rains are encouraging spawning chinook salmon to spread across Oregon’s Bear Creek Basin and even into backyard creeks.
The Mail Tribune reports that wild chinook have moved from the Rogue River into Bear Creek early and explored tributaries that haven’t seen the fish in years.
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife fish biologist Pete Samarin says the storm front expected this week will likely bring the salmon into Medford’s Lazy and Larson creeks. Peak spawning isn’t until Halloween, so the city’s residents could see the large fish spawning for several weeks if the water flow remains cooperative.
Samarin says he hopes people who see the big fish in expected streams call his office to report the findings. He also asks onlookers to leave the fish alone.
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OREGON GRADUATION RATE
Oregon has 3rd-lowest graduation rate in US
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Oregon improved its graduation rate with the class of 2015, but it’s still one of the lowest in the nation.
The U.S. Department of Education reported Monday that Oregon’s rate was about 74 percent, a better mark than only Nevada and New Mexico. Nationwide, the high school graduation rate rose to 83 percent.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports it’s the first time in years that Oregon has not ranked dead-last in graduating white students. Nevada claimed that dubious distinction.
TORNADO-DAMAGE INVENTORY
Volunteers assess tornado damage on Oregon coast
(Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com)
MANZANITA, Ore. (AP) — Volunteers who worked to keep residents safe when a tornado ripped through a coastal Oregon town are now assessing the damage.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports that no one was hurt or killed by the tornado that ripped through Manzanita late last week and the storms that continued through Saturday evening.
But Linda Kozlowski, president of the Emergency Volunteer Corps of Nehalem Bay, says there was significant damage.
The storm tripped up about a third of the city’s trees and damaged 128 or its 600 homes. Five are damaged beyond repair.
Manzanita has a small population of year-round residents, but 75 percent of the homes are owned by vacationers. People from all over the country are calling City Hall to find out if their house was hit.
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Copyright 2016 The Associated Press.
