RANCHING STANDOFF-PLEA BARGAIN TURMOIL
Those who took plea deals in Oregon standoff weigh options
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — An occupier of an Oregon wildlife refuge who took a plea deal before seven co-defendants were acquitted of the same charge says his lawyer is talking with prosecutors and withdrawing his guilty plea is a possibility.
Jon Ritzheimer told The Associated Press late Wednesday that attorneys for several others who agreed to plea bargains are having similar discussions.
It comes after a federal jury’s stunning acquittal last week of key figures in the armed standoff over federal land policy last winter.
Legal experts say prosecutors are likely considering how to proceed.
Law professor Tung Yin of Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland says those who went to trial beat the odds by winning, but for those who opted for plea deals, the acquittals don’t justify a request to withdraw a guilty plea.
MILL FIRE
Workers injured in fire at Springfield plywood mill
(Information from: The Register-Guard, http://www.registerguard.com)
SPRINGFIELD, Ore. (AP) — Fire officials say two workers have been injured while trying to put out a fire at a plywood mill in Springfield.
The Register-Guard reports that the workers were hospitalized after the fire broke out at Pacific States Plywood Thursday night. Eugene Springfield Fire Department Chief Jeff Kronser says they suffered injuries that were not life threatening but potentially serious.
Kronser says employees at the mill had used protection lines to try and control the flames before firefighters arrived.
Fire crews were able to bring the blaze under control within an hour.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
A Pacific States Plywood spokesman couldn’t be reached for comment.
The Springfield mill was also the site of a July 2013 blaze that caused heavy water damage but no injuries.
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WIND FARM
Wind farm near Pendleton up and running
(Information from: East Oregonian, http://www.eastoregonian.com)
PENDLETON, Ore. (AP) — A small wind farm north of Pendleton is now in operation.
The East Oregonian reports that the six-turbine project was placed into service last month by San Diego-based developer BayWa r.e. Renewable Energy.
The Chopin Wind Project was constructed on private farmland between Weston and Milton-Freewater starting this past summer.
BayWa CEO Florian Zerhusen says the wind farm is capable of producing 10 megawatts of electricity and can power roughly 7,500 homes.
PacifiCorp has agreed to purchase the power generated by the wind farm.
The project had initially been planned to have more than five times as many turbines, but developers downsized their plans following concerns from nearby residents over effects on views, wildlife and property values.
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PEDESTRIAN STRUCK-PORTLAND
Pedestrian suffers critical injuries in Portland crash
(Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com)
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Authorities say a collision between a vehicle and a pedestrian in Portland has left a man in critical condition.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports that the man, who is in his 20s, was taken to a hospital with head injuries Thursday night. He was reported to be in critical but stable condition.
Police say the victim, who has not yet been identified, was struck by a woman driving at normal speed while he was crossing the street.
The crash remains under investigation.
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HANFORD VAPORS-LAWSUIT
Federal judge rejects motion to dismiss Hanford lawsuit
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — A federal judge has rejected the U.S. Department of Energy’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Washington state over worker safety issues on the Hanford Nuclear Reservation.
U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Rice ruled Thursday that state Attorney General Bob Ferguson has the authority to bring the lawsuit.
The judge rejected the Energy Department’s argument that the federal agency was not endangering a sufficient number of Washingtonians to allow the state to sue.
Ferguson filed the lawsuit last fall against Energy and contractor Washington River Protection Solutions. The lawsuit contends hazardous tank vapors pose a serious risk to workers at Hanford.
Trial is set for next May 22.
Hanford for decades made plutonium for nuclear weapons and now is engaged in cleaning up a massive quantity of radioactive waste.
UO PROFESSOR-BLACKFACE
UO law professor under fire for wearing blackface
(Information from: The Register-Guard, http://www.registerguard.com)
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — A petition is calling for a senior law professor to resign from his position at the University of Oregon after she wore blackface for Halloween.
The Register-Guard reports that UO Law Dean Michael Moffitt says the unidentified professor has been placed on administrative leave pending the completion of a civil rights investigation.
The UO Black Student Union planned a meeting Wednesday evening to discuss a response.
University President Michael School says the professor’s actions were indefensible but that the professor has apologized.
Witnesses who saw the professor say she was dressed as “Black Man in a White Coat: A Doctor’s Reflections on Race and Medicine,” a recent autobiography by Dr. Damon Tweedy that recounts the racism he encountered in medical school.
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MUSHROOM PICKER-FOUND
Missing mushroom picker found alive in Linn County
ALBANY, Ore. (AP) — A mushroom picker who went missing near Sweet Home has been found alive and unhurt.
Linn County Sheriff Bruce Riley says 58-year-old Oliver Mercer of Lebanon flagged down a fishing boat Thursday morning and got a ride to a dock where he was reunited with friends.
Mercer told searchers he walked for miles after getting turned around Monday while picking mushrooms.
Mercer said he couldn’t start any fires, but the nights never got too cold.
MAN ON FIRE
Man hospitalized after suffering burns in Corvallis field
(Information from: Gazette-Times, http://www.gtconnect.com)
CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) — Police in Corvallis say a man has suffered life-threatening injuries after being burned in a field east of the Highway 34 bypass.
The Gazette-Times reports that police had responded Wednesday to a call about a man on fire. Several agencies responded to the scene, and the man was taken to a Portland hospital via helicopter.
Chief Andy Louden with the Corvallis Fire Department says the man was no longer on fire when crews arrived, but firefighters had to put out flames on a nearby gasoline tank.
Police closed down the highway bypass in both directions for about one hour so the helicopter could land on the road.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
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Copyright 2016 The Associated Press.
