Latest Oregon news, sports, business and entertainment

PORTLAND PROTEST-THE LATEST

The Latest: Portland mayor cancels march he was to lead

(Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com)

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Portland Mayor Charlie Hales has called off an anti-hate march he was planning to lead after hearing that a counter-protest was planned.

Hales had planned to lead what he called a March of Hope Tuesday afternoon.

But he canceled it after hearing about counter protests planned by leaders of demonstrations that have broken out in Portland since the election of Donald Trump.

Those leaders have accused Hales of hypocrisy, saying he had previously declared that the time for protests was over and that he had sent police after them.

More than 100 people have been arrested in Portland during or after anti-Trump protests, including three arrested on Monday on a charge of misdemeanor disorderly conduct.

PEDESTRIAN KILLED-EUGENE

Pedestrian struck, killed in Eugene

(Information from: The Register-Guard, http://www.registerguard.com)

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Police in Eugene say a man has died after being struck by a van as he tried to cross the street.

The Register-Guard reports that police Sgt. Caryn Barab says the victim died at the scene Tuesday night. His identity is not being released pending notification of family.

Authorities had responded to a report of the collision to find the pedestrian beyond medical help.

Police say the driver of the van was a man in his 50s, and that speed and alcohol did not appear to be factors in the crash.

It had been dark and raining at the time the man was hit.

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HOMELESS STUDENTS

More Oregon students are homeless

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — More students in Oregon are homeless than the number last year, a disturbing trend that has now gone on for three years.

The Oregon Department of Education says 21,340 students, or 3.7 percent of the public school K-12 population, don’t have a fixed and adequate nighttime residence.

Reacting to the report issued Tuesday, the Stable Homes for Oregon Families Coalition is urging the Legislature to protect tenants at risk of losing their homes as a result of eviction and severe rent increases.

The Education Department says children who are experiencing homelessness are at risk for not coming to school ready to learn and that the instability often results in students missing school and falling behind academically.

MENINGOCOCCAL DISEASE

Officials: OSU students have meningococcal disease strain B

(Information from: Gazette-Times, http://www.gtconnect.com)

CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) — Health officials have confirmed that both Oregon State University students sickened with meningococcal disease are infected with the same strain of the illness.

The Corvallis Gazette-Times reports that testing has confirmed that both students are infected with the B strain of meningococcal disease. Previously one student’s strain was unidentified.

No additional cases have been diagnosed in Benton County.

OSU Student Health Services on Friday began offering vaccinations against the B strain to students under 25.

Meningococcal disease primarily affects young people. Most incoming OSU students are required to be inoculated against four of the most common strains of the disease, but the vaccine does not protect against the B strain.

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CRATER LAKE-CONSERVATION

Oregon groups push for wilderness area around Crater Lake

(Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com)

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Oregon conservation groups are putting pressure on Congress to designate a large swath of public land, including Crater Lake National Park, as a federal wilderness area.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reports that representatives from Oregon Wild and Environment Oregon delivered a petition in support of the proposal to U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden’s office on Monday. The petition garnered 37,000 signatures and calls for having 500,000 acres declared the Crater Lake Wilderness Area.

In a statement, Wyden, a Democrat from Portland, said protecting natural treasures is a top priority for Oregon.

U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio, a Eugene Democrat, says he thinks he’ll have to focus on preserving already protected areas rather than expanding them, based on statements from President-elect Donald Trump and Republican leadership in Congress.

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JUNIPER-SAGE GROUSE

Massive project proposed to remove juniper trees in Idaho

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Federal officials are proposing one of the largest ever projects to remove juniper trees to protect habitat for imperiled sage grouse.

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management announced Monday that it’s taking public comments through Jan. 3 on the plan to eliminate trees from 940 square miles in southwest Idaho.

Experts say juniper trees have expanded to displace sage brush needed by the bird in many places in the West due to fire suppression efforts and other human activities.

Experts say the Idaho project could offer insights into how to deal with juniper forests that have sprung up in Western states in the last century.

The ground-dwelling, chicken-sized sage grouse are found in 11 Western states, where between 200,000 to 500,000 remain, down from a peak population of about 16 million.

FACEBOOK-NEW MEXICO

Contractors question standards for Facebook data center

(Information from: Albuquerque Journal, http://www.abqjournal.com)

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Construction industry leaders are criticizing standards being imposed on subcontractors for Facebook’s data center project in Los Lunas.

The Albuquerque Journal reports that some industry representatives say the requirements will likely disqualify most New Mexico companies.

Fortis Construction, the data center’s Portland, Ore.-based general contractor, announced last week that it would subcontract only with companies that are willing to have no more than 20 percent of their annual revenue committed to the data center project. They also said they require subcontractors to have excellent safety records and experience working on large projects.

Associated Builders and Contractors of New Mexico President Roxanne Rivera-Wiest says only 10 to 15 percent of New Mexico contractors could meet those guidelines.

Fortis officials say contractors who don’t meet those requirements may still be able to become sub-tier contractors.

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KIDS SUE-CLIMATE CHANGE

Young activists seek tougher action on climate change

SEATTLE (AP) — A group of young climate activists is asking a Seattle judge to find Washington state in contempt for failing to adequately protect them and future generations from the harmful effects of climate change.

A King County Superior Court judge is hearing arguments Tuesday afternoon in the case brought by eight petitioners, who are between 12 and 16.

The state says in court documents that there’s no basis for finding the Department of Ecology in contempt. It argues that the agency complied with courts orders when it adopted a clean air rule in September requiring power plants, refineries and other larger polluters to reduce emissions by an average 1.7 percent each year.

The petitioners say that rule wasn’t protective enough. They want the judge to find that the state is violating prior court orders by not doing more to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.