MARIJUANA RV PARK
Company hopes to build pot-friendly RV park in SW Oregon
(Information from: Mail Tribune, http://www.mailtribune.com/)
MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) — A southwestern Oregon company wants to build a pot-friendly RV park.
The Mail Tribune reports in a story on Sunday that an Eagle Point company that supplies warehouse space for marijuana growers is eyeing property near Lake Selmac in Josephine County.
Grow Condos Chief Executive Officer Wayne Zallen says the park will be called Smoke on the Water.
Zallen says if the project moves forward, the company hopes to expand with campgrounds in other marijuana-friendly states.
He says the RV parks would include tent camping and a pot dispensary.
The company already has a 15,000-square-foot facility in Eagle Point where it offers for lease or sale indoor grow spaces, which are all occupied.
The company is also working toward building a 48,000-square-foot commercial marijuana processing facility in Eugene.
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AP-FBC-OREGON-COACH-ARRESTED
Oregon assistant football coach to be fired after DUI arrest
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — The University of Oregon says the football co-offensive coordinator will be fired after his arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence, marking the latest problem for the team.
The school said in a statement Sunday that David Reaves has been placed on administrative leave and the process to terminate his employment has started. Oregon announced hiring him Tuesday.
The move comes less than a week after the school suspended its football strength and conditioning coach for a month without pay following a series of intense workouts that sent three players to the hospital.
Police in the city of Eugene arrested Reaves early Sunday. Records show he is no longer in custody.
He served as associate head coach and tight-ends coach under new Oregon head coach Willie Taggart at South Florida.
DISTURBING MEMORIAL-CONVICTION
Man sentenced for disturbing memorial to dead children
(Information from: The Register-Guard, http://www.registerguard.com)
SPRINGFIELD, Ore. (AP) — A 35-year-old man who disturbed a memorial for three children killed when a pickup struck them has been sentenced to six months in jail.
The Register-Guard reports in a story on Sunday that Travis Joseph Conner also received four years of probation and must stay away from the memorial during those four years.
Conner on Jan. 11 pleaded guilty to two theft charges and one count of menacing and disorderly conduct following two visits he made to the memorial site in October.
As part of the plea agreement, two counts of abusing a memorial to the dead were dismissed.
Police say Classen stole a stuffed animal and less than $5 from a donation jar at the site, and also threatened a woman who approached after seeing him remove items.
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MOUNTAIN LION KILLED
Mountain lion killed under central Oregon homeowner’s deck
BEND, Ore. (AP) — A mountain lion that authorities say recently attacked two dogs and killed a pet cat in the central Oregon town of LaPine has been shot and killed.
The Deschutes County sheriff’s office says deputies shot the mountain lion Saturday morning after a homeowner called to report the cougar was under the house’s deck.
Officials say deputies found the cougar under the deck and killed it because of the danger it posed to the community.
The home where the cougar was shot is less than a quarter mile from a children’s day care.
TRUMP-BLUE STATES-RENEWABLE ENERGY
Trump’s victory creates uncertainty for wind and solar power
HONOLULU (AP) — States that have set ambitious goals for renewable energy face uncertainty with President Donald Trump’s administration.
Trump’s pick to head the Energy Department is former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who once called for abolishing the agency. He says he now regrets that statement.
The government provides federal tax credits, grants and research that support states’ efforts to expand the use of wind, solar and other forms of renewable energy.
Experts in more than a half-dozen states with the some of the most ambitious goals for shifting to renewable energy say they are on course to meet their targets.
Most say Trump policies could slow the expansion but won’t stop it because it’s getting cheaper to produce renewable energy.
DEPUTY DEATH-ARREST
Man suspected in death of Oregon deputy arrested in Mexico
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — The Oregon State Police says a man accused of killing a Marion County deputy and another man in a 2007 car crash has been arrested in Mexico.
Police say Alfredo De Jesus Ascencio, now 29, was indicted in 2007 for two counts of criminally negligent homicide in the death of Deputy Kelly Fredinburg and Oscar Ascencio Amaya. They say he fled to Mexico to avoid prosecution around the time of his indictment.
Police say the 33-year-old deputy was responding to an emergency call in June 2007 when his patrol car was struck by a car driven by De Jesus Ascencio. He died at the scene. Amaya, one of De Jesus Ascencio’s passengers, later died in the hospital.
State police said in 2010 Oregon prosecutors sought to have Mexican authorities prosecute De Jesus Ascencio in that country because it was unlikely that he would be extradited to the U.S.
EX-OFFICER-LAWSUIT
Former Eastern Oregon officer files whistleblower suit
(Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com)
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A former police officer is suing the eastern Oregon city of Stanfield, arguing he was fired in retaliation for reporting concerns about a lieutenant’s conduct.
Ryan McBride’s whistleblower lawsuit filed in Umatilla County Circuit Court seeks $500,000 for emotional distress, anger and humiliation.
The Oregonian/OregonLive says that McBride alleges he was fired in October 2015 without a termination letter or explanation. His lawsuit says the police chief extended his probation an extra six months shortly after McBride shared concerns about his supervisor’s behavior.
According to a statement another officer made to Oregon Justice Department officials, McBride was put on leave after he reportedly showed up drunk, while not on duty, to help an off-duty sheriff’s deputy who had driven off the road.
Stanfield City Manager W. Blair Larsen says McBride was fired for failing to be forthright about that night and the lawsuit mischaracterizes what occurred.
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Copyright 2017 The Associated Press.
