Latest Oregon news, sports, business and entertainment

DOUBLE FATAL-SHELTON

2 found dead near Shelton identified; suspect shoots self

SHELTON, Wash. (AP) — Authorities have identified two people found dead at a home near Shelton, Washington Tuesday and said the suspect in the case shot and killed himself Wednesday in Oregon after a standoff.

The Mason County Sheriff’s Office identified the victims as 34-year-old Tara Abernathy of Shelton and 34-year-old Kenneth Koonrad of Montesano.

Deputies were sent to Abernathy’s home Tuesday after she didn’t show up for work. They found Abernathy and Koonrad dead from apparent gunshot wounds.

The sheriff’s office said on Twitter Wednesday that detectives had located a suspect and were involved in a standoff. The sheriff’s office later tweeted that negotiations ended as shots were heard.

The sheriff’s office tweeted just before 9 p.m. that the suspect had shot and killed himself.

The suspect has not been identified.

OREGON STORM-REIMBURSEMENT

Oregon county hit by ice storm approved for disaster relief

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

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — The federal government is reimbursing public infrastructure agencies in a western Oregon county for cleanup and repairs from a December ice storm.

Lane County public agencies and utilities reported more than $9.4 million in damage, labor costs and other expenses from the Dec. 14-17 storm.

County Emergency Manager Linda Cook tells the Register-Guard each agency or utility will be eligible for up to 75 percent of the costs it incurred responding the storm.

The agencies receiving reimbursement include the University of Oregon and the cities of Eugene and Springfield.

Last month’s ice storm brought branches down on power lines and utility poles, causing thousands of people to lose power. Some homeowners waited as long as eight days for power to be restored.

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PORTLAND YOUTH CLUB-LAWSUIT

Lawsuit says girl molested by Portland youth club volunteer

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

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The Boy and Girls Club of Metropolitan Portland faces a $1 million lawsuit alleging the organization failed to prevent a teen volunteer from molesting a 10-year-old girl.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reported Wednesday the lawsuit was filed this week over the alleged incident at an after-school Boys & Girls Club program at a Portland elementary school.

Attorney Barbara Long says school surveillance video caught the 13-year-old volunteer sexually abusing the girl in November.

She says police are also looking into reports that the teen abused two other children.

The lawsuit alleges the club failed to adequately supervise the boy and other teen volunteers and didn’t implement reasonable measures to prevent child abuse.

A representative from the Portland Boy & Girls Club declined to comment, saying the organization hadn’t seen the lawsuit.

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HOTEL FIRE-PORTLAND

2 including officer injured in Portland hotel fire

(Information from: KGW-TV, http://www.kgw.com/)

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Authorities say a police officer was injured while rescuing someone in a Portland hotel room after a fire broke out.

Portland Fire & Rescue said on Twitter the fire started Wednesday evening on the fourth floor of a Comfort Inn hotel in a bathroom.

Lt. Rich Chatman of Portland Fire & Rescue said the officer arrived first and saw the hotel manager trying to help a person stuck inside a room. He says the officer forced the door open and rescued the person inside.

Authorities say the officer was injured during the rescue.

KGW-TV reports the hotel occupant and officer were taken to Legacy Emanuel Hospital in Portland.

The extent of their injuries was not known and the officer was not immediately identified.

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BC-US-TWO PRISONERS ESCAPE-THE LATEST

The Latest: 2nd inmate who escaped California camp detained

KLAMATH, Calif. (AP) — California authorities say they have captured the second of two inmates who walked away from a minimum security facility in Northern California.

California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation says 27-year-old Brian Schueren of Orange County was taken into custody without incident Wednesday near the Alder Conservation Camp.

He was serving a four-year sentence at the camp near Klamath, an hour’s drive from the Oregon border.

They say 47-year-old Eddy Edwards was detained earlier Wednesday.

The inmates were last accounted for late Tuesday in their housing unit.

They were part of an inmate firefighting crew.

Officials say they will no longer be eligible to be housed in a conservation camp.

PORTLAND PROTESTS-THE LATEST

The Latest: Police arrest 11 in Portland protests

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Police say 11 people have been arrested in connection with protests around Portland against police tactics used Friday during an anti-President Donald Trump demonstration.

Portland police said on Twitter that officers had arrested six people downtown earlier in the afternoon after protesters were blocking traffic. Police then tweeted that five more people were arrested on the city’s lower east side.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reports that protesters in small groups were moving around to different areas of the city and at one point were on the Steel Bridge chanting, “Whose streets? Our streets.”

RESERVATION STANDOFF-SENTENCE

Veteran who threatened police on reservation gets probation

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A military veteran who threatened police during a seven-hour standoff outside his home on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation will serve no prison time after a federal judge agreed with concerns it would jeopardize the man’s recovery from post-traumatic stress disorder.

U.S. District Judge Robert Jones sentenced Johnathan Courtney on Wednesday to five years on probation and warned him to never drink alcohol.

The standoff happened in September 2015. At one point, Courtney pointed a 9-mm Glock pistol at the Warm Springs police chief and began counting down from three. The chief who was 15 yards away quickly backed off.

Courtney pleaded guilty last fall to assault on a federal officer.

Psychologist Suzanne Best testified the former Army Ranger has PTSD and suffers from survivor’s guilt because of soldiers who died under his command in Iraq. She said he’s made excellent progress since the standoff, but would likely regress in prison.

COUNTY LAWSUIT-LAND MANAGEMENT

Benton County to remain in controversial logging lawsuit

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

CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) — Benton County will remain in a controversial lawsuit over the management of some state timberlands.

The Corvallis Gazette-Times reports that the Benton County Board of Commissioners voted on Tuesday to remain a party in the lawsuit seeking $1.4 billion from the state for failing to maximize logging revenues on forest trust lands.

The lawsuit claims state land managers failed in their duty to generate as much revenue as possible from the forest land trusts.

The state is supposed to manage the land for “the greatest permanent value,” according to a 1939 law.

If the lawsuit is successful, Benton County could receive as much as $30 million in damages, which is would share with seven taxing districts.

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