1999 KILLING-SENTENCE
Man gets life sentence in fatal stabbing of woman in 1999
(Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com)
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A man who was on the run for more than a decade after his ex-girlfriend was stabbed to death outside a Burger King in Oregon has been sentenced to life in prison.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reported Tuesday that Efrain Sanchez-Diaz was convicted of murder for the 1999 death of 21-year-old Maria Garcia Leonardo.
Sanchez-Diaz fled after the stabbing and was indicted in the killing six months later but couldn’t be found.
He was eventually located in his native country of Mexico and extradited to the U.S. last March.
Court documents say Sanchez-Diaz stabbed the woman outside the fast-food restaurant in Tigard where she worked.
Her co-workers found her slumped over and unresponsive. She died at a hospital days later.
Investigators say Sanchez-Diaz was linked to the crime by witnesses and DNA evidence.
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BEND ROADS-SNOW
Central Oregon city seeks more funds to clear snowy roads
(Information from: The Bulletin, http://www.bendbulletin.com)
BEND, Ore. (AP) — The central Oregon city of Bend may have to dip into a reserve fund to get its roads cleared in the event of another snowstorm this winter.
The Bend Bulletin reported the head of the city’s streets department, David Abbas, plans to ask the City Council on Wednesday for $120,000 to pay private companies to plow snow from Bend’s roads. He’s also seeking $185,000 for plowing at the Bend Municipal Airport and in city parking lots if needed.
The city has already paid private companies $672,000 to plow roads for December and January. That’s about a half million dollars more than initially budgeted for the winter.
Last winter, the city paid only $130,000 for the work.
Record-breaking storms this winter have caused unexpected costs.
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ELLIOTT FOREST
State Land Board votes to sell Oregon’s oldest state forest
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Two members of the state land board voted to sell Oregon’s oldest state forest, while a third member, Gov. Kate Brown, insisted it remain in public hands.
Amid Tuesday’s vote on the Elliott State Forest in the Department of State Lands, Brown took to Twitter to rally public support for her position. She said on Oregon’s 158th birthday, it was important to come together to keep the Elliott State Forest in public hands. Voting for selling were state Treasurer Tobias Read and Secretary of State Dennis Richardson.
The vote did not appear to be a final decision on the fate of the 82,500-acre forest. An official said Brown asked the lands director to present other options for public ownership at the next land board meeting.
OREGON DAMS
7 Oregon dams considered ‘unsatisfactory’
(Information from: Statesman Journal, http://www.statesmanjournal.com)
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Seven Oregon dams are deemed to be in “unsatisfactory” condition.
State Water Resources Department spokeswoman Diana Enright tells the Statesman Journal the designation means those dams are more closely inspected and could be labeled unsafe if repairs are not made.
Questions about dam safety have risen since a damaged one in Northern California led authorities to order the evacuation of nearly 200,000 people.
The list of unsatisfactory dams in Oregon includes:
— Big Creek Reservoir # 1 (Lower) Dam, in Lincoln County.
— Big Creek Reservoir #2 (Upper) Dam in Lincoln County.
— Crowley Dam in Malheur County.
— Willow Creek 3 in Malheur County.
— Ferry Creek Dam in Curry County.
— McMullen Dam in Josephine County.
— Johnson Creek Dam in Crook County.
Oregon has 869 dams listed in a database maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Most are privately owned and used for irrigation.
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RANCHING STANDOFF-OREGON
Jury selection begins in new Oregon refuge trial
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Jury selection has begun in a trial for four men who joined Ammon Bundy at last winter’s armed takeover of a wildlife refuge in southeastern Oregon.
The panel of 12 jurors and four alternates is expected to be in place by Thursday, with opening statements to start next week.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports federal prosecutors have hired an outside consultant to help them with the jury-selection process.
It’s a step they didn’t take last fall, when jurors surprisingly acquitted Bundy and six others who occupied the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in a protest against the federal government.
The defendants now on trial include Duane Ehmer, Jason Patrick, Jake Ryan and Darryl Thorn. All are accused of conspiring to impede Interior Department employees through the use of force, threats or intimidation.
FATHER-SON-SWEPT AWAY
Body on Oregon beach identified as victim of sneaker wave
COOS BAY, Ore. (AP) — A body that washed ashore on Horsfall Beach near Coos Bay, Oregon, has been identified as Jayson Thomas, a man who was swept out to sea last month while carrying his 3-year-old son.
Coos County District Attorney Paul Frasier says the body was discovered Saturday, and there is no evidence to suggest it was anything but an accidental drowning.
Thomas and the boy were on a beach along Oregon’s southwest coast when a sneaker wave pulled them out to sea. The toddler’s body has not been recovered.
UO-TUITION
UO considers raising undergraduate tuition 10.6 percent
(Information from: The Register-Guard, http://www.registerguard.com)
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — The University of Oregon is considering raising in-state undergraduate tuition by 10.6 percent in the fall to pay for increased salaries, health care and retirement costs for school employees.
The Register-Guard reports that under a plan backed by UO President Michael Schill, tuition for full-time, in-state undergraduate students would increase $945 for the 2017-18 academic year. Mandatory fees would also increase $186. Out-of-state tuition would also increase by $945, or three percent.
Schill said in a letter to students and staff that the state’s fiscal problems leave him “little choice” but to accept the major tuition increase. He said UO’s operating expenses are rising steadily. In particular, retirement benefits under the state Public Employee Retirement System are requiring large contributions from the university.
The UO Board of Trustees must approve the tuition hike.
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EX-HUSBAND SHOT
Oregon woman charged in killing of 93-year-old ex-husband
(Information from: The Register-Guard, http://www.registerguard.com)
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Police in Florence, Oregon, arrested a 73-year-old woman accused of fatally shooting her 93-year-old ex-husband.
Police say Carolyn Sue Stickley called 9-1-1 to report the killing Sunday. Officers then went to the home of Erwin Drake and found him dead.
The Register-Guard newspaper reports Stickley was charged with murder. She did not enter a plea at her arraignment Monday and remained in the Lane County Jail.
Court records show the couple divorced in 2010 after 24 years of marriage. In 2009, the woman filed a request for a restraining order, claiming her husband had waved a loaded pistol at her and told her she would be sorry if she ever took any of his things.
Drake, a retired Boeing engineer, denied his wife’s claims, and the couple soon divorced.
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Copyright 2017 The Associated Press.
