DOZEN LOST HIKERS
Texas hikers rescued at Multnomah Falls; no injuries
MULTNOMAH FALLS, Ore. (AP) — Authorities say a dozen hikers from Texas were rescued in the Multnomah Falls area after they became stuck across a snow hazard.
The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office says deputies and other rescue personnel were dispatched Tuesday afternoon to search after receiving location data from a hiker’s cellphone that placed them 1.2 miles up the Multnomah Falls Trail.
Rescuers first reached a 21-year-old man who had slipped down a snow embankment into a small creek. The sheriff’s office says he was uninjured and able to walk out on his own.
The sheriff’s office says a rope system was set up across the snow hazard where the remaining hikers were stuck. Rescue personnel walked each hiker across and authorities say all made it out uninjured.
The hikers, in their early 20s, were in Oregon for spring break.
XGR-NATIONAL-POPULAR-VOTE
Oregon mulls joining National Popular Vote movement
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — A years-long movement to elect the presidential candidate with the most popular votes is up for discussion in the Oregon Statehouse for the fourth time in last eight years.
The proposal, which is piggybacking on momentum from Donald Trump’s Electoral College victory, drew more than 220 public testimonies on Tuesday for its first public hearing in Salem.
Proponents say it’s a way to ensure that all votes are weighted equally, while opponents say circumventing the Electoral College would only disenfranchise rural America.
The National Popular Vote compact is an interstate agreement that’s triggered when enacted by states with at least 270 electoral votes, the magic number needed to clinch the presidency. The compact is already 61 percent of the way toward meeting its goal, and Oregon could be the 12th state to sign on if lawmakers approve it this year.
TRUMP-TRAVEL BAN-HAWAII TOURISM
Hawaii fears travel ban goes against welcoming aloha spirit
HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii’s white sand beaches, towering volcanoes and relaxing tropical vistas attract millions of visitors annually from around the globe.
But the announcement of President Donald Trump’s second travel ban has stoked fears that tourism, the state’s main economic driver, could take a hit.
In a lawsuit Hawaii filed against the ban, state Attorney General Doug Chin said the ban would harm Hawaii by reducing the number of visitors coming to the state.
He says there are already reports of people canceling travel to the U.S. due to the ban.
Some tourism experts say the impact will be minimal, because few people travel from the countries impacted by the travel ban to Hawaii.
Others say the ban goes against the state’s welcoming aloha spirit and could lead people to stay away.
SHOTS FIRED-SENTENCING
Man sentenced in shooting that wounded 2 on a Bend street
BEND, Ore. (AP) — A man has been convicted and sentenced to more than eight years behind bars for shooting two people on a street in Bend last year.
Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel said Tuesday that 24-year-old Walter Owen Henneke was convicted of two counts of assault in the first degree and one count of unlawful use of a weapon.
Hummel said Henneke apparently was upset that a group of people were noisy as they passed his house early on April 24. A fight ensued. Hummel said after it ended, Henneke came out of his house and opened fire with his semi-automatic rifle, hitting two people and causing serious injuries.
A court sentenced Henneke to 100 months in prison and ordered him to pay $35,000 restitution to the victims.
FAITH HEALING-DEATH INVESTIGATION
Autopsy: Newborn in faith healer group died from prematurity
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A medical examiner has ruled that a girl born to members of an Oregon church that practices faith healing died from complications of prematurity.
Oregon Medical Examiner Dr. Karen Gunson told KATU-TV on Tuesday that Gennifer Mitchell’s lungs could not take in enough oxygen.
The baby and her twin sister were born to Sarah Mitchell on March 5 in a home birth.
There were three midwives, church members and family present.
Authorities said no one called 911 when the baby struggled.
Several members of the Followers of Christ Church in Oregon City have been convicted for failing to seek medical care for their children, including Sarah Mitchell’s sister.
Sgt. Brian Jensen says Clackamas County investigators will present a case to prosecutors.
The Mitchells didn’t return a phone message Tuesday.
XGR-MILITARY HUMVEES
Oregon drivers may share roads with military surplus Humvees
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Military surplus Humvees could soon share the Oregon streets and roadways with minivans, hatchbacks and compact electric cars.
A proposal began advancing in the Legislature last week that would make Oregon one of the few states to allow retired military Humvees on the roadways for civilian use by giving the same special registration used for antique cars and street rods. Street use would be limited to only special events like exhibitions and parades.
It was put forward at the request of 75-year-old Hank Porter, who is mayor of a small Oregon town called Stayton, where he wants his surplus Humvee to be able to haul war veterans in Fourth of July parades.
The military began selling older Humvees to civilians for the first time in late 2014 as off-road vehicles, and most of the 8,000 sold so far can’t get street legal by the states.
MISSING GRESHAM GIRL
Police find missing 9-year-old Gresham girl
GRESHAM, Ore. (AP) — Police have found a 9-year-old Gresham girl who failed to return home after taking out the trash.
Gresham police said in a tweet shortly before noon Tuesday that Elisa Salmeron has been returned to her mother. The agency posted a photo of the girl hugging her mother.
Salmeron had last been seen Monday night.
TriMet surveillance cameras captured her standing with a suitcase at a light-rail stop near her home. Police say she got on a westbound train and got off at the next stop. She appeared to walk away with a young couple and another child.
PEAR SEASON
Wet winter good for pears in southwest Oregon
(Information from: Mail Tribune, http://www.mailtribune.com/)
MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) — Orchardists in southwestern Oregon are benefiting from the wet winter but say all the water will result in a late season for pears.
The Mail Tribune reports Medford has exceeded the 18-inch annual average precipitation total with more than 21 inches since the water year began Oct. 1. The city is also more than 8 inches above the normal count for this time of year.
Pear blossoms were already popping out around this time last year, but orchardist Ron Meyer says it’s going to be a late season this year. He anticipates few orchards will be adorned in white for the city’s 64th annual Pear Blossom Festival next month.
Meyer says the pears haven’t been affected by all the rain but it’s been more difficult to prune the trees.
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Copyright 2017 The Associated Press.
