DEHYDRATED BEAR CUB
Oregon hiker brings dehydrated bear to wildlife rehab center
(Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com)
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A black bear cub found emaciated and dehydrated by a hiker along an Oregon trail near Salem is recovering after the man drove it to a wildlife rehab center.
Forty-one-year-old Corey Hancock spotted the bear while he was heading back from a hike Monday evening.
He tells the Oregonian/OregonLive he found the cub not moving and barely breathing. He says he didn’t see the bear’s mother and waited around before finally taking the cub to Turtle Ridge Wildlife Rehab, which had been closed but opened up to accept the bear.
Charles Harmansky-Johnson of Turtle Ridge says the bear is being treated and has already shown significant signs of improvement.
Wildlife officials are urging those who come across what appear to be abandoned baby animals to call authorities before attempting to move them.
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SALEM SEX ABUSE
Salem man arrested on rape, sex abuse charges
(Information from: Statesman Journal, http://www.statesmanjournal.com)
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — A Salem man has been arrested on more than a dozen charges after being accused of sexually assaulting a girl over a 10-year period.
The Statesman Journal reports that Donovan Lee Jackson was arraigned on the charges Tuesday and is being held on nearly $900,000 bail.
Court documents say the victim told Salem police Jackson sexually abused her over the course of a decade starting when she was 8.
Officers say Jackson declined to talk about the abuse allegations.
Jackson is accused of sodomy, rape, unlawful sexual penetration and sexual abuse.
The 41-year-old man is employed as a senior telecom analyst at the Oregon Public Utility Commission.
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INMATE SETTLEMENT
State pays former inmate $175,000 settlement in abuse claim
(Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com)
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The state of Oregon has agreed to pay $175,000 to a former inmate who claimed she was sexually abused by a prison doctor during a 2013 gynecological exam.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports the lawsuit, filed in 2015 in U.S. District Court, was settled earlier this year.
The suit named 58-year-old Dr. Robert Snider along with other members of the Coffee Creek Correctional Institution staff, including the medical director and chief medical officer.
Snider continues to work for the Department of Corrections. In February, after the case was settled, he was assigned to what the agency called a new telemedicine program where he “delivers medical care to inmates through videoconferencing technology.”
Corrections spokeswoman Betty Bernt says the new assignment wasn’t a result of the settlement.
Snider didn’t respond to newspaper emails seeking comment.
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ASHLAND TORTURE-SENTENCE
Oregon man gets prison in torture case
(Information from: Mail Tribune, http://www.mailtribune.com/)
MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) — A southwest Oregon man accused of torturing and maiming another man with a sledgehammer and other tools has been sentenced to 7 ½ years in prison.
The Mail Tribune reports Ronald Ledell Harris was sentenced Tuesday after pleading no contest to assault and coercion charges in connection with the October attack. An attempted murder charge was dropped as part of a plea agreement.
The victim, Christopher Toughill, says Harris became jealous and attacked him after he gave Harris’ girlfriend a ride to the Ashland property they shared together.
Harris is accused of beating Toughill with a tire iron, sledgehammer and golf clubs as well as pouring hot cooking oil on him.
Toughill was eventually able to escape and taken to a hospital for treatment.
Harris maintains his innocence.
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STUDENT LOANS
Bill would allow Oregonians to deduct student debt
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Oregon lawmakers are considering a new approach to addressing the nation’s student debt problem.
Senate Bill 1034 would allow Oregonians with federal or private student loans to deduct the total amount of interest and principal they paid throughout the year from their state taxable income. It expands the existing federal student-loan deduction, which allows taxpayers to deduct only their annual interest payments up to $2,500, depending on income.
The Democratic President of the Oregon Senate, Peter Courtney, says he’s agreed to co-sign the Republican proposal.
Co-sponsors Courtney and Sen. Chuck Thomsen, R-Hood River, say it would apply to any Oregonian with a federal or private-sector loan, plus their parents, grandparents, employer or anyone else who helps out with their monthly payments.
OREGON CHILD WELFARE
Report: Social workers often miss threats to child welfare
(Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com)
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Oregon’s child welfare system often leaves children in danger because workers miss or ignore threats to a child’s safety.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports that according to an internal state report made public Monday, analysis of 101 Oregon Department of Human Services cases found that social workers incorrectly determined children were safe in 47 of the cases. Social workers also didn’t look for safety threats in 27 percent of cases and identified the wrong risk in 20 percent.
Department of Human Services Director Clyde Saiki says he was not provided with a copy of the report until Friday, and that he hasn’t had a chance to fully review it. He says numbers are unacceptable and that his agency will need to take a different approach to child welfare.
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IMMIGRATION ARREST-SEATTLE-THE LATEST
The Latest: Jailed Mexican man testified at bond hearing
SEATTLE (AP) — A Mexican man held in custody for more than six weeks despite his participation in a program designed to protect those brought to the U.S. illegally as children spent 40 minutes answering questions from prosecutors before an immigration judge agreed to release him.
Mark Rosenbaum, an attorney for 24-year-old Daniel Ramirez Medina, said his client testified during a two-hour hearing Tuesday afternoon. Rosenbaum says the government grilled him about his purported gang involvement, but that Ramirez answered truthfully that he had no such ties, and the judge found him credible.
A spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not immediately return an email seeking comment.
Rosenbaum says the judge ordered Ramirez released on $15,000 bond pending deportation proceedings. His legal team is continuing to challenge the government’s case against him in federal court.
DUTCH BROS-HEADQUARTERS
Dutch Bros. moving headquarters to downtown Grants Pass
(Information from: Daily Courier, http://www.thedailycourier.com)
GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) — Dutch Bros. Coffee plans to move its headquarters to downtown Grants Pass.
To make it happen, the drive-through coffee chain just bought the downtown branch of Washington Federal bank.
The Daily Courier reports the bank is across the street from the Town Center Plaza, which Dutch Bros. also recently purchased. It is where Travis Boersma and his late brother, Dane, started the company with a single cart 25 years ago.
Company headquarters are now in the North Valley Industrial Park near Merlin. The number of employees slated to relocate has yet to be determined. The company’s roasting operation and online store will likely remain in Merlin.
Dutch Bros. is the country’s largest privately held, drive-thru coffee company, with more than 280 locations and over 7,000 employees in seven states.
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Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
