Free Republic

Police arrested seven men on the central Oregon coast Saturday night following an alleged racist incident during a Fourth of July celebration on the beach. Lincoln City Police said the men were part of a group of 10 white people from Clark County, Washington, who had been harassing a Black family by yelling racist slurs and using Nazi salutes as people spent the holiday on the beach in front of the Inn at Spanish Head in Lincoln City. After officers arrived, they formed a barricade between the group and the family, allowing the family to safely leave the beach, police...

A man twice who has been twice convicted of rape and placed on monitored release since 2013 will be evaluated by another doctor before a judge determines Sept. 5 whether he'll be free to move about the county unsupervised. Tibor Karsai, 64, was convicted of raping a 19-year-old woman in Santa Barbara County in 1974 and received an eight-year prison sentence for the crime. He was paroled in 1980 and later that year was convicted of kidnapping and raping a 16-year-old girl in Auburn. For that crime, Karsai was sentenced to 26 years. He was deemed a sexually violent predator...

Victor Martinez, an undocumented immigrant who broke into the home of Santa Maria resident Marilyn Pharis in July three years ago and beat and strangled her, was found guilty of special circumstances murder Wednesday by a Superior Court jury. Pharis, 64, died eight days after the attack on Aug. 1, 2015 at Marian Regional Medical Center, from a blood clot that developed in her leg and traveled to her lung. History of Marilyn Pharis case In a crowded courtroom, the verdict was handed down after two days of deliberations and a month of testimony including details from Pharis’ autopsy reports,...

KELSO — Authorities say a Kelso (WA) patrolman shot and killed a man Wednesday morning who attacked a gas station clerk, a customer, and the officer himself with a walking stick. Cowlitz County Sheriff Mark Nelson told a news conference later in the morning that the suspect, a 27-year-old man described as a transient, was reported to have shoplifted from a gas station food mart in West Kelso. The officer, identified as John Johnston, responded about 8 a.m. to take a report. As the officer and one of the clerks were reviewing surveillance footage in an office, the man returned...

SEASIDE, Ore. -- As news of Sgt. Jason Goodding’s death spread Saturday morning, the community of Seaside began sharing memories of the beloved veteran officer. “We know our police officers, we know them by name. When something like this happens, it really has an earthquake effect on us,” said City Councilor Jay Barber. Sgt. Jason Goodding was shot and killed while on duty in downtown Seaside. Alan Evans, a Seaside resident, recalled Goodding’s compassion for his community. “He was the epitome of community. We work with the homeless population very closely and he had this amazing relationship with everybody. He...

PORTLAND, Ore. – Protesters against Arctic drilling rappelled from the St. Johns Bridge early Wednesday morning to set up an aerial blockade of a Shell oil icebreaker in the port for repairs. "They are creating a human barricade so that the Shell icebreaker cannot get through," said Annie Leonard, the executive director of Greenpeace U.S. "They are prepared to stay up there for days because that's what it is going to take to save the arctic." The 13 Greenpeace protesters suspended themselves from the bridge around 3 a.m. Wednesday. One of them is from Portland. “I think direct action is...

PORTLAND, Ore. – A listing on Oregon’s sex offender registry paints a scary picture of the man police said tried to sexually assault a boy in a restaurant bathroom before stabbing him on Sunday. Adam Lee Brown was declared a “predatory” sex offender after he was convicted for sodomy in December of 1993. According to news reports from KATU and others at the time, Brown had unprotected sex with children and tried to infect them with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Prosecutors said he victimized nine kids, five of whom were exposed to HIV. He targeted both male and...

Con Edison has authorized a strike if necessary; its contract expires at midnight Saturday. The second heat wave of the summer will again test the power grid in our area just as a deadline comes for a possible Con Edison strike. Temperatures reached 98 degrees at LaGuardia Airport Friday, while Newark, N.J. saw 97 and Central Park hit 93. A mix of sun and clouds continues Saturday and temperatures will linger in the muggy low- to mid-90s. Strong to severe thunderstorms are possible in the afternoon. Con Edison and its workers are in the middle of contract negotiations, with the...

SALEM -- Remains found in a Salem yard have been identified as those of a fetus, not an infant as deputies initially thought, police said. An autopsy revealed the body found in the 4700 block of Carolina Avenue NE Wednesday night was that of a 24 to 25-week-old fetus, the medical examiner's office said Friday. After the story was reported Thursday, detectives received calls and tips that helped them find the mother, according to Don Thomson of the Marion County Sheriff's Office. The mother told investigators she had suffered a miscarriage on the morning of April 11. "At this time,...

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Police are investigating another flash mob theft by a group of teens, this time at Nordstrom at the Lloyd Center. Last week, a group of 16 teens converged on a Southeast Portland convenience store and stole merchandise and then ran out. Police are still investigating the incident. Friday's incident happened just after 8 p.m. Police interviewed employees of the store who said a group of approximately 10 African-American male teenagers were in the store and began taking items and putting them in bags before they ran out the southwest doors of the store toward Northeast 9th Avenue....

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Police are hoping the public can help identify several kids who stormed a local gas station this past Saturday night and stole everything they could grab. On the surveillance video, one person came into the Chevron convenience store on SE 92nd and Foster. Then a second person came in and pretty soon, a large group of kids was packed into the shop. Soon, they were stealing anything they could, from drinks to gum to candy. Carlos Garcia was working Saturday night at around 11:30 p.m. when the incident happened. He said there were 16 kids in the...

It's been an active morning with the Occupy Portland group as they mass at a Port of Portland location: Two arrested on weapons charges, four more found in a stolen car that crashed on Marine Drive near I-5, tying up traffic. More soon on KATU.com.

Over the past 100 years, San Francisco's Bay to Breakers footrace has evolved from a wholesome, modest-size athletic event into a rowdy spectacle featuring tens of thousands of runners and spectators - some costumed, others nude and many rip-roaring drunk. As the event prepares to celebrate its centennial Sunday, organizers are hoping a new zero-tolerance alcohol policy will help usher in a more responsible, sponsor-friendly era. But many participants are planning a different kind of birthday party. A detailed Bay to Breakers Booze Map provides directions to liquor stores that will open in time for the 7 a.m. race, while...

PORTLAND, Ore. – Three people were removed from a United Airlines jet bound for Portland on Wednesday due to a disturbance aboard the plane, according to United Airlines officials. Flight 251 originated in Washington, D.C. and was diverted to Chicago. It arrived in Portland about four hours late. 135 passengers were on board. No injuries were reported. United Airlines described the situation on board as a “customer service issue” and said the passengers in question were blocking aisles and not responding to flight attendants’ requests. Three men were reportedly involved. One man was apparently on his hands and knees in...

A Lincoln City police officer was shot during what appeared to be a routine traffic stop for speeding near the Pro Build store in the 6-thousand block of Highway 101 in Lincoln City. But as the officer walked up and engaged the driver, the driver pulled out a gun and fired at the officer several times wounding him seriously. The driver took off. Officers re-spotted the green utility vehicle headed southbound on 101. As the SUV came close to Newport, Newport Police units pulled in behind him with full lighs and sirens. The driver didn’t pull over. Instead, he raced...

Cavuto was not cutting this guy any slack, the guy got really mad and called Cavuto an a**hole. (I backed it up to make sure I heard correctly.

Police and protesters engage with one another in downtown Portland this afternoon.A group of protestors marched through downtown Portland this evening, expressing anger at Portland police in connection with a pair of police shootings over the last couple of months. The group first gathered in the South Park Blocks, near Southwest Salmon Street and Park Avenue, and then began marching toward the Willamette River. About 150 people took part, many of them wearing masks, calling out chants and carrying signs. One of the most common chants was "Cops, pigs, murderers" while another was "When cops attack, stand up, fight back."...

Just saw Mr. Beamer, father of 9/11 Flight 93 hero Todd Beamer, on Fox News. This man needs to run for Congress - campaign slogan should be "Let's Roll!"

Story Updated: Jan 19, 2009 at 5:25 PM PST By KATU.com Staff PORTLAND, Ore. - Newly sworn-in Mayor Sam Adams has admitted having a sexual relationship with a teenage intern he met in 2005, according to Willamette Week, a news partner of KATU. The paper said it spoke with Adams Monday afternoon while the mayor was in Washington D.C. In that interview, the paper reports, Adams said the relationship with Beau Breedlove lasted for a couple of months in 2005. Adams and Breedlove met in 2005 when Breedlove was 17 years old. Adams told Willamette Week the pair had a...

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - In the blue-collar town of Toledo near Oregon's coast, Steve and Angela Brandt are dreading a knock on the door that could mean they will never again see Gabriel Allred, 2, whom they raised from infancy. He was American-born to a Mexican father and an American mother, one a now-deported sex offender, the other a meth addict, and both stripped of parental rights. Now the boy may be returned to Mexico, to a grandmother who didn't know until last year that he existed. The Brandts are headed to court, but in adoption matters blood ties can...