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In an obvious tongue-in-cheek propostion, Idaho Governor C.L. "Butch" Otter has sent Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber an offer to "replace" the collared wolf from Oregon that was shot by a hunter in Idaho. "I am offering to send you 150 wolves from Idaho," Otter wrote. "Idaho has more than a sufficient number, in fact many more than the federal government originally required we have, and can spare a few." Washington Times.

Wyoming lawmakers appear ready to change the state’s wolf management law to accommodate an agreement that Gov. Matt Mead and U.S. Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar reached last year on ending federal protections for the animals in the state. Under the agreement, wolves could be shot on sight in much of the state. The Republican governor has made wolf management a priority, saying the animals threaten agricultural interests and other wildlife. Officials say there are about 300 wolves in the state, and Mead has said the population grows by 10 percent every year. Under the deal, Wyoming would commit to...

The federal agency that sells and transmits most electrical power in the Northwest has proposed a plan to cover half of wind producers' lost revenue when they're forced to shut down wind farms during periods of excess hydropower production. The plan would affect Cowlitz PUD, which owns interests in two Central Washington wind farms, but would not lower or raise rates significantly, PUD officials said. "This is not going to do anything that would appear to be a rate-driver," PUD spokesman Dave Andrew said Wednesday. Over the objections of wind energy producers, the federal Bonneville Power Administration last spring ordered...

Charlotte, NC --(Ammoland.com)- House Bill 4054 is scheduled to be heard in the state House Health Care Committee on Monday, February 13. This hearing will be held at 1:00 p.m. in Hearing Room E of the Oregon Capitol. Sponsored by state Representative Jim Thompson (R-23), HB 4054 would prohibit the Public Employees’ Benefit Board from authorizing or requiring the collection of information or maintenance of records about firearms from eligible employees or family members applying for health benefits. HB 4054 was introduced after state Senate Republican Leader Ted Ferrioli (R-30) secured commitments from both Kaiser Permanente and the Public Employee’s...

While a number of questions in the case remain unanswered, police on Friday acknowledged that drugs may have been the target of two men who reportedly burst into a southeast Eugene home on Thursday in what authorities deswcribe as a home-invasion robbery attempt gone wrong. One of the alleged intruders — a man whose name has not yet been released by police — was fatally shot by a 27-year-old man who lives at the house in the 3300 block of Stoney Ridge Road. Police said they were working Friday to confirm the shooting victim’s identity and notify his family of...

EUGENE, Ore. -- Investigators say the south Eugene man who shot at two burglars -- killing one -- might have known the intruders. "There's reason to believe this is a target incident," said Eugene Police Detective Matt Herbert. Police say the two men who burglarized 3307 Stoney Ridge Road might have known the 27-year-old man and sole occupant inside and that drugs could have been a motive. "It's possible that drugs were involved," Herbert said. Officers say the resident called 9-1-1 Thursday afternoon and reported that two men were forcing their way into his home. The caller was able to...

A black teacher at a North Portland’s Open Meadow School sent an email to fellow teachers and staff last week with the subject line of “Whiteness,” asking for “articles or anything that helps explain what ‘Whiteness’ is and the impact it has.” At nearby Jefferson High School, the white principal is working with her majority-white teaching staff to be more culturally responsive to the largely black student body. Across town at mostly white Mt. Tabor Middle School, the black principal is encouraging open discussions in the classroom about the recent black-on-white assault of a 14-year-old girl on a MAX train....

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Republican presidential hopeful Ron Paul outlined his views on immigration Wednesday, saying he favors a compassionate policy that doesn't rely on "barbed-wire fences and guns on our border."

January 27, 2012, 3:30 pm A prowler got more than he bargained for early this morning when he tried to break into a home in St. Johns. The homeowners noticed an open gate and things out of place last night, so the husband slept downstairs and armed himself with a 12-gauge shotgun. He heard noise just before 4:00am and confronted a man at his back door trying to get inside, firing three rounds, hitting the suspect who rode off on a bicycle. Officers searched the neighborhood around North Seward and Willamette Boulevard, finding and arresting 54-year-old Oscar Taylor Jr. behind...

Democrats will hold onto an Oregon congressional seat left vacant when David Wu resigned in a sex scandal. Democrat Suzanne Bonamici defeated Republican Rob Cornilles Tuesday night. With 69 percent of the vote counted, Bonamici led Cornilles 54 percent to 39 percent. National Democrats poured more than $1 million into the Portland-area district, determined not to drop another safe seat after losing a New York district left vacant by Anthony Weiner, who acknowledged sending provocative text messages and resigned. . . . Democrats and their allies pummeled him with television ads that attacked his business credentials and tried to align...

Detectives are investigating Friday's shooting by Fairview police, and the mother of the man killed disputes the police account. Shortly before midnight Friday, two officers responded to a 9-1-1 call to Wood Creek Apartments near the corner of Northeast 203rd Avenue and Halsey Street. There, one or both officers fired their weapon, killing Larry M. McKinney, a 37-year-old with a lengthy criminal history who lived in an apartment with his mother, Sandra Kelley.--snip--McKinney was booked in Multnomah County jails 62 times since 1993, according to jail records. According to his mother, his early troubles stemmed from drugs, leading to a...

Democrat Susan Bonamici is such an embarrassment to her party, that national Democrats have been forced to dump at least $1.5 million into her efforts to win a special election in Oregon’s First District – a district Obama won with 62 percent of the vote in 2008. The district covers the northwest corner of the state, including southwest Portland. Why is Bonamici such a disaster? For starters, she is closely associated with disgraced ex-Congressman David Wu, who resigned last year in the wake of allegations that he made sexual advances on a teenage girl – prompting this special election. It...

While most eyes are on the race for the White House, a tight House race in Oregon is also grabbing some attention. The state’s first congressional district has been without a representative since Democrat David Wu resigned last summer over repeated bizarre behavior. The district trends Democratic but recent polls show Republican Rob Cornilles surprisingly close to Democratic nominee Suzanne Bonamici. “As a small-business owner … I have simply felt our interests have not been represented … and our economic situation in Oregon is not getting much better.” Cornilles explains to WND what issue is paramount in this race and...

Geothermal energy developers plan to pump 24 million gallons of water into the side of a dormant volcano in Central Oregon this summer to demonstrate new technology they hope will give a boost to a green energy sector that has yet to live up to its promise. They hope the water comes back to the surface fast enough and hot enough to create cheap, clean electricity that isn’t dependent on sunny skies or stiff breezes — without shaking the earth and rattling the nerves of nearby residents. Renewable energy has been held back by cheap natural gas, weak demand for...

Geothermal energy developers plan to pump 24 million gallons of water into the side of a dormant volcano in Central Oregon this summer to demonstrate new technology they hope will give a boost to a green energy sector that has yet to live up to its promise.

In a move the technology sector will surely see as a victory, a controversial antipiracy bill being debated in Congress will no longer include a provision that would require ISPs to block access to overseas Web sites accused of piracy. Rep. Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas), one of the biggest backers of the Stop Online Piracy Act, today said he plans to remove the Domain Name System or DNS-blocking provision. "After consultation with industry groups across the country," Smith said in a statement released by his office, "I feel we should remove DNS-blocking from the Stop Online Piracy Act so that...

Two women will be arraigned Friday on charges stemming from the beating of a teenage girl on a MAX train. YouTube video from the Dec. 26 attack surfaced this week, sparking outrage in the Portland area. It showed a 14-year-old girl being attacked by three other passengers on a MAX Green Line train in southeast Portland. The cell phone video also showed others who appeared to be celebrating the attack. It didn't appear that any MAX passengers tried to intervene or stop the attack. On Thursday, police arrested 38-year-old Selena Harris, her 18-year-old daughter Rakeshia Burns, and Burns' 16- and...

Do not LOVE the world or anything in the world. If anyone LOVES the world, the LOVE of the Father is not in him. 1 John 2:15 Most people in America think Oregon is this beautiful state on the Pacific coast that has forested mountains with lakes full of trout. They imagine this state somewhere in the west that is a place to vacation and get away from the big city to escape city life with all of its fast pace and dog eat dog world. Nothing could be further from the truth, it is a natural wonderland but this...

PORTLAND, Ore. -- A Portland man is urging people to boycott the Boy Scout Christmas tree recycling program to challenge the organization's position on gay rights. Richard Kuhns posted flyers throughout the Laurelhurst neighborhood where he lives, complaining of the Boy Scouts’ national stance against gays. Local Boy Scout leaders said the tree recycling program has traditionally been one of their biggest yearly fund-raisers. Boy Scouts of America issued a statement Thursday that said in part, "The BSA recognizes that some do not agree with its position on this single issue, but values the freedom of everyone to express their...

Portland might wait 5 years on paving projectsby KGW.com Staff and Tim Gordon Updated yesterday at 2:09 PM PORTLAND - Portland's Bureau of Transportation says it can't afford to do some big repaving projects. Southwest 4th Avenue was scheduled to be repaved. That project is on hold, along with others the bureau hoped to contract out over the next five years. Potholes riddle SW Oak St. through downtown Portland. The street was targeted for a big repaving makeover but now fixing the cracks and patches will have to wait. "Of all infrastructure, the transportation infrastructure is visible above ground, so...

Three neighbors have sued the Ashland Gun Club and the city of Ashland, alleging that lead ammunition is contaminating the environment and stray bullets are striking one of their properties. Cathy DeForest, her husband, Leon Pyle, and Dr. Edward Kerwin filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Medford on Dec. 23. They are represented by attorney Tom Dimitre, who is also chairman of the Rogue Group Sierra Club. The gun club has operated on city-owned land east of the Ashland Municipal Airport since the 1960s. It has a lease agreement with the city for use of the site. DeForest...

For Christmas, I picked up the Woolrich Elite Fleece Tactical Vest because I wanted a more discreet way to carry a full size handgun without having to resort to the “I’m a photographer/going fishing” vests that I have. As I mentioned previously, up here in the Pacific Northwest, a dude in a fleece vest is about as inconspicuous as you can get. There’s really only one month out of the year where it might look slightly out of place, but even in the summer we get temperatures that are chilly enough to justify wearing the vest. It’s comfortable, warm, and...

Postal closings’ value questionedDozens turn out in Springfield to air concerns about a plan to close a processing center By Saul Hubbard The Register-Guard Published: Midnight, Dec 29, 2011 First-class next-day delivery could be a thing of the past, and a letter mailed in Eugene would travel 100 miles up and down Interstate 5 to Portland before arriving at its local destination, if the U.S. Postal Service moves ahead with a proposal to close its Gateway processing center in Springfield. Where will that leave veterans and seniors who rely on mail-order medical prescriptions, small businesses who require prompt mail delivery...

The son of a war hero murdered 13 years ago near Roseburg said today that a judge's decision to overturn the killer's death sentence makes him worry that the man eventually will get out of prison. Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Marion Carl, one of the country's most decorated aviators, was gunned down in June 1998 as he was trying to protect his wife from Jesse Fanus, a local 18-year-old with a history of arrests. The case attracted national attention because Carl was the Marines' first flying ace in World War II and a record-setting speed pilot later. Bruce Carl, who...

DENVER — Starting Jan. 1, getting shark fins, caffeinated beer, cough syrup or a tan is going to be tougher than it was in 2011. The National Conference of State Legislatures issued Monday its annual list of laws set to take effect in 2012, and there was nothing but bad news for connoisseurs of shark-fin soup. Oregon and California passed laws prohibiting the sale, trade, or distribution of the fins, which are considered a delicacy in China. California also became the first state in the nation to require a prescription for obtaining any drug containing dextromethorphan, an ingredient found in...

Mumbo-Jumbo Mystic Impervious To Cops' Electric Blasters For those of you who've ever wondered, like you do, whether the Jedi lightsabre or the Taser is the more effective weapon, we're delighted to report that the electric dispenser of justice is no match for Obi-Wan Kenobi's mighty glowing tool. David A. Canterbury earlier this week went on the rampage at a Portland Toys R Us store, assaulting three customers with a plastic replica of the Jedi weapon. Cue swift intervention by law enforcement operatives, who found 33-year-old Canterbury wandering in the parking lot, "talking incoherently", and still swinging his Star Wars...

Newsmagazine Just Out is shutting down, according to a note on its website Monday. The publication has served Portland's gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered and queer community since 1983. The online notice states simply that "three years of recession have taken their toll." Publisher Marty Davis confirmed the closure in an email to The Oregonian: "Just Out has closed its doors and shut down its computers." She said in a follow-up email that there are no plans to continue online. Local blogger Byron Beck broke the news on his site, linking to an 11 a.m. post on Just Out's Facebook page....

ALOHA, Ore. – An Aloha couple woke up Christmas morning to a man hitting them with a tiki torch. Washington County deputies are investigating the incident, which started with a home invasion, according to spokesman Bob Ray. It happened at a home on 209th Street. According to Ray, a man believed to be on drugs broke into the back door of the home while the couple was asleep, grabbed a bamboo tiki torch and took it into the bedroom where he beat the couple with it. The husband, who has not been identified, grabbed a handgun in self-defense and a...

t's highly unusual in a presidential debate for two Republican candidates -- the two leading in current national polls -- to heap praise on a liberal Democratic senator... Politicians' praise is sometimes bestowed overlavishly, but in this case it was well merited. Ryan-Wyden represents a major step forward in public policy and gives hope that the Medicare entitlement can be rendered sustainable. The Ryan-Wyden proposal provides for continuation of the current Medicare program for those now over age 55. For those younger, it would introduce in 2022 a "premium-support" system that would allow Medicare recipients to choose between the current...

Occupy Portland Mom Places 4-Year-Old Daughter On Train Tracks During Protest To Shut Down Port of Portland… She’s a lock for the “mother of the year” award.

More than 1,000 Occupy Wall Street protesters blocked cargo trucks at some of the West Coast's busiest ports Monday, forcing terminals in Oakland, Calif., Portland, Ore., and Longview, Wash., to halt operations. While the protests attracted far fewer people than the 10,000 who turned out Nov. 2 to shut down Oakland's port, organizers declared victory and promised more demonstrations to come. "The truckers are still here, but there's nobody here to unload their stuff," protest organizer Boots Riley said. "We shut down the Port of Oakland for the daytime shift and we're coming back in the evening. Mission accomplished." Organizers...

PORTLAND — Police have identified the man who died after a home invasion as a 33-year-old Portland man. Donny Peterson was brought to a hospital with a stab wound on Friday night and died soon after. Portland police said the home invasion was the result of an ongoing conflict, but Portland police Lt. Robert King declined to elaborate Saturday. Police said Peterson was accompanied by his brother, 37-year-old Wilson Peterson. Wilson Peterson has been charged with first-degree burglary and second-degree assault. Police have not disclosed how Donny Peterson received the mortal injury, but said the homeowners will not face charges...

Portland Mayor Sam Adams is a self-described strong liberal, but despite sharing the politics of many anti-Wall Street protesters who rocked his city, he has also emerged as one of their harshest critics. Adams told Reuters this week in an interview at City Hall in Portland that the movement had lost its focus.The Oregon mayor's running argument with the Occupy movement, much of it conducted openly over Twitter, points to a similar rift between left-wing protesters and liberal politicians in cities across the country, from Los Angeles to Atlanta.Occupy protesters have denounced economic inequality and the perceived undue power of...

OAKLAND — As anti-Wall Street protesters attempt to regroup and settle in for winter after a series of police raids that stripped much of the movement of its signature camps, protesters on the West Coast are staging a comeback. On Dec. 12, Occupy movements from Seattle to San Diego say they will shut down their local ports, temporarily stopping the flow of capital on the West Coast. Organizers say they aim to disrupt the business of the “1 percent” — in this case, the corporations that own shipping terminals and do business at the ports. If successful, shutting down the...

19 arrested as Occupy Portland protesters clash with policeby Associated Press & KGW Staff Updated today at 12:35 PM PORTLAND -- Nineteen Occupy Portland demonstrators were arrested in a clash with police Saturday night after the protesters set up tents in the downtown Park Blocks in defiance of city rules. **SNIP** The Occupy Portland website then declared, "We have a park!" It said "the kitchen is open" and invited the public to bring love, tents, sleeping bags and snacks.

The American tradition of public education began in one-room school houses when frontier farm families hired dedicated teachers to teach their children. When I attended public schools in the 1950s, I received an excellent education. American schools were rated the best in the world. Those schools prepared me for Caltech, and Caltech prepared me for a wonderful life in science. I owe my career and accomplishments to the great start I received in the public schools. Those public schools were locally controlled and locally funded. Teachers and parents worked together on the content of curriculum, student discipline, and all aspects...

SALEM, OR (KPTV) - Food stamps for Frappuccinos? It may sound shocking, but the FOX 12 Investigators discovered you can use an Oregon Trail Card, which is part of the food stamp program, to purchase the luxury drink at certain Starbucks counters inside grocery stores. With the help of Jackie Fowler, who has an Oregon Trail Card, FOX 12 went to an in-store Starbucks within a Safeway in Salem. Fowler purchased a tall Frappaccino and slice of pumpkin bread and paid for both using her Oregon Trail card. POLL: Should food stamps be allowed at Starbucks counters? "It's crazy," said...

Mary Archer's death in 1981 was horrific. Gary Haugen, her daughter's former boyfriend, broke into her home in Portland, Ore., where he raped the 39-year-old, then beat her to a lifeless pulp using his fists, a hammer, and a baseball bat. He pleaded guilty to her murder and was sentenced to life in the Oregon State Penitentiary. In 2003 Haugen murdered again. He and another prisoner used handmade "shanks" to stab a third inmate, David Polin, 84 times. When Polin, despite those wounds and loss of blood, somehow still clung to life, Haugen finished him off by bashing in his skull with...

PORTLAND -- Police have raided three vacant Northeast Portland homes taken over by anarchists who claimed they were part of the Occupy Wall Street movement. Police were tipped off about the situation Sunday. Responding officers found that the squatters had changed the locks on the homes. Police said it looked like the squatters were ready for battle. Inside the homes, police found anarchist literature, drugs and weapons, including machetes. “There's the body armor in there, the bucket of projectiles: broken up concrete, rocks,” Portland Police Sgt. Jeff McDaniel told KGW. “There was some body-armor-type stuff for someone who might want...

The governor of Oregon, John Kitzhaber, announced last week that he would not allow any more executions in his state during his time in office. Kitzhaber, a Democrat, gave five reasons for his decision. My response follows each one. 1. "I refuse to be part of this compromised and inequitable system any longer." This has become one of the most frequently offered reasons for objecting to capital punishment -- that because the system is not equitable, no murderer should be put to death. This is a reason that is devoid of reason. If a system is not equitable, you don't...

Oregon’s Democratic Governor John Kitzhaber has said he will allow no further executions in the state while he is in office. Mr Kitzhaber said he was stopping the death penalty as he considered it to be morally wrong. The move will be a blow to the US system of capital punishment. The move effectively halted the scheduled execution of convicted killer Gary Haugen, who had waived his appeals and was scheduled to die by lethal injection on Dec 6. “It is time for Oregon to consider a different approach,” Mr Kitzhaber said in a statement. “I refuse to be a...

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber on Tuesday imposed a moratorium on the death penalty for the remainder of his term, saying he's morally opposed to capital punishment and has long regretted allowing two men to be executed in the 1990s. Kitzhaber's decision gives a temporary reprieve to a twice-convicted murderer who was scheduled to die by lethal injection in two weeks, along with 36 others on death row. It makes Oregon the fifth state to halt executions since 2007.

The Rev. Miriam Méndez admitted to the crowd of about 50 gathered Monday at the East Portland Community Center that Julio Cesar Marquez's life was short. But his 13 years were influential, she said: "We know he has touched many." Mendez spoke at an anti-violence vigil honoring the teen, whose body was found two weeks ago in a Northeast Portland alley. He died of blunt-force trauma and gunshot wounds, becoming the city's youngest gang-involved homicide victim in at least a decade. Marquez's family, friends and other community members braved a cold rain to remember the eighth-grader, who liked to dance...

The top 10 people who get benefits from the Oregon Public Employee Retirement Systems were made public this afternoon, along with the complete list of pensioners' compensation. A Marion County judge dismissed a last-ditch effort by Oregon's public employees to block the release of individual pension information for 105,000 retirees by the state pension system. Among the data released: mean monthly allowance: $2,363.25; and 837 get more than $100,000 a year.

Armed with snarky signs and at least one false mustache, a group of about 10 anti-Occupy Portland protestors, who called themselves Un-Occupy Portland, stood near Ankeny Plaza to deliver a message to the Occupy movement: "We're seriously annoyed, and we want you to stop." As members of Occupy Portland gathered for a rally on the plaza, the Un-Occupy protestors held signs with sayings such as "We are the 98.999%. We are seriously annoyed with the 0.001%," "I'm bored and easily influenced," and "Un-Occupy Portland: The 98.999% for Portland Police, Taxpayers and the City's Budget."....

A 30-year-old man who allegedly tried to rob a Southeast Portland bar with a sawed-off shotgun early this morning got far more than he bargained for when he ran into an employee who goes by the nickname "Stub." Instead of leaving with cash, the man was hauled off in an ambulance.

The labor movement, the union-owned financial services company Ullico and the state of Oregon are partnering in a $15 million “Cool Schools” initiative that includes repairs, rebuilding and energy retrofits. Says AFT President Randi Weingarten: We’re gratified that in working together, we can ensure that our children have access to facilities which help them reach their potential. The partnership of government, unions and businesses will work with to identify appropriate investments in Oregon public schools and infrastructure of up to $15 million.Already the Cool Schools initiative—launched by Gov. John Kitzhaber (D)—has: Performed state-of-the-art audits of nearly 400 schools Negotiated with...

Saba Ahmed, the young Muslim woman from Beaverton who ran in the Democratic primary for Oregon's 1st District congressional seat, says she has switched to the Republican Party. From her Facebook page: "Never thought I would see this day, but I am officially a registered REPUBLICAN. Thank you to all the Oregon Democrats for helping me realize my Conservative Potential. Looking forward to 2012 Republican Victories!" Ahmed, who had interned for then-Gov. Ted Kulongoski and Rep. Earl Blumenauer, has been a frequent participant in Democratic events. She received less than a half-percent of the votes in last week's primary. She...

ASTORIA, Ore. -- A Coast Guardsman was being honored as a hero Monday for his efforts in saving a woman from drowning in the Columbia River in September. Petty Officer 2nd Class Leon Doniphan, a cook aboard Cutter Alert in Astoria, had just finished his shift on Sept. 10 and was heading on to the pier when he noticed some commotion on the river's edge. It turned out, a young girl about 11- or 12-years-old, who had been swimming around the pilings under the dock, got caught in the river's current. Moments later, it was apparent she was about to...

A traffic stop of a speeding vehicle led to the arrest of three men, who claimed to be Occupy Portland demonstrators, and the seizure of incendiary devices, gas masks and fireworks. Traffic Safety Deputy Ryan Postlewait saw a gray Subaru Outback going southbound on Interstate 5 near milepost 245 at 8:40am. It was traveling at a high rate of speed. Using his radar, he verified the speed of the Subaru at 81mph. Postlewait initiated a traffic stop. The driver of the car was identified as William Maxwell Patterson, 21. The passengers in the car were identified as Emery Nicholas Luff,...