2nd Oregon News Minute from the AP

Date: 02/19/2013 09:40 AM

OR–2nd NewsMinute/348
Here is the latest Oregon news from The Associated Press

 

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Triple-A reports the average price of gasoline in Oregon is $3.64. That’s up 7 cents in a week and 32 cents in a month. It’s 11 cents lower than the national average. Some metro prices from today’s survey: Portland $3.62, Salem $3.64, Eugene-Springfield $3.68, Medford-Ashland $3.72.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Sex traffickers in Portland are going to spend more time in prison because of a change in the justice system that in calling for much tougher sentences. The Oregonian reports that last year the average sentence for a pimp in Portland increased to 12 years. Some pimps received prison terms double that or longer. Last week, a Portland judge underscored the seriousness of sex trafficking when he sentenced a repeat pimp to life in prison with no possibility of release. That is the first time prosecutors or police had seen that happen.

SALEM, Ore. (AP) – A bill approving a new I-5 bridge over the Columbia River would authorize $450 million in bonds to pay for Oregon’s share, but it doesn’t say how the state would pay off the debt over the coming decades. State lawmakers heard public testimony on the topic yesterday and learned that in the short term, ODOT can use unanticipated federal transportation dollars to cover the debt. But after that money runs out in two to three years, the state would have to approve a new revenue source – such as a gas tax or vehicle fees – or reduce the amount of money available for other road projects.

SEASIDE HEIGHTS, N.J. (AP) – A city in Oregon is reaching out to a New Jersey shore town with a similar name. Seaside plans on holding several fundraisers to help finance a new entrance for Seaside Heights, N.J., which was heavily damaged during Superstorm Sandy. Don Larson, the mayor of Seaside, Ore., tells radio station New Jersey 101.5 FM both are coastal towns with tourism driven economies and both are acutely aware of the damage natural disasters mean for them.

 

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.