1st Oregon News Minute from the AP

Date: 03/26/2013 03:59 AM

OR–1st NewsMinute/332
Here is the latest Oregon news from The Associated Press

 

SEATTLE (AP) – The governors of Washington and Oregon are urging the White House to evaluate the effects of greenhouse gas emissions from leasing and exporting the nation’s coal. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber called on the federal government to examine the consequences coal leasing and coal exports will have on global greenhouse gas emissions and air quality. They sent a joint letter yesterday to the President’s Council on Environmental Quality.

SALEM, Ore. (AP) – Ten people have been arrested in a food stamp fraud investigation in Salem. The investigation concerned whether customers at a produce store were exchanging food benefits for cash. Police arrested 22-year-old Holver Paniagua-Millan after a search warrant was served March 7 at Pantiaguas Produce. Five other people were arrested the same day. Another four people have been arrested since then. Police say Paniagua-Millan worked at the store.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Oregon Health and Science University is notifying more than 4,000 patients that some of their personal information was in a surgeon’s laptop computer that was stolen during a Hawaii vacation. The Oregonian reports that an initial check showed the Social Security numbers of nine people were breached, but that figure has since grown to 17. OHSU privacy officer Ronald Marcum says the hospital believes that most of the affected patients face little risk of ID theft.

SALEM, Ore. (AP) – Oregon Democrats have unveiled the details of their proposed cuts in pensions for retired government workers. The bill introduced yesterday would limit annual cost-of-living increases and lean hardest on workers with larger retirement checks. Retirees earning less than $20,000 a year would continue getting a 2 percent cost-of-living increase each year. The inflation increase would be reduced on a graduated scale at higher income levels. Democrats say the plan would save all levels of government about $400 million in the next two-year budget cycle. That’s less than other proposals being offered.

 

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.