Date: 07/18/2014 09:26 AM
AP-OR–2nd NewsMinute/244
Here is the latest Oregon news from The Associated Press
GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) – Two different lightning-sparked wildfires grew quickly in hot and dry conditions in central Oregon yesterday, prompting evacuation alerts. Fire officials say a fire north of Sisters tripled in size and a top-level evacuation advisory urged residents to leave their homes immediately. East of Prineville, another blaze prompted the evacuation of 27 homes. They were among 13 large fires burning across Oregon.
SPRINGFIELD, Ore. (AP) – A dramatic fire at a plywood mill in the Willamette Valley community of Springfield has badly damaged the complex and prompted a brief evacuation notice for surrounding neighborhoods. The Register-Guard reports that a police officer at the scene said all Springfield Plywood and Veneer mill employees were accounted for. Multiple explosions were reported.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Authorities say a Portland man died when his parachute failed to open during a base jump from a 1,000-foot tower near Silverton. The Marion County Sheriff’s Office says friends of Zachary Sommer yesterday reported that he had not returned from a jump he had planned the night before. Deputies discovered Sommer’s body in a field near the tower on private property.
SALEM, Ore. (AP) – Gov. John Kitzhaber and his Republican rival Dennis Richardson are preparing to square off in the campaign’s first debate. The candidates meet today in Salem at a convention for the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association. Kitzhaber is a Democrat seeking an unprecedented fourth term. Richardson is a state representative.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press.
