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AP-OR–2nd Right Now/1159

WARM SPRINGS KILLING

Man sought in wife’s death in Warm Springs found dead

TERREBONNE, Ore. (AP) — The FBI says it has recovered the body of a man who was being sought in the death of his wife at her Warm Springs home.

Mark Kevin Johnson Jr. was discovered Saturday afternoon inside a vehicle that had plunged over a 50-foot cliff in the Deschutes River Canyon near Terrebonne. Because of the difficult terrain, authorities on Sunday used a rope system to bring the remains back to the top of the canyon.

Johnson’s wife, Candelaria Rhoan, was found dead last Thursday. Detectives described the manner as violent.

The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office is investigating. Both the 33-year-old Johnson and the 30-year-old Rhoan were members of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs.

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This story has been corrected to show the woman’s first name is Candelaria, not Candelabra.

OREGON CITY-POLICE SHOOTING

Officer-involved shooting in Oregon City under investigation

OREGON CITY, Ore. (AP) — A Clackamas County major crimes team is investigating an officer-involved shooting in Oregon City.

The Oregon City Police Department says two officers were attempting to arrest a suspect at a home near the intersection of South 2nd Street and Tumwater Drive on Saturday when the man resisted and was shot.

Police say the officers immediately called for backup and began rendering first aid. Paramedics provided additional treatment but the man, described as a white man in his 30s, died at the scene. His name has not been released.

One of the officers was treated at a hospital for minor injuries.

MUSHROOM HUNTING

Mushroom hunting heating up in wake of Northwest wildfires

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — From flames come fungi.

That means mushroom hunters are checking maps outlining last year’s many Northwest wildfires before heading into forests this month searching for the easily identifiable and woodsy-tasting morels.

The spongey-looking delicacies have defied commercial cultivation and can retail for $20 a pound.

The National Interagency Fire Center says nearly a million acres of U.S. Forest Service land burned last year in Idaho, Oregon and Washington, much of it now prime mushroom-hunting territory. Maps of specific wildfire perimeters are available online at the Forest Service’s InciWeb.

Harvesters who want the mushrooms for personal use can gather up to 5 gallons a day without a permit.

On expert says getting away from roads and hiking into the forest is a good strategy to find more mushrooms.

AMPHIBIOUS TRANSPORT DOCK PORTLAND

Ingalls christens amphibious transport dock Portland

PASCAGOULA, Miss. (AP) — The Navy’s newest amphibious transport dock has been named after Oregon’s largest city.

The Portland is the 11th San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock built by Huntington Ingalls Industries.

At the christening Saturday in Pascagoula, Mississippi, the head of the Navy’s expeditionary warfare division said the ships may be the fleet’s most versatile. Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Christopher Owens said Marines love the 684-foot-long ships, from which smaller craft take Marines. their equipment and supplies to shore.

LPD 27 is the third ship named Portland. The first, named after Portland, Maine, was launched in 1932 as the lead ship of a new class of heavy cruisers. The second USS Portland was an amphibious landing ship commissioned in 1970. It was named after the cities in both Maine and Oregon.

MEDFORD MARIJUANA

Medford voters to decide city ban on growing pot outdoors

(Information from: Mail Tribune, http://www.mailtribune.com/)

MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) — Medford voters will decide whether city residents can grow marijuana outdoors.

The Medford Mail Tribune reports the council sent a measure to voters that would ban residents from growing marijuana outdoors.

It would also create an ordinance related to complaints about the smell of neighbors growing pot indoors.

Councilmembers are expected to send voters another measure, this one banning indoor and outdoor grow sites altogether within city limits.

The two councilmembers to vote against pursuing a complete ban noted the difficulty in indoor enforcement.

Medford police Lt. Kevin Walruff says the city received 30 complaints related to marijuana in a recent six-month period.

Officials said many complaints go unreported.

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EARTHQUAKE PREPAREDNESS-TRANSPORTATION

Transportation needs include preparing for earthquake danger

(Information from: Mail Tribune, http://www.mailtribune.com/)

MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) — A major fault off the Oregon Coast is expected to produce an earthquake, and transportation officials say preparing for that event needs to be a top priority.

The Medford Mail Tribune reports a Cascadia Subduction Zone event tops the needs listed in a report released last week by the Governor’s Transportation Vision Panel.

The fault stretches from northern California to Vancouver Island.

Former transportation official Stuart Foster says a Cascadia event is twice as likely in southwest Oregon.

Transportation Vision Panel co-chair Gregg Kantor said in a news release that the 30-year goal is to have the state’s transportation system in good repair and ready to withstand natural disasters.

The report calls for seismic upgrades to Interstate 5.

The list also prioritizes improving Portland area congestion and public transit.

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FOREST SERVICE-OPENINGS

Sites open for season in Deschutes National Park

(Information from: The Bulletin, http://www.bendbulletin.com)

BEND, Ore. (AP) — Several sites in the Deschutes National Forest will open for the season this weekend.

The Bend Bulletin reports that the openings include the Newberry Caldera in the Newberry National Volcanic Monument.

U.S. Forest Service officials say the road to Newberry Caldera opened to motor vehicles Friday.

Paulina and East Lake Resorts are open and Paulina Falls was set to open Saturday. The Big Obsidian Flow is open, and boat docks should be installed by Saturday.

Starting May 28, Paulina Visitor Center will open on weekends.

Lava Lands Visitor Center and the Lava River Cave are open Thursdays to Mondays.

The Lava Butte shuttle will start running Memorial Day Weekend from the Lava Lands Visitor Center to the top of Lava Butte. It will start daily service June 11.

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WASHINGTON WILDFIRES-REPORT

Report: Branches on power line started fatal fire near Twisp

(Information from: The Seattle Times, http://www.seattletimes.com)

SEATTLE (AP) — An investigation by the Washington state Department of Natural Resources found that tree branches rubbing on a power line started the 2015 blaze near Twisp that killed three firefighters.

The Seattle Times reports the DNR document was obtained through a public records request. The report says ignition likely happened as a light wind moved the branches and a sagging Okanogan County Electrical Cooperative distribution line on Aug. 19.

The investigation says burning foliage then dropped to the ground and spread flames.

A utility official told investigators the power lines are maintained to standards, with trees removed every three years or whenever deemed necessary. In the area where the fire began, the lines were last cleared during the 2012-13 winter.

The report didn’t comment on the question of potential negligence.

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