AP-OR–2nd Right Now/1169
BEACH ADVISORIES
Health advisories lifted at Rockaway, Seal Rock beaches
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The Oregon Health Authority is telling beachgoers they can head back into water at Rockaway Beach in Tillamook County and Seal Rock State Park near Newport.
The health authority had issued health advisories Wednesday after water samples showed higher-than-normal levels of fecal bacteria, which can cause diarrhea, stomach cramps, skin rashes and upper respiratory infections.
Officials said Thursday those levels have subsided.
Increased bacteria levels in the ocean can come from both shore and inland sources, including animal waste, stormwater runoff, sewer overflows and failing septic systems.
Officials still recommend staying out of large pools on the beach that are frequented by birds, and runoff from those pools, because the water may contain increased bacteria from fecal matter.
MYRTLE CREEK HOMICIDE
Man, 22, charged in fatal stabbing at Myrtle Creek home
MYRTLE CREEK, Ore. (AP) — A 22-year-old man has been arrested in the fatal stabbing of a man at a Myrtle Creek home.
Court documents show the grandmother of Gunnar Vachon called 9-1-1 to report the stabbing Wednesday afternoon.
According a detective from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, the grandmother said she and her daughter found the victim with multiple stab wounds after seeing her grandson run from a room covered in blood.
Deputies found Vachon on the street outside the home. During his interview with the detective, he allegedly confessed to killing 41-year-old Chris Bell.
Vachon has been charged with murder. Court records don’t list an attorney to speak on his behalf. If he can’t afford a lawyer, one will likely be assigned to him at his arraignment.
Vachon was convicted of criminal mischief and harassment earlier this year. The victims in that case were his mother and grandmother.
EUGENE SCHOOL DISTRICT-LAWSUIT
Ex-employee files $2.5M suit against Eugene School District
(Information from: The Register-Guard, http://www.registerguard.com)
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — The Eugene School District has been hit with a $2.5 million lawsuit by a former administrator alleging he faced retaliation and pressure to resign after complaining of illegal practices within the district.
Brad New filed the suit Thursday.
The Register-Guard reports that most of New’s complaints during his eight years at the district were found to be unsubstantiated by the state. But the state did find it overpaid the district for two school years, because district officials wrongly identified how many of its students were attending school full time.
New also made two complaints to the U.S. Department of Education, including one accusing the district of discriminating against students in an alternative program.
Spokeswoman Kerry Delf says district officials haven’t yet been served with the complaint, but they plan to “vigorously defend” against the allegations.
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GYMNASTICS COACH-CHILD PORN
Gymnastics coach gets 25 years for child porn charges
(Information from: Mail Tribune, http://www.mailtribune.com/)
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A former gymnastics coach in southern Oregon who pleaded guilty to child pornography charges has been sentenced to 25 years in prison.
The Mail Tribune reports that Jeffrey Bettman was sentenced Thursday in federal court in Medford.
Bettman has been accused of secretly videotaping girls as they were changing clothes in Oregon and California.
Court documents say investigators found 49 child victims in the two states, including some as young as 8, over a nearly two-decade period.
Authorities say he worked at several gymnastic studios over the years, including one in Grants Pass.
A psychiatrist for the defense testified Thursday Bettman’s chances of reoffending if he were released after a minimum of 15 years would be “close to zero.”
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COAST-VACATION RENTALS
Gearhart property owners miffed by proposed rules
GEARHART, Ore. (AP) — Property owners who offer short-term vacation rentals in the seaside town of Gearhart are pushing back against an ordinance that would place new restrictions on them.
The Daily Astorian reported Thursday that some are asking city leaders for a compromise after commissioning a survey on the issue.
The City Council will vote to finalize the new regulations Sept. 7.
Permit applicants would be required to complete forms, pay $600 and provide proof of inspection to operate a short-term rental.
The ordinance requires a 24-hour property owner representative, a $125 inspection and a posted tsunami evacuation map.
Permit holders would need to pay city vacation rental taxes.
Short-term vacation rentals have become an increasingly divisive issue in Oregon’s coastal communities, including Gearhart, as online rental booking sites proliferate.
SALOON DEATH
Wilsonville man dies from injuries sustained in June assault
WILSONVILLE, Ore. (AP) — Clackamas County authorities say a man assaulted a couple months ago outside a Wilsonville saloon has died from his injuries.
The sheriff’s office says 46-year-old Randy Pigeon of Wilsonville was taken to a hospital with severe injuries after the June 25 incident at Wanker’s Corner Saloon and Cafe. He died in the hospital Monday.
A suspect, 29-year-old Jorge Keymolen of Woodburn, was indicted last month on assault charges.
Because of Pigeon’s death, the Clackamas County District Attorney’s Office is now deciding whether to file additional charges.
UO RAPE INVESTIGATION
University of Oregon seeks dismissal of athletes’ lawsuit
(Information from: The Register-Guard, http://www.registerguard.com)
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — A federal judge says it will take him several weeks to decide whether to dismiss a lawsuit filed against the University of Oregon by three former UO basketball players.
The Register Guard reports that The University of Oregon argued in court Tuesday that the case should be thrown out. The basketball players sued after they were suspended and banned from campus for up to 10 years after being accused of raping a female student at an off-campus party.
The university says the players violated the school’s code of conduct by engaging in sexual acts without explicit permission from the woman.
The athletes acknowledged having a sexual encounter with the woman but say it was consensual. They also argue that UO denied them due process.
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POT-PORTABLE TOILET
Oregon man finds portable toilet filled with pot
ROGUE RIVER, Ore. (AP) — Police in the southern Oregon community of Rogue River say a man walking through a park discovered a portable toilet filled with marijuana plants.
The agency posted a photo on social media Wednesday, saying it’s the largest seizure of pot the department has ever made.
Marijuana grows are common in southern Oregon, which has some of the nation’s best conditions for outdoor cultivation.
Chief Ken Lewis said Thursday that police still don’t know how the pot got there. He says it could be anything from a pick up point to a disgruntled citizen making a statement about all the marijuana grows.
Lewis said a public works employee checked the toilet three hours before the discovery was made and it was empty. People playing tennis on a nearby court saw nothing suspicious.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press.
