UNIVERSITY-KKK DORM
University of Oregon to strip ex-KKK leader’s name from dorm
(Information from: The Register-Guard, http://www.registerguard.com)
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — The University of Oregon’s governing board has voted to remove the name of a former professor and Klu Klux Klansman from one of its campus dormitories.
The Register-Guard reports the board voted unanimously Thursday to change Dunn Hall, named for Frederic Dunn, to Cedar Hall until a renaming process is undertaken.
President Michael Schill said he based his recommendation to rename Dunn Hall on dialogue, logic and research, and he concluded “it would be inconsistent with our values to have a building named after an exalted cyclops of the Ku Klux Klan.”
According to a Klan rule book, an “exalted cyclops” is the chief officer of a single Klan unit.
The school will focus next on possibly renaming a building named for Matthew Deady, a campus founder and advocate of slavery.
At Yale University, Calhoun College has been the target of student protests because it is named for former Vice President John C. Calhoun, an ardent 19th century defender of slavery. Yale President Peter Salovey in April announced the college would continue to carry Calhoun’s name but that two new residential colleges would be named for Benjamin Franklin and Pauli Murray, the co-founder of the National Organization for Women and a civil rights leader.
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SHERIFF’S CAPTAIN-SENTENCE
Ex-Oregon sheriff’s captain gets 5 years in federal prison
(Information from: The Bulletin, http://www.bendbulletin.com)
BEND, Ore. (AP) — A former Deschutes County Sheriff’s captain has been sentenced to five years in prison for stealing more than $200,000 from the county and using the funds to buy gifts for an ex-colleague.
The Bend Bulletin reports Scott Beard was sentenced Thursday after pleading guilty to charges of theft and money laundering.
Beard is accused of stealing the money between 2014 and 2015 while he oversaw the finances of a regional drug task force.
Court records allege he gave at least $100,000 to former sheriff’s office employee Krista Mudrick with whom he had a romantic relationship.
Mudrick is expected to plead guilty Monday to making false statements to federal agents.
Beard, who has attributed his behavior to mental health issues, says he’s seeking forgiveness from his family and the community.
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CHILD SEX ABUSE-SENTENCE
Man gets 60 years in prison for sexually abusing children
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Authorities say a 47-year-old man living near Portland has been sentenced to 60 years in prison for sexually abusing or exploiting children in the Philippines and in Oregon.
The U.S. Justice Department said Steven Rockett was sentenced Thursday for producing child pornography outside the United States, engaging in illicit sexual conduct in foreign places, producing and attempting to produce child pornography and possession of child pornography.
A federal jury in Portland convicted him of the charges after a May trial.
Prosecutors say Rockett sexually abused children, solicited children to take and send him sexually explicit photos of themselves and also secretly recorded children undressing and showering at his residences in Forest Grove and Aloha and in Philippine hotel rooms.
Rockett is currently appealing a 52-year state prison sentence for sexually abusing five children.
PORTLAND PUBLIC SCHOOLS-LEAD
Portland Public Schools employee tests positive for lead
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Multnomah County health officials say an adult employee with Portland Public Schools has tested positive for state action levels of lead.
Tests for three other employees also indicated they had elevated levels of lead but two of the tests were found to be false positives. The third employee’s test results were considered a “gray area.”
Perry Cabot with the county health department says many of the tests have been coming back with false positive results.
Officials are urging those who have been found to have elevated lead levels to see a health care provider for follow-up testing.
More than 2,500 Portland students and staff members have been tested.
DEATH INVESTIGATION-HAZEL DELL
Detectives investigating after body found north of Vancouver
VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) — Authorities say they are investigating after a body was found in a wooded area frequented by transient campers just north of Vancouver.
The Clark County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release that someone passing by reported finding the body Thursday afternoon in the Hazel Dell area.
Deputies located the body of an adult but said the identity and gender are unknown at this time.
No obvious cause of death was apparent.
No other information was immediately released.
VOLKSWAGEN EMISSIONS-VERMONT
Vermont sues Volkswagen over emissions-rigging scandal
MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — Vermont is suing Volkswagen and its affiliates, saying the automaker’s diesel emissions-rigging scheme violated the state’s consumer and environmental laws.
VW agreed this summer to spend as much as $15 billion to settle complaints about the cheating.
Attorney General William Sorrell said Thursday that Vermont rejected part of the proposed settlement that would have paid the state about $1,000 per vehicle for violating consumer protection laws.
Sorrell says Volkswagen, Audi AG, Porsche AG and their American subsidiaries polluted Vermont’s air, covered up their wrongdoing to mislead environmental regulators and sold the vehicles at a premium while deceptively advertising them as “environmentally friendly.”
Volkswagen Group of America Inc. said it’s committed to reaching a fair resolution of claims in the U.S. It says it received Vermont’s complaint and will respond appropriately.
COMMON CORE-TEST RESULTS
Oregon students show slight improvement on Common Core tests
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Scores released Thursday show Oregon students performed slightly better on state tests than they did a year ago.
The exams taken by nearly 300,000 students this spring are designed to show how well schools helped students meet the rigorous Common Core standards in English and math.
Fifty-five percent of students met the standards in English — up 1 percentage point from 2015. Forty-two percent of students were up to standards in math, also an increase of 1 percentage point.
A new state law allows parents to opt their children out of taking the tests for any reason. As a result, Portland, Eugene, Bend and several smaller districts had participation rates below 90 percent.
COACHES KILLED-OREGON
More details released in Oregon shootings that left 3 dead
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Hermiston police have released a timeline of the Aug. 18 murder-suicide involving two volunteer wrestling coaches.
Police Chief Jason Edmiston says Jason Huston picked up 14-year-old JJ Hurtado at about 10 a.m., drove to him to spot near the Umatilla River and killed him with a single gunshot. He then drove to the home of his fellow wrestling coach Kenneth Valdez. He kicked in the front door and went into a bedroom where Valdez was sleeping with Hurtado’s mother, Andria Bye.
Huston shot Valdez three times, killing him. Bye was shot once in the back and survived.
Huston then called his mother and 911 before sitting on the bed and shooting himself.
Edmiston says detectives who searched Huston’s home found “an incredible amount of pills” to treat depression and anxiety.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press.
