ZIP LINE DEATH
Oregon woman dies after zip line failure
(Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com)
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Authorities say a woman died while riding on a zip line that stretches across a river in northwestern Oregon.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reported Monday that Joshua Jackson says he and Tami McVay had been riding on the zip line together when a tree holding up the line uprooted and fell on them.
The Tillamook County Sheriff’s Office says 34-year-old McVay suffered severe head trauma and died at the scene on Saturday.
Jackson was arrested on an unrelated warrant.
Emergency responders had used all-terrain vehicles and hiked about two miles to get to the couple after receiving a 911 call saying McVay was injured.
Records show Jackson was wanted in connection with a 2012 conviction for assault and recklessly endangering another person.
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PARASITE IN WATER-PORTLAND
Parasite found in Portland drinking water
(Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com)
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Officials say a trace amount of cryptosporidium parasite has been found in a test of Portland drinking water for the fourth time this year.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports the parasite was found Monday in the Bull Run watershed, Oregon’s largest source of drinking water.
The Portland Water Bureau says the finding doesn’t raise immediate alarms for human health but recommends that people with weak immune systems consult their doctors.
The water bureau’s quality manager Yone Akagi says it “is the most cryptosporidium we’ve detected in more than a decade.”
Unlike in most cities, Portland’s water bureau doesn’t treat its water for cryptosporidium, a parasite found in animal and human waste.
Officials say the bureau received an exemption in 2012 but more positive tests could force the construction of an at least $89 million treatment plant.
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NURSE-SEX ABUSE
Ex-Oregon nurse admits to sex abuse against patients
(Information from: KPTV-TV, http://www.kptv.com/)
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A man accused of sexually abusing patients while working as a nurse at a clinic near Portland has pleaded guilty.
KPTV-TV reports that 38-year-old Alex Woolner pleaded guilty Monday to several charges, including sex abuse and attempted kidnapping.
Police say Woolner had inappropriate contact that was sexual in nature with patients at a Kaiser Permanente clinic in Beaverton. They say he subjected at least one victim to an “unnecessary and intrusive” exam and accessed women’s medical records to get their cellphone numbers.
Woolner resigned while under investigation.
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TRUMP-TRAVEL BAN-OREGON
Oregon backs Washington state lawsuit
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum’s office said it is joining the legal fight playing out against President Donald Trump’s immigration travel ban.
Rosenblum said Monday that Oregon is supporting Washington state’s lawsuit against Trump’s executive order by signing a friend of the court brief in the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals along with more than a dozen other states.
Last week a federal judge in Seattle ordered a temporary halt to Trump’s order banning the entry of people from seven Muslim-majority countries.
Rosenblum said Monday her office is ready to assist in the Washington state lawsuit however it can. Rosenblum also said she will seek to have Oregon added to the lawsuit.
RANCHING STANDOFF-OREGON
3 Oregon refuge defendants plead guilty to trespassing
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Three of the remaining seven defendants charged in the armed takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge took plea deals Monday rather than go to trial next week.
Sean and Sandra Anderson, a married couple from Riggins, Idaho, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor trespassing in exchange for other charges being dismissed. Dylan Anderson of Provo, Utah, took the same step, and all three were sentenced to a year on probation.
A fourth defendant was scheduled to change his plea Monday, but the hearing was canceled.
A total of 26 people were indicted on federal conspiracy and weapons charges after taking over the refuge early last year in a protest against the imprisonment of two ranchers convicted of setting fires.
Eleven defendants pleaded guilty last year and charges were dropped against one man.
In a trial last fall, jurors acquitted standoff leader Ammon Bundy and six others.
NORTHWEST WEATHER-THE LATEST
The Latest: About 100,000 remain without power
SEATTLE (AP) — About 100,000 customers remained without power following a winter storm that swept through the western Washington.
Puget Sound Energy reported about 86,000 customers without electricity as of Monday afternoon and Seattle City Light listed about 10,000.
More than 100 school districts cancelled classes and dozens of flights were cancelled at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport after snow and ice blanketed the Puget Sound area. A winter storm watch was in effect through Monday afternoon.
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RANCHING STANDOFF TRIAL-NEVADA
Jury selection begins for trial of 6 in Bundy ranch standoff
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Jury selection has begun in federal court in Nevada for trial of the first six defendants accused of taking up arms against federal agents herding cattle off public land near cattleman Cliven Bundy’s ranch in April 2014.
About 10 flag-waving protesters marked the start of proceedings Monday outside the courthouse in Las Vegas, showing support for the jailed rancher and his philosophy that states own the land, not the federal government.
A similar number of counter-protesters organized by a conservation advocacy group brought a bullhorn and signs declaring public lands should stay public.
In the courtroom, openings are expected later this week for a trial that’s expected to take weeks or months.
The six facing the jury first are characterized as the least culpable “followers and gunmen” among the 19 defendants the case.
TRUMP-TRAVEL BAN-PORTLAND
Iraqi refugees arrive to cheers at Portland airport
(Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com)
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Roughly 100 people greeted the first refugees to land at Portland International Airport since President Trump’s travel ban was rescinded by a federal judge.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports Mustapha Mohamed arrived Sunday night with his wife and daughters.
The former interpreter for U.S. military in Iraq waited four years to get a visa that would allow him and his family to relocate. They were supposed to arrive last week before getting blocked by the executive order temporarily banning visitors from Iraq and six other Muslim-majority countries.
Members of the crowd shouted “Welcome,” and “We love you,” as the family came into view. Portland Police Chief Mike Marshman was among those greeting the family.
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Copyright 2017 The Associated Press.
