Oregon News

Oregon Jury Awards Man $3M After Officer Accused Him of Trying to Steal Car

A jury in Oregon has awarded a man more than $3.1 million after a police officer accused him of trying to steal a car he was fixing and allegedly used excessive force when arresting him. That jury award included more …

Oregon’s Wildfire Risk Map Emerges as Climate Flashpoint

A new map in Oregon that rated the wildfire risk of every tax lot in the state – labeling nearly 80,000 structures as high-risk – generated so much pushback from angry homeowners that officials abruptly retracted it, saying they had …

Life Sentence for Oregon Author in Spouse Death for Insurance Money

A self-published romance novelist who once wrote an online essay called “How to Murder Your Husband” was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole for murdering her husband at his workplace in Portland, Oregon, four years ago. …

Oregon Officials Warn of Difficult Wildfire Season

Oregon remains poised to see a potentially “challenging” wildfire season this summer, despite a wet and cool spring in much of western Oregon, one of the state’s top fire watchers said Monday. The rain and snow have helped to push …

Insurtech Joyn Adds Business Coverages in Five Western States

Insurance technology company Joyn Insurance Services Inc. announced that it will offer coverage in an additional five states for effective dates beginning June 1. The company is adding property, general liability, and excess lines of coverage in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, …

5th Oregon County Declares Drought Emergency

Low water storage and snowpack levels in southern Oregon have prompted a fifth Oregon county to declare a drought emergency. Oregon Public Broadcasting reports Jackson County commissioners made the drought declaration, which follows declarations by Klamath, Jefferson, Morrow and Crook …

Oregon Rolling Out Hospital Crisis Care Standards as COVID Surges

Oregon hospitals have new interim guidelines to help them determine which patients should get lifesaving care if the current COVID-19 surge forces them to choose between people because of a lack of beds, staff or critical medical equipment. The guidelines …

Oregon Fire Damaged More Than 20 Businesses

Authorities say a fire early Sunday in Hillsboro, Oregon, impacted about 20 to 25 businesses. Shortly after 3 a.m., Hillsboro firefighters responded to a commercial blaze inside the Weil Arcade building on East Main Street. Within half an hour, Hillsboro …

Oregon Agency Inadvertently Releases Employees Vaccine Status

Oregon’s central administrative agency inadvertently released the COVID-19 vaccination status of more than 40,000 state employees to two media outlets. The Oregonian/OregonLive reported a spreadsheet sent to them and the Statesman Journal was supposed to contain the latest vaccination rates …

Firefighter Dies While Working Oregon Wildfire, Officials Say

A firefighter died this week while battling a wildfire southeast of Eugene, Oregon, officials said. Bryan Cutchen, Oakridge city administrator and acting fire chief, said the death is suspected to have been caused by a tree falling on the firefighter, …