Headline of the Year: Author of ‘How to Murder Your Husband’ arrested for allegedly killing her husband
Posted: September 12, 2018 Filed under: Breaking News, Crime & Corruption, Mediasphere | Tags: Crime fiction, Hell on the Heart, How to Murder Your Husband, Mystery, Nancy Crampton-Brophy, Oregon Leave a comment
Life has apparently imitated art for one romance writer.
Storm Gifford reports: In a twist of irony so devious it would have turned Agatha Christie green with envy, Oregon chef Daniel Brophy was found shot to death nearly seven years after his wife of 27 years penned an essay titled “How to Murder Your Husband.”
Nancy Crampton-Brophy, the writer of sensuous mysteries such as “Hell on the Heart” and “The Wrong Husband,” was arrested for murder on Sept. 5 — more than three months after the death of her spouse.
“Dan was one of the very few people I’ve known that knew exactly what he wanted in life and loved doing it,” she said at a candlelight vigil two days after Daniel’s demise.
Oregon cops were mum on arrest details such as why Crampton-Brophy, 68, was taken into custody only last week for the June 2 shooting.
“Detectives believe Nancy L. Crampton-Brophy is the suspect in Daniel C. Brophy’s murder,” said Portland police, who refused to discuss motive or evidence. Read the rest of this entry »
[VIDEO] Kilt-Wearing Santa Plays Flame-Shooting Bagpipes While Riding Unicycle
Posted: December 23, 2016 Filed under: Entertainment, Humor, Mediasphere | Tags: 2016, Bagpipes, Breitbart News, Oregon, Portland, Santa Claus, Twitter, United States, YouTube Leave a comment
PORTLAND, Ore., Dec. 23 (UPI) — An Oregon man was filmed doing his part to keep Portland weird by dressing up as a Scottish Santa and playing flaming bagpipes while riding a unicycle.
Brian Kidd, aka The Unipiper, posted a video to YouTube showing him ringing in the holiday season in a festively eccentric fashion.
The video shows Kidd riding a unicycle while dressed as Santa from the waist up and a kilt-sporting Scotsman from the waist down. Read the rest of this entry »
More than Half of Arrested Anti-Trump Protesters Didn’t Vote in Oregon
Posted: November 15, 2016 Filed under: Breaking News, Crime & Corruption, Mediasphere, Politics | Tags: Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Multnomah County Sheriff's Office, New York City, Oregon, Portland, Protest, Stop Trump movement, United States Leave a comment
At least sixty-nine demonstrators either didn’t turn in a ballot or weren’t registered to vote in the state.
More than half of the anti-Trump protesters arrested in Portland didn’t vote, according to state election records.
[ALSO SEE – Portland anti-Trump rioters attack pregnant woman with a baseball bat]
At least sixty-nine demonstrators either didn’t turn in a ballot or weren’t registered to vote in the state.
KGW compiled a list of the 112 people arrested by the Portland Police Bureau during recent protests. Those names and ages, provided by police, were then compared to state voter logs by Multnomah County Elections officials.
[Read the full story here, at KGW.com]
Records show 34 of the protesters arrested didn’t return a ballot for the November 8 election. Thirty-five of the demonstrators taken into custody weren’t registered to vote in Oregon. Read the rest of this entry »
Jury Finds all Oregon Standoff Defendants Not Guilty of Federal Conspiracy, Gun Charges
Posted: October 27, 2016 Filed under: Breaking News, Law & Justice, U.S. News | Tags: Ammon Bundy, Associated Press, Citizens for Constitutional Freedom, Clothing, Cowboy boot, Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Oregon, Political prisoner, Suit (clothing) Leave a comment
The jury of nine women and three men returned the verdicts after five hours of deliberations on Thursday in the high-profile case that riveted the state and drew national and international attention to the federal bird sanctuary in rural eastern Oregon.
Maxine Bernstein reports: A federal jury on Thursday found Ammon Bundy, his brother Ryan Bundy and five co-defendants not guilty of conspiring to prevent federal employees from doing their jobs through intimidation, threat or force during the 41-day occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.
The Bundy brothers and occupiers Jeff Banta and David Fry also were found not guilty of having guns in a federal facility. Kenneth Medenbach was found not guilty of stealing government property, and a hung jury was declared on Ryan Bundy’s charge of theft of FBI surveillance cameras.
“More than we could have hoped for,” said one of Ammon Bundy’s lawyers, J. Morgan Philpot.
“Stunning,” said defense lawyer Lisa Ludwig, who was standby counsel for Ryan Bundy.
“I’m just thrilled,” said Neil Wampler‘s attorney Lisa Maxfield.
The jury of nine women and three men returned the verdicts after five hours of deliberations on Thursday in the high-profile case that riveted the state and drew national and international attention to the federal bird sanctuary in rural eastern Oregon.
[Read the full text here, at OregonLive.com]
Each defendant stood separately, facing the jury, as the judge read the verdicts. Ammon Bundy, his hands clasped behind his back, nodded as the “not guilty” verdicts were read for him first. As he sat, he smiled and rubbed the shoulder of his lawyer, Marcus Mumford.
His older brother Ryan Bundy stood. As his “not guilty” verdicts were read, he nodded, and mouthed to the jury, “Thank you.” Defendant Neil Wampler hugged and kissed his defense lawyer, Maxfield.
The coda to the stunning verdict, undoubtedly a significant blow to federal prosecutors, was when Ammon Bundy’s lawyer Marcus Mumford argued that his client, dressed in a gray suit and white dress shirt, should be allowed to walk out of the court, a free man.
U.S. District Judge Anna J. Brown told him that there was a U.S. Marshal’s hold on him from a pending federal indictment in Nevada.
“If there’s a detainer, show me,” Mumford stood, arguing before the judge.
Suddenly, a group of about six U.S. Marshals surrounded Mumford at his defense table. The judge directed them to move back but moments later, the marshals grabbed on to him.
“What are you doing?” Mumford yelled, as he struggled and was taken down to the floor.
As deputy marshals yelled, “Stop resisting,” the judge demanded, “Everybody out of the courtroom now!”
Mumford was taken into custody, a member of his legal team confirmed.
Ammon Bundy’s lawyer J. Morgan Philpot, said afterwards on the courthouse steps that Mumford had been arrested and marshals had used a stun gun, or Taser, on his back. Another member of Ammon Bundy’s legal team Rick Koerber, echoed Philpot, saying he heard Mumford questioning in court why they were using a Taser against him.
Philpot decried the marshals’ treatment of Mumford in the courtroom. “What happened at the end is symbolic of the improper use of force by the federal government,” he said.
By 6:30 p.m., Mumford was released from custody. He confirmed that he was struck with a stun gun once while he was on the floor of the courtroom.
“I grew up on a dairy farm, so am I used to some rough treatment, sure?” he said. But he said the actions of the U.S. marshals were uncalled for.
[Read the full story here, at OregonLive.com]
“All I was asking for was papers. Just show me you have the authority to take Mr. Bundy into custody.”
As to the verdict, “Very pleased, very gratified. This jury was dedicated. They listened to our case.”
Just after the verdicts were announced, people emerged onto the front steps of the courthouse to tell a crowd of media and onlookers.
Supporters of the defendants gathered in a joyous hug. One of them, Brand Thornton of Las Vegas, one of the original occupiers who accompanied Ryan Bundy and others onto the refuge on Jan. 2 and was called as witness by the defense, said that he has been at the trial since Oct. 2.
The verdict “means everything,” Thornton said. It’s huge for ranchers and land rights within Harney County and across the West, he said. Read the rest of this entry »
[VIDEO] The Kelly File: Republican Debaters Unite Against Common Enemy: Moderators
Posted: October 29, 2015 Filed under: Mediasphere, Politics | Tags: Carly Fiorina, CNBC, Donald Trump, Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox News Channel, Howard Kurtz, media, Megyn Kelly, Menstruation, news, Oregon, Republican Party presidential primaries, video Leave a comment
Chris Stirewalt and Howard Kurtz break down the CNBC GOP debate on ‘The Kelly File’Watch Chris Stirewalt, Howard Kurtz, and Megyn Kelly talk about Elections, Presidential Primaries, and Republicans on Mediabuzz and The Kelly File.
340 Sanctuaries Release 9,295 Criminals
Posted: October 8, 2015 Filed under: Crime & Corruption, Health and Social Issues, Law & Justice, Mediasphere, Politics | Tags: California, Criminal, DHS, Ice, illegal alien, Immigration, Maryland, Oregon, Prince George's County, Sanctuary city, United States Department of Homeland Security, Virginia, Washington State 1 Comment
View Map in Full Screen – View Image of Map – View Sanctuary Cities Topic Page
Across the U.S., there are 340 cities, counties, and states that are considered “sanctuary cities”. These jurisdiction protect criminal aliens from deportation by refusing to comply with ICE detainers or otherwise impede open communication and information exchanges between their employees or officers and federal immigration agents.
Jessica Vaughan, Bryan Griffith, and Marguerite Telford report: The number of jurisdictions that are obstructing immigration enforcement has grown to roughly 340, according to the Department of Homeland Security.1 This has resulted in the release by local authorities of approximately 1,000 criminal aliens per month.
According to an updated report prepared by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for Congress, between January 1 and September 30, 2014, local sanctuaries released 9,295 alien offenders that ICE was seeking to deport. More than 600 people were released at least twice.
Out of these, 5,947 of the criminal aliens (62 percent) had significant prior criminal histories or other public safety concerns even before the arrest that led to a detainer. Fifty-eight percent of those with a prior history of concern had prior felony charges or convictions; 37 percent had serious prior misdemeanor charges, and 5 percent had multiple prior misdemeanors.
An alarming number — 2,320 — of the total number of released offenders were subsequently arrested within the time period studied for new crimes after they were released by the sanctuaries.
One of these is Victor Aureliano Hernandez Ramirez2 who, together with an accomplice, was arrested in July 2015 for raping and then bludgeoning 64-year-old Marilyn Pharis, of Santa Maria, Calif. She died eight days later. Ramirez had been arrested for battery in May 2014 and was in the custody of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff. ICE issued a detainer in order to begin the deportation process after the charges were resolved, but the sheriff did not comply, apparently in accordance with California’s state sanctuary law that went into effect on January 1, 2014.3
ICE was not able to re-apprehend most of the offenders released by the sanctuaries. As of last year, 6,460 (69 percent) were still at large. Of those still at large, 1,377 (20 percent) had another criminal arrest following the one that resulted in the ICE detainer.
One violent illegal alien offender who is now at large because of a local sanctuary policy is Francisco Javier Chavez. In August 2015, Chavez was arrested for brutally beating the two-year-old daughter of his girlfriend, breaking a leg and both of her arms.4 Chavez has a long rap sheet, including felony drug and drunk driving convictions and a prior deportation. ICE issued a detainer, but the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Department released him anyway after he posted bail, even though California’s law would have permitted them to hold him.
Of the 6,460 criminal aliens who were who were still at large during the time period studied, 3,802 (58 percent) had prior felonies or violent misdemeanors.
New Sanctuary Listings
In July, the Center for Immigration Studies reported that ICE had identified 276 jurisdictions that, as of September 2014, had policies obstructing immigration enforcement, primarily policies to ignore ICE detainers.5 ICE updated this list in December 2014 to add another nine jurisdictions that adopted sanctuary policies. They are:
- Lafayette Parish, La.
- Rio Arriba, N.M.
- Prince George’s County, Md.
- Montgomery County, Md.
- Douglas County, Neb.
- All New Mexico counties
- Northampton, Mass.
- Chesterfield County, Va.
- Clayton County, Ga.
These jurisdictions have been added to our map of sanctuaries.6 No jurisdictions were removed from the list by ICE. Read the rest of this entry »
Media Narrative: Half-Black Oregon Killer is a ‘White Supremacist’
Posted: October 3, 2015 Filed under: Crime & Corruption, Food & Drink, Health and Social Issues, Mediasphere | Tags: African American, African Methodist Episcopal Church, Anti-Christian sentiment, Barack Obama, Chattanooga, Chris Harper Mercer, Islam, Los Angeles Times, Oregon, Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, Shooting of Trayvon Martin, White Supremacy 1 Comment
Was he a Half-White Supremacist?
Daniel Greenfield writes: According to the LA Times, Chris Harper Mercer, the Oregon killer, was a “White Supremacist“.
One slight problem. Mercer identified as multi-racial. His mother was black. He doesn’t seem to have even known his father. He identified with black TV killer Vester Lee Flanagan.
This doesn’t seem to have stopped the media with George Zimmerman who was labeled a white Hispanic, so maybe Chris Harper Mercer was a white Black? Was he a Half-White Supremacist?
I’m not an expert on “White Supremacism”, but being half-black and then shooting a bunch of white Christians would make him the worst White Supremacist ever….(read more)
Source: Frontpage Mag
Daniel Greenfield, a Shillman Journalism Fellow at the Freedom Center, is a New York writer focusing on radical Islam.
Who Is Chris Harper Mercer? Oregon’s Alleged Umqua Community College Shooter Identified
Posted: October 1, 2015 Filed under: Breaking News, Crime & Corruption | Tags: Chris Harper Mercer, Douglas County, Oregon, Oregon Shooter, Roseburg, United States Leave a comment
Sarah Berger reports: Chris Harper Mercer, 26, has been identified as the shooter responsible for taking the lives of at least 10 people at a community college in southwest Oregon earlier Thursday, law enforcement sources confirmed to CBS News. Law enforcement officers shot and killed Mercer in an exchange of gunfire later Thursday afternoon.
Law enforcement authorities responded to calls that there was an active shooter on campus at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon, at roughly 10:38 a.m. PDT. Ten people were killed and 20 more were injured. The shooter reportedly open fire in one building on campus before moving to the school’s science building. Victims were found in at least two buildings. Mercer allegedly asked people to stand up and state their religion, and then started firing, the News-Review, a local newspaper for Douglas County, Oregon, reported. Read the rest of this entry »
Gunman: ‘Stand Up and State Your Religion’, Oregon Witness Report, NYT Link Withdrawn
Posted: October 1, 2015 Filed under: Breaking News, Guns and Gadgets, Religion, Self Defense | Tags: Administrative leave, Ask price, Associated Press, Ballot title, California, Facebook, Facebook features, Oregon, Portland, The Oregonian Leave a comment
INFORM (and others) report:
…Douglas County Sheriff John Hanlin said the gunman was slain in an exchange of gunfire with police officers. The suspect was not identified but CNN reported it was a man in his late 20s.
“Its been a terrible day,” Hanlin said.
The gunman who opened fire asked people in an academic building to stand up and state their religion before he began shooting, a witness told the local News-Review newspaper
Kortney Moore, 18, was in Snyder Hall when the shooter asked people to name their religion and then began firing, she told the paper.
The shooting is the latest incident of gun violence in the United States, raising demands for more gun control and more effective treatment of the mentally ill.
CNN reported that among the wounded was a female who had been shot in the chest. The Oregonian said that at least six patients were critically injured in the shooting, citing an official with Life Flight.
Andi Dinnetz, an 18-year-old freshman at Umpqua, said she was in the building next to where the shooting took place and hid in a welding shop along with a teacher and classmates until a police officer arrived. She said she was “fine, but shaken.”
“They walked us straight through the crime scene with our hands up,” Dinnetz said. “It was more tense outside. In the classroom, everyone was trying to make jokes and keep it from being as serious as it was.”
Roger Sanchez, a testing coordinator at the school, said students came running into the building where he worked. Read the rest of this entry »
Resources: State and Local News Outlets to Follow for News on the Umpqua Community College Shooting in Roseburg, Oregon
Posted: October 1, 2015 Filed under: Breaking News, Mediasphere | Tags: Associated Press, Beaverton, Board of directors, Eugene, media, news, Oregon, Oregon Shooting, poynterinstitute, The Register-Guard Leave a comment
Students at the scene of the UCC shooting. (MICHAEL SULLIVAN/The News-Review)
Here’s a list of news outlets reporting from or near Roseburg, Oregon after the community college shooting at Umpqua Community College.
The News-Review is the newspaper in Roseburg and has a timeline of the shooting. They’re also updating on Twitter and Facebook.
KPIC TV is a local station in Roseburg, Oregon. They’re updating on their site, as well as on Twitter and Facebook.
The Mainstream Online, the community college’s student newspaper, has updates and news on Facebook.
The Register-Guard in Eugene, Oregon has the story and updates on Twitterand Facebook.
KATU has a livestream with news, updates on Facebook and Twitter.
KVAL News in Eugene is following the story. The station is also on Facebook and Twitter with updates.
KGW-TV in Portland has live updates on its site and on Twitter and Facebook.
The Oregonian has live updates on its site as well as Twitter and Facebook.
Source: poynterinstitute
We’ll keep adding and updating as we find more….
BREAKING: At least 13 People Killed and 20 injured in Shooting at Oregon’s Umpqua Community College Campus
Posted: October 1, 2015 Filed under: Breaking News, Crime & Corruption | Tags: Active shooter, California State University, Campus, Cleveland, Delta State University, France, Oregon, Portland, Roseburg, Sacramento, Umpqua Community College Leave a comment
FOX2now.com reports: Authorities were “responding to reports of an active shooter” Thursday morning at the campus of Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon, a sheriff’s spokesman said.
“There is a situation going on out there but we don’t have any more information at this time,” said Douglas County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Dwes Hutson.
Preliminary information indicates 15 people were killed and more than 20 others injured in a shooting at Oregon’s Umpqua Community College in Oregon on Thursday morning, said Oregon State Police spokesman Bill Fugate. The reports indicate that the shooter has been detained, Fugate said….
Developing..
Source: FOX2now.com
Sweet Cakes Bakers Defy Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries Order to Pay $135,000 ‘Damages’ to Gay Couple
Posted: October 1, 2015 Filed under: Health and Social Issues, Law & Justice, Religion | Tags: Aaron Klein, Appellate court, Brad Avakian, Civil Rights, Melissa Klein, Oregon, Oregon Court of Appeals, Portland, Religious Freedom, Same-sex marriage, Sweet Cakes, Wedding Cake Leave a comment
The Kleins’ refusal to pay marks another chapter in the long-running controversy pitting their claims of religious freedom against enforcement of anti-discrimination laws.
The Oregon couple who made national headlines when they refused to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding are now refusing to pay state-ordered damages to the lesbian couple they turned away.
In response, state officials have gone to court to establish their right to place a property lien or attach other assets belonging to Aaron and Melissa Klein, proprietors of the Sweet Cakes by Melissa bakery.
The Kleins filed an appeal of the state ruling in July but also have defied a Bureau of Labor and Industries order to pay $135,000 to Rachel and Laurel Bowman-Cryer, claiming financial hardship despite crowdfunding efforts that have raised more than $500,000 on their behalf.
Most recently, one of their lawyers wrote to the labor bureau to say: “Our clients do not have a bond or irrevocable letter of credit in place and have no further plans to obtain either one.”
The Kleins’ refusal to pay marks another chapter in the long-running controversy pitting their claims of religious freedom against enforcement of anti-discrimination laws requiring Oregon businesses to serve the public equally.
Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian issued a final order July 2 directing the Kleins to pay damages for emotional and mental suffering, saying they had violated the women’s civil rights by discriminating on the basis of their sexual orientation.
The Kleins have defended their actions as consistent with their Christian beliefs against same-sex marriage, saying they shouldn’t have to provide a wedding-related service that goes against their religious principles.
Even before the final order, supporters of the Kleins set up three online accounts to help them with expenses. As of Wednesday, those efforts had raised at least $515,000, according to a calculation by The Oregonian/OregonLive.
“It’s difficult to understand the Kleins’ unwillingness to pay the debt when they have, very publicly, raised nearly a half million dollars,” labor bureau spokesman Charlie Burr said in an email Wednesday. “They are entitled to a full and fair review of the case, but do not have the right to disregard a legally binding order.”
Anna Harmon, one of three lawyers representing the Kleins, said she could not comment about her clients’ actions.
“These questions delve into matters of (attorney-client) privilege that we aren’t at liberty to discuss publicly,” she said. “There’s still ongoing litigation and we can’t talk about strategy. ”
Paul Thompson, a Portland attorney representing the Bowman-Cryers, also declined comment, saying, “We don’t want to speculate on their motives as to why they do or don’t do things.”
The dispute goes back to January 2013 when Rachel Cryer and her mother came into the Sweet Cakes shop for a cake-tasting appointment, only to be told by Aaron Klein that the Gresham bakery did not do cakes for same-sex weddings.
Cryer and Bowman, as they were then known, complained to the labor bureau, prompting a state investigation, four days of hearings before an administrative law judge this year and, ultimately, Avakian’s July ruling. Read the rest of this entry »
Chaos on the Coast: How Drought and Fire Ravaged North America’s West Coast
Posted: August 28, 2015 Filed under: Breaking News, Mediasphere, U.S. News | Tags: Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge, British Columbia, California, Drought, Fire, Goddard Institute for Space Studies, Idaho, Okanogan, Oregon, Rain, University of Idaho, Washington State, West Coast U.S.A, Wildfire 1 CommentThe recipe for drought is simple: mix extended hot weather with a corresponding lack of precipitation and, voilà. Add in a carelessly tossed cigarette or a flash of lightning and drought conditions beget wildfires. Both have wrought damage and pain on North America’s West Coast during the summer of 2015.
Source: National Post
Oregon Resident Sentenced for Fraud; Worked as Woman, Collected Disability as Man
Posted: July 20, 2015 Filed under: Crime & Corruption, Humor, Law & Justice | Tags: Disability insurance, Federal Bureau of Prisons, Marco A. Hernandez, McDonalds, Oregon, Portland, Social Security number, Supplemental Security Income, United States Attorney, United States district court Leave a comment“I think of a man, and I take away reason, and accountability.”
PORTLAND, Ore. – An Oregon resident who transitioned to a woman more than three decades ago continued collecting Social Security disability checks under her male identity, fraudulently raking in $250,000.
Congressional investigators say Social Security has made more than $1 billion in improper disability payments to people who had jobs when they were supposed to be unable to work. AP Photo/Patrick Semansky
Court records show Richelle McDonald was born Richard McDonald in 1945. In 1974, Richard claimed disability because he was unable to work after suffering a serious arm injury when hit by a San Francisco bus. Read the rest of this entry »
As Assisted Suicide Laws Spread, Cancer Survivors, Disabled Object
Posted: July 14, 2015 Filed under: Health and Social Issues, Politics | Tags: Advocacy group, Assisted suicide, Bill Monning, Catholic Church, Compassion & Choices, Constitution of Tennessee, Democratic Party (United States), John Jay Hooker, Lois Wolk, Oregon, State Supreme Court, Supreme Court of the United States Leave a comment
As citizens from California to Kentucky push for dying rights, advocacy groups for people with disabilities question whether physician-assisted suicide should be legal.
Danielle Ohl reports: Doctors told Chasity Phillips in 2002 that she had a 50 percent chance of surviving surgery.
“The risk of mistake and coercion and abuse are really too great.”
— Diane Coleman, founder and CEO of Not Dead Yet, an advocacy group that informs and lobbies on behalf of the disabled
She suffers from chondrosarcoma, a malignant bone cancer. It had begun to affect her heart, ribs and spinal cord. Her choices were certain death, her doctors said, or surgery to remove part of the tumor.
“There’s a certain freedom that comes with dying. You really don’t have to deal with your annoying cousin. You really don’t have to go on that family trip. You can eat ice cream for breakfast.”
— Chasity Phillips, Cancer patient
She chose the surgery. Still, the return of her cancer was likely. Doctors told her she would have six months to a year before it grew back, requiring more risky followups.
But 13 years later, Phillips is 38 years old and thriving, despite two very severe medical conditions. She also suffers from lupus. The state of her health has made her somewhat philosophical about her own mortality.
“There’s a certain freedom that comes with dying,” said Phillips, who lives near New Orleans. “You really don’t have to deal with your annoying cousin. You really don’t have to go on that family trip. You can eat ice cream for breakfast.”
Her prognosis was not unlike Brittany Maynard’s. But Maynard chose physician-assisted suicide after doctors diagnosed her with terminal brain cancer on Jan. 1, 2014. Before she died less than a year later – on Nov. 1, 2014 – at age 29, Maynard had become a prominent advocate for the “death with dignity” movement, which has triggered legislation in 25 states.
She was one of 1,327 people who took advantage of Oregon’s 1997 Death with Dignity Act, the oldest and foremost such law in the country, by obtaining the life-ending medicine. Maynard was one of the 859 people who actually chose to use it.
But as citizens from California to Kentucky push for dying rights, advocacy groups for people with disabilities question whether physician-assisted suicide should be legal.
“The risk of mistake and coercion and abuse are really too great,” said Diane Coleman, founder and CEO of Not Dead Yet, an advocacy group that informs and lobbies on behalf of the disabled. Read the rest of this entry »
[VIDEO] Kelsey Harkness: Emails Raise Questions About Bias in Sweet Cakes Ruling
Posted: June 2, 2015 Filed under: Breaking News, Law & Justice, Politics | Tags: Administrative law judge, Advocacy group, Basic Rights Oregon, Brad Avakian, Government agency, Hans von Spakovsky, LGBT rights organization, Oregon, Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries, Same-sex marriage 1 Comment
Kelsey Harkness writes:
…Communications between the agency, the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries, and the LGBT organization, Basic Rights Oregon, raise questions about potential bias in the state’s decision to charge the Kleins with discrimination for refusing to make a cake for a same-sex wedding.
In April, a judge for the agency recommended the Kleins be fined $135,000.
Communications obtained through a public records request show employees of the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries—which pursued the case against the Kleins—participating in phone calls, texting, and attending meetings with Basic Rights Oregon, the largest LGBT advocacy group in the state…(read more)
OH YES THEY DID: Washington Driver Gets Six Months for ‘Marijuana-Related’ Crash That May Have Had Nothing to Do With Marijuana
Posted: May 19, 2015 Filed under: Crime & Corruption, Law & Justice, U.S. News | Tags: Family (biology), Federal Aviation Administration, Flight attendant, Florida, KPTV, Oregon, ORLANDO, Portland, Salt Lake City, United Airlines, Utah Leave a commentJacob Sullum writes: Today a Vancouver, Washington, pot smoker received a six-month jail sentence, followed by five years of probation, in a case that seems to illustrate the 
injustice caused by his state’s new definition of stoned driving. Scotty Rowles was driving his 1995 Ford pickup truck on East Mill Plain Boulevard around 6 p.m. on December 17, 2012, when Donald Collins stepped from the median into the street in front of him. According to KPTV, the Fox station in Portland, Oregon, “Investigators said Collins was close to two different lit and controlled intersections, but stepped out in the middle of traffic to try and cross the road.” On the face of it, Collins’ death was not Rowles’ fault. But a police officer smelled marijuana on Rowles, who admitted that he had smoked “a little bowl” one or two hours earlier. He was charged with vehicular homicide.
[Read the full text here, at Reason.com]
Prosecutors dropped that charge after concluding that there was insufficient evidence to support it. But they changed their minds after a blood test put Rowles’ THC level at 7.2 nanograms per milliliter, 2.2 nanograms above Washington’s new cutoff for driving under the influence of marijuana. Because of that rule, which was included in the marijuana legalization intitiative that voters approved a month before the accident, Rowles was guilty of DUI even if he was not actually impaired. Read the rest of this entry »
Because, Science: Oregon Teacher Arrested After Burning Students with Tesla Coil
Posted: May 7, 2015 Filed under: Education, Law & Justice, U.S. News | Tags: District Attorney, Indictment, Oregon, Salem, Salem-Keizer School District, South Salem High School, Student, Teacher, Tesla coil 2 Comments
UPDATE, 7:01 p.m. – A prosecutor says he is not filing criminal charges against the teacher at this time.
SALEM, Ore. — An Oregon science teacher who police say used a Tesla coil to burn the phrase “I love mom” into the arms of students has been charged with criminal mistreatment.
Salem Police Lt. Steve Birr says the 37-year-old was arrested Tuesday at South Salem High School.
Birr says students used the coil in an exercise last Thursday. The teacher noted it could also be used to mark the skin and asked for volunteers.
He burned “I love mom” — with a heart to symbolize the word love — into their arms. Read the rest of this entry »
Immigration Chaos: Millions of Jellyfish Invade Pacific Northwest Beaches
Posted: April 18, 2015 Filed under: Entertainment, Humor, The Butcher's Notebook, U.S. News | Tags: Beach, Blue, California, CNN, jellyfish, KOMO (AM), Ocean Shores, Oregon, Seattle, Velella, Washington Leave a comment
Jellyfish are washing up on shore in Oregon and Washington
Eliza Gray Millions of jellyfish are washing up on the shores of beaches in Washington and Oregon, CNN reports.
It is not unusual for the bluish-purple species called Velella velalla to turn up in the spring, but a sail fin on their body usually keeps them away from the shore. This spring, though, their sails were no match for the wind.
Alan Rammer of the Washington State Department of Fish & Wildlife’s marine conservation and education division, holds a handful of the blue-hued velella jellyfish in Ocean City, Wash.
The species, also known as “purple sailor,” has stinging cells that are not seriously harmful to humans, but the Oregon State website warns it’s best to avoid rubbing your eyes after touching them or walking barefoot through them on the beach.
[TIME]
‘We Are Oregon’s’ Gender-Pronoun Alice in Wonderland PC Bubble: ‘Don’t Misgender Me!’
Posted: April 13, 2015 Filed under: Censorship, Education, Health and Social Issues | Tags: Adenomatous polyposis coli, Campaign manager, College football, Daily Emerald, Elle (magazine), Facebook, Gender-neutral pronoun, Oregon, Professor, University of Oregon 1 Comment
Elle Mallon’s Additional Grievance Against ‘We Are Oregon’
Kaylee Tornay reports this puzzling, mock-worthy University-as-young-adult-nursery-school update: Elle Mallon, who was the external vice presidential candidate on the Ducks F.I.R.S.T. slate, filed a second grievance against We Are Oregon regarding its response to her original grievance from April 3. Here’s how it played out:
March 29
We Are Oregon holds its kickoff event in PLC 180.
April 3
Mallon submits grievance against We Are Oregon for holding its kickoff event in a building with no gender-inclusive bathrooms.
April 4
The ASUO Elections Board rules that We Are Oregon broke the rules and as a result, it couldn’t campaign for 36 hours.
April 5:
2:54 – We Are Oregon campaign manager Taylor Allison asks the Constitution Court to overturn the Elections Board’s decision, and We Are Oregon gets to keep campaigning while the Constitution Court makes that decision.
Allison’s appeal says that part of Mallon’s evidence was taken out of context.
6:21 – Mallon files a response accusing Allison of sexual harassment because she referred to Mallon as “Ms.” when Mallon identifies with the use of “Mx.”
7:30 – Allison apologizes in an email, saying:
“In every situation I’ve been in with Elle, Elle has said Elle’s pronouns were “She, Her, Hers,” including on the Ducks F.I.R.S.T website. With that information, I used “Ms.” when addressing Elle.”
April 8:
Mallon submits a second grievance saying Allison chose to misgender her. Read the rest of this entry »
‘Purple Sailors’: Jellyfish-Like Creatures Pile Up On Oregon Coast in Massive Die-Off
Posted: April 12, 2015 Filed under: U.S. News | Tags: Astoria, Bonneville Dam, California sea lion, Columbia River, Harbor seal, jellyfish, Oregon, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, purple sailors, Sea lion, Velella velella Leave a comment
ROCKAWAY BEACH, Ore. (AP) — Thousands of jellyfish-like creatures have been piling up on Rockaway Beach in what appears to be a massive die-off.
KGW-TV reports ‘Velella velella’ typically live in the open ocean. When warm water and storms draw them near shore, the wind blows them onto beaches, where they die in piles.
“No, I don’t think they’re edible.”
The animals are like a cousin to the jellyfish.
They are commonly called “purple sailors,” ”little sail,” and “by the wind sailors.”
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife says die-offs occur each spring along beaches from Oregon to California.
OH YES SHE DID: Woman Stabs Boyfriend Twice for Eating All the Salsa
Posted: April 8, 2015 Filed under: Crime & Corruption, Mediasphere | Tags: Assault, Chips, David Lewis, Eugene, Father, Felony, KEZI, Oregon, Salsa, Sexual intercourse, Stabbing, The Register-Guard Leave a comment
Police say Phyllis Jefferson yelled at her boyfriend before jamming a pen into his pelvis. Not satisfied yet, cops say she knocked over a TV and used a knife to stab the man in the stomach before driving away.
“She admitted the attack and told police she was mad because Buckner was ‘eating all of the salsa,’ they were supposed to be sharing.”
When officers arrived, they found Ronnie Buckner standing in the yard, bleeding.
Cleveland.com reports when Jefferson was stopped a few miles from the house, she admitted the attack and told police she was mad because Buckner was “eating all of the salsa,” they were supposed to be sharing.
Clearly, a missed Opportunity. He should have defended himself with GLOCKAMOLE!
Jefferson faces charges of felonious assault, and criminal damaging. Bucker is expected to fully recover.
Airport Carpet Attracts Curious Public Fixation
Posted: April 2, 2015 Filed under: Entertainment, Humor, The Butcher's Notebook | Tags: Adam Brotman, Amanda Fritz, Bee, Drug use, Eugene, Government of Portland, hallucinogens, MDMA, Oregon, Portland, Seattle, Tripping Leave a comment
First Bisexual to Become Governor in USA as Oregon’s Kitzhaber Resigns
Posted: February 14, 2015 Filed under: Breaking News, Law & Justice, Politics, U.S. News | Tags: Democratic Party (United States), Governor of Oregon, John Kitzhaber, Kate Brown (politician), Leaders of the United States House of Representatives, Oregon, Peter Courtney, President of the Senate, Ted Wheeler, Tina Kotek 2 Comments
Robert Wilde reports: Amid calls for resignation after conflict of interest allegations involving Oregon Democratic Governor John Kitzhaber and his fiancée and First Lady Cylvia Hayes, on Friday the state’s longest serving chief executive resigned.
The beleaguered governor said that he broke no laws, but would step down effective Wednesday February 18. “Nonetheless, I understand that I have become a liability to the very institutions and policies to which I have dedicated my career and, indeed, my entire adult life,” he said.
As Oregon law dictates Secretary of State Kate Brown will become the next governor of Oregon. The Washington Post reported that she will become the first openly bisexual governor in U.S. history.
On Thursday, Kitzhaber had ordered that thousands of his emails be destroyed. USA Today reported that the “Governor’s office wants anything that is in the email account [Kitzhaber’s account] removed from archive,” wrote Tracy Osburn, a field technician in the DAS Technology Support Center. The email was obtained by Willamette Week and 101.9 KINK/FM News 101 KXL.
A Department of Administrative Services spokesman confirmed the report that the governor’s office had asked that the governor’s personal emails be deleted from the archives. However, according to an AP story, the agency said it could not do that.
Both Oregon Senate President Peter Courtney and House Speaker Tina Kotek had asked Kitzhaber to resign. Friday morning Courtney told ABC News that Kitzhaber “was upset… He was defiant. He’s struggling.”
Kitzhaber and Hayes first came under scrutiny in 2011 when the Oregon Department of Justice investigated a clean energy consulting contract awarded to Hayes for $60,000 under the Oregon Department of Energy, even though her firm, 3E Strategies, was the last in the bid for grant money. The investigation questioned whether favoritism played a role in Hayes getting the contract, KGW News reported.
Hayes was eventually cleared of any wrongdoing. Read the rest of this entry »
NORAD: Russia Increasing Arctic Long Range Air Patrols, Bomber Flights ‘Messaging Tool’
Posted: February 11, 2015 Filed under: Guns and Gadgets, Russia, Space & Aviation, War Room | Tags: Atlanta, Black Sea, Bomb threat, Milwaukee, North American Aerospace Defense Command, North Sea, Oregon, Portland, Russian Armed Forces, Tupolev Tu-95, United States Leave a comment
Russian Bombers More Aggressive Near U.S. Territory
Sam LaGrone reports: While Russian military aircraft have stepped up their activity everywhere from the North Sea to the Baltic to the Black Sea in the last year they have also been spotted more frequently closer to the U.S. territory in the Arctic, the head of U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM) and North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) told USNI News on Tuesday.
In particular – flights of Tupolev Tu-95 Bear ‘H’ Bombers have increased recently NORTHCOM’s Adm. Bill Gortney said.
NORTHCOM’s Adm. Bill Gortney
“They’ve been very aggressive – under my NORAD hat – for us in the Arctic. Aggressive in the amount of flights, not aggressive in how they fly.”
Since the March seizure of the Ukrainian region of Crimea by Russian forces Moscow has significantly stepped up air patrols in Europe, Asia and near the Americas.
A Russian Tupolev Tu-95 Bear ‘H’ off the coast of Scotland in 2014. UK Royal Air Force Photo
The flights extend as far North as the edge of American air space near Alaska and as far South as U.S. holdings in Guam.
In December, two Royal Canadian Air Force CF-18 Hornets intercepted a two Bears near the Beaufort Sea entering a U.S. and Canadian Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ). Read the rest of this entry »
Thieves Steal $2,400 In Lingerie From Oregon Store
Posted: December 3, 2014 Filed under: Crime & Corruption, Mediasphere, U.S. News | Tags: Bras, Lingerie, Oregon, Panties, Shoplifting, Theft 1 Comment
Woman Who Lit Massive Wildfire To Give Firefighter Friends Work Sentenced
Posted: September 3, 2014 Filed under: Crime & Corruption, Law & Justice, Mediasphere, U.S. News | Tags: Barack Obama, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Democratic Party (United States), Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, Oregon, Portland, Seattle, Wildfire 1 Comment
Alternate Headline: “DNC Announces New Jobs Program”
Portland, Oregon, Police Shoot Man Suspected of Trying to Carjack Motorists on I-84 Offramp
Posted: September 1, 2014 Filed under: Crime & Corruption, Mediasphere, U.S. News | Tags: Carjacking, Oregon, Pete Simpson, Portland, Portland Oregon, Portland Police Bureau, The Police Leave a comment
Riots, looting, and TV satellite trucks from all over the globe expected in Portland at any moment
PORTLAND, Ore. – Police in Portland, Oregon, say an officer shot a man who was a pointing a gun at passing cars on an Interstate 84 offramp Monday.
Sgt. Pete Simpson says the man ran from the freeway after he was struck by a bullet, and he collapsed on a nearby street. Read the rest of this entry »
Confirmed, Portlandia is Real: ‘Chicken Crossing Road Blocks Traffic in Oregon’
Posted: August 13, 2014 Filed under: Humor, U.S. News | Tags: Associated Press, Cat, chicken, Dispatcher, Oregon, Portland, Portland Oregon, Portland Police Bureau 4 Comments
“Police ‘were unable to determine the chicken’s intent.'”
PORTLAND, Ore. – Portland, Oregon, police were told there was a chicken — and it was attempting to cross the road.
In fact, the citizen who called the police non-emergency line on Monday evening reported that the chicken’s efforts to cross a road in a north Portland neighborhood were bringing traffic nearly to a standstill.
“He assured the dispatcher he was not joking.”
The dispatcher chuckled — and asked a clarifying question.
“It’s just the one chicken?” Read the rest of this entry »
[PHOTO] ‘Open – Hamburgers’ Iconic Sign at the East Wind Drive In, Cascade Locks, Oregon
Posted: August 6, 2014 Filed under: Art & Culture, Food & Drink, Mediasphere | Tags: Cascade Locks, design, East Wind Drive In, Hamburgers, Ice cream, Oregon, Penquin, Signage, typography, vintage 1 Comment
Bogus School Shooting Statistics Claim Debunked, CNN Revises Down 80%
Posted: June 12, 2014 Filed under: Crime & Corruption, Mediasphere, Self Defense, U.S. News | Tags: CNN, Daily Caller, Everytown, Gun control, Michael Bloomberg, Oregon, Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, School shooting, Twitter 3 Comments
For The Daily Caller, Chuck Ross reports: CNN has drastically revised a claim it made, which was based on a graphical map from a pro-gun control group, which purportedly showed that 74 school shootings have occurred in the U.S. since the Sandy Hook massacre in Dec. 2012.
“CNN determined that 15 of the incidents Everytown included were situations similar to the violence in Oregon – a minor or adult actively shooting inside or near a school.”
The news outlet circulated the graphical map, which came from the group Everytown for Gun Safety, after a shooting that occurred Tuesday at a high school in Oregon which left two dead, including the 15 year-old gunman.
[Also see Lying About School Shootings By Charles C. W. Cooke]
Everytown for Gun Safety, which is backed by former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, headlined their graphic “School Shootings in America Since Sandy Hook,” suggesting that the shootings it listed had a link of some kind to Sandy Hook — in which Adam Lanza killed 26 people at an elementary school.
CNN and various other media outlets used the graphic in news segments. Read the rest of this entry »
[VIDEO] BREAKING: Shooter Reported Dead at Reynolds High School, Troutdale Oregon
Posted: June 10, 2014 Filed under: Breaking News, Crime & Corruption, Mediasphere, U.S. News | Tags: High school, Oregon, Portland, Portland Oregon, Reynolds High School, Troutdale, Troutdale Oregon, United States 3 CommentsFox news video from earlier…
UPDATE: NBC News reports: Shooting suspect at a suburban Portland, Oregon, high school was found dead Tuesday morning, authorities said.
Police said the situation was “stabilized” an hour after calls came in at 8:07 a.m. of reported gunfire at Reynolds High School in Troutdale….(read more)
Cops: Shooting, injuries at Oregon high school
Posted: June 10, 2014 Filed under: Breaking News, Crime & Corruption | Tags: CBS, Oregon, Portland, Portland Oregon, Reynolds High School, Troutdale Leave a comment
Multiple law enforcement agencies responding to a reported shooting at Reynolds High School in Troutdale, Ore., on Tuesday. CBS AFFILIATE KOIN
Multiple law enforcement agencies responding to a reported shooting at Reynolds High School in Troutdale, Ore., on Tuesday. CBS affiliate KOIN
TROUTDALE, Ore. – There has been a shooting at Reynolds High School in Troutdale, Ore., east of Portland, police tell CBS News….Police say there are injuries… developing…CBS News
Oregon Primary Results: Monica Wehby Wins GOP Senate Nomination
Posted: May 20, 2014 Filed under: Breaking News, Politics | Tags: Associated Press, Jason Conger, Jeff Merkley, Monica Wehby, Oregon, Republican Party (United States), United States Senate, US Senate 1 Comment
Oregon Republicans have selected surgeon Monica Wehby as their U.S. Senate candidate, the Associated Press reports.
[Also see: Dr. Monica Wehby Survives 11th-Hour Democrat Hit, Wins Oregon GOP Senate Primary]
Wehby defeated state Sen. Jason Conger in Tuesday’s primary. She is set to challenge progressive Sen. Jeff Merkley in the general election.
AP reported earlier Tuesday on the race:
Pediatric neurosurgeon Monica Wehby and state Rep. Jason Conger lead a five-person contest for the Republican Senate nomination in Oregon. Some of Wehby’s TV ads drew high praise, but the single mother of four faced reports that a wealthy ex-boyfriend called police last year and accused her of stalking him. The man now says he regrets making the call, and he is backing Wehby’s campaign.
It’s On: Obamacare Failures May Put Oregon Senate Seat in Play for GOP
Posted: May 19, 2014 Filed under: Politics, U.S. News | Tags: Conger, Jeff Merkley, Mitt Romney, Oregon, Political action committee, Portland Tribune, Richard Viguerie, Wehby Leave a comment
For Breitbart.com, Tony Lee reports:
Obamacare’s failure in Oregon may make incumbent Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) vulnerable this year, and Republicans have two candidates battling for the nomination who will make it difficult for Democrats to frame them in the fall as “cold-hearted” or to play the “war on women” card.
Jason Conger, a pro-life two-term representative in the Oregon State House, has an inspirational life story in a party the mainstream press have lambasted as being the party for rich people who look down on the “47%.”
“It’s a 2,700 page law, 20,000 pages of regulations now — it’s impossible to work with this law. I think the best way is to repeal and replace with a plan that will actually work.”
— Monica Wehby
Monica Wehby, the pro-choice frontrunner in the race, as Fox News noted, is a pediatric neurosurgeon who “was the first woman to graduate from UCLA’s neurosurgery program.” She also “was an early critic of Obamacare” and even “featured in a 2009 ad opposing the Affordable Care Act.” Read the rest of this entry »
Jon Stewart’s Former Sidekick Rips Oregon’s Obamacare Debacle in New HBO Show
Posted: April 28, 2014 Filed under: Art & Culture, Entertainment, Humor, Politics | Tags: Andrew Johnson, Cover Oregon, HBO, John Oliver, Lisa Loeb, Oregon, Portland Oregon, YouTube 2 CommentsLast Week Tonight With John Oliver: “Oregon Spirit” by Lisa Loeb (HBO)
“your passion for cuteness may kill your whole state.”
Good catch by Andrew Johnson at The Corner:
“That has got to be a bitter pill to swallow for the people of Oregon — or it would be if they could get the pill, which they can’t because their sh***y website is broken”
What Happens when Governments Go Broke?
Posted: February 25, 2014 Filed under: Crime & Corruption, Economics, Law & Justice, Reading Room | Tags: cave junction oregon, Houston, Josephine County, josephine county oregon, Oregon, Oregon State Police, Wally Hicks, Washington Free Beacon 1 Comment
Dick and Gloria Shafer, pictured with their 9-year-old son, John, run an excavation business in Elgin. They are so frightened of drug violence, especially after a triple homicide at their town. – Ross William Hamilton/The Oregonian
Josephine County isn’t a monster, it’s just ahead of the curve
J Ciaramella writes: On the evening of Oct. 30, 2013, a car traveling down a highway south of Cave Junction struck and killed Jarred Houston, 21, and Robert Calvin, 41. Four months later, their case remains unsolved.
A week after the hit-and-run, Aaron Clouser, 39, was stabbed to death and left in the middle of the street. His case remains unsolved as well.
“Who else is going to protect you when your government can’t?”
The murders have left the small town seething with anger, but there are barely any detectives around to work the cases.
[Related: Astoria Oregon Woman attacks police car with screwdriver]
Economic woes have forced county governments in rural Oregon to slash law enforcement budgets to the point where police are almost non-existent. In Josephine County, where Cave Junction is, there are two patrol deputies tasked with covering 1,600 square miles.
[More: Drugs leave trail of ruin, fear in rural Oregon]
The sheriff’s office issued a warning last year for those in “potentially volatile” situations, such as those protected under a restraining order, “to consider relocating to an area with adequate law enforcement services.”
[See Also: Another armed citizen group starts patrolling Josephine County]
The Oregon State Police have shifted resources to the area to try and fill in the gaps. Some citizens have banded together into armed watch groups.
The rural areas in southern Oregon are lawless.
[VIDEO] Cuban Immigrant Manuel Martinez’s Challenge to Oregon Lawmakers: ‘Marxism is not Coming, Marxism is Here’
Posted: February 10, 2014 Filed under: Law & Justice, Self Defense, U.S. News | Tags: Communist state, Cuba, Fidel Castro, Legislator, Manuel Martinez, Marxism, Oregon, United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary 3 CommentsThis isn’t the first time Manuel Martinez, a man who fled Communist Cuba has voiced his concern to Oregon lawmakers about gun control. And he always seems to make the news because his words are so powerful. He knows that once the government disarms the people it’s over and he plainly warns Oregon lawmakers that Marxism isn’t coming to America, it’s already here…
pundit from another planet 