Appeals court nixes $1.1 billion timber award against Oregon
The Oregon Court of Appeals on Wednesday overturned a $1.1 billion verdict against the state over its forest management practices, the latest development in a decades-long dispute over the best use of vast tracts of forestland that cover much of the state's rural areas. A Linn County jury found in 2019 that Oregon breached its contract with 13 rural counties and 151 local taxing districts by failing to maximize timber harvests on state forests over the last two decades. The counties have said Oregon must manage more than 700,000 acres (28,327 hectares) of state forestland for maximum timber revenue, while the state Department of Forestry believes it has the discretion to manage the land for wildlife and recreation.
news.yahoo.comOregon tribe opposes water release for farmers
A Native American tribe in Oregon said Tuesday it is assessing its legal options after learning the U.S. government plans to release water from a federally operated reservoir to downstream farmers along the Oregon-California border amid a historic drought. This summer's water allocation plan, released by the Bureau of Reclamation last week, will send about 50,000 acre-feet of water to farmers in the Klamath Reclamation Project — less than 15% of what they would get in a normal year. An acre-foot is the amount needed to cover one acre of land with water one foot deep.
news.yahoo.comOregon sheriff warns of surging violent crime in Portland: 'Without action, we can expect worse to come'
Multnomah County Sheriff Mike Reese penned an open letter to the residents of Portland and the surrounding area this week, warning that violent crime is reaching record heights and may only get worse as the summer approaches.
news.yahoo.comEx-WNBA guard pleads not guilty to strangling former partner
Former WNBA player Shoni Schimmel was arrested Friday and pleaded not guilty to assaulting a former partner on the Umatilla Indian Reservation in northeastern Oregon. Schimmel, 29, has been charged with assault by strangulation of an intimate dating partner and assault resulting in substantial bodily injury, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported. Schimmel was first arrested on June 14 last year and was held in the Umatilla County jail on charges including felony assault and criminal mischief.
news.yahoo.comBaby eel value up to pre-pandemic levels despite challenges
Concerns that war in Europe or fickle weather might hold back one of America's most valuable fisheries appear to have been unfounded. Baby eels, also called elvers, are one of the most lucrative wild fish species in the U.S. Maine is the only state in the country with a sizeable baby eel fishing industry, and the price for the tiny fish is back up to pre-pandemic levels this spring. Fishermen are selling the baby eels for $2,110 per pound at docks, the Maine Department of Marine Resources reported Monday.
news.yahoo.comFormer Maine gov candidate in custody on child porn charges
A former gubernatorial candidate in Maine remained held on $50,000 bail Saturday after his arrest on charges of possession of child pornography. Officials with the Hancock County Jail said Eliot Cutler was still in custody. The Maine State Police Computer Crimes Unit arrested Cutler without incident on Friday at a home he and his wife share in Brooklin, about 130 miles (210 kilometers) from Portland.
news.yahoo.comUCLA avoids upset with late surge, holds off Akron 57-53
Tyger Campbell rescued UCLA from a potential upset, scoring eight straight points late in the second half, and the fourth-seeded Bruins rallied for a 57-53 win over No. 13 seed Akron in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday night. With the Bruins down 51-47 with 3 1/2 minutes left, Campbell took control and helped his team avoid getting bounced on the opening day of the tournament. Campbell hit a corner 3-pointer to pull UCLA within one, knocked down a 15-footer for the lead and added a 25-footer as the shot clock was expiring to put the Bruins ahead 55-51 with 1:17 left.
news.yahoo.comClimatologists: Drought to worsen in Oregon, Idaho this year
Climate scientists in the U.S. Pacific Northwest warned Thursday that much of Oregon and parts of Idaho can expect even tougher drought conditions this summer than in the previous two years, which already featured dwindling reservoirs, explosive wildfires and deep cuts to agricultural irrigation. At a news conference hosted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, water and climate experts from Oregon, Washington and Idaho said parts of the region should prepare now for severe drought, wildfires and record-low stream flows that will hurt salmon and other fragile species. Drought covers 74% of the Pacific Northwest and nearly 20% is in extreme or exceptional drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
news.yahoo.comGunman charged with killing protester in Portland, Oregon
A 43-year-old man confronted protesters against police violence in a Portland, Oregon, park, told them to leave and then drew a pistol and opened fire, killing a woman and wounding four other people, a prosecutor said Tuesday. The description by Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney Mariel Mota of the Saturday night shooting was the first detailed official account of the bloodshed. It came as Oregon's biggest city is experiencing a sharp rise in gun violence and after Portland was an epicenter in Black Lives Matter protests.
news.yahoo.comChina accused of failing to buy more Maine lobster
China has failed to live up to its promise to buy more Maine lobster under a deal that opened the door to an easing of a trade war under former President Donald Trump, Maine's congressional leaders say. Maine's lobster industry was hurt by retaliatory Chinese tariffs in 2018 and failed to see substantial export gains after China committed to buying an additional $200 billion in U.S. goods, the delegation contends. Under the “Phase One Agreement,” China was supposed to increase purchases above 2017 levels but China has bought “almost no lobster above 2017 levels,” according to a letter Thursday by Maine Sen. Angus King, an independent, and Reps. Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden, both Democrats.
news.yahoo.comTexas ‘vigilante cowboy’ found guilty of assault, other charges in Portland protests
A jury in Oregon has found a member of the far-right group the Proud Boys guilty of assault, menacing and unlawful use of a weapon for pulling out a loaded revolver, firing paintballs and spraying bear mace at people during Portland protests last year.