Tag Archives: Oregon

Portland’s CBS affiliate reports: The former pastor and co-founder of North Clackamas Bible Community was sentenced to 160 months in prison after he was found guilty for sex abuse, Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt announced Tuesday. Michael Sperou, 72, was found guilty of two counts of first-degree unlawful sexual penetration on May 19. It’s the third time since 2015 …

CNN reports: Millions of people in Louisiana and Oregon have had their data compromised in the sprawling cyberattack that has also hit the US federal government, state agencies said late Thursday. The breach has affected 3.5 million Oregonians with driver’s licenses or state ID cards, and anyone with that documentation in Louisiana, authorities said. Casey Tingle, a senior official in …

The Associated Press reports: Ending a walkout that held up key bills for six weeks, Republicans showed up for work in the Oregon Senate on Thursday. The longest walkout in the Oregon Legislature’s history happened despite voters passing a ballot measure in 2022 that disqualifies lawmakers with 10 or more unexcused absences from reelection. “A whole bunch of legislators aren’t …

Oregon Live reports: A Multnomah County jury on Friday found a pastor of a religious group guilty of sexually abusing a former member when she was a child – the third time a jury has reached a verdict against Michael Sperou. Though he was found guilty of sexually abusing one victim, six other women came forward years ago with their …

The Salem Statesman Journal reports: The Oregon Senate failed to reach quorum again Thursday, meaning six additional Republican senators have now disqualified themselves from running for reelection under Article IV, Section 15 of the Oregon Constitution. Senators Lynn Findley, R-Vale; Bill Hansell, R-Athena; Tim Knopp, R-Bend; Art Robinson, R-Cave Junction; Kim Thatcher, R-Keizer; and Suzanne Weber, R-Tillamook, all hit 10 …

The Associated Press reports: A walkout by most Republican members of the Oregon Senate reached a fourth straight day Saturday, delaying action by the majority Democrats on bills on gun safety, abortion rights and gender-affirming health care. The GOP’s boycott prevented a quorum, and Senate President Rob Wagner adjourned the body until Sunday morning. Republican lawmakers have used walkouts in …

Oregon Live reports: Six men were arrested this week in a child-predator sting, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office said Friday. At least two of the men worked in settings with children, the sheriff’s office said. In an undercover mission, detectives posed as underage boys and girls on dating apps and social media, according to the sheriff’s office. People messaged the …

Law & Crime reports: A 26-year-old member of the far-right Proud Boys organization in Oregon was convicted this week of multiple felonies for his role in inciting and participating in a brawl during a “Patriot Rally” he helped organize in the summer of 2021. Following a three-day trial, Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge Amy Baggio on Thursday found Tusitala “Tiny” …

Portland’s NPR affiliate reports: A Portland-area woman convicted of assaulting a Eugene cookie shop owner has been sentenced to nearly four years in prison. Today, Lane County Circuit Court Judge Stephen Morgan sentenced 46-year-old Amy Verlee Hall of Gresham to 46 months after a 12-member jury found her guilty of assault, criminal trespass, harassment, burglary, and disorderly conduct on Jan. …

The Oregonian reports: Gov. Kate Brown announced Tuesday that she would commute the sentences of all 17 individuals on Oregon’s death row to life in prison without the possibility of parole, the latest in her end-of-term string of clemency decisions. “I have long believed that justice is not advanced by taking a life, and the state should not be in …

Oregon Public Radio reports: In an unusual sight, people packed into the Crook County Library on Thursday night for a meeting of its board. The topic at hand had drawn the standing room crowd: namely, whether or not to segregate LGBTQ-friendly children’s books into a separate section. By the end of the night, the crowd had spoken overwhelmingly in support …

The Salem Statesman-Journal reports: A former Keizer pastor has been sentenced to 27 years in prison for sexual abuse of one of his church members while she was underage. Bradley Putnam, 55, also will have 41 months of post-prison supervision and has to register as a sex offender. After his prison sentence, he will spend 364 days in the Marion …

The Oregonian reports: Democrat Tina Kotek has won the race for Oregon governor, defeating Republican Christine Drazan. It was a hard-fought and expensive win by Democrats, who have a huge party registration advantage in Oregon but faced strong headwinds this year amid voter frustration at problems including homelessness, violent crime and lackluster delivery of government programs and services. Kotek’s win …

Oregon Live reports: Just weeks after a Yamhill County judge ruled a controversial ban on the display of Pride flags in Newberg schools was unconstitutional, a masked person approached the home of school district employee, lit the employee’s Pride flag on fire and performed a Nazi salute. In a statement Tuesday, the Newberg School District referred to the flag-burning as …

The Daily Beast reports: A drag-queen story hour starring an 11-year-old performer at an Oregon pub was targeted by Proud Boys and neo-Nazis, some of whom hurled heavy rocks and smoke bombs during fiery clashes outside the event. Police in riot gear ultimately had to intervene to stop the mayhem at Old Nick’s Pub Drag Queen Story Time Brunch on …

The Daily Beast reports: The man who killed two people as he “walked aisle to aisle” spraying bullets inside a Safeway supermarket in Bend, Oregon, wrote a disturbing manifesto ahead of the bloodbath, warning of his intention to commit a “national tragedy.” The shooter, who wielded an AR-15-style rifle and a shotgun during his rampage, was identified by authorities on …

ABC News reports: At least three people are dead following a shooting inside a Safeway supermarket in Oregon on Sunday evening, police said. The incident was reported just after 7 p.m. local time at The Forum Shopping Center in Bend, a small city on the Deschutes River, some 130 miles southeast of Oregon’s capital, Salem. The suspected shooter is among …

The Associated Press reports: The state of Oregon has slashed the financial penalties it assigned a baker who refused to bake a wedding cake for a lesbian couple almost 10 years ago. In compliance with a state appeals court ruling earlier this year, State Labor Commissioner Val Hoyle said Tuesday that the Bureau of Labor and Industries is ordering Aaron …

The Christian Post reports: Aaron and Melissa Klein, a Christian couple whose bakery has been held up in the courts for years and were ordered to pay $135,000 in damages for refusing to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding, are now working on opening a new shop to “show God’s goodness to everyone.” The Kleins, who owned Sweet Cakes …

The Hill reports: Three West Coast states signed a multistate commitment to protect abortion access on Friday after the Supreme Court ruled earlier to overturn Roe v. Wade. The governors of California, Oregon and Washington — all of whom are Democrats — vowed to expand abortion access for those seeking the medical procedure, refuse to extradite individuals to other states …