SALEM, Ore. – Beginning April 15, residential and small-farm customers of Portland General Electric (PGE) will see their rates decrease by over 6%, a savings of $5.80 per month for an average customer using 900 kWh monthly, the Public Utility Commission announced Tuesday. The reduction was made possible due to the restoration of Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) interim benefits. “We will continue to make a case for Oregon to equitably share the benefits of the low-cost ... [full story]

Jose Guadalupe Amezcua is sentenced for laundering money he believed to be drug-sales proceeds EUGENE, Ore. – Jose Guadalupe Amezcua, 45, of Springfield, Oregon, was sentenced to six-months in a community corrections center Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken for money laundering.  Amezcua also must perform 500 hours of community service as part of a five-year term of probation.  Amezcua pleaded guilty to the charges in September 2007, and admitted that he served as ... [full story]

Across Oregon, 3,000 residents in 35 counties are receiving applications this week that will enable them to learn whether they are eligible for the Oregon Health Plan's Standard benefit package. The Oregon Department of Human Services mailed the applications Monday to people whose names a computer randomly selected from a reservation list on which 91,000-plus Oregon residents signed up during January and February. DHS expects to enroll 10,000 low-income adults during the next several months. ... [full story]

PORTLAND, Ore. – After considering over three hours of testimony and legal arguments, Judge Michael Mosman on Tuesday sentenced Ryan Bonneau, 31, of Portland, to 30 months in prison for his role in a mortgage fraud scheme involving two residential real estate transactions in 2004. He will serve a period of five years supervised release after completion of his prison term. Bonneau was indicted in 2006 along with Leann Booth, 49, a Portland real estate ... [full story]

ALBANY, Ore. – A 47-year old Albany man was arrested Monday afternoon after allegedly assaulting his former girlfriend, dragging her down the street by her hair, holding a gun to her head and threatening to kill her. He was tackled, disarmed, and held until police arrived by the victim’s friend, police reported.    James Culbertson, LCJ photo Albany Police officers responded to the 700 block of SW College Park Drive just before 2:30 p.m., April 7, to ... [full story]

YORK, Pa. -- Police in Pennsylvania have charged the boyfriend of a York woman with fatally beating her 2-year-old daughter with a video game controller.Harve L. Johnson, 26, is being held for criminal homicide in the death of Darisabel Baez three days after celebrating her second birthday, The York Daily Record reports.The toddler died at Hershey Medical Center Monday from what the Dauphin County Coroner's Office described as multiple traumatic injuries suffered on Sunday.Police charge ... [full story]

HONOLULU -- A rare eruption of Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano has prompted the closing of Volcanoes National Park and an evacuation advisory for those living nearby.Officials took the action fearing a shift in winds from the southeast would scatter sulfur dioxide gas from the eruption into the park, KITV, Honolulu, reports.Earlier Tuesday state and county officials issued an evacuation advisory for some 2,200 Big Island residents living near the volcano.Kilauea Volcano has been belching ash and ... [full story]

TORONTO -- A child pornography trial date has been set for a Toronto-area man who claims he was working on anti-pornography software for the Toronto police force.Computer expert Brian Brown, 45, was arrested by Ontario Provincial Police and York Regional Police, north of Toronto, in May 2006, after images of child pornography were allegedly found on his home computer.His trial was set to begin May 20.In an interview with the Toronto Star at his lawyers' ... [full story]

WASHINGTON -- U.S. lawmakers Wednesday met with voting advocates acting on behalf of the nearly 70,000 voters complaining of ballot shortages and long lines.African-American advocates from the NAACP and the Congressional Black Caucus joined forces with radio talk-show host Tom Joyner to bring the complaints to legislators to push for changes in local election procedures, The Washington Post reported.The advocates said they compiled calls to voter hotlines and other testimonies in a report that points ... [full story]

WASHINGTON -- A nationwide emergency alert system using cell phones and mobile devices texting in case of a crisis is in the works, U.S. federal regulators say.The Federal Communications Commission plans to establish technical standards and other requirements that would make possible communication of emergency situations by texting to mobile devices, USA Today reported.While wireless carriers would not be required to upgrade their networks to accommodate the alerts, those agreeing to participate in the program ... [full story]