ONTARIO, Ore. – An inmate was shot and injured by a corrections staff member from an observation tower during a disturbance involving up to 120 inmates of Snake River Correctional Institution Sunday morning. According to an Oregon Department of Corrections (ODC) news release, the melee broke out about 9:40 a.m., April 6, in the Complex 2 Recreation yard. The unidentified inmate injured by gunfire was transported to a local hospital, as were three other inmates who received ... [full story]

MILWAUKIE, Ore. – Police have released the identity of a man found dead under suspicious circumstances in a wooded area of North Clackamas Park Saturday morning.   Gene Pisaneschi in 1995 - MPD  “The death was not the result of natural causes,” Milwaukie Police reported, but declined to go into further details citing the ongoing investigation, which closed a section of the park until late Saturday evening. Gene Lynn Pisaneschi, 45, of Sherwood, Oregon was found by a person walking ... [full story]

CAMP WITHYCOMBE, Ore. -- Soldiers of the Oregon Army National Guard 41 Special Troops Battalion will train with the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office SWAT Team on Saturday, April 5, at Camp Withycombe, Oregon.   Clackamas County SWAT team - CCSO photo The event will cover simulated hand to hand combat, room clearing, and handling procedures. Oregon soldiers and SWAT officers will conduct tactical training beginning at 10 a.m. "Our SWAT team is proud to share its expertise and training with ... [full story]

SCAPPOOSE, Ore. -- An elderly driver received minor injuries Thursday afternoon when she was unable to avoid a collision with a loaded logging truck and one of the logs crashed through her car’s windshield, police reported.   The 82-year old driver of this car escaped with only minor injuries when a log crashed through the vehicle's windshield - OSP photo  Evelyn Sanders, 82, of Scappoose, was following the truck northbound on Highway 30 near Bennett Road when ... [full story]

SILVERTON, Ore. – An elderly Silverton man was injured and flown by helicopter to the hospital Thursday morning after he was struck by a car as he tried to cross the highway in Silverton aided by a walker, Oregon State Police reported. Martin Nelson, 79, was injured about 6:30 a.m., April 3, as he tried to cross Highway 214 west to east using his walker. The accident occured about ¼ mile west of the Hobard ... [full story]

SALEM, Ore. — Oregon's prison population was 13,405 on Jan. 1, having grown by 0.7 percent (98 beds) during 2007, according to the state corrections population forecast. The prison population is expected to grow at a slightly faster rate during 2008. The state expects the corrections population o be 13,722 on Jan. 1, 2009, which is 2.4 percent (317 beds) higher than on Jan 1 of this year. The rate of growth in the prison ... [full story]

Alcohol abuse and underage drinking continue to plague Oregon, and the health and social consequences are serious, sometimes fatal, according to the Oregon Department of Human Services Addictions and Mental Health Division. Drinking starts young in this state. Thirty-one percent of Oregon's eighth graders and half the 11th graders reported regular alcohol use last year, approximately 38,000 youngsters have a serious alcohol problem, and it's the leading cause of death among youth here. That's why ... [full story]

HILLSBORO, Ore. – A 22-year old Hillsboro man was arrested on Tuesday night after neighbors alerted police to the alleged abuse of his pit bull, whom he reportedly kicked and threw against a backyard shed, horrifically injuring the animal’s tail and head.   Brandon Matthew Nagy (above, WCJ photo) was arrested for allegedly kicking and throwing his pit bull against a shed wall, injuring it's head and tail (below, HPD photo)    Blood-smeared Brandon Matthew Nagy of 860 NE Sunrise Lane ... [full story]

Grant applications are now being accepted for a program aimed at preserving Oregon's forest future by acquiring threatened forestland and assisting conservation of forests. The Forest Legacy Program, administered by the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF), is a cooperative program of the U.S. Forest Service that seeks to conserve private forestlands that may be lost to non-forest uses, preserve forest resources, and enhance community forest conservation partnerships. "We're focusing our efforts on areas that face ... [full story]

"A little relief for Oregon drivers this week as gas prices here come down slightly, but the national average has set a new record high."   AAA Oregon Public Affairs Director Marie Dodds says, "The statewide average for regular unleaded in Oregon drops two cents this week to $3.41.  But the national average is up three cents to $3.286, and set a record high of $3.287 on March 31.  Oregon's current average is now about five ... [full story]

Oregon Attorney General candidate John Kroger today announced the endorsement of the Oregon AFL-CIO.  The endorsement makes Kroger the only statewide candidate in a contested primary to receive the endorsements of Oregon's largest labor organizations - AFL-CIO, SEIU Locals 503 and 49 and the Oregon Education Association."John Kroger has fought against corrupt corporations like Enron whose leadership lined their pockets while robbing hardworking Americans of their pensions," said Oregon AFL-CIO President Tom Chamberlain. "He will ... [full story]

PORTLAND, Ore. – When it comes to real estate, there are three things to keep in mind: location, location, location. But what if that location also came with an increased risk of a devastating house fire? Residents in North Portland's Humboldt neighborhood face just that reality, with the American Red Cross responding about four times more often there than elsewhere in the metro area. Why? A combination of reasons – everything from older housing stock ... [full story]

Lessons learned will help shape cap and trade program in Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski began his business development mission today with a meeting with APM Terminals executives in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, to advance the container terminal development project in Coos Bay, and then traveled to Brussels to meet with European Union (EU) officials and industry representatives to discuss carbon cap and trade. “This meeting was a good opportunity to learn first hand the successes and challenges of ... [full story]