A Tigard man sustained serious leg injuries Thursday evening when he was pinned between his semi-truck and a snowplow just west of La Grande after his parked truck slid on an icy overpass into the ODOT vehicle, police reported.   Rodney Reed was seriously injured when he was pinned in the open doorway of the semi-truck. - OSP photo Oregon State Police Sgt. Larry Graves said Rodney F. Reed, 52, got out of his semi-truck just before ... [full story]

A 36-year old Portland man described as a large-scale distributor of crack cocaine was sentenced this week to more than 15 years in federal prison for drug crimes and wire fraud, United States Attorney Karin J. Immergut announced. Kyllo Penn came under scrutiny in 2004 when he was identified as a drug distributor who purchased powder cocaine by the kilogram, converted it into crack, and sold it to various drug dealers in the Portland metro ... [full story]

Sheriff’s detectives are seeking the public’s help in locating a woman suspected of stealing a struggling single mother’s car, a vehicle found abandoned and in flames hours later.  A man identified as a “person of interest” is also being sought.   Arrest warrants have been issued for Meghan Guthrie (left). Julian Interian Avila is being sought as a "person of interest" (right). - CCSO photos According to a news release prepared by Clackamas County Sheriff’s Detective Jim ... [full story]

Oregonians smoked an estimated 2.6 billion fewer cigarettes between 1996 and 2006 as consumption decreased 41 percent during that time, according to a report from the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) Public Health Division. Oregon outpaced the nation by 10 percent, as cigarette smoking dropped 31 percent in the United States during the same period, according to "Oregon Tobacco Facts," released by the Oregon Tobacco Prevention and Education Program (TPEP). Tobacco use has declined ... [full story]

Police arrested a 30-year old Albany man, masked and armed with a .45 caliber handgun, in connection with a robbery and kidnapping at a southeast Albany credit union Thursday morning.   Lawrence Dean Beckner (center), .45 caliber handgun (inset) -  APD photosTwo Albany Police officers responded to an alarm at Linn-Co Federal Credit Union located at 1200 SE Queen Avenue at 8:15 a.m., January 31, and found the rear door unlocked. According to a news release, the ... [full story]

HAPPY VALLEY, Ore. -- A couple is offering a $10,000 reward for the return of their dog, a Pomeranian stolen during what deputies called a “bizarre break-in” Thursday morning in Happy Valley, Oregon.   A $10,000 reward is offered for info and safe return of "Ruby" - submitted photo According to Clackamas County Sheriff’s deputies, an intruder broke into Joel and Shannon Rosabal’s home at 8593 SE Boulder Creek Court on January 31 between 9:30 a.m. and ... [full story]

SALEM – A special legislative session is set to open on February 4 based on a proposal passed early in the 2007 legislative session that establishes annual sessions.  A twenty-eight day time limit is imposed as legislators gather to review proposals ranging from economic stimulus legislation to compensation for volunteers who donate their time to non-profit organizations. “I believe that the idea of annual sessions is one that will make government more accountable and efficient ... [full story]

PORTLAND, Ore. - The Oregon Supreme Court upheld a $79.5 million award Thursday against Philip Morris for the family of a man who died of lung cancer.The award has been going through the courts since a 1999 trial in Multnomah County, The (Portland) Oregonian reported. The U.S. Supreme Court overturned the verdict twice, sending it back to Oregon.Jesse Williams died in 1997. Two years later, a jury ruled that his family should get $821,485 in ... [full story]

SALEM, Ore. - The 13-year-old owner of a black BMX bike said his bicycle was mistakenly sold by a Salem, Ore., Goodwill store while he was shopping at the thrift shop. Cody Young said he parked his Hoffman Rhythm 18, which cost $232 when he purchased it in 2004, inside the thrift store because he didn't have a lock with him, and the bike was mistakenly sold by the store for $6.99 while he was ... [full story]

Two men were killed and another received minor injuries Wednesday afternoon after the driver of a pickup lost control on snow and ice-covered Highway 140W west of Klamath Falls and slid broadslide into an oncoming vehicle, troopers reported.   The driver and passenger of this Nissan pickup both died after it lost control on the ice and snow-covered highway Wednesday and crashed into an oncoming Jeep - OSP photo Wallace Homer Hamlet, 82, of Central Point was ... [full story]

A large tree that fell across Silverton Road NE in Salem this morning has shut down all four lanes of traffic in one of the city’s busiest thoroughfares, officials announced.   One of Salem's busiest streets was closed this morning when a large tree fell, blocking all four lanes of traffic - SFD photo The tree fell near the intersection of Silverton Road and Evergreen Avenue NE about 7:30 a.m., January 31, Salem Fire Department officials said. ... [full story]

WEST LINN -- Six high school seniors in West Linn, Ore., were suspended after officials found they illegally changed their grades, the school principal said.The students were exposed by their classmates after they electronically altered their grades on in their teacher's classroom computer, The (Portland) Oregonian reported Wednesday.An e-mail to the newspaper claimed that because some of the boys were senior athletes, their punishments were too soft, but the school's principal stood up for her ... [full story]

A distraught 41-year old Springfield, Oregon woman wearing only a coat, shorts and slippers during a snowstorm was convinced not to jump from a 60-foot overpass above Interstate-5 Tuesday morning by an Oregon State Police (OSP) lieutenant. The woman, whose name police did not release, was taken into protective custody and transported to Sacred Heart Hospital in Eugene for mental evaluation, OSP reported. Shortly after 8:30 a.m., January 30, Lt. Mike Bloom was patrolling the ... [full story]