FLORENCE , Ore. - An Oregon casino said a woman won a record-setting $5 million from a $4 bet on a slot machine after less than an hour at the casino. A spokesman for the Three Rivers Casino and Hotel in Florence said the Hillsboro, Ore., woman had been playing the Penny Wheel of Fortune machine, which is networked to a number of machines throughout the West Coast and allows for large payoffs by a ... [full story]

PORTLAND, Ore. - Patients in Oregon who request physician aid in dying under the state's Death With Dignity Act say they are worried about future suffering, researchers say. "Our data suggests that patients who request physician-assisted death do so not because of physical symptoms or their current quality of life," Dr. Linda Ganzini of the Oregon Health & Science University said in a statement. "They often make their requests based on an anticipation of future ... [full story]

PORTLAND, Ore. - Portland's mayor says he isn't sure if there are enough votes on the city council to pass a tentative deal that would bring Major League Soccer to Oregon. Mayor Sam Adams told The (Portland) Oregonian that he and one other member of the five-person council are ready to vote yes Wednesday while the other three have yet to commit. "We go into this without an identified third vote," Adams said after the ... [full story]

FLORENCE, Ore. -- The fin whale carcass that washed ashore at Heceta Head State Scenic Viewpoint Sunday after being monitored in shallow water Friday was successfully buried at the same beach Monday.   Leisure Excavating and state park staff successfully buried the fin whale above the high-tide line in an 11-foot deep hole – Oregon Parks & Recreation photo  Florence-based Leisure Excavating, working with state park staff, buried the 55-foot long, 30-ton carcass above the high tide ... [full story]

LEBANON, Ore. -- Linn County Sheriff Tim Mueller reported today that his office received the toxicology reports from the Oregon State Police Forensic Laboratory in regards to the death of 14-year-old Quentin Thacker.   Thacker’s toxicology reports showed the presence of alcohol, marijuana. Thacker, a high-school Freshman, was found dead on January 18, face down in a drainage ditch near 1250 S. 9th street in Lebanon, Oregon. An autopsy was performed by the Oregon State Medical Examiners ... [full story]

SALEM, Ore. – Forty-four people covered by the Oregon's workers' compensation system died on the job during 2008. The new figures were announced today by Oregon OSHA Administrator Michael Wood during his opening remarks of the 2009 Oregon Governor's Occupational Safety and Health (GOSH) Conference at the Oregon Convention Center. The data is compiled by the Department of Consumer and Business Services (DCBS). The 2008 total is a significant increase from 2007's total of 35 ... [full story]

Special Meeting Held to Offset Compensation Cuts To Liquor Agents by Bill Passed by Oregon Senate and House to Re-balance Budget PORTLAND, Ore. – At a special meeting held today, the commissioners of the Oregon Liquor Control Commission adopted a temporary price increase on distilled spirits from April 1 through June 30, 2009.  The increase is a 50-cent surcharge per bottle on all distilled spirits products. The Senate and the House passed a bill to ... [full story]

HB 2062 and HB 2063 create the Strongest Student Protection Regulations in the Nation SALEM, Ore. – The House Education Committee, chaired by Representative Sara Gelser (D-Corvallis), on Friday passed two bills aimed at protecting kids from educator and school employee misconduct.  The bills, HB 2062 and HB 2063 ban secret agreements; require training on how to avoid, identify and report misconduct; and facilitate the transfer of information about substantiated allegations of misconduct during the ... [full story]

PORTLAND, Ore. - A team of amateur sleuths say they are scouring Oregon and Washington state for clues to the fate of a 1971 airline hijacker who jumped from a plane. Retired businessman and amateur scientist Tom Kaye said his team of amateur investigators have conducted experiments with money in the Columbia River to try to reconstruct the path taken by some of the cash taken by the hijacker, who called himself D.B. Cooper, The ... [full story]

FLORENCE, Ore. – Heceta Head State Scenic Viewpoint and Devil’s Elbow Beach north of Florence have been closed due to the presence of a dead fin whale, Oregon Parks and Recreation officials reported today.   The whale was in shallow surf on Friday, unknown to officials if whale was attempting to beach itself – OSP photo    The deceased fin whale forced closure of the viewpoint and beach north of Florence – Oregon State P&R photo  On Friday, the ... [full story]

BRIGHTWOOD, Ore. – Speed and alcohol may have contributed to the death of a 29-year old Gresham man who witnesses said was driving erratically before his pickup hit a stop sign, went down an embankment and crashed into a tree, deputies reported.   The driver was killed on impact, deputies said. CCSO photo.  According to a news release issued by the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office of Information, Nicholas Ray Frazier was killed on impact. Frazier’s 2002 Chevrolet ... [full story]

Police: Deceased was Armed, Threatening Deputies with Firearm; 80-Year Old Woman Released on her own Recognizance Following Arraignment on Drug Charges MULINO, Ore. – The identity of the man shot and killed by deputies as they served arrest warrants in connection with an alleged marijuana growing operation has been released, the involved deputies named, and the 80-year old woman who was arrested has been released on her own recognizance.   Marjorie Crawford, 80 – CCJ photo  According to ... [full story]

Legislation Means Vast Majority of Oregon Students Will Receive Full Year of Classes SALEM, Ore. -- The Oregon House on Thursday passed two bills to rebalance the 2007-2009 budget that assures the vast majority of students will receive a full year of classes and that impacts to human services and public safety were minimized in the face of over $800 million in declining state revenues. The bills were passed on a bipartisan vote, 37-22, with ... [full story]