A Salem murder suspect with family ties in the Redmond area was arrested Wednesday evening in Portland, said authorities. Jason Donald Johnson was apprehended at a Portland bus depot Dec. 27, and was taken into custody by Portland Police without incident.  He was transported by Salem Police detectives back to Salem and lodged in the Marion County Jail. Johnson was wanted in connection with the Dec. 23 shooting death of Jose Luis Estrada in Salem.  ... [full story]

Governor Ted Kulongoski issued the following statement on the recent passing of former President Gerald R. Ford, 93: "We have lost an outstanding American citizen and American president. President Ford was a man of dignity and honor. He always did in his public life what he thought was best for America, even at tremendous cost to his own personal career. Gerald Ford led this nation through a difficult period and will long be remembered for ... [full story]

Oregon State University President Ed Ray will join OSU student leaders and alumni in a community service project during their trip to El Paso for the 2006 Brut Sun Bowl. Volunteers will assist with a playground clean-up project at the Child Crisis Center in El Paso and will organize a special Oregon State tailgate for the kids. The El Paso Convention and Visitors Bureau collaborated with the OSU Alumni Association to make this project happen. ... [full story]

Oregon State Police announced that all lanes of Highway 97 north of Chiloquin near milepost 232 are closed following a non-injury crash involving an overturned tanker that occurred about 2:30 p.m. this afternoon. Oregon State Police (OSP) and Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) personnel are on scene. According to the OSP emergency report, it is unknown how long the highway will remain closed. Further details were not available. [full story]

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is selling the first of seven custom-made boats this week on eBay, an online auction and shopping website. The minimum bid is $20,000. Funds raised will help cover continued costs of the Diamond Lake project, including water quality monitoring, fish stocking, and education materials. Pictures of the boats will be posted weekly over the next two months at the following link:  ODFW Weekly Boat Listings The first boat auction ... [full story]

Four die in Oregon crashes, 59 arrested for drunk driving, one driver involved in two separate crashes three miles apartTraffic-related deaths were slightly higher this year, and drunk driving arrests by Oregon State Police (OSP) troopers were definitely higher, according to preliminary information gathered related to the Christmas holiday period.  OSP, Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) and local police agencies are preparing for this weekend's New Year's Holiday extended weekend. Preliminary information from ODOT's Fatality ... [full story]

Smith stops $50 million annual loss of Medicaid funding to Oregon A new tax relief and healthcare law will positively impact Oregonians in the new year, U.S. Senator Gordon H. Smith (R-OR) noted recently.   The bill, passed in the final hours of the 109th Congress, includes several pieces of legislation Senator Smith fought for to help grow Oregon’s economy and to keep the state’s Medicaid program whole during economic down-times.    “We can’t let tax cuts ... [full story]

Salem Police are asking for help from any members of the public who may have information about the shooting death of a 28-year old man, found dead Saturday afternoon on the sidewalk near a northeast Salem apartment complex. Jose Luis Estrada was found near 2530 NE Broadway Avenue about 2 p.m. Saturday, December 23, said Chief Jerry Moore. He was transported by ground ambulance to the Salem Hospital and pronounced dead.  An autopsy is scheduled ... [full story]

On Friday, the Josephine County Sheriff's Office formally requested a review of their efforts during the Kim family search.  The request was made to the association's Search and Rescue Advisory Committee Chairman, Sheriff Tim Evinger.   The Josephine County Sheriff's Office requested a review of their efforts during the Kim family search.  James Kim, 35, died of exposure with hypothermia. San Francisco residents James Kim, his wife Kati, and their young children, 4-year-old Penelope and 7-month-old Sabine ... [full story]

The Clackamas County Sheriff's Office is once again offering a $15,000 reward for additional investigative lead information pertaining to the 1999 murder of Keith Dornan that occurred in Milwaukie, Oregon. Dornan was murdered inside his Milwaukie residence at 9310 SE Linwood Avenue in October 1999.  His 1997 white Ford Ranger pickup truck was stolen during commission of the crime, and later recovered in a local shopping center parking lot. Several other items were stolen from ... [full story]

As 2006 draws to a close, Oregon marks the completion of 20 years of school-based health center success, and Governor Ted Kulongoski has proposed future growth. School-based health centers, or SBHCs, are located in schools or on school property. They provide physical and mental health services to students and families, many of whom would not otherwise be able to obtain such care. Oregon's first school-based health center opened in 1986. Today there are 44 SBHCs ... [full story]

It didn’t take long for Kohl’s Department Stores to respond to complaints by Oregon Partnership about the sale and promotion of drinking games. “Be assured that the remaining games are being removed from all Kohl’s stores and online,” said Kohl’s spokeswoman Julie Landro in a call and e-mail to Oregon Partnership President/CEO Judy Cushing. This past week, Oregon Partnership, a statewide non-profit organization providing Alcohol and drug prevention education and treatment referral, asked that Kohl’s pull the ... [full story]

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) hosted a workshop in Pendleton on Dec. 15th to explain the new national Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) air quality standards for fine particulate matter and their possible impact on many Eastern Oregon communities. The event attracted county commissioners, city managers, local regulatory specialists, agricultural and forestry interests and fire marshals from ten counties in Central and Eastern Oregon and two Tribal Governments. “We are, indeed, pleased with the ... [full story]