Oregon

Lawmen swiftly solve case of missing log cabin; was its removal from homesite a crime?

In what may be a unique crime in the local vicinity, an Oregon sheriff’s department was asked this week to investigate the case of a missing log cabin. Someone had jacked up the 1,500-square-foot modern structure, including a deck, off its foundation and removed it to an unknown location. But…

Feb 27, 2015 2:30 PM CST

Emails offer glimpse of ex-governor’s legal strategy, show efforts by staff to distance ‘first lady’

Personal emails between former Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber, his fiancee, the state’s volunteer “first lady” Cylvia Hayes, and members of his staff show her jockeying for a more influential position in state government, even as others in Kitzhaber’s administration were trying to distance her from potentially crossing ethical lines. At…

Feb 20, 2015 9:50 AM CST

Appeals court: City can be sued over faded crosswalk; will comparative negligence still bar claim?

An Oregon appeals court has reversed a trial judge’s dismissal of a claim against the city of Portland over faded crosswalk stripes, agreeing with the family of a woman killed in a 2009 accident that better maintenance of the crosswalk might have helped prevent the death of Lindsay Leonard, 23.…

Feb 17, 2015 3:35 PM CST

Under fire over fiancee’s role as ‘first lady’ and paid outside consultant, Oregon governor resigns

The longtime Democratic governor of Oregon resigned Friday, effective at 10 a.m. on Wednesday of next week, in the midst of a criminal investigation of any role he may have played in paid outside consulting work by his fiancée, overlapping her role as the state’s volunteer “first lady.” John Kitzhaber,…

Feb 13, 2015 5:30 PM CST

Governor’s fiancee was ‘first lady’ but isn’t under jurisdiction of ethics commission, both say

Under fire for the role she has played as a volunteer policy advisor to Oregon’s governor under the title of first lady, the fiancee of Gov. John Kitzhaber has now hired separate counsel to represent her in an ethics probe over her work for private groups as a consultant. Meanwhile,…

Feb 10, 2015 9:35 AM CST

Is a nude violinist akin to a naked bicyclist? Federal civil rights suit says yes, seeks $1M

Arrested last year for playing the violin outside a federal courthouse in downtown Portland, Oregon, while naked, a suburban resident has now filed a civil rights lawsuit based, in part, on a claimed violation of his First Amendment rights. Matthew Thomas Mglej, 25, seeks $1.1 million in damages in the…

Jan 26, 2015 11:50 AM CST

Lawyer waiting in court offers $1K to defendant facing a felony if he didn’t pay restitution

A Portland, Oregon, business lawyer waiting in court last week was moved by the plight of a criminal defendant who faced a felony if he didn’t pay $983 in restitution for buying a stolen truck. The lawyer, Colin Murphy, offered to pay the money, stunning defense lawyer Lawrence Taylor, report…

Dec 24, 2014 7:54 AM CST

Graffiti suspect may have tagged from Seattle to Southern California, police say

A suspect in a California graffiti case may have tagged along the West Coast from Bakersfield to Seattle, police say. Derek Murphy, 21, was booked Monday on suspicion of felony vandalism after Santa Cruz authorities linked him to BERG and GREB tags on park property and police cars, the San…

Dec 19, 2014 11:30 AM CST

Three cities sue Uber, citing noncompliance with state laws and municipal regulations

At least three cities filed suit this week against the operators of the Uber ride-sharing smartphone application. Although Uber’s leaders say they are merely providing information to drivers and passengers who wish to connect with each other, officials in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Portland, Oregon, see the situation differently.…

Dec 11, 2014 5:05 PM CST

Woman sues nail salon, says pedicure resulted in leg amputation

A woman has sued a Portland, Oregon, nail salon, contending that a pedicure resulted in the amputation of her right leg. Madhu Kumar alleges in her complaint that a Nails Trap pedicurist tried to shave calluses off her feet in 2012, resulting in the negligent laceration of “the media distal…

Nov 7, 2014 5:20 PM CST

Voters OK recreational pot in these jurisdictions

Voters in Alaska, Oregon, Washington, D.C., and the city of South Portland, Maine, voted to legalize recreational pot on Tuesday. Those jurisdictions join Colorado and Washington state, which already allow recreational marijuana. The Huffington Post, the Atlantic and the New York Times have stories. According to the Atlantic, Democrats had…

Nov 5, 2014 8:10 AM CST

Man practicing open-carry robbed of his gun by armed stranger

Corrected: An Oregon man who was exercising his legal right to open-carry a firearm was robbed of the weapon last week. Less than a day after William Coleman III purchased a Walther P22 pistol, the 21-year-old was talking with a cousin about the gun in the Portland suburb of Gresham.…

Oct 10, 2014 5:05 PM CDT

Man convicted in supermarket checkout line dispute files suit against shopper he shot and store

Convicted of assault and unlawful use of a firearm during a 2012 supermarket checkout line fight between two men who are now in their 60s, a suburban Portland resident is serving a six-year sentence in an Oregon prison. But Jerry Thomas Harryman, 68, is also battling on with a dueling…

Sep 17, 2014 3:40 PM CDT

Determining driver impairment with marijuana involves imperfect science, says law enforcement

How do you determine if someone with THC in their blood was driving under the influence? It’s an imperfect science, say Oregon cannabis supporters and law enforcement. Voters there in November will decide if the state should decriminalize marijuana for recreational use. A key issue, the Oregonian reports, is whether…

Aug 29, 2014 5:37 PM CDT

‘Seismic’ 9th Cir. rulings nix FedEx claim its drivers aren’t employees, could cost company millions

In a significant victory for FedEx drivers who contend they have been misclassified as independent contractors, a federal appeals court on Wednesday reversed a finding in multidistrict litigation in Indiana and held that nearly 2,700 plaintiffs in California and Oregon are in fact employees. In separate decisions concerning the California…

Aug 27, 2014 9:55 PM CDT