Tag Archives: Oregon

Oregon governor blasts federal response to refuge standoff

(Reuters) – Oregon’s governor blasted the federal government’s response to the occupation of a wildlife refuge by a group of armed men saying the situation was “absolutely intolerable” and costing the state about $100,000 a week.

Governor Kate Brown, a Democrat, said she had been asked by federal officials to limit her public comments about the protest which began on Jan. 2 at the remote Malheur National Wildlife Refuge and that she had no wish to escalate the situation.

“But I will say this … The situation is absolutely intolerable and it must be must be resolved immediately. The very fabric of this community is being ripped apart,” Brown said on Wednesday at a news conference.

“The residents of Harney County have been overlooked and under-served by federal officials’ response thus far.”

The takeover at Malheur was the latest flare-up in the so-called Sagebrush Rebellion, a decades-old conflict over the U.S. government’s control of millions acres of land in the West.

The occupiers have declared their move is in support of two local ranchers who were returned to prison this month for setting fires that spread to federal land. The ranchers’ lawyer has said the occupiers do not speak for the family.

Law enforcement officials have so far kept their distance from the buildings at the refuge, 30 miles south of the small town of Burns in rural southeast Oregon’s Harney County, in the hope of avoiding a violent confrontation.

One of the occupiers was arrested last week after he drove a government vehicle to a local supermarket.

Brown called the situation a “spectacle of lawlessness” which must end and said she had conveyed her very grave concerns to the U.S. Department of Justice and the White House.

“Federal authorities must move quickly to end the occupation and hold all of the wrongdoers accountable,” the governor said. “And until Harney County is free of it, I will not stop insisting that federal officials enforce the law.”

The chair of the local Native American tribe has also called on the federal government to remove the occupiers.

Brown said the standoff was costing Oregon about $100,000 per week, mostly in additional law enforcement costs, and that she has asked her finance officials to “scour the budget” so they could subsidize the expense to Harney County.

“We will be asking federal officials to reimburse the state for these costs,” she said.

(Reporting by Daniel Wallis in Denver; Editing by Alan Crosby)

Armed Militia Takes Over Oregon Wildlife Refuge

A wildlife sanctuary in rural Oregon is closed indefinitely after protesters took control of the facility.

A posting on the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s website says “an unknown number of armed individuals have broken into and occupied” the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, which is located approximately 30 miles southeast of Burns, Oregon, in the state’s southeast quadrant.

The service says there weren’t any employees in the refuge when it was overtaken.

According to The Oregonian, the group of about 20 military began occupying the refuge some on Saturday to protest how the government handled criminal proceedings against two ranchers.

In October, Dwight Lincoln Hammond and his son, Steven Dwight Hammond, received five-year prison sentences for allegedly setting fires on lands the Bureau of Land Management had leased to them for cattle grazing, the Department of Justice said in news release at the time. The Hammonds originally got a more lenient sentence after arguing the mandatory minimum of five years was unconstitutional, but an appeals court ultimately ruled the five-year term fit the crime, threw out their original punishments and resentenced them to the mandatory minimum.

The Hammonds were due to report to prison on Monday, according to The Oregonian, but that hasn’t stopped the militants from staging their protest.

CNN reported the group’s leader, Ammon Bundy, told the network they will not leave the land until the government meets their demands, and has threatened to use force in a self-defense capacity if authorities used force against them.

If the name sounds familiar, it could be because anti-government protests run in the family.

Bundy is the son of Cliven Bundy, who staged a widely publicized armed standoff with the federal government over land rights issues in Nevada in 2014. According to The Oregonian, attorneys for the Hammonds have said that Ammon Bundy does represent their clients.

Pacific Northwest Storms Claim Another Life, More Rain on the Way

The devastating rainstorms that have caused flooding, mudslides and power outages throughout the Pacific Northwest claimed another life on Wednesday, according to a published report.

The Oregonian reported an elderly woman drowned in Clatskanie, Oregon, when a man she was traveling with drove a car into high water. The man was able to escape, but the woman was not.

It was the second death caused by the storm, which also brought high winds to the region.

The Oregonian previously reported the storm sent a 30-inch diameter tree crashing into a house in Portland early Wednesday morning, pinning a 60-year-old woman in her bed. She was killed.

The National Weather Service reported that more than seven inches of rain fell in parts of Oregon and more than five inches of rain fell in parts of Washington between 4 p.m. local time Monday and 6 a.m. local time Thursday. Washington Governor Jay Inslee declared a state of emergency after landslides closed major highways, rain led to “widespread flooding of roadways, homes and property,” and high winds left thousands without power, he said in a statement.

The storm is the latest in a line of storms to pass through the Pacific Northwest dating back to the end of last month. Inslee said the state of emergency covers all storms since Nov. 30.

The National Weather Service issued storm warnings off the Washington and Oregon coasts, as forecasts called for additional storms to arrive Thursday and this weekend. The Weather Channel reported the new storms would bring additional rain and wind, as well as snow in higher elevations. That could spur further landslides or flooding, particularly in coastal areas.

The National Weather Service reported that Thursday morning’s rainfall pushed Seattle-Tacoma International Airport over six inches in the first 10 days of December, a new record. Previously, the fastest the airport reached six inches in the month was 14 days, set in 1946 and tied in 2010.

The arrival of more rain wasn’t good news for residents who were already experiencing flooding.

At least 17 river gauges in Washington and Oregon were still in flood stage Thursday morning, according to the National Weather Service. “Major flooding” was reported in the Washington cities of Snohomish, located northeast of Seattle, and Potlatch, which is northwest of Olympia. Flood warnings remained in effect for parts of Washington, largely around the Puget Sound.

More than 21,000 Puget Sound Energy customers in Washington were without power Thursday morning, the company said. Portland General Electric also reported some scattered outages.

The storm led to dozens of road closures in both Washington and Oregon. Culprits included mudslides, sinkholes rockslides and flooding. Some of the repairs were expected to be lengthy.

In Portland, the rainfall caused the city’s sewer system to overflow into two local waterways on Monday morning. The city’s Bureau of Environmental Services continued to advise residents to avoid parts of the Willamette River on Thursday morning “because of increased bacteria.”

Thousands Without Power After Deadly Storm Pummels Oregon, Washington

About 30,000 people near Portland, Oregon, were reportedly without power Wednesday morning a deadly rainstorm caused widespread flooding and toppled some utility lines.

The Oregonian newspaper reported the number of outages as of 5 a.m. local time. That number was down to about 6,000 less than two hours later, according to Portland General Electric data.

The outages came after the latest in a line of rainstorms swept through the Pacific Northwest.

The National Weather Service reported that about 6 inches of rain fell on parts of Oregon between 3 p.m. local time on Monday and 6 a.m. local time on Wednesday. The agency reported wind gusts of up to 125 mph at Mount Hood and gusts of at least 60 mph in 12 other locations in Oregon, as well as six in Washington. Those winds reportedly contributed to at least one death.

Authorities told The Oregonian the storm sent a 30-inch-diameter tree crashing through a home early Wednesday morning, pinning a 60-year-old woman in her bed. The woman later died.

In Washington, Puget Sound Energy reported about 73,741 customers lacked power Wednesday morning. There were 329 separate outages reported around Seattle, Olympia and Tacoma.

Winds and power outages weren’t the only thing the storm brought.

The National Weather Service reported at least 36 river gauges in Oregon and Washington were at flood stage, and flood warnings remained in effect for northwest Oregon and southwest Washington. There were multiple media reports of flooded roadways, mudslides and sinkholes.

The Oregon Department of Transportation reported a mudslide closed a portion of U.S. Route 30 near a bridge in Portland and a sinkhole closed state Route 22 in Yamhill County, closer to the Pacific Ocean. The police department of Gresham, a Portland suburb, posted multiple photos on social media that showed a gaping sinkhole opened underneath a road there.

Portland’s Bureau of Environmental Services said the heavy rainfalls caused sewage systems to overflow into the Willamette River and Columbia Slough on Monday morning. The bureau is continuing to ask the public to avoid the waters there “because of increased bacteria” presence.

The National Weather Service reported the storm also dropped some snow in higher elevations.

The Weather Channel reported that two more storms are expected to hit the Pacific Northwest. One was forecast to hit the region Wednesday night, while the other was expected this weekend.

The National Weather Service has issued storm and gale warnings off the Oregon and Washington coasts.

Earthquakes Rock Oklahoma, Kansas, Oregon

A series of earthquakes were felt in the United States Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning.  

A magnitude 4.0 earthquake was reported Wednesday afternoon 43 miles from Lakeview, Oregon, according to the Geological Survey.  The tremor occurred at 5:50pm Pacific Time.  In the last 10 days, there has been one other earthquake of magnitude 3.0 or greater centered nearby.

This morning residents in Oklahoma were awakened by a 4.7 magnitude quake that is reported to be the largest in that state since 2011.  The earthquake was felt from Norman, Oklahoma, to central Kansas, and from the Texas Panhandle to Missouri, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported.

The epicenter was 8 miles southwest of Cherokee, Oklahoma with a depth of 3.8 miles.  

“It was a quick jolt with windows rattling with [the first waves], then 5-10 seconds later, [the second waves] rattled windows and shook appliances and computer monitors,” said AccuWeather Enterprise Solutions Meteorologist William Clark, who felt the earthquake in Wichita, Kansas.

Local radar picked up thousands of birds that took off as the quake hit.  

Three other earthquakes were reported overnight in the area Thursday: a 3.1-magnitude at 3:46 a.m., a 3.7-magnitude earthquake at 6:03 a.m. and a 3.4 magnitude earthquake at 7:25 a.m. The 3.1 and 3.7 magnitude tremors were centered 9 miles west of Cherokee near the Kansas border. The 3.4 was centered near Crescent.

It is unclear if there was any damage or injuries at this time.

A strong undersea earthquake also struck off the coast near the Solomon Islands, according to the Bureau of Meteorology. These islands are located east of Papua New Guinea.  

The bureau initially reported that an earthquake of 7.1 had occurred at 5.31am ADET, which would be classified as a major earthquake, but the intensity was later reported as 6.8, which is considered strong.

The quake struck 119 kilometres south west of Dadali, in the Solomon Islands, and 176 kilometres north west of the capital, Honiara.  There are no reports of injuries and no tsunami watches or warnings issued.  

State Officials Report: Oregon Teen Girl has Bubonic Plague

Oregon health officials state that a 16-year-old girl in Crook County has been diagnosed with the bubonic plague.

According to USA Today, the teen is currently in an intensive care at a local hospital and her status isn’t known at this time. The Oregon Health Authority believes the girl contracted the disease via flea bite while she was on a hunting trip. So far, no one else in Crook County has been infected with the plague.

“Many people think of the plague as a disease of the past, but it’s still very much present in our environment, particularly among wildlife,” state public health veterinarian Emilio DeBess told KGW. “Fortunately, plague remains a rare disease, but people need to take appropriate precautions with wildlife and their pets to keep it that way.”

Federal and state health officials are working with local authorities to investigate the disease.

The Bubonic plague is the disease heard of during the medieval times that wiped out the majority of the population, however, it is rare today. CBS News reports that there is an average of seven human plague cases a year. In Oregon, there have only been eight human cases since 1995 with no reported deaths.

If caught early enough, the plague can be treated with antibiotics. There is currently no vaccine for the plague.

America Mourns the Deaths of 9 Victims and 7 Injured in Oregon University Shooting

Ten people are dead and seven are injured after a lone gunman opened fire at Umpqua Community College, located in Roseburg, Oregon. The death toll includes the gunman who was shot by police after exchanging gunfire with law enforcement.

Law enforcement identified the 26-year-old shooter Thursday night as Chris Harper Mercer. Police reported that the shooter had three weapons on his person during the shooting. In a news conference after the tragedy, Sheriff Hanlin would not speak the gunman’s name.

“Let me be very clear, I will not name the shooter,” he said. “I will not give him the credit he probably sought prior to this horrific and cowardly act.”

Sheriff Hanlin also asked reporters not to glorify or sensationalize him.

One of the injured students, Anastasia Boylan, told her father that the gunman had been singling out Christians. Before her spinal surgery, her dad relayed his daughter’s story to CNN. The gunman had entered her classroom, firing. After shooting the professor, the students hit the ground. She then recalled how he asked anyone who was a Christian to stand up, and then shot them. Boylan was shot in the back, but she survived by playing dead.

Investigators have reported that the gunman had a long history of resenting organized religion, specifically Christianity. His various social media accounts all had some sort of reference to hating religion.

The attack was among some of the worst mass school shootings over the last two decades including the Virginia Tech tragedy in 2007, the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut in 2012, and the Columbine High School shooting in 1999 located in Colorado.

According to data from ShootingTracker.com, mass shootings have taken place hundreds of times over the last several years. The Washington Post reports that only week has passed without a mass shooting incident during President Obama’s second term. A mass shooting is defined as an incident where four or more people are shot. The one week where there was no mass shooting was in April this year. Six days have passed without an incident several times.

On Thursday night, mourners gathered at a park in Roseburg, Oregon. Candles were held up by attendees and the hymn “Amazing Grace” was played. Photos of the vigil showed heartbroken community members huddled together and sharing stories of grief. Oregon Governor Kate Brown attended the vigil and offered her condolences.

“In our sorrow, we will remember and honor those lost today,” she said. “And they will forever be in our hearts.”

All of us at the Jim Bakker Show and Morningside ask that you join us in prayer for everyone involved in this heartbreaking incident. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of the victims’ families, those who are injured and recovering, the law enforcement and medical personnel, and for the entire community of Roseburg, Oregon. May God bless each and every one of you and comfort you during this difficult time.

Military Troops Brought in to Fight Western Wildfires

With over 100 wildfires burning in Western states, the U.S. military is now training troops to join the fight against them and provide relief to some of the 25,000 firefighters on scene.

The National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) reported that 200 active duty troops will be split into 10 units of 20 men and all deployed to the same fire.  The move marks the first time that active duty military has been called out to fight domestic fires.  The troops will come from 17th Field Artillery Brigade of the 7th Infantry Division at Fort Lewis, Washington.

National Guard troops have already been on the scene at several fires to help firefighters.

Officials in Idaho reported that an elderly woman died and 50 homes were destroyed in a cluster of fires along the Clearwater River.  The “Clearwater Complex” fire has burned more than 50,000 acres of timber & brush.

A spokesman for Clearwater fire command said that they are facing significant shortages and have had requests for reinforcements for ground forces and aircraft returned “UTF” or “unable to fill.”

Currently fourteen major wildfires are impacting Idaho.  Oregon and Washington have more than 30 large fires and have totaled the highest property losses from the flames.

At least 32 homes were destroyed in fires burning in north-central Washington near the resort town of Chelan.

Oregon Community Rallies to Renovate Elderly Couple’s Home after Teens’ Taunts

Last month, two teenagers taunted a 75-year-old man over the condition of his house.

“Look at this crappy house, they just need to burn it down,” one of the teens said among the degrading comments thrown at the home of Leonard Bullock.

Bullock was sitting on the porch of his home at the time and heard every word.

So did Josh Cyganik, a worker for Union Pacific Railroad who starts his workday across the street from Bullock’s home.

“I saw him put his head down and it was clear he was upset,” Cyganik told Today.com. “I thought about saying something to the boys, but sometimes anger is better left unsaid and I took a different course of action that ended up paying off more so than if I yelled at them.”

Cyganik spoke to a local hardware store, Tum-A-Lum Lumber, who agreed to donate the paint necessary to make the renovations to Bullock’s home.  The good samaritan then went on Facebook to ask his friends to help him during a workday on July 18th to make a difference in Bullock’s life.

It ended up much more than just a new coat of paint.

A family brought Bullock a new set of patio furniture so he could sit outside his home in comfort.  Starbucks brought six gallons of water and iced tea for the workers.

And then a lumber company showed up unannounced, unloaded new lumber and built Bullock a brand new porch.

“The house is real nice now,” Bullock told ABC News. “It makes me feel good to look at it, especially after what [the teenagers] said.”

“They’re great people. You never know about someone unless you get to know their struggles,” Cyganik told the Union Pacific blog. “Yeah, it was a random act of kindness, but to me it’s more about respect. I was raised to respect the people who came before you, to help others out who don’t have much. Leonard can now sit on his front porch for the rest of his years while feeling good about his home.”

Quakes Shake Oregon, Alaska, Utah

The Fourth of July weekend had more than fireworks shaking things up in Utah, Oregon and Alaska.

Oregon residents started their day out in an unusual way when a 4.2 magnitude quake struck around 8:42 a.m. Saturday.  The quake was centered about 12 miles east of Eugene.

Officials from the Lane County Sheriff’s office and the Oregon Department of Transportation reported no damage being reported.  Residents say that the quake caused some shaking of homes, pictures to fall off walls and wood piles to shift.

In Utah, a 4.0 magnitude quake struck around 10 a.m., 1 mile south of Panguitch or 200 miles south of Salt Lake City.

Panguitch Fire Chief Dave Dodds told the Deseret News the quake lasted between three and four seconds but caused no major damage.

Alaska was the most shaken up with weekend quakes.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported Alaska was shaken by two quakes within one minute.

The first, a 4.9 magnitude quake, struck around 4:49 p.m. about 24 miles southwest of Talkeetna.  The second quake a minute later in the same area was reported at magnitude 5.1.

Also, the Arctic community of Kaktovik in the Arctic Ocean reported a quake around 11:26 a.m. that measured 4.6 according to the USGS.