PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A woman is facing an attempted murder charge after allegedly shooting a man in the face at a home in the Foster-Powell neighborhood Thursday afternoon.
Just before 4:30 p.m., Portland police officers responded to reports of a shooting in the 3500 Block of Southeast 79th Avenue.
Officers reportedly learned that the victim, a 75-year-old man, was able to make his way to the lobby of a building, where he told witnesses that he had been shot by a woman who ran from the scene.
The man was then taken to a hospital with a gunshot wound to the face, authorities say.
Officers were able to locate the woman, identified as 73-year-old Lana Strand, trying to drive away and took her into custody. Authorities believe she is either the victim’s wife or former wife.
Strand was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center on domestic violence charges of second-degree attempted murder and unlawful use of a weapon.
Detectives from PPB’s Special Victims Unit are now investigating and have recovered the revolver believed to have been used in the incident, officials say.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence and needs help, there are a number of resources available, in addition to calling or texting 911.
Call to Safety (CTS) provides access to advocacy services, including confidential peer support, information and referrals to community resources. CTS’ 24-hour crisis line can be reached at 503-235-5333 or 1-888-235-5333.
The 60-year-old was riding a bike on a popular trail Feb. 17 when a young cougar attacked her.
SNOQUALMIE, Wash. — The 60-year-old woman who was attacked by a young cougar while riding on a mountain bike trail faces a “lifelong battle and a long road ahead to recovery,” according to a GoFundMe page setup by her daughters.
Keri Bergere was riding with four other people, two in front of her and two behind, when a 75-pound cougar tackled her off her bike around 12:30 p.m. on Feb. 17. The cougar “latched onto her lower jaw.”
Bergere’s friends spent about 15 minutes trying to get the cougar off her. When the young male cougar finally released his hold, Bergere’s friends held him down with a bike – this lasted about 30 minutes, according to the GoFundMe page.
“Because of these heroic women, we still have our mom with us. We are forever grateful to them all,” Bergere’s daughters wrote on the GoFundMe page.
Bergere suffered “severe trauma to her face as well as permanent nerve damage.”
Bergere was in “satisfactory” condition as of Feb. 22 and was expected to be released from Harborview Medical Center soon, according to a hospital spokesperson.
Meanwhile, the cougar that attacked Bergere was killed at the scene. It was estimated to be approximately six months old.
Witnesses at the scene reported seeing a second cougar run by, but Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife law enforcement did not locate one after “an exhaustive search” that included the aid of hounds.
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is submitting the dead cougar for examination at Washington State University to determine age, whether it had any disease and body condition.
Washington’s cougar population, history of attacks
Cougars are not listed as endangered or threatened in Washington, according to the Mountain Lion Foundation.
Cougars need large home ranges and don’t like crossing roads, so even sparse roads can create big problems,” said Josh Rosenau, director of policy and advocacy for the Mountain Lion Foundation.
In Washington, cougars on the Olympic peninsula are experiencing serious losses of genetic diversity because they are isolated by I-5, but that hasn’t led to evaluation for threatened or endangered status, he said.
Rosenau said a persistent research finding in Washington is that conflict with livestock or people increases in areas with more hunting or killing.
When an older cougar is killed, it makes way for younger, less cautious cougars who are more prone to conflict to enter the habitat, he said. If a mother cougar is killed, it often leaves orphaned kittens to starve or fend for themselves.
With Saturday’s case possibly involving two cougars, Rosenau said when two cougars are seen together, it is almost always a mom and a kitten, or two young siblings with a mother either hunting or killed.
“Human activities, including hunting but also car strikes, are the single largest cause of cougar mortality, but certainly they can also die from conflict with other cougars, injuries from prey fighting back, or attacks by coyotes, bears, feral dogs, or other large carnivores,” Rosenau said.
WDFW officials say cougar attacks on humans are extremely rare. In the last 100 years, the agency has recorded two fatal cougar attacks and approximately 20 other cougar attacks in Washington.
In 2023, an 8-year-old suffered minor injuries when she was attacked by a cougar while camping at Lake Angeles in the Olympic National Park in July. A dog was injured by a cougar during an attack at Lake Cushman that same month.
WDFW offers the following advice on what to do if you are attacked, urging people to fight back, and try to stay on your feet.
Stop, pick up small children immediately, and don’t run. Running and rapid movements may trigger an attack. Remember, at close range, a cougar’s instinct is to chase.
Face the cougar. Talk to it firmly while slowly backing away. Always leave the animal an escape route.
Try to appear larger than the cougar. Get above it (e.g., step up onto a rock or stump). If wearing a jacket, hold it open to further increase your apparent size. If you are in a group, stand shoulder-to-shoulder to appear intimidating.
Do not take your eyes off the cougar or turn your back. Do not crouch down or try to hide.
Never approach the cougar, especially if it is near a kill or with kittens, and never offer it food.
If the cougar does not flee, be more assertive by shouting, waving your arms and throwing anything you have available (water bottle, book, backpack). The idea is to convince the cougar that you are not prey, but a potential danger.
Police identified the individual as Sandra Young, a Grant High School student who has not been seen since 1968 or 1969.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — More than half a century after a teenage girl went missing in Portland, her remains have been identified thanks to advancements in DNA forensic technology, Oregon State Police announced Thursday.
This comes after a Boy Scout troop located the skeletonized remains of a young female on the far north end of Sauvie Island in Columbia County in 1970, setting the stage for a decades-long mystery as to who the deceased person was.
The Oregon State Police have now identified the individual as Sandra Young, a Grant High School student who has not been seen since 1968 or 1969.
“Sandra Young has now regained her identity after 54 years,” said Dr. Nici Vance, the Human Identification Program Coordinator at the Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office. “This is yet another example of the innovative ways the ME’s Office and investigative genetic genealogy can help Oregonians find closure. This technology gives investigators the powerful ability to assist all Oregon agencies with the resolution of their cold case mysteries.”
The medical examiner’s office said they wouldn’t have been able to make the breakthrough if it weren’t for collaboration with their contract laboratory Parabon Nanolabs, family member participation, and the efforts of OSP and the Portland Police Bureau. It’s also thanks to a 2018 National Institute of Justice grant that OSP received to perform expensive and innovative DNA techniques to identify skeletal remains, with this case, in particular, being singled out as a great example of where it could be used.
When the Boy Scouts had initially discovered the skeleton, law enforcement recovered clothing and remnants of a curly black wig. Investigators at the time believed the remains to be African American and that trauma to the body pointed to foul play.
It wasn’t until DNA tests conducted in the 2000s from a bone sample that the decedent was confirmed to be female. However, the identity of the person was still a mystery for almost two decades after that.
An initial report from Parabon Nanolabs based on another bone sample predicted the remains would have been from a person of West African, South African, and Northern European descent, with brown to dark brown skin, brown eyes, and black hair.
Later, through a process known as DNA phenotyping, scientists at Parabon Nanolabs were able to make a reconstruction of facial characteristics based on genetic predictions in 2021.
“To see her face come to life through DNA phenotyping was striking,” Vance said.
This breakthrough, alongside a potential distant family member of the decedent uploading their DNA to an open-source genetic genealogy database, called GEDMatch, were the key pieces needed to eventually positively identify Young. A family tree was established, interviews were conducted, and it was eventually discovered through talking to family members that a teenage girl named Sandra Young went missing from Portland around the time the remains were discovered.
In 2023, Young’s sister was contacted by genealogists and she agreed to upload her DNA to GEDMatch to help confirm the identity. Around this time, PPB was also contacted to assist in the investigation, with Detective Heidi Helwig conducting interviews with the sister to ascertain further information. This person not only lost Young but another sister died from gun violence, police learned.
It was finally determined in October of last year that the remains did indeed belong to Sandra “Sandy” Young, born June 25, 1951. Oregon’s Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Sean Hurst affirmed this, citing both genetic and circumstantial evidence. Officials also notified Young’s next of kin.
According to state authorities, PPB detectives have been made aware of the case and they’ve been encouraged to further investigate the circumstances of Young’s death, if possible.
FILE – Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden, talks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol, in Washington, Dec. 13, 2023. An FBI informant has been charged with lying to his handler about ties between Joe Biden and son Hunter and a Ukrainian energy company. Prosecutors said Thursday that Alexander Smirnov falsely told FBI agents in June 2020 that executives associated with the Ukrainian energy company Burisma paid Hunter and Joe Biden $5 million each in 2015 and 2016.(AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana. File)
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Defense lawyers say a former FBI informant who claims to have links to Russian intelligence and is charged with lying about a multimillion-dollar bribery scheme involving President Joe Biden’s family has been taken back into the custody of U.S. Marshals.
Alexander Smirnov had been released with a GPS monitor ahead of trial.
He was arrested during a meeting Thursday morning at his lawyers’ law offices in downtown Las Vegas.
The arrest came after prosecutors asked a judge in California, where the case originally was filed, to reconsider Smirnov’s custody status while he awaits trial.
He is charged with making a false statement and creating a false and fictitious record.
Seattle-born grunge icons Pearl Jam are coming to Portland this spring to support their forthcoming new album,Dark Matter. Country pop duo Dan + Shay have announced a stop in Ridgefield this September. Plus, PDX Live will bring acts including the Japanese House, Elle King, and Sierra Ferrell to Pioneer Courthouse Square this summer. Read on for details on those and other newly announced events, plus some news you can use.
Tickets go on sale at 10 am unless otherwise noted.
Aladdin Theater (Mon May 20) Moved from Mississippi StudiosÂ
OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS
The Portland Timbersâ season opener is this Saturday â the Portland Mercuryâs Abe Asher has a 2024 season preview.
Multnomah County Libraryâs Central Library location has reopened after undergoing a $13-million-dollar remodel that necessitated a year-long closure.
After a successful pop-up at Lloyd Center, Secret Room will take over Little Otsuâs lease and open a SE Division shop and gallery with a rotating RISO art gallery and a âcurated selection of books, creative tools, notebooks, handmade toys, cassettes, vinyl, VHS, and more.â The space opens on March 15
Since his arrival in this world in 1902 via the pen of Scottish writer J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan has proven to be one of fiction’s most malleable characters. He has inspired multiple books, films, stage productions, and TV specials. The boy who wouldn’t grow up has been such a presence in popular culture, it’s a wonder it took until 2001 for someone to finally turn him into the star of a ballet.
The idea to do so originated with the Oregon Ballet Theatre, which commissioned choreographer Trey McIntyre to make a Peter Pan ballet. But after the funding for the project disappeared, the Houston Ballet in Texas grabbed the baton and premiered the work in 2002. Some two decades later, the OBT finally has the chance to present McIntyre’s work to Portland audiences this month.
In between its premiere down South and this past weekend’s performances at the Keller Auditorium, the ballet has been honed and streamlined to the point that its two hour runtime, including intermission, breezed by in a delightful blur of Tim Burton-esque sets and costumes and exciting dance sequences.
The story remains fundamentally the same: Peter (Bailey Shaw) bursts into the lives of the Darling children and whisks them away to Neverland where they join up with the Lost Boys and battle Captain Hook (John-Paul Simoens). But it’s through McIntyre’s choreography that the tale is given a sharper edge, emphasizing the divide between the kids and the grown ups, and draws out the undercurrent of sensuality brewing between Peter and Wendy (Jessica Lind)—as well as the allure of Hook.
Jessica :ind (left as Wendy Darling) and Bailey Shaw (right as Peter Pan) – photo by yi yin, courtesy of obt
Shaw plays Peter as far more feral. They wear little more than a grassy pair of boy shorts and a spiky nest of red hair on their head. When Peter meets Wendy for the first time, he sniffs around her like an excited dog. It’s not hard to see, though, why Wendy and her siblings are so drawn to him. The character moves around—and above—the stage with a rough springy freedom. Shaw follows the script but imbues their movement with a sense of improvisation and untrained abandon. The Darling boys follow suit, flopping around the first act like sugared-up kids fresh off a day at the fair. I especially loved Ruby Mae Lefebvre’s performance as the youngest kid, Michael. In onesie PJs and an old school pilot’s cap and goggles, she buzzed around the stage and between the other dancers like a playful robin.
McIntyre contrasts all of that with the movement of the adult characters. The Darling parents (Lauren Flower and Benjamin Simoens) and the children’s nanny (Leigh Goldberger), all wear Edward Gorey-like masks, and dance with stiffness akin to a marionette. They represent everything that Peter is clearly trying to avoid by staying young forever. Cutting right between the two extremes is Wendy. She shares her siblings’ attraction to the near-naked free spirit in their midst, but through Lind, she becomes the embodiment of a teen’s growing sexuality. Her solos had a diaphanous flow, matched only by the movement of the muslin nightgown she wore throughout. She is chastely attracted to Peter, but later finds herself weirdly drawn to Hook with his dandy-ish clothing and bad boy charm. (This adaptation leaves out Tiger Lily, an Indigenous character infamous for being repeatedly portrayed through a racist lens.)
At least, that’s my complicated, “dumb grown up critic” read. For kids, this is an absolute blast. The fight scenes were appropriately thrilling without being too scary. Watching Peter and the Darling kids get whisked off the ground on wires is genuinely fun. And, again, the whole show whisks by, packed with bubbly energy, fairies, mermaids, and appearances by Tinkerbell. Sure, one young lad sitting behind me took umbrage with the fact that the creature on stage was an alligator and not a crocodile (as he had been promised!), but don’t let the little details bog you down. Even if you don’t catch the whiffs of sexual tension brewing between Peter and Wendy, it’s still a heck of a ride.
FILE – Wendy Williams attends the world premiere of Apple TV+’s “The Morning Show,” Oct. 28, 2019, in New York. The former talk show host has been diagnosed with the same form of dementia that actor Bruce Willis has, according to a statement released Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024, on behalf of her caretakers. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Former talk show host Wendy Williams has been diagnosed with the same form of dementia that actor Bruce Willis has, a statement released Thursday on behalf of her caretakers says.
The statement said the 59-year-old’s diagnoses of primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia “have already presented significant hurdles in Wendy’s life” and have behavioral and cognitive impacts.
“Wendy is still able to do many things for herself. Most importantly she maintains her trademark sense of humor and is receiving the care she requires to make sure she is protected and that her needs are addressed. She is appreciative of the many kind thoughts and good wishes being sent her way,” the statement attributed to her care team said.
The statement on Williams’ health was issued on PR Newswire. A representative listed on the release, Jennifer Hanley, referred questions back to the statement when contacted by The Associated Press.
The announcement came a day after a cover story in People magazine quoted Williams’ family about the nature of her struggles, ahead of a Lifetime documentary set to air Saturday.
“The people who love her cannot see her,” People quoted Williams’ sister Wanda as saying. “I think the big (question) is: How the hell did we get here?” The family said a court-appointed legal guardian was the only person with unfettered access to Williams.
The article said the Lifetime documentary crew, which set out in 2022 to chronicle Williams’ comeback, stopped filming in April 2023 when, her manager “and jeweler” Will Selby says in footage for the film, she entered a facility to treat “cognitive issues.” Her son says in the documentary that doctors had connected her cognitive issues to alcohol use, People reported.
Her family told People they don’t know where she is and cannot call her themselves, but she can call them.
The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration describes FTD as a group of brain disorders caused by degeneration of the frontal and/or temporal lobes of the brain that affects behavior, language and movement. Aphasia, a brain disorder that can lead to problems speaking or understanding words, can be a symptom of it. The association describes frontotemporal degeneration as “an inevitable decline in functioning,” with an average life expectancy of seven to 13 years after the onset of symptoms.
The association was involved in the disclosure of Willis’ diagnosis in February 2023, hosting a statement posted by the actor’s family.
There are no treatments to slow or stop the disease, but some interventions can help manage symptoms.
Thursday’s statement credited Weill Cornell Medicine in New York with the care and expertise Williams received. Weill Cornell declined comment.
Williams rose to fame in part due to her no-boundaries approach to her life, which included sharing personal details about her health, plastic surgery and cocaine addiction — the subject of her 2003 memoir, “Wendy’s Got the Heat.”
A hallmark of “The Wendy Williams Show,” which competed for viewers with Ellen DeGeneres’ show, was her signature phrase, “How you doin’?” She transitioned to television after a successful career as a radio host, known for her hot takes on gossip and skewering of celebrities, including a contentious 2003 interview with Whitney Houston.
In 2022, Williams’ self-titled daytime talk show ended because of her ongoing health issues. Sherri Shepherd, who filled in for Williams as a guest host, received her own show.
Williams said in 2018 that she had been diagnosed years before with Graves’ disease, which leads to the overproduction of thyroid hormones and can cause wide-ranging symptoms and affect overall health.
Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, who represents Oregon’s fifth congressional district, sponsors the Recover Pride in Service Act.
PORTLAND, Ore. — A newly introduced bill proposes requiring the Department of Defense (DoD) to proactively upgrade military discharges for people who were expelled solely because of their sexual orientation.
On Tuesday, Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer introduced the Republican-backed bill, called the Recover Pride in Service Act. The bill would also establish a unit within the DoD to conduct active outreach to veterans, to aid them in the upgrade application process in addition to simplifying administrative requirements.
Although the bill centers around “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” discharges, Rep. Chavez-DeRemer’s policy team said it would apply to veterans who served before the policy was enacted in 1994. “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was repealed in 2011.
“People who serve in our military are very proud to serve this country,” Rep. Chavez-DeRemer said on Wednesday. “I think it’s time to do the right thing…these people who are wrongfully discharged, we’ve accepted that, we’ve repealed it, now let’s give them the benefits that go with that as if it didn’t happen.”
Rep. Chavez-DeRemer acknowledged that this topic has been discussed in previous Congresses, but since proactively amending these veterans’ military records hasn’t become law, she’s proposing action now and hopes to make the system less difficult to navigate.
Last fall, Democratic lawmakers in D.C. proposed creating a Congressional commission to investigate the historic and ongoing impacts of discriminatory military policies, such as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” on LGBTQ+ servicemembers and veterans. Senator Jeff Merkley signed on as a sponsor. However, the bill hasn’t moved beyond introduction.
“He had an enormous amount of self-confidence — probably too much, if truth be known — and it took all that out of him,” she said on Wednesday. “He was so enthusiastic … When I saw him in his uniform and how proud he was to be in his uniform, and they took all of that away from him and every time he tried to fix it, it was being taken away from him again.”
Although he tried off and on for years to begin the tedious application process of appealing his discharge status, his mother said he couldn’t follow through.
“He was 20 years old and being kicked out of the Navy again,” Gardiner said. “He’d start, but then all those feelings would come back. There’s so much pain associated with it. And it’s wrong.”
For the last couple of years, Gardiner fought tirelessly to upgrade his discharge status, working with lawyers, sifting through government paperwork, and enlisting the help of state leaders, so her son could be buried with full military honors at Willamette Nation Cemetery.
“The government did it. The government needs to fix it,” she said, “I would like to see Washington come together, both sides of the aisle, Democrats and Republicans, don’t issue a bill on one side and a bill on the other side. Come together and work seriously together to do something for the people who volunteered to serve this country.”
KGW reached out to the candidates running for Oregon’s fifth congressional district in 2024. As of Thursday morning, Jamie McLeod-Skinner’s campaign responded and shared a statement.
“While honoring and appropriately compensating those who have served our country in uniform is always appropriate, this policy was already established in September 2021,” the statement said. “If Lori truly believes in this principle, she should sign on to the Equality Act as a co-sponsor as her name is missing from the list. Her refusal to support meaningful legislation and instead propose a publicity stunt is profoundly disrespectful of the LGBTQ community and the hurt that these policies have caused.”
Each business also offers flavorful Mexican cuisine
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — It’s not Friday yet, but it is the next best thing: National Margarita Day.
Whether you order the drink with sugar or salt on the rim, Portland restaurants are ready to mix it up.
Location: Several locations
This local chain has restaurants throughout Oregon and Washington, including a new one that just opened in Tigard. Margarita Factory fittingly offers dozens of margaritas, but the 48-ounce “Large Best In Town Margarita” with light-up ice cubes is one of the best for photo ops.
Location: 2135 SE Division St, Portland, OR 97202
Husband and wife chef duo Benjamin Gonzales and Shannon Dooley-Gonzales own Nuestra Cocina, which translates to “Our Kitchen”. The couple serves up tasty Mexican cuisine, while their bar serves up a variety of margaritas including ones made with pomegranate, guava, tamarind and more.
Location: Several locations
With three restaurants in Portland and many others in different cities, Matador is a popular spot for margaritas. “Try a margarita made with our own fresh, house-made sour mix, or one of our many other creative cocktails crafted by our in-house mixologist,” the chain said.
Location: 3524 N Mississippi Ave., Portland, OR, 97227 and 4635 SE Hawthorne Blvd., Portland, OR, 97215
This taqueria offers classic margaritas, but customers can opt for pomegranate, agua fresca or hibiscus flavoring. Mezcal-based beverages are also available, along with margarita kits for those who want to sip at home.
Celebrate National Margarita Day with Carlita’s Margarita of the Month. Throughout February, the Pearl District eatery’s black cherry margarita with triple sec and house-made sour is just $10.
Location: 3312 SE Belmont St, Portland, OR 9721
This Belmont neighborhood joint is recognized as one of the city’s best taco spots, but its menu has no shortage of drinks. Guests can order a signature, habanero, mango, strawberry or mezcal margarita.
Students centered their concerns on the building of a new freight warehouse distribution warehouse right across from the school.
PORTLAND, Ore. — Parkrose High School students held an environmental impact fair Wednesday, zeroing in on a new freight warehouse distribution warehouse set to be built across from the school.
“These are the students … many are multi-generational in the Parkrose neighborhood who really care and want to see a more just and sustainable community that they can live in for years to come,” said Moe Yonamine, one of the event’s organizers.
The most important issue impacting the students, many said, is the building of a new freight warehouse distribution warehouse right across from the school. Real-estate developer Prologis is leasing the site that will be turned into the warehouse.
Some say the new facility will add more truck traffic to the area and more pollution.
“I see so many kids walking by, and adding trucks to the mix is not a good idea,” said student Maya Kruger.
“There are so many possible consequences of these trailers and trucks literally coming right through our school,” added Kiely Quintero, another student.
A land-use appeal has been submitted. Students and school leaders said they would love to see a community center or grocery store go there instead of the freight warehouse distribution center.
“Students feel like this is kinda being done to them, and at the same time, we’re concerned about the public health effects. This community is disproportionally affected by public health issues,” Superintendent Michael Lopes-Serrao said.
Portland is one step closer to transitioning control of city operations from elected politicians to professional managers.
Portland City Council approved the city’s human resources department to hire five interim deputy city administrators for a one-year contract, with a built-in six-month severance package. The salary ranges from $204,880 to $307,300 per year for each employee hired, with another $209,000 each in severance costs, assuming all five managers are hired this year and replaced next year.
The move is considered a major milestone in the ongoing efforts to modernize Portland’s city governing structure and fully implement the charter reform voters approved in 2022.
Last year, the council approved a new organizational chart and the creation of six service areas, which lump city bureaus together in broad categories. Each service area will be managed by a deputy city administrator, which reports to the city administrator. The new, temporary hires will come on board to start managing city departments as Portland approaches the January 2025 deadline to have its new form of government up and running.
A council ordinance approving the hires notes the five positions span “a one-year duration, with the ability for the City Administrator to extend an additional year or terminate at any time,” in an effort to support operations during the city’s transition to a new governing structure.
The city’s bureaus are now lumped into service areas. Deputy city administrators will manage the service areas under Portland’s new form of government. city of portland
Deputy city managers are a critical part of the city’s new organization chart and framework, but whether or not all five positions will be filled before 2025 is unclear. Current elected city commissioners will have discretion over who is hired for each service area, and whether anyone is hired at all.
A council discussion last week underscored lingering rifts among elected commissioners over the rising costs of charter reform implementation. It also drew scrutiny from a few residents who likened the hires to more “bloated bureaucracy” within city hall, at a time when the city is proposing to gut many programs and departments to meet budget demands.
Bob Weinstein, a former mayor of Ketchikan, Alaska, who’s now running for a seat on Portland City Council in District 4, called the hires and severance packages “the golden parachutes for all.”
“My concern lies in the fiscal irresponsibility inherent in awarding lavish severance packages amounting to a staggering $1.3 million to temporary employees whose impact on city services is destined to be short-lived,” Weinstein told the council. He implied the current bureau managers should be capable of handling operations until a new mayor and city administrator come on board.
Weinstein’s concerns were echoed by Commissioner Rene Gonzalez, who’s been vocal about what he perceives as the shortcomings of charter reform, and its associated implementation costs.
Gonzalez implied that not filling the deputy city administrator roles could be a way to save money and prevent the future city administrator–who will likely want to choose their deputy city administrative staff–from having to terminate some or all of the interim hires.
“I share some level of frustration about both the growing price tag, as well as this particular layer of bureaucracy that voters did not approve, that was not spelled out in the ballot measure,” Gonzalez said February 14.
But not jumpstarting the new management structure ahead of 2025 could mean a bumpier road for the future city council and city administration.
Mayor Ted Wheeler, who previously served as the state treasurer, reminded the council that the city “is a really complex organization” with more than two dozen bureaus and multiple bargaining units within the city’s workforce.
“Remember, we’ve got a $7 billion organization with 7,000 employees,” Wheeler said last week. “We’re actually light at the senior management level, compared to a lot of organizations.”
The city’s human resources staff, along with Wheeler, emphasized the need to offer competitive salaries and severance agreements, to attract qualified candidates who are willing to take on the risk of a temporary job that may leave them unemployed for several months afterward.
When the item came back to the council for a second review and vote Wednesday, Gonzalez was the lone “no” vote.
But Gonzalez has already publicized his pick for a deputy city administrator to oversee the city’s public safety service area. Last month, his office announced Mike Myers, who currently works under the mayor as the community safety transition director, would move up to oversee the police, fire, and emergency management bureaus.
Gonzalez’s announcement came before the city had voted to authorize employment agreements, and before the mayor or council agreed on service area assignments for each commissioner. To date, the mayor has yet to officially assign Gonzalez to oversee the public safety service area.
While some of the interim deputy city administrators could be internal hires, as Gonzalez intends, the council could also hire external employees. Commissioner Mingus Mapps warned that could be challenging.
“I’ve tried to recruit folks, basically, under the understanding of this particular package, which includes the severance and I’ve been turned down, from I think really promising candidates,” Mapps said. “These are dodgy, or, uncertain jobs, let’s put it that way.”
The recruiting process is part of a trio of items coming before Portland City Council this month, all related to the ongoing city charter transition. On Wednesday, the council approved two bids totaling $8.26 million, for a remodel and expansion of council chambers and council offices at Portland City Hall. The council was slated to review city commissioners’ service area assignments, but that was pulled from the agenda and referred back to the mayor’s office.
SEATTLE (AP) — Boeing said Wednesday that the head of its 737 jetliner program is leaving the company in an executive shake-up weeks after a door panel blew out on a flight over Oregon, renewing questions about safety at the company.
Boeing announced that Ed Clark, who had been with the company for nearly 18 years and led the 737 program since early 2021, was leaving immediately.
Clark oversaw the factory in Renton, Washington, where final assembly took place on the Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 involved in last month’s accident. Federal investigators said bolts needed to help keep a panel called a door plug in place were missing after repair work on the plane.
Katie Ringgold, a vice president in charge of delivering 737s to airlines, will succeed Clark as vice president and general manager of the 737 program and the Renton factory, according to an email to employees from Stan Deal, the CEO of Boeing’s commercial airplanes division.
The company announced several other appointments, including naming longtime executive Elizabeth Lund to the new position of senior vice president for commercial airplanes quality.
The moves are part of the company’s “enhanced focus on ensuring that every airplane we deliver meets or exceeds all quality and safety requirements,” Deal said in his email to staff. “Our customers demand, and deserve, nothing less.”
The blowout of a panel on the Alaska Airlines Max 9 has led to more scrutiny of Boeing by regulators, Congress and airlines.
The Federal Aviation Administration grounded all Max 9s in the U.S. for about three weeks for inspections of the emergency door panels, and the agency is limiting Boeing production until other quality concerns are resolved. FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said Boeing is not paying enough attention to safety as it tries to build more planes to meet demand from airlines.
The CEOs of Alaska Airlines and United Airlines — the two U.S. carriers affected by the Max 9 grounding — expressed outrage and frustration with the company. They asked what Boeing intends to do about improving the quality of its manufacturing.
“We caused the problem and we understand that,” Boeing CEO David Calhoun said on Jan. 31. “We understand why they are angry and we will work to earn their confidence.”
Calhoun said the company has increased inspections in its plants and at suppliers, appointed a retired Navy admiral to review quality management, and shut down the 737 assembly line for one day so workers could discuss quality and safety.
Criticism of Boeing has reached levels not seen since the aftermath of two deadly crashes involving Max 8 jetliners in Indonesia and Ethiopia in 2018 and 2019. The crashes killed 346 people and led to the ouster of Boeing’s then-CEO.
Shares of The Boeing Co., which is based in Arlington, Virginia, closed down 1% on Wednesday. They have lost 19% — and about $27 billion in stock-market value — since the door blowout.
The move is the latest development in an ongoing saga related to allegations against Dr. Dan Marks, a pediatric endocrinologist who was accused of snapping photos of women without their permission.
House Bill 4146 has been dubbed the “landmark victims’ rights package”
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The Oregon House has passed a bill that would make it easier to file restraining orders in multiple counties and prosecute intimate image crimes.
Dubbed the “landmark victims’ rights package,” House Bill 4146 was approved by every Oregon representative present at Wednesday’s legislative session.
According to the office of Rep. Annessa Hartman, who first introduced the measure, this new development signifies progress in lawmakers’ push to protect survivors of abuse.
“I speak as a voice for fellow survivors and remain committed to pursuing legislation that protects people from abuse,” Rep. Hartman said in a statement. “This law strengthens victims’ rights in Oregon and is one action I am proud to have earned support from all legislators who voted to pass the legislation out of the House today.”
A key component of HB 4146 is the removal of a loophole in Oregon’s revenge porn law that was passed in 2015. The state deemed it illegal to distribute sexually explicit photos of someone without their consent, with the goal of harassing, humiliating or injuring them.
Referred to as “revenge porn”, this act now leads to a felony or misdemeanor for those who are found guilty. However, current law makes it so the crime can’t be prosecuted if the victim isn’t “identifiable” in that particular image or video.
Last week, Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office Policy Director Aaron Knott said the rule has led to an “intrusive” legal progress that could further traumatize survivors.
Along with removing this requirement, HB 4146 would allow people to file restraining orders in the county where they experienced abuse.
According to officials, current law only allows victims to file restraining orders where they live and where their abusers live.
Now that the bill has been approved by the House, it has been passed onto the Senate Committee on Judiciary.
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Prosecutors in New Mexico want more accountability for the 2021 death of a cinematographer who was fatally shot by actor Alec Baldwin during a rehearsal for the Western film “Rust.”
Before Baldwin’s case progresses, the armorer on the set will be tried on charges of involuntary manslaughter and tampering with evidence. Jury selection in Hannah Gutierrez-Reed’s trial starts Wednesday in Santa Fe.
Gutierrez-Reed has pleaded not guilty to the charges and maintains she’s not directly to blame for Halyna Hutchins’ death. Baldwin also has pleaded not guilty to an involuntary manslaughter charge in a separate case.
Prosecutors say they’ll present evidence that Gutierrez-Reed loaded a live round into the gun that killed Hutchins after unknowingly bringing live ammunition onto a set where it was expressly prohibited. They contend the armorer missed multiple opportunities to ensure safety on the movie set.
The evidence and testimony has implications for Baldwin, who was pointing a gun at Hutchins during an October 2021 rehearsal outside Santa Fe when the gun went off, killing her and wounding director Joel Souza.
Here are some things to know about the Gutierrez-Reed trial:
CHARGES
Gutierrez-Reed, the stepdaughter of renowned sharpshooter and weapons consultant Thell Reed, was 25 at the time of Hutchins’ death. “Rust” was her second assignment as an armorer in a feature film.
Gutierrez-Reed faces up to 18 months in prison and a $5,000 fine if convicted of involuntary manslaughter. The evidence tampering charge stems from accusations she handed a small bag of possible narcotics to another crew member after the shooting to avoid detection by law enforcement.
Her attorneys say that charge is prosecutors’ attempt to smear Gutierrez-Reed’s character. The bag was thrown away without testing the contents, defense attorneys said.
More than 40 people are listed as witnesses during the trial that’s scheduled to run through March 6.
AMMUNITION
Authorities located six rounds of ammunition on the movie set, in locations including in a box, a gun belt and a bandolier worn by Baldwin. Baldwin has said he assumed the gun only had rounds that couldn’t be fired.
Special prosecutors say they will present “substantial evidence” that Gutierrez-Reed unwittingly brought live rounds onto the set. They also argued in court filings that Hutchins died because of a series of negligent acts by Gutierrez-Reed, and say that she should have noticed live rounds and intervened long before the shooting.
Gutierrez-Reed’s attorneys say she’s unfairly been scapegoated. They contend live rounds arrived on set from an Albuquerque-based supplier of dummy rounds. They also pointed to a broader “atmosphere” of safety failures that were uncovered during an investigation by state workplace safety inspectors that go beyond Gutierrez-Reed.
Additionally, Gutierrez-Reed is accused in another case of carrying a gun into a bar in downtown Santa Fe in violation of state law. Her attorneys say that charge has been used to try to pressure Gutierrez-Reed into a false confession about the handling of live ammunition on the “Rust” set.
WORKPLACE SAFETY
Gutierrez-Reed was responsible for storage, maintenance and handling of firearms and ammunition on set and for training members of the cast who would be handling firearms, according to state workplace safety regulators.
Live rounds are typically distinguished from dummy rounds by a small hole in the dummy’s brass cartridge, indicating there is no explosive inside or by shaking the round to hear the clatter of a BB that is inserted inside. A missing or dimpled primer at the bottom of the cartridge is another trait of dummy rounds.
The company Rust Movie Productions paid a $100,000 fine to the state following a scathing narrative of safety failures in violation of standard industry protocols. The report included testimony that production managers took limited or no action to address two misfires on set before Hutchins was shot.
Prosecutors urged a judge to keep regulators’ conclusions out of the trial because those might be used to argue that “Rust” management was responsible for safety failures, not Gutierrez-Reed.
The judge in the case sided last week with Gutierrez-Reed. The report says the production company did not develop a process for ensuring live rounds were kept away from the set and that it failed to give the armorer enough time to thoroughly inventory ammunition.
BALDWIN
Baldwin, the lead actor and a co-producer on “Rust,” was indicted in January on an involuntary manslaughter charge.
Baldwin has said he pulled back the gun’s hammer — but not the trigger — and the weapon fired.
The charge against Baldwin provides two alternative standards for prosecution, one based on the negligent use of a firearm and another tied to negligence without due caution or “circumspection,” also defined as “total disregard or indifference for the safety of others.” Legal experts say the latter standard could broaden the investigation beyond Baldwin’s handling of the gun.
Prosecutors Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis initially dismissed an involuntary manslaughter charge against Baldwin in April, saying they were informed the gun might have been modified before the shooting and malfunctioned.
A more recent analysis of the gun used by Baldwin concluded the “trigger had to be pulled or depressed sufficiently to release the fully cocked or retracted hammer of the evidence revolver.”
“Rust” used an operable revolver. Industry-wide guidance that applied to “Rust” says that “live ammunition is never to be used nor brought onto any studio lot or stage.” It also says to “treat all firearms as if they are loaded.”
The nonprofit behind the bi-monthly celebrations helps bridge the gap for immigrants navigating pregnancy without close family or friends.
PORTLAND, Ore. — On a recent February afternoon, squeals of delight echoed throughout a gathering room at a Southeast Portland church. More than a dozen pregnant women stood poised over a long table before someone yelled, “Goooo!” Suddenly the race was on. Who among them would be the first to diaper, dress and display their baby dolls, proving their parental potential?
The baby shower had officially begun.
Some say if you’ve been to one baby shower, you’ve been to them all. The rite of passage is rooted in American tradition — and for those celebrated on this day, that’s the true beauty of it.
“Some of them [moms] are not even able to have their own baby shower or it doesn’t make sense, ‘What is a baby shower?’” said Nelly Achien Dande, a volunteer with the African Families Holistic Health Organization (AFHHO). “But here, this is America. It’s a baby shower — we have to appreciate them.”
Every couple of months, AFHHO throws a baby shower for expectant moms in their program, most of them African immigrants. The twenty mothers to be at this baby shower are all new to America. Many are refugees and speak little to no English. They left homes and families in various countries including Kenya, Ethiopia, Angola and Somalia. This is their home, now.
“It’s awesome,” said Dande, who volunteers as a doula with AFHHO; someone trained to give physical and emotional support to expectant mothers before, during and after birth. “Just being with these moms and knowing they’re getting a second chance in life, in a new country — I’ve held a lot of babies in 10 years!”
In 2014, Therese Nakito Lugano launched AFHHO. She and her family fled to the U.S. from The Republic of Congo in 2000 amid civil war. She noticed the need among pregnant immigrants right away.
“The nurse can be talking to them in English and there is no connection,” said Lugano. “When they are giving birth in Africa, they have aunties, they have neighbors to help them around, to talk to them about how to take care of themselves. And [with AFHHO], we make it happen.”
Isabel Da Silva is expecting her second child and is due in March. She, her husband and their 3-year-old son were at the baby shower.
“I feel like I’m a queen!” said Da Silva in her native Portuguese, the language spoken by many in Angola.
Da Silva and her family moved to Oregon from Angola last year to escape political strife. They are currently seeking asylum in the U.S.
“I have to say thank you so much, for this opportunity that America give us,” said Isabel’s husband, Ernesto Da Silva.
Without extended family nearby, Isabel said support from AFHHO has meant the world to her. She said through AFHHO, she has learned many things she didn’t know during her first pregnancy, like prenatal nutrition.
“If I didn’t know about the program — I wouldn’t know what to eat as a pregnant woman,” she said.
At the baby shower, cake is the food on everyone’s mind. And stacked among the gifts? Promises of hope. A nine-month journey is about to end, with a special announcement.
“I’ll say it in Swahili,” said Dande. “Mama, I have delivered in America!”
This story is part of our series, Pacific Storyland. From the ordinary to the extraordinary, we’ll bring you the most heartwarming and inspiring stories from where you live. Know someone you’d like to see featured? Let us know! Email us at pacificstoryland@kgw.com or text your story ideas to 503-226-5088.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A former Portland resident was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Tuesday after he sexually abused multiple children, including recording and photographing the abuse and posting the content to Snapchat.
On Oct. 5, 2023, Rolando Benitez, 30, pleaded guilty to a three-count criminal information charging him with two counts of sexually exploiting children, and one count of possessing child pornography.
Benitez will spend the next 240 months in prison.
Officials say that Benitez used the Snapchat page to “entice other children to produce and share sexually explicit images of themselves.”
According to court documents, Benitez pretended to be a 15-year-old boy named Marcos in the summer of 2019 and sexually abused a 14-year-old and a 17-year-old.
“On at least one occasion, Benitez sexually abused both minor victims together,” authorities said. “Benitez only allowed girls to join and view his private Snapchat stories, and only after the girls complied with his ‘rules’ by sending him photos of their exposed bodies. He further required some of the girls to write and photograph his online alias on their bodies,” officials said.
Officials opened an investigation after one of Benitez’s victims sub,itted a tip National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s CyberTipline with the message “Please stop this man.” Benitez was arrested in Auburn, Wash. weeks later for sexually abusing a 12-year-old.
In addition to Tuesday’s sentencing, Benitez was also sentenced on July 7, 2023, in King County to more than 11 years in state prison and a life term of supervised release for the abuse of the 12-year-old. Benitez’s federal and state sentences will run concurrently.
“Benitez’s federal plea agreement is part of a global resolution between the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon and the King County, Washington, Prosecuting Attorney’s Office,” authorities said.
