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Tag: Oregon

  • Off-duty pilot who tried to cut a flight’s engines midair won’t serve prison time, judge rules

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    A federal judge on Monday ruled there would be no prison time for a former Alaska Airlines pilot who had taken psychedelic mushrooms days before he tried to cut the engines of a passenger flight in 2023 while riding off-duty in the cockpit.U.S. District Court Judge Amy Baggio in Portland, Oregon, sentenced Joseph Emerson to time served and three years’ supervised release, ending a case that drew attention to the need for cockpit safety and more mental health support for pilots.Federal prosecutors wanted a year in prison, while his attorneys sought probation.“Pilots are not perfect. They are human,” Baggio said. “They are people and all people need help sometimes.”Emerson hugged his attorneys and tearfully embraced his wife after he was sentenced.Emerson was subdued by the flight crew after trying to cut the engines of a Horizon Air flight from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco on Oct. 22, 2023, while he was riding in an extra seat in the cockpit. The plane was diverted and landed in Portland with more than 80 people.Emerson told police he was despondent over a friend’s recent death, had taken psychedelic mushrooms about two days earlier, and hadn’t slept in over 40 hours. He has said he believed he was dreaming and was trying to wake up by grabbing two red handles that would have activated the fire suppression system and cut fuel to the engines.He spent 46 days in jail and was released pending trial in December 2023, with requirements that he undergo mental health services, stay off drugs and alcohol, and keep away from aircraft.Attorney Ethan Levi described his client’s actions as “a product of untreated alcohol use disorder.” Emerson had been drinking and accepted mushrooms “because of his lower inhibitions,” Levi said.Emerson went to treatment after jail and has been sober since, he added.Baggio said the case is a cautionary tale. Before she sentenced him, Emerson said he regretted the harm he caused.“I’m not a victim. I am here as a direct result of my actions,” he told the court. “I can tell you that this very tragic event has forced me to grow as an individual.”Loved ones and pilots addressed the judgeEmerson’s wife, Sarah Stretch, was among those who spoke on his behalf at the hearing.“I am so sorry for those that it’s impacted as much as it has. But I am extremely proud to be here with this man today, because the growth that he has had from this terrible experience has not only helped him, but benefited all that surround him,” she said through tears.One of the pilots of the 2023 Horizon Air flight, Alan Koziol, said he didn’t think Emerson was acting with malice and that he seemed “more like a trapped animal than a man in control of his faculties.” Koziol said that while pilots bear “immense responsibility,” he also wanted to see the aviation industry become more open to allowing pilots to seek mental health care.Lyle Prouse, sentenced to 16 months in prison for flying an airliner under the influence of alcohol in 1990, told the judge via videoconference that Emerson was “solidly engaged” in recovering. Prouse said he got sober and was eventually reinstated by the airline and retired as a 747 captain. He was pardoned by then-President Bill Clinton.“I know Joe like nobody else in this courtroom knows Joe on that level,” he said.Geoffrey Barrow, assistant U.S. attorney in the district of Oregon, said Emerson’s actions were serious and that the crew “saved the day by intervening.”“There were 84 people on that plane who could have lost their lives,” he said.Alison Snyder told the court via phone that it was a traumatic experience for her and her husband as passengers.“Because of Joseph Emerson’s actions that day, we will never feel as safe flying as we once did,” she said.Emerson was already sentenced in state caseEmerson, of Pleasant Hill, California, had pleaded guilty or no-contest to all charges in September as part of agreements with prosecutors.He was charged in federal court with interfering with a flight crew. A state indictment in Oregon separately charged him with 83 counts of endangering another person and one count of endangering an aircraft.A state court sentenced him to 50 days in jail, with credit for time served, plus five years of probation, 664 hours of community service — half of which he can serve at his own pilot health nonprofit — and over $60,000 in restitution, nearly all of it to Alaska Air Group. His sentence included rules over drugs, alcohol and mental health treatment, as well as avoiding aircraft.His attorneys argued before federal sentencing that the “robust” state prosecution “resulted in substantial punishment.”Emerson told a state court in September he was grateful the crew restrained him. He said being forced to confront his mental health and alcohol dependence was the greatest gift he ever received.

    PORTLAND, Ore. —

    A federal judge on Monday ruled there would be no prison time for a former Alaska Airlines pilot who had taken psychedelic mushrooms days before he tried to cut the engines of a passenger flight in 2023 while riding off-duty in the cockpit.

    U.S. District Court Judge Amy Baggio in Portland, Oregon, sentenced Joseph Emerson to time served and three years’ supervised release, ending a case that drew attention to the need for cockpit safety and more mental health support for pilots.

    Federal prosecutors wanted a year in prison, while his attorneys sought probation.

    “Pilots are not perfect. They are human,” Baggio said. “They are people and all people need help sometimes.”

    Emerson hugged his attorneys and tearfully embraced his wife after he was sentenced.

    Emerson was subdued by the flight crew after trying to cut the engines of a Horizon Air flight from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco on Oct. 22, 2023, while he was riding in an extra seat in the cockpit. The plane was diverted and landed in Portland with more than 80 people.

    Emerson told police he was despondent over a friend’s recent death, had taken psychedelic mushrooms about two days earlier, and hadn’t slept in over 40 hours. He has said he believed he was dreaming and was trying to wake up by grabbing two red handles that would have activated the fire suppression system and cut fuel to the engines.

    He spent 46 days in jail and was released pending trial in December 2023, with requirements that he undergo mental health services, stay off drugs and alcohol, and keep away from aircraft.

    Attorney Ethan Levi described his client’s actions as “a product of untreated alcohol use disorder.” Emerson had been drinking and accepted mushrooms “because of his lower inhibitions,” Levi said.

    Emerson went to treatment after jail and has been sober since, he added.

    Baggio said the case is a cautionary tale. Before she sentenced him, Emerson said he regretted the harm he caused.

    “I’m not a victim. I am here as a direct result of my actions,” he told the court. “I can tell you that this very tragic event has forced me to grow as an individual.”

    Loved ones and pilots addressed the judge

    Emerson’s wife, Sarah Stretch, was among those who spoke on his behalf at the hearing.

    “I am so sorry for those that it’s impacted as much as it has. But I am extremely proud to be here with this man today, because the growth that he has had from this terrible experience has not only helped him, but benefited all that surround him,” she said through tears.

    One of the pilots of the 2023 Horizon Air flight, Alan Koziol, said he didn’t think Emerson was acting with malice and that he seemed “more like a trapped animal than a man in control of his faculties.” Koziol said that while pilots bear “immense responsibility,” he also wanted to see the aviation industry become more open to allowing pilots to seek mental health care.

    Lyle Prouse, sentenced to 16 months in prison for flying an airliner under the influence of alcohol in 1990, told the judge via videoconference that Emerson was “solidly engaged” in recovering. Prouse said he got sober and was eventually reinstated by the airline and retired as a 747 captain. He was pardoned by then-President Bill Clinton.

    “I know Joe like nobody else in this courtroom knows Joe on that level,” he said.

    Geoffrey Barrow, assistant U.S. attorney in the district of Oregon, said Emerson’s actions were serious and that the crew “saved the day by intervening.”

    “There were 84 people on that plane who could have lost their lives,” he said.

    Alison Snyder told the court via phone that it was a traumatic experience for her and her husband as passengers.

    “Because of Joseph Emerson’s actions that day, we will never feel as safe flying as we once did,” she said.

    Emerson was already sentenced in state case

    Emerson, of Pleasant Hill, California, had pleaded guilty or no-contest to all charges in September as part of agreements with prosecutors.

    He was charged in federal court with interfering with a flight crew. A state indictment in Oregon separately charged him with 83 counts of endangering another person and one count of endangering an aircraft.

    A state court sentenced him to 50 days in jail, with credit for time served, plus five years of probation, 664 hours of community service — half of which he can serve at his own pilot health nonprofit — and over $60,000 in restitution, nearly all of it to Alaska Air Group. His sentence included rules over drugs, alcohol and mental health treatment, as well as avoiding aircraft.

    His attorneys argued before federal sentencing that the “robust” state prosecution “resulted in substantial punishment.”

    Emerson told a state court in September he was grateful the crew restrained him. He said being forced to confront his mental health and alcohol dependence was the greatest gift he ever received.

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  • Federal Rules At Odds With Oregon Guidelines For Providers Seeking Grants To Help Homeless People – KXL

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    (AP) – The Trump administration will require that homeless service providers force people to receive behavioral health treatment in order to access long-term, federally supported housing, a move that could mean organizations across Oregon would have to choose between receiving federal dollars or state dollars — but not both.

    On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced a major overhaul of the $3.9 billion federal Continuum of Care program, the largest homeless services initiative it oversees.

    The changes slash the amount of funding available for permanent housing projects and upend federal support for the longstanding homeless services model known as “Housing First,” which aims to quickly connect people to housing by removing preconditions like stable employment or sobriety that can be barriers to entry.

    The federal dollars also have a slew of new eligibility conditions that several Oregon providers said would put them in conflict with state funding rules. For instance, while federal grantees now must require people placed in permanent housing take part in services like addiction treatment or employment training, Oregon requires all services be “voluntary” to be eligible for the $80 million it set aside for permanent housing projects over the next two years.

    Other provisions in the new federal grant requirements include that applicants must be in areas that enforce laws prohibiting public camping and illicit drug use, comply with federal immigration enforcement and must not use “a definition of sex other than as binary,” referring to the recognition of nonbinary and transgender people.

    “The feds are saying one thing and the state is saying another thing, and that doesn’t work for me, the service provider, to be in compliance,” said Marion County Commissioner Danielle Bethell. “I’m out of compliance with one government or the other.”

    County officials and service providers told InvestigateWest this clash will force them to choose between using either state or federal dollars for their housing projects, forgoing one stream of government funding entirely.

    But since many groups rely on both to keep services afloat, providers would have to scale back their services accordingly, potentially pushing hundreds of formerly homeless Oregonians in federally supported programs back onto the streets almost “overnight,” Polk County Commissioner Jeremy Gordon said.

    The National Alliance to End Homelessness, an advocacy group, goes even further, estimating the Continuum of Care program changes alone could displace upwards of 2,500 Oregonians currently living in permanent supportive housing or rapid rehousing programs.

    “For a lot of providers, they’re going to be asked to do things that are kind of outside our DNA — things that we don’t believe in, things that undermine human dignity,” said Jimmy Jones, director of the Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency, an anti-poverty service provider in Marion and Polk counties that receives about $2.1 million for housing services from the Continuum of Care program.

    “Providers are going to have to make a choice whether or not they’re going to comply with these expectations for federal funds or are going to go their own way,” he continued.

    At a press briefing on Friday morning, federal housing officials lauded the changes as long-overdue reforms to increase fairness and competition among providers, even as some may end up pushed out of the program.

    “We have laid out the rules of the road,” a HUD spokesperson said. “If they want to take us up on this opportunity of funding, organizations are more than welcome. If organizations decide that adherence to certain policies or certain criteria is more important than the federal dollars, they are more than welcome to look at other sources of funding.”

    Both Republican and Democratic members of Congress have raised alarm about the rapid changes.

    In late October, as a leaked draft of the changes circulated, more than a dozen Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives urged HUD to take a more measured approach to implement its desired policy changes and extend existing awards for another year to avoid destabilizing local programs that keep families housed. On Thursday, 42 members of the U.S. Senate Democratic caucus, including Oregon Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, sent a letter imploring the agency to “immediately reconsider” the policy changes.

    Continuum of Care dollars are expected to continue flowing as normal to communities through the end of the year. After that, federal funding is not guaranteed — and it is unlikely state dollars could fill in the gap, as Oregon has already cut back its housing agency’s budget for the 2025-2027 fiscal year by more than $1 billion due to dropping revenue forecasts.

    Brooke Matthews, a program manager for the Oregon Community Continuum of Care, said the 26 rural and frontier counties she represents rely heavily on federal dollars to conduct outreach and house vulnerable people. The group received nearly $2.8 million for such efforts this year.

    Small and rural counties are already stretching every penny to reach people experiencing homelessness, she emphasized.

    “These are disabled veterans. These are people with disabilities. These are families with children,” said Matthews.

    ‘Out of compliance’
    Established in the mid-1990s, the federal Continuum of Care program created local planning bodies by the same name that serve as the sole applicant for federal dollars supporting homelessness services, such as permanent and transitional housing, data collection, case management, and homelessness prevention.

    Continuums of Care were intended to streamline a largely fragmented process that saw local providers apply for grant opportunities on their own without collaborating on strategies to meet the needs of the broader community.

    Roughly $65 million was allocated across Oregon’s eight continuums in January, during the final days of the Biden administration — the vast majority for permanent supportive housing, a kind of long-term housing with on-site services specifically aimed at helping people with disabilities. The funding also went toward temporary rental assistance known as rapid rehousing.

    Speculation over prospective changes to the program’s funding rules has swirled for months: Providers said federal housing officials began notifying them around September of plans to scrap approved Continuum of Care applications and redo the entire process again for the funds set to be doled out in 2026.

    The requirements ultimately released Thursday mirror an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in July directing agencies to wind down “Housing First” programs in favor of transitional housing and other short-term interventions to curb the homelessness crisis.

    It also gives added preference to faith-based groups previously ineligible for funding opportunities and places a 30% cap on spending for permanent supportive housing. Currently almost 90% of the program’s dollars goes towards this type of housing.

    Trump and other administration officials have long criticized “Housing First” policies for failing to tackle what they say are “root causes” of homelessness, like mental illness and substance use, by providing little incentive for future self-sufficiency.

    “Our philosophy for addressing the homelessness crisis will now define success not by dollars spent or housing units filled, but by how many people achieve long-term self-sufficiency and recovery,” HUD Secretary Scott Turner said in a statement Thursday about the changes.

    Supporters of the model, however, argue that providing affordable housing is more cost-effective than treatment-first tactics and gives people stable ground for them to begin addressing the other struggles they may be facing.

    How HUD intends to define some of the new criteria remains unclear. If interpreted broadly, some of the conditions, like enforcement of anti-camping laws, could put Oregon out of the running entirely, according to Matthews, program manager for the Oregon Community Continuum of Care.

    Matthews asked officials with HUD’s Oregon field office during a meeting if a state law that limits when local governments can intervene with encampments would violate anti-camping grant conditions, and they responded that it would be “a good assumption for us to make,” she recalled.

    “Rural Oregon is scrappy and creative,” Matthews said. But the threat of losing $65 million in Continuum of Care dollars would be a huge hit, she said. “I don’t have a creative enough solution for how you overcome (that).”

    That is if providers are even able to throw together an application that meets the sweeping changes to the Continuum of Care on short notice. Normally, the process of compiling an application takes months of effort, but HUD’s deadline to apply for 2026 funds is 10 weeks away.

    “It’s a big lift,” explained Gordon, the Polk County commissioner. “There’s extensive data gathering, community input and administrative lift. … Asking us to build something brand new or shift in gears, it’s going to cause a lot of sunk costs and red tape.”

    Jones, director of the Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency, said he’s alarmed about how the overhaul could disrupt coordination between local homeless service providers. Some may choose to stay the course with the state’s “Housing First” programs or revert back to the “Housing Ready” model reminiscent of the 1980s and 1990s that HUD is now incentivizing.

    “The entire continuum will be jeopardized in some ways,” Jones said, “because there is no coordinated local approach to homelessness when you have polarization of these two models to such extremes.”

    ‘House of Cards’
    HUD is already facing several lawsuits challenging changes to grant eligibility requirements, including two suits about the Continuum of Care program that predate Thursday’s announcement.

    In May, more than two dozen local governments, including Oregon’s Multnomah County and the cities of Bend, Portland and Wilsonville, sued in the Washington District Court over grant agreements requiring them to comply with federal immigration enforcement and other policies or risk losing their funding. A federal judge has paused any changes while the suit is litigated.

    Another lawsuit brought by the National Alliance to End Homelessness and Women’s Development Corporation challenges changes to a housing development grant that was overhauled in September.

    Ann Oliva, CEO of the National Alliance to End Homelessness who also worked at HUD for a decade across three presidential administrations, said it’s not unusual for a new administration to reissue grant applications or tweak policies unrelated to eligibility before dollars are awarded.

    It is another thing, she said, to rescind already awarded dollars or condition the ability to apply for grants without congressional approval.

    “When Congress says the funds need to be used for this purpose and (awarded) through a national competition, that seems pretty clear that the competition should be national,” Oliva said. “When the criteria is set such that most of the country isn’t even eligible to compete fairly, that’s where a line gets crossed.”

    For Oregon groups, the potential loss of federal Continuum of Care dollars would likely worsen their financial challenges after the state cut funding for tackling homelessness and housing insecurity. In June, citing a roughly $373 million budget deficit, Oregon lawmakers approved a $2.6 billion two-year housing budget for the state’s housing services agency, the Housing and Community Services Department. That’s about $1 billion less than the last budget cycle.

    Eviction prevention programs saw the greatest decrease in funds, dropping about 75% from 2023-25 funding levels. Emergency shelter providers are also seeing reductions to state funding funneled to their region through local homelessness planning groups.

    Gov. Tina Kotek’s office declined to immediately comment on the Continuum of Care program changes and plans to address impacts to Oregon.

    Tillamook County Commissioner Erin Skaar, who previously headed up an anti-poverty nonprofit, said most service providers have “cobbled together” funding sources to make ends meet. For instance, a provider might use a state grant to pay for staffing or wraparound services at a permanent supportive housing site, and rely on a federal grant for the cost of rent and maintaining the building.

    “In many cases, it’s a bit of a house of cards. … You start pulling some of those cards out from underneath it, it may or may not make it,” Skaar said. “I don’t think any of us think that somehow we’re just going to slide through this unscathed and (provide) all the same quantity of services we have in the past.”

    According to Jones, for months, he urged state officials and housing groups to get ahead of the federal government’s full-scale shift in policy and how it would reshape the landscape for providers. He says he was met with responses expressing confidence in state law and the hope the changes would be blocked by a court.

    Even if lawsuits block the most significant changes from going into effect, Jones believes the direction the administration is headed will set back providers’ efforts to address the homelessness crisis for years to come.

    “They can do whatever they like, giving the money to whomever they want,” he said. “It’s going to turn full beds into empty beds and two years from now everyone is going to be writing think pieces about what went wrong.”

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    Jordan Vawter

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  • Track star who protested trans athlete alleges she wasn’t given her medal for months until she filed a lawsuit

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    Nothing was going to stop Alexa Anderson from stepping off the medal podium that night on May 30. Not when a biological male would be there up too. 

    Anderson had just finished in third place in the girls’ state championship high jump, marking her final Oregon high school track performance after four intense years of competition and training. But she wouldn’t see the medal for all that hard work for several months, she claims. 

    After she and fellow high jump podium finisher Reese Eckard, who finished in fourth, stepped down from the podium to protest a trans athlete who finished fifth, Anderson alleged she was forced out of the championship photo, and never given her third-place medal. 

    CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

    The allegations are at the center of an ongoing lawsuit, which has already passed one legal hurdle after a federal judge denied an Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA) motion to strike charges from the suit.

    “I asked after the medal ceremony concluded, we went into kind of a tunnel that leads you back out to the audience, and I asked one of the officials, ‘Hey, are we going to get our medals?’ and she said they’d be shipped to our school. And then they were never shipped to our school,” Anderson told Fox News Digital. 

    Months of death threats followed. Anderson claims many critics even called her school, Tigard High School in Tigard, Oregon, lobbying for her expulsion, just before graduating. 

    She witnessed a childhood hero in Simone Biles attack and “bodyshame” Riley Gaines in defense of trans athletes in women’s sports – the very thing she was now getting threatened for standing up against. She witnessed a budding idol in Charlie Kirk get assassinated while speaking out about the trans community, all before she got her medal. 

    And she witnessed it all before getting her medal, allegedly. 

    She had to take the OSAA to court, suing over the alleged medal withholding and First Amendment violations, before finally getting her hardware.

    “I did not receive my medal until recently,” Anderson said, adding the medals were sent directly to the law firm representing her in the legal battle, America First Policy Institute (AFPI). 

    Then, ceremoniously, the medals were presented to her and Eckard at the Fox Nation Patriot Awards earlier in November, when the two received the Most Valuable Patriot Award. 

    OREGON ATHLETES WIN ‘MOST VALUABLE PATRIOT’ AWARD AFTER REFUSING TO SHARE PODIUM WITH TRANS COMPETITOR

    Reese Eckard and Alexa Anderson accept the Most Valuable Patriot Award from Will Cain and Martha MacCallum onstage during the Fox Nation Patriot Awards at Tilles Center for the Performing Arts in Greenvale, New York, on Nov. 6, 2025. (Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)

    After all that waiting, Anderson now chooses to leave the medal at her parents’ house in Oregon, while she warms up for her freshman season at the University of South Alabama.

    “It’s definitely frustrating that we didn’t get them in the moment… but it kinda is what it is at this point. There’s more important things that we’re fighting for,” she said. “Of course I wanted that medal, I worked super hard to get to that place where I was on the podium… but also a part of me knew that it was part of the sacrifice that I was making when I stepped off that podium, and there were going to be consequences.”

    The consequences began right away, but got tougher over time.

    There were consequences as early as the very moments after she stepped down from the podium on May 30. 

    “There were people who just kinda attacked us and were like, ‘You guys are bullies, you’re horrible people.’” 

    Anderson previously told Fox News Digital in June that most of the online reception she got after the incident was positive. But that changed as her story spread in the following weeks and months. 

    She started to learn what life was really like at the center of the culture war to “Save Women’s Sports.” 

    “There were people who were calling my school asking for me to be expelled, not being allowed to walk at graduation,” Anderson alleged. “There were people messaging me personally, just saying horrible things, death threats even.

    “‘I hope you die,’” read one message, she alleges, with another reading, “‘Your parents are definitely embarrassed of you…’

    “It definitely hurt.” 

    But it never hurt enough to get her to stand down. 

    Anderson said none of the harassment was enough for her to fear taking things further with a lawsuit. 

    “Part of me expected this and knew that’s just what happens when you stand up for what you believe in,” she said.

    OREGON GIRLS WHO PROTESTED TRANS ATHLETE AT TRACK AND FIELD MEDAL PODIUM SCORE LEGAL WIN IN LAWSUIT 

    Reese Eckard and Alexa Anderson

    Oregon girls’ track and field athletes Reese Eckard and Alexa Anderson don’t stand on a medal podium next to a trans opponent. (Courtesy of America First Policy Institute)

    And now her and Eckard’s lawsuit is progressing.

    U.S. District Court Judge Youlee Yim You denied the OSAA’s motion to strike a portion of the lawsuit that highlighted what forms of political speech the league does allow, including Black Lives Matter and pro-LGBTQ pride messaging, which was a key point in the plaintiffs’ argument.

    Anderson said she regularly witnessed other athletes across her four-year high school career protest at events, without ever getting punished. 

    “I’ve seen a lot of speech about support and rights for the LGBTQ community, the trans community, a lot of the Black Lives Matter movement stuff … wearing shirts, flags, that kind of stuff,” she said. “I think it’s really harmful to students to only allow them to express certain viewpoints that you agree with.” 

    Still, she never saw anyone else step down from a podium in protest. That’s her signature. 

    As Anderson and Eckard advance their lawsuit, they are aiming to bring protection of the First Amendment for all the state’s students, regardless of their beliefs. 

    Her attorney at AFPI, Leigh’Ann O’Neill, told Fox News Digital what it would take to settle the lawsuit. 

    “OSAA needs to very affirmatively take a stand and demonstrate that they will respect all viewpoints from their athletes and participants in their other extracurricular activities in Oregon,” O’Neill said. “When are we going to see Oregon step up and make it clear to their athletes that it is OK for you to disagree with us?

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    “There are nominal damages requested as part of the lawsuit, which is sort of a technicality, and it’s really about ensuring the protection of their free speech.” 

    Fox News Digital has reached out to the OSAA and Tigard High School for comment. 

    Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

    Jackson Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital. He previously worked for ESPN and Business Insider. Jackson has covered the Super Bowl and NBA Finals, and has interviewed iconic figures Usain Bolt, Rob Gronkowski, Jerry Rice, Troy Aikman, Mike Trout, David Ortiz and Roger Clemens.

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  • Live Whale Becomes Beached Near Yachats – KXL

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    Courtesy Oregon State Parks.

    YACHATS, OR – Rescue efforts continued Sunday after a humpback whale became beached on the Oregon Coast just north of Yachats in Lincoln County on Saturday.  Observers say the whale appeared to be in distress but still alive midmorning on Sunday.

    Oregon State Police and officials with the Oregon Marine Mammal Stranding Network arrived on the scene after volunteers attempted to untangle whale and keep it wet.  However, Oregon State Parks is warning the public to stay away, since a crowd is likely to create more stress for the animal.  Its size also represents a danger to people, according experts.

    Marine biologist Carrie Newell with Whale Research Eco Excursions wrote online, “Probably the only hope for its survival is at high tide (Sunday) when hopefully it will have enough energy to propel itself offshore.”

    Officials seemed pessimistic about the whale’s chances of survival.

    “I am so (incredibly) saddened that this is our third humpback whale that has washed ashore in a little over a month,” said Newell.

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    Tim Lantz

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  • Cities and states are turning to AI to improve road safety

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    As America’s aging roads fall further behind on much-needed repairs, cities and states are turning to artificial intelligence to spot the worst hazards and decide which fixes should come first.

    Hawaii officials, for example, are giving away 1,000 dashboard cameras as they try to reverse a recent spike in traffic fatalities. The cameras will use AI to automate inspections of guardrails, road signs and pavement markings, instantly discerning between minor problems and emergencies that warrant sending a maintenance crew.

    “This is not something where it’s looked at once a month and then they sit down and figure out where they’re going to put their vans,” said Richard Browning, chief commercial officer at Nextbase, which developed the dashcams and imagery platform for Hawaii.

    After San Jose, California, started mounting cameras on street sweepers, city staff confirmed the system correctly identified potholes 97% of the time. Now they’re expanding the effort to parking enforcement vehicles.

    Texas, where there are more roadway lane miles than the next two states combined, is less than a year into a massive AI plan that uses cameras as well as cellphone data from drivers who enroll to improve safety.

    Other states use the technology to inspect street signs or build annual reports about road congestion.

    Every guardrail, every day

    Hawaii drivers over the next few weeks will be able to sign up for a free dashcam valued at $499 under the “Eyes on the Road” campaign, which was piloted on service vehicles in 2021 before being paused due to wildfires.

    Roger Chen, a University of Hawaii associate professor of engineering who is helping facilitate the program, said the state faces unique challenges in maintaining its outdated roadway infrastructure.

    “Equipment has to be shipped to the island,” Chen said. “There’s a space constraint and a topography constraint they have to deal with, so it’s not an easy problem.”

    Although the program also monitors such things as street debris and faded paint on lane lines, the companies behind the technology particularly tout its ability to detect damaged guardrails.

    “They’re analyzing all guardrails in their state, every single day,” said Mark Pittman, CEO of Blyncsy, which combines the dashboard feeds with mapping software to analyze road conditions.

    Hawaii transportation officials are well aware of the risks that can stem from broken guardrails. Last year, the state reached a $3.9 million settlement with the family of a driver who was killed in 2020 after slamming into a guardrail that had been damaged in a crash 18 months earlier but never repaired.

    In October, Hawaii recorded its 106th traffic fatality of 2025 — more than all of 2024. It’s unclear how many of the deaths were related to road problems, but Chen said the grim trend underscores the timeliness of the dashboard program.

    Building a larger AI database

    San Jose has reported strong early success in identifying potholes and road debris just by mounting cameras on a few street sweepers and parking enforcement vehicles.

    But Mayor Matt Mahan, a Democrat who founded two tech startups before entering politics, said the effort will be much more effective if cities contribute their images to a shared AI database. The system can recognize a road problem that it has seen before — even if it happened somewhere else, Mahan said.

    “It sees, ‘Oh, that actually is a cardboard box wedged between those two parked vehicles, and that counts as debris on a roadway,’” Mahan said. “We could wait five years for that to happen here, or maybe we have it at our fingertips.”

    San Jose officials helped establish the GovAI Coalition, which went public in March 2024 for governments to share best practices and eventually data. Other local governments in California, Minnesota, Oregon, Texas and Washington, as well as the state of Colorado, are members.

    Some solutions are simple

    Not all AI approaches to improving road safety require cameras.

    Massachusetts-based Cambridge Mobile Telematics launched a system called StreetVision that uses cellphone data to identify risky driving behavior. The company works with state transportation departments to pinpoint where specific road conditions are fueling those dangers.

    Ryan McMahon, the company’s senior vice president of strategy & corporate development, was attending a conference in Washington, D.C., when he noticed the StreetVision software was showing a massive number of vehicles braking aggressively on a nearby road.

    The reason: a bush was obstructing a stop sign, which drivers weren’t seeing until the last second.

    “What we’re looking at is the accumulation of events,” McMahon said. “That brought me to an infrastructure problem, and the solution to the infrastructure problem was a pair of garden shears.”

    Texas officials have been using StreetVision and various other AI tools to address safety concerns. The approach was particularly helpful recently when they scanned 250,000 lane miles (402,000 kilometers) to identify old street signs long overdue for replacement.

    “If something was installed 10 or 15 years ago and the work order was on paper, God help you trying to find that in the digits somewhere,” said Jim Markham, who deals with crash data for the Texas Department of Transportation. “Having AI that can go through and screen for that is a force multiplier that basically allows us to look wider and further much faster than we could just driving stuff around.”

    Autonomous vehicles are next

    Experts in AI-based road safety techniques say what’s being done now is largely just a stepping stone for a time when a large proportion of vehicles on the road will be driverless.

    Pittman, the Blyncsy CEO who has worked on the Hawaii dashcam program, predicts that within eight years almost every new vehicle — with or without a driver — will come with a camera.

    “How do we see our roadways today from the perspective of grandma in a Buick but also Elon and his Tesla?” Pittman said. “This is really important nuance for departments of transportation and city agencies. They’re now building infrastructure for humans and automated drivers alike, and they need to start bridging that divide.”

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  • Report: National Guard Members To Leave Portland And Chicago – KXL

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    National Guardsman stands watch. Download from MGN.

    PORTLAND, OR – 200 members of the California National Guard intended for deployment in Portland will be sent home, according to a report from ABC News.   That same report makes reference to U.S. officials who also say another 200 federalized Texas National Guard members sent to Chicago will return to their home state.

    On Friday night, U.S. Northern Command posted on X that changes would be made to mission plans for troops but provide few details, other than to say “…the Department will be shifting and/or rightsizing our Title 10 footprint in Portland, Los Angeles, and Chicago to ensure a constant, enduring, and long-term presence in each city.”

    Obtained from U.S. Northern Command via X.

    California will maintain a ready force of 100 Guard members and Texas will maintain a force of 200 members who have all volunteered for the mission, according to one of the officials who spoke with ABC.

    Reportedly, the number of federalized Oregon National Guard troops on active duty will be reduced from 200 to 100.

    More about:

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  • Ohio State stays on top of playoff bracket, while Miami makes a big move

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    Not surprisingly, Ohio State stayed at the top of the rankings, and there was a healthy debate about whether last weekend’s action warranted keeping Indiana at No. 2, one spot ahead of Texas A&M.

    But while those top three remained the same in the Week 2 rankings released Tuesday, it was a game back in August that led the College Football Playoff selection committee to its biggest shakeup.

    The committee vaulted Miami to No. 15, one spot ahead of Georgia Tech, to hand the ‘Canes the Atlantic Coast Conference’s only spot in this week’s projected bracket.

    That decision came not so much on the strength of last weekend’s action, — when Miami easily handled Syracuse and Georgia Tech was idle — but rather, thanks to Miami’s season-opening win against Notre Dame.

    “Certainly, the win versus Notre Dame was a key factor for placing Miami ahead of Georgia Tech,” committee chair Mack Rhoades explained. “In general, with the ACC, I think their lack of nonconference signature wins other than Miami over Notre Dame” hurts the conference.

    Following the trio of undefeateds — Ohio State, Indiana and Texas A&M — were Alabama and Georgia, who rounded out the same top five as in last week’s season-opening rankings.

    Texas Tech jumped two spots to No. 6 on the strength of its win over BYU, moving one notch ahead of Mississippi, which dropped to 7 despite a romp over Citadel in a nonconference game.

    At No. 8 was Oregon, followed by Notre Dame and Texas.

    No. 11 Oklahoma and No. 12 BYU would be the first two teams out in this week’s bracket due to the automatic spots handed to the ACC (Miami) and the highest-ranked league leader out of the Group of 5 conferences, which is now an honor that belongs to South Florida, ranked at No. 24.

    “They’ve always been part of (the conversation),” Rhoades said of the Bulls. “South Florida is the most consistent of the Group of 5, to date.”

    The final bracket comes out Dec. 7, with the 12-team playoff beginning Dec. 19 and closing a month later with the title game.

    Indiana-A&M and Texas Tech-Ole Miss are two toughest calls

    Rhoades said the decision to keep Indiana at No. 2 over Texas A&M provoked the committee’s second-longest conversation.

    The Hoosiers needed last-second heroics to win at Penn State, while the Aggies got a romp on the road at Missouri.

    “Certainly, discussion about those two games, but also discussion about body of work,” Rhoades said. “There was conversation about Missouri. Missouri is a really good team but not the team they’ve been,” due to injuries at quarterback.

    The longest conversation involved moving Texas Tech a spot past Ole Miss.

    “Texas Tech’s win this last weekend — really convincing,” Rhoades said.

    Conference watch

    ACC: Of the five teams in the conference ranked 15-22, maybe No. 22 Pitt is the team to watch. The Panthers have a 7-2 record with games against Notre Dame, Georgia Tech and Miami the next three weeks. Winning any two of those might give them a chance at somehow getting into the bracket.

    Big Ten: Outside of the top three, there are no sure things. No. 18 Michigan would work its way into the conversation with a win over you-know-who at the end of the month, and No. 17 USC has a season-making game at Oregon on Nov. 22.

    Big 12: There’s Texas Tech. And then there’s BYU (8-1). And then there’s No. 13 Utah (7-2), the team the Cougars beat last month and seem destined to stay ahead of if they finish with one loss and the Utes finish with two. Only two — and perhaps only one — will make it.

    SEC: No wonder the conference wants to do away with automatic qualifiers. A&M, Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi feel like locks. Texas, Oklahoma and No. 14 Vanderbilt all control their own destiny. (Especially OU, which is at Alabama this week.)

    Group of 5: With early wins over Boise State and Florida, South Florida looked like a good bet to earn that fifth conference-champion slot earlier in the season, and reclaimed the position after Memphis lost to Tulane last week.

    The projected first-round matchups

    No. 12 South Florida at No. 5 Georgia: How many teams have won at the Swamp and between the hedges in the same year … or ever?

    No. 11 Miami at No. 6 Texas Tech: ‘Canes won last meeting 45-10 in 1990, and closed that season with a 46-3 drubbing of Texas in the Cotton Bowl.

    No. 10 Texas at No. 7 Ole Miss: They haven’t played since UT joined the SEC last year.

    No. 9 Notre Dame at No. 8 Oregon: Unfinished business from their 13-13 tie in 1982, Gerry Faust’s second season with the Irish.

    ___

    Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

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  • Baby formula recalled after reports of infant botulism in 10 U.S. states

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    Federal and state health officials are investigating 13 cases in 10 states of infant botulism linked to baby formula that was being recalled, authorities said Saturday.

    ByHeart Inc. agreed to begin recalling two lots of the company’s Whole Nutrition Infant Formula, the Food and Drug Administration said in a statement.

    All 13 infants were hospitalized after consuming formula from two lots: 206VABP/251261P2 and 206VABP/251131P2.

    The cases occurred in Arizona, California, Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas and Washington.

    No deaths were reported. The FDA said it was investigating how the contamination happened and whether it affected any other products.

    A container of ByHeart Whole Nutrition Infant Formula. 

    Business Wire via AP


    “The safety and well-being of every infant who uses our formula is our absolute highest priority,” Mia Funt, ByHeart’s co-founder and president, said in a statement. “We take any potential safety concern extremely seriously, and act quickly to protect families. As parents ourselves, we understand the concern this news may raise. This voluntary recall is out of an abundance of caution and comes from our ongoing commitment to transparency and safety for babies and their parents.” 

    Available online and through major retailers, the product accounted for an estimated 1% of national formula sales, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

    People who bought the recalled formula should record the lot number if possible before throwing it out or returning it to where it was purchased, the CDC said in a statement.

    They should use a dishwasher or hot, soapy water to clean items and surfaces that touched the formula. And they should seek medical care right away if an infant has consumed recalled formula and then had poor feeding, loss of head control, difficulty swallowing or decreased facial expression.

    Infant botulism is caused by a bacterium that produces toxins in the large intestine.

    Symptoms can take weeks to develop, so parents should keep vigilant, the CDC said. According to the CDC, symptoms of infant botulism can include constipation, poor feeding, ptosis or drooping eyelid, sluggish pupils, a flattened facial expression, diminished suck and gag reflexes, a weak and altered cry, respiratory difficulty and possible respiratory arrest.

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  • Infant Botulism in 10 US States Linked to Formula Being Recalled

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    Federal and state health officials are investigating 13 cases in 10 states of infant botulism linked to baby formula that was being recalled, authorities said Saturday.

    ByHeart Inc. agreed to begin recalling two lots of the company’s Whole Nutrition Infant Formula, the Food and Drug Administration said in a statement.

    All 13 infants were hospitalized after consuming formula from two lots: 206VABP/251261P2 and 206VABP/251131P2.

    The cases occurred in Arizona, California, Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas and Washington.

    No deaths were reported. The FDA said it was investigating how the contamination happened and whether it affected any other products.

    Available online and through major retailers, the product accounted for an estimated 1% of national formula sales, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

    People who bought the recalled formula should record the lot number if possible before throwing it out or returning it to where it was purchased, the CDC said in a statement.

    They should use a dishwasher or hot, soapy water to clean items and surfaces that touched the formula. And they should seek medical care right away if an infant has consumed recalled formula and then had poor feeding, loss of head control, difficulty swallowing or decreased facial expression.

    Infant botulism is caused by a bacterium that produces toxins in the large intestine.

    Symptoms can take weeks to develop, so parents should keep vigilant, the CDC said.

    A ByHeart spokesperson did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment Saturday.

    Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

    Photos You Should See – Oct. 2025

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  • Judge extends block on National Guard deployment to Portland

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    A judge has extended her order blocking President Donald Trump from deploying National Guard troops to Portland, Oregon, dealing a setback to the White House as it tries to send the military to cities over the objection of their Democratic leaders.

    Newsweek contacted the White House for comment by emails after office hours.

    Why It Matters

    Trump has deployed federalized National Guard soldiers to Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., to tackle what he says is surging crime and he is attempting to do the same in several other Democrat-run cities against the wishes of the local governments.  

    His efforts have suffered a series of legal blows, including a federal court blocking the administration from federalizing the Illinois National Guard ahead of a planned deployment to Chicago. With Republicans controlling both chambers of Congress, the courts have emerged as one of the main impediments to Trump administration policy.

    At the heart of the debate is the extent of the president’s constitutional authority to deploy military forces domestically over the objects of city and state governments.

    What To Know 

    U.S. District Court Judge Karin Immergut’s decision late on Sunday comes after a three-day hearing that saw arguments over whether the Trump administration had violated the law by federalizing and trying to deploy Oregon and California troops to Portland.

    She said she would continue to block the Trump administration from deploying the National Guard to Oregon until 5 p.m. on Friday, November 7, according to a copy of her decision reviewed by Newsweek.

    Protests have erupted on the streets of Portland and elsewhere in opposition to the federal government’s immigration enforcement. Trump has referred to the protesters, whose focus in Portland has been the city’s ICE facility, as “agitators, insurrectionists.”

    During last week’s trial, the legal team for the city and the states of Oregon and California argued that the situation in Portland has been manageable by local police, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported.

    Lawyers for the Trump administration said demonstrators had broken significant laws, a Justice Department attorney said, and that the president did not have to wait for the gatherings to grow into a full-fledged rebellion.

    Immergut said in her ruling: “Based on the trial testimony, this Court finds no credible evidence that during the approximately two months before the President’s federalization order, protests grew out of control or involved more than isolated and sporadic instances of violent conduct that resulted in no serious injuries to federal personnel.” 

    She said most of the violence appeared to be between protesters and counterprotesters and found no evidence of “significant damage” to the immigration facility at the center of the protests.

    What People Are Saying

    Karin Immergut, U.S. District Court judge for Oregon, wrote in her ruling: “The violence that did occur during this time period predominately involved violence between protesters and counterprotesters, not violence against federal officers or the ICE facility.”

    What Happens Next

    Friday’s ruling prevents the Trump administration deploying National Guard personnel to Portland until 5 p.m. on Friday. It remains to be seen whether they will be legally permitted to make such a deployment.

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  • Judge again blocks Trump administration from deploying National Guard troops to Portland

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    A federal judge in Oregon on Sunday barred President Trump’s administration from deploying the National Guard to Portland, Oregon, until at least Friday, saying she “found no credible evidence” that protests in the city grew out of control before the president federalized the troops earlier this fall.

    The city and state sued in September to block the deployment.

    It’s the latest development in weeks of legal back-and-forth in Portland, Chicago and other U.S. cities as the Trump administration has moved to federalize and deploy the National Guard in city streets to quell protests.

    The ruling from U.S. District Court Judge Karin Immergut, an appointee of Mr. Trump, followed a three-day trial in which both sides argued over whether protests at the city’s U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building met the conditions for using the military domestically under federal law.

    In a 16-page filing late Sunday, Immergut said she would issue a final order on Friday due to the voluminous evidence presented at trial, including more than 750 exhibits.

    The purpose of the deployment, according to the Trump administration, is to protect federal personnel and property where protests are occurring or likely to occur. Legal experts said that a higher appellate court order that remains in effect would have barred troops from being deployed anyway.

    Law enforcement officers watch from a United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025, in Portland, Oregon.

    Jenny Kane / AP


    Immergut wrote that most violence appeared to be between protesters and counter-protesters and found no evidence of “significant damage” to the immigration facility at the center of the protests.

    “Based on the trial testimony, this Court finds no credible evidence that during the approximately two months before the President’s federalization order, protests grew out of control or involved more than isolated and sporadic instances of violent conduct that resulted in no serious injuries to federal personnel,” she wrote.

    The complex case comes as Democratic cities targeted by Mr. Trump for military involvement — including Chicago, which has filed a separate lawsuit on the issue — seek to push back. They argue the president has not satisfied the legal threshold for deploying troops and that doing so would violate states’ sovereignty. The administration argues that it needs the troops because it has been unable to enforce the law with regular forces — one of the conditions set by Congress for calling up troops.

    Immergut issued two orders in early October that blocked the deployment of the troops leading up to the trial. She previously found that Mr. Trump had failed to show that he met the legal requirements for mobilizing the National Guard. She described his assessment of Portland, which Mr. Trump has called “war-ravaged” with “fires all over the place,” as “simply untethered to the facts.”

    One of Immergut’s orders was paused Oct. 20 by a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. But late Tuesday, the appeals court vacated that decision and said it would rehear the matter before an 11-judge panel. Until the larger panel rehears the case, the appeals court’s initial order from early October — under which the National Guard is federalized but not deployed — remains in effect.

    During the Portland trial, witnesses including local police and federal officials were questioned about the law enforcement response to the nightly protests at the city’s ICE building. The demonstrations peaked in June, when Portland police declared one a riot. The demonstrations typically drew a couple dozen people in the weeks leading up to Mr. Trump’s National Guard announcement.

    Oregon Protester Detained

    Federal agents detain someone during a protest held outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Portland, Oregon, Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025.

    Dave Killen / AP


    The Trump administration said it has had to shuffle federal agents from elsewhere around the country to respond to the Portland protests, which it has characterized as a “rebellion” or “danger of rebellion” — another one of the conditions for calling up troops under federal law.

    Federal officials working in the region testified about staffing shortages and requests for more personnel that have yet to be fulfilled. Among them was an official with the Federal Protective Service, the agency within the Department of Homeland Security that provides security at federal buildings, whom the judge allowed to be sworn in as a witness under his initials, R.C., due to safety concerns.

    R.C., who said he would be one of the most knowledgeable people in DHS about security at Portland’s ICE building, testified that a troop deployment would alleviate the strain on staff. When cross-examined, however, he said he did not request troops and that he was not consulted on the matter. He also said he was “surprised” to learn about the deployment and that he did not agree with statements about Portland burning down.

    Attorneys for Portland and Oregon said city police have been able to respond to the protests. After the police department declared a riot on June 14, it changed its strategy to direct officers to intervene when person and property crime occurs, and crowd numbers have largely diminished since the end of that month, police officials testified.

    Another Federal Protective Service official whom the judge also allowed to testify under his initials said protesters have at times been violent, damaged the facility and acted aggressively toward officers working at the building.

    The ICE building closed for three weeks over the summer due to property damage, according to court documents and testimony. The regional field office director for ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations, Cammilla Wamsley, said her employees worked from another building during that period. The plaintiffs argued that was evidence that they were able to continue their work functions.

    Oregon Senior Assistant Attorney General Scott Kennedy said that “without minimizing or condoning offensive expressions” or certain instances of criminal conduct, “none of these incidents suggest … that there’s a rebellion or an inability to execute the laws.”

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  • Judge Again Bars Trump Administration From Deploying Troops to Portland

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    PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A federal judge in Oregon on Sunday barred President Donald Trump’s administration from deploying the National Guard to Portland, Oregon until at least Friday, saying she “found no credible evidence” that protests in the city grew out of control before the president federalized the troops earlier this fall.

    The city and state sued in September to block the deployment.

    It’s the latest development in weeks of legal back-and-forth in Portland, Chicago and other U.S. cities as the Trump administration has moved to federalize and deploy the National Guard in city streets to quell protests.

    The ruling from U.S. District Court Judge Karin Immergut, a Trump appointee, followed a three-day trial in which both sides argued over whether protests at the city’s U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building met the conditions for using the military domestically under federal law.

    In a 16-page filing late Sunday, Immergut said she would issue a final order on Friday due to the voluminous evidence presented at trial, including more than 750 exhibits.


    Judge says claims of protest violence are overstated

    The purpose of the deployment, according to the Trump administration, is to protect federal personnel and property where protests are occurring or likely to occur. Legal experts said that a higher appellate court order that remains in effect would have barred troops from being deployed anyway.

    Immergut wrote that most violence appeared to be between protesters and counter-protesters and found no evidence of “significant damage” to the immigration facility at the center of the protests.

    “Based on the trial testimony, this Court finds no credible evidence that during the approximately two months before the President’s federalization order, protests grew out of control or involved more than isolated and sporadic instances of violent conduct that resulted in no serious injuries to federal personnel,” she wrote.


    Ruling follows weeks of back and forth in federal court

    The complex case comes as Democratic cities targeted by Trump for military involvement — including Chicago, which has filed a separate lawsuit on the issue — seek to push back. They argue the president has not satisfied the legal threshold for deploying troops and that doing so would violate states’ sovereignty. The administration argues that it needs the troops because it has been unable to enforce the law with regular forces — one of the conditions set by Congress for calling up troops.

    Immergut issued two orders in early October that blocked the deployment of the troops leading up to the trial. She previously found that Trump had failed to show that he met the legal requirements for mobilizing the National Guard. She described his assessment of Portland, which Trump has called “war-ravaged” with “fires all over the place,” as “simply untethered to the facts.”

    One of Immergut’s orders was paused Oct. 20 by a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. But late Tuesday, the appeals court vacated that decision and said it would rehear the matter before an 11-judge panel. Until the larger panel rehears the case, the appeals court’s initial order from early October — under which the National Guard is federalized but not deployed — remains in effect.


    Federal witness describes ‘surprise’ at troop deployment

    During the Portland trial, witnesses including local police and federal officials were questioned about the law enforcement response to the nightly protests at the city’s ICE building. The demonstrations peaked in June, when Portland police declared one a riot. The demonstrations typically drew a couple dozen people in the weeks leading up to Trump’s National Guard announcement.

    The Trump administration said it has had to shuffle federal agents from elsewhere around the country to respond to the Portland protests, which it has characterized as a “rebellion” or “danger of rebellion” — another one of the conditions for calling up troops under federal law.

    Federal officials working in the region testified about staffing shortages and requests for more personnel that have yet to be fulfilled. Among them was an official with the Federal Protective Service, the agency within the Department of Homeland Security that provides security at federal buildings, whom the judge allowed to be sworn in as a witness under his initials, R.C., due to safety concerns.

    R.C., who said he would be one of the most knowledgeable people in DHS about security at Portland’s ICE building, testified that a troop deployment would alleviate the strain on staff. When cross-examined, however, he said he did not request troops and that he was not consulted on the matter. He also said he was “surprised” to learn about the deployment and that he did not agree with statements about Portland burning down.

    Attorneys for Portland and Oregon said city police have been able to respond to the protests. After the police department declared a riot on June 14, it changed its strategy to direct officers to intervene when person and property crime occurs, and crowd numbers have largely diminished since the end of that month, police officials testified.

    Another Federal Protective Service official whom the judge also allowed to testify under his initials said protesters have at times been violent, damaged the facility and acted aggressively toward officers working at the building.

    The ICE building closed for three weeks over the summer due to property damage, according to court documents and testimony. The regional field office director for ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations, Cammilla Wamsley, said her employees worked from another building during that period. The plaintiffs argued that was evidence that they were able to continue their work functions.

    Oregon Senior Assistant Attorney General Scott Kennedy said that “without minimizing or condoning offensive expressions” or certain instances of criminal conduct, “none of these incidents suggest … that there’s a rebellion or an inability to execute the laws.”

    Johnson reported from Seattle.

    Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

    Photos You Should See – Oct. 2025

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  • Portland Prepares for Invasion

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    In early October, Keith Wilson, the mayor of Portland, Oregon, visited 4310 South Macadam Avenue, an address that has thrust his city back into the national spotlight—and into the crosshairs of President Donald Trump. Since June, this site, the local headquarters for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), had been the focus of daily protests, with activists rallying against the Trump Administration’s immigration policies, often clashing with MAGA counter-protesters. Although the demonstrations were colorful—a carnivalesque atmosphere, with people wearing inflatable frog suits and other costumes—the ICE facility itself, a former data-processing center for a regional bank, with boarded-up windows, was about as incognito as the masked, armed federal officers who guarded it from the rooftop.

    To the public, what was going on inside the building largely remained a mystery. No media, beyond Trump-friendly right-wing influencers, had been allowed in. But Wilson was “summoned” to the building, in his words, to meet with Kristi Noem, the Secretary of Homeland Security, who came to town after Trump announced, on Truth Social, that he was authorizing “all necessary Troops to protect War ravaged Portland.” Wilson hoped to persuade Noem that there was no need for federal intervention—that the city had its protests under control. But, after visiting the building, he reached the conclusion that ICE itself lacked any discipline or control. “It’s dishevelled,” he told me, of the conditions inside. “It’s unkempt. It’s disorganized.”

    It was a warm day, around eighty degrees, and the first thing Wilson noticed when he entered the facility was how hot it was inside. “The H.V.A.C. system was broken,” he said. During his visit, he saw overflowing dumpsters. He saw tired, agitated officers. In otherwise empty offices, he saw crowd-control munitions and body armor strewn about. “You can just see they’re making it up as they go,” Wilson, a former C.E.O. of a trucking company, said. “There’s no plan. And, if there’s no plan, you don’t know the objective. Without an objective, you’re just wasting time and money—and they’re wasting time and money.”

    Noem’s visit to Portland didn’t quite go as planned. The apparent purpose of the trip was to bolster the Administration’s case that the city was overrun by left-wing insurrectionists, but, during a rooftop photo op, Noem surveyed the site of the daily protests, presumably the most war-torn part of the city, only to find the street below empty. The Portland police, in accordance with its policy when dignitaries visit the city, had cordoned off the area. A smattering of demonstrators stood on the periphery, including a man in a chicken costume. Another protester blasted the theme from “The Benny Hill Show,” mocking Noem’s visit. In a video circulating online, Noem is expressionless—this probably wasn’t the war zone she’d come to capture. When she met with Wilson, he further shattered the plot, asking her to reconsider sending in troops. “She took issue with that,” he told me. “They’re trying to create a narrative. It’s a falsehood. It’s got no legs.”

    I’d seen this split screen before. When I covered the last wave of high-profile protests in Portland, back in 2020, I discovered that the Trump Administration’s characterization of the situation didn’t always match what was happening on the ground. This time, the contrast appeared even sharper. I arrived in Portland last Monday—the same day that a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the White House can federalize the Oregon National Guard to deploy in the city. Residents seemed on edge, the mayor included. Was there a sense of anxiety about potential troops on the streets, I asked Wilson. “Every day,” he said.

    Trump has been preoccupied with Portland since at least 2018, when he publicly scolded then Mayor Ted Wheeler for allowing “an angry mob of violent people” to confront federal agents. In 2020, in the wake of George Floyd’s murder, Trump referred to Black Lives Matter protesters as “radical anarchists” and deployed seven hundred and fifty-five D.H.S. officers to Portland to protect the city’s federal buildings, intensifying nightly clashes between protesters and law enforcement.

    In recent weeks, Trump has reignited his fight with the largest city in Oregon. “I don’t know what could be worse than Portland,” he said in October, during a White House roundtable on the supposed dominance of Antifa in America. “You don’t even have stores anymore.” (There are more than three thousand retail businesses in the city.) “When a store owner rebuilds a store,” he said at a news conference, “they build it out of plywood.” (In four days of driving around the city, I was unable to spot a store constructed of plywood.) “Portland is burning to the ground,” he claimed, on multiple occasions. (I couldn’t find any fires, either.)

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  • SNAP Has Provided Grocery Help for 60-Plus Years; Here’s How It Works

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    Originally known as the food stamp program, it has existed since 1964, serving low-income people, many of whom have jobs but don’t make enough money to cover all the basic costs of living.

    Public attention has focused on the program since President Donald Trump’s administration announced last week that it would freeze SNAP payments starting Nov. 1 in the midst of a monthlong federal government shutdown. The administration argued it wasn’t allowed to use a contingency fund with about $5 billion in it to help keep the program going. But on Friday, two federal judges ruled in separate challenges that the federal government must continue to fund SNAP, at least partially, using contingency funds. However, the federal government is expected to appeal, and the process to restart SNAP payments would likely take one to two weeks.

    Here’s a look at how SNAP works.

    There are income limits based on family size, expenses and whether households include someone who is elderly or has a disability.

    Most SNAP participants are families with children, and more than 1 in 3 include older adults or someone with a disability.

    Nearly 2 in 5 recipients are households where someone is employed.

    Most participants have incomes below the poverty line, which is about $32,000 for a family of four, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which administers the program, says nearly 16 million children received SNAP benefits in 2023.

    People who are not in the country legally, and many immigrants who do have legal status, are not eligible. Many college students aren’t either, and some states have barred people with certain drug convictions.

    Under a provision of Trump’s big tax and policy law that also takes effect Nov. 1, people who do not have disabilities, are between ages 18 and 64 and who do not have children under age 14 can receive benefits for only three months every three years if they’re not working. Otherwise, they must work, volunteer or participate in a work training program at least 80 hours a month.


    How much do beneficiaries receive?

    On average, the monthly benefit per household participating in SNAP over the past few years has been about $350, and the average benefit per person is about $190.

    The benefit amount varies based on a family’s income and expenses. The designated amount is based on the concept that households should allocate 30% of their remaining income after essential expenses to food.

    Families can receive higher amounts if they pay child support, have monthly medical expenses exceeding $35 or pay a higher portion of their income on housing.

    The cost of benefits and half the cost of running the program is paid by the federal government using tax dollars.

    States pay the rest of the administrative costs and run the program.

    People apply for SNAP through a state or county social service agency or through a nonprofit that helps people with applications. In some states, SNAP is known by another, state-specific name. For instance, it’s FoodShare in Wisconsin and CalFresh in California.

    The benefits are delivered through electronic benefits transfer, or EBT, cards that work essentially like a bank debit card. Besides SNAP, it’s where money is loaded for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF, program, which provides cash assistance for low-income families with children, and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children.

    The card is swiped or inserted in a store’s card reader at checkout, and the cardholder enters their PIN to pay for food. The cost of the food is deducted from the person’s SNAP account balance.

    SNAP benefits can only be used for food at participating stores — mostly groceries, supermarkets, discount retail stores, convenience stores and farmers markets. It also covers plants and seeds bought to grow your own food. However, hot foods — like restaurant meals — are not covered.

    Most, but not all, food stores participate. The USDA provides a link on its website to a SNAP retail locator, allowing people to enter an address to get the closest retailers to them.

    Items commonly found in a grocery and other participating stores that can’t be bought with SNAP benefits include pet food, household supplies like toilet paper, paper towels and cleaning products, and toiletries like toothpaste, shampoo and cosmetics. Vitamins, medicines, alcohol and tobacco products are also excluded.

    Sales tax is not charged on items bought with SNAP benefits.


    Are there any restrictions?

    There aren’t additional restrictions today on which foods can be purchased with SNAP money.

    But the federal government is allowing states to apply to limit which foods can be purchased with SNAP starting in 2026.

    All of them will bar buying soft drinks, most say no to candy, and some block energy drinks.

    Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

    Photos You Should See – Oct. 2025

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  • Thousands of Americans told to stay indoors in Oregon

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    Thousands of people in Oregon have been urged to stay indoors amid concerns over high air pollution levels.

    The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) AirNow map, which provides a real-time snapshot of air quality, showed that air pollution levels around Sweet Home, north-east of Eugene, are in the unhealthy range on Friday morning.

    The warnings mean that the risk of negative health effects from air pollution are increased for the general public, as well as vulnerable populations.

    Why It Matters

    Air pollution poses significant health risks to the general public, in particular for the young, seniors and vulnerable populations such as those with underlying respiratory or cardiovascular conditions.

    The EPA warned on its website: “Some members of the general public may experience health effects; members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects.”

    “Active children and adults, and people with lung disease, such as asthma, should avoid prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors. Everyone else, especially children, should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors.”

    This is a developing story. More to follow.

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  • Photos You Should See – October 2025

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    Photos You Should See – October 2025

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    Michael A. Brooks

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  • OHA Launches ‘Move Oregon Health Forward’ Pledge, Names Champions Advancing Health Equity Across The State – KXL

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    SALEM, Ore. — The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) has announced a group of statewide “Champions” for its Oregon Health Forward initiative and launched a new Move Oregon Health Forward Pledge, inviting organizations across sectors to publicly commit to advancing health equity and wellbeing for all Oregonians.

    The initiative is part of OHA’s 2030 strategic goal to build a “whole of society” approach to health — encouraging collaboration between public agencies, businesses, education, and community organizations to address health disparities and strengthen community wellbeing.

    “Now more than ever, it is the responsibility of all of us who care about health and wellbeing in Oregon to demonstrate our commitment,” said OHA Director Sejal Hathi, M.D., MBA. “I hope others see these actions and ask what their organizations can do to help all Oregonians achieve their full potential for health.”

    Champions Leading the Way

    OHA recognized eight inaugural Champions for their leadership and tangible commitments to the effort:

    • Marin Arreola, President, Advanced Economic Solutions Inc. — expanding access to equitable behavioral health services through workforce development and culturally responsive care.

    • Julia Banks, Senior Vice President, Wells Fargo — pledging $250,000 to support housing stability and help renters avoid eviction.

    • Dr. Adrien Bennings, President, Portland Community College — advancing a Behavioral Health Career Pathway to diversify Oregon’s behavioral health workforce.

    • David Drinkward, President & CEO, Hoffman Construction Company — implementing a Recovery Ready Workplace substance use prevention program for construction workers.

    • Clarissa Etter-Smith, Executive Director, Genentech — expanding STEM opportunities for underrepresented youth and improving patient access to care through inclusive clinical trials and advocacy partnerships.

    • Peggy Maguire, President, Cambia Health Foundation — committing $200,000 in 2025 to support whole-person primary care models and early interventions for families.

    • Gustavo Morales, Executive Director, Euvalcree — strengthening economic development and health equity in Eastern Oregon through technical assistance for local organizations.

    • Dr. Jayathi Murty, President, Oregon State University — investing in rural health programs, chronic disease prevention, and student placements in underserved communities.

    The Move Oregon Health Forward Pledge

    The new pledge calls on organizations statewide to sign on and commit to five core principles:

    1. Hold firm: Stay the course in advancing community health, even amid uncertainty.

    2. Act where we can: Take steps—large or small—to improve wellbeing among employees and communities.

    3. Consider health in decision-making: Evaluate how policies and budgets affect Oregonians’ ability to live well.

    4. Support solutions: Use influence and resources to help more people thrive.

    5. Stand together: Join a growing network of partners committed to a healthier Oregon.

    Organizations that sign the pledge or make new commitments will be recognized by OHA and honored at an end-of-year celebration.

    The early phase of Oregon Health Forward was supported by the CDC Foundation, which mobilizes private-sector resources to strengthen the nation’s public health system.

    For more information or to sign the pledge, click here.

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    Jordan Vawter

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  • From Beaches to Ski Slopes, Photos Show How Cameras Keep Watch All Over China

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    The Chinese government has blanketed the country with the world’s largest network of surveillance cameras.

    Some cameras swivel, ensuring sweeping views of public squares. Others scan license plates of passing cars, allowing police to track vehicles in real-time. At night, cameras light up across China’s cities, shining lights down alleys and corners.

    Over the past few decades, the Chinese government has rolled out a series of high-tech surveillance projects aimed at bringing the entire country under watch, including “Sky Net” and the “Golden Shield”.

    The latest such project is called the “Xueliang Project,” or Sharp Eyes, a reference to a quote from Communist China’s founder, Mao Zedong, who once said “the people have sharp eyes” when urging them to root out neighbors opposed to socialist values.

    The cameras studding China are knitted together in policing systems that allow authorities to track and control virtually anyone in the country, often targeting perceived threats to the state like dissidents, religious believers or ethnic minorities. Following directives from Beijing to ensure “100 percent coverage” in key public areas, authorities have installed facial-recognition cameras across the country, including in unlikely locations:

    A slew of cameras greets visitors to Beijing, with a screen underneath announcing: “Amazing China travel starts here!”

    At times, entire neighborhoods have been demolished and rebuilt in part to make it easier for cameras to keep watch. The historic quarter of Xinjiang’s ancient silk road city of Kashgar, once a maze-like warren of twisting alleys, was demolished and rebuilt with wider avenues and thousands of camera that light up at night.

    China’s cities, roads and villages are now studded with more cameras than the rest of the world combined, analysts say — roughly one for every two people.

    The goal is clear, according to authorities: Total surveillance in every corner of the country, with “no blind spots” to be found.

    This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.

    Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

    Photos You Should See – Oct. 2025

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  • Poker’s NBA-and-Mafia betting scandal echoes movie games, and cheats, from ‘Ocean’s’ to ‘Rounders’

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    LOS ANGELES (AP) — The stakes. The famous faces. The posh private rooms. The clever cheating schemes.

    The federal indictment of a big-money poker ring involving NBA figures on Thursday, in which unsuspecting rich players were allegedly enticed to join then cheated of their money, echoed decades of movies and television, and not just because of the alleged Mafia involvement.

    Fictional and actual poker have long been in sort of a pop-cultural feedback loop. When authorities described the supposed circumstances of the games, they might’ve evoked a run of screen moments from recent decades.

    Poker in ‘Ocean’s Eleven,’ ‘Molly’s Game’ and ‘The Sopranos’

    A 2004 episode of “ The Sopranos ” showed a very similar mix of celebrities and mobsters in a New York game whose players included Van Halen singer David Lee Roth and football Hall-of-Famer Lawrence Taylor, both playing themselves.

    In 2001’s “Ocean’s Eleven,” George Clooney finds his old heist buddy Brad Pitt running a poker game for “Teen Beat” cover boys including Topher Grace and Joshua Jackson, also playing themselves. Clooney spontaneously teams with Pitt to con them. And the plot of the 2007 sequel “Ocean’s Thirteen” centers on the high-tech rigging of casino games.

    Asked about the relevance of the films to the NBA scandal, which came soon after a story out of Paris that could’ve come straight out of “Ocean’s Twelve,” Clooney told The Associated Press with a laugh that “we get blamed for everything now.”

    “‘Cause we also got compared to the Louvre heist. Which, I think, you gotta CGI me into that basket coming out of the Louvre,” Clooney said Thursday night at the Los Angeles premiere of his new film, “Jay Kelly.” He was referring to thieves using a basket lift to steal priceless Napoleonic jewels from the museum.

    2017’s “Molly’s Game,” and the real-life memoir from Molly Bloom that it was based on, could almost serve as manuals for how to build a poker game’s allure for desirable “fish” in the same ways and with the same terminology that the organizers indicted Thursday allegedly used.

    The draw of Bloom’s games at hip Los Angeles club The Viper Room were not NBA players, but Hollywood players like Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire and “The Hangover” director Todd Phillips. (None of them were accused of any wrongdoing.)

    In the movie written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, Bloom, played by Jessica Chastain, describes the way a famous actor acts as an attractor for other players, the same way officials said Thursday that NBA “face cards” did for the newly indicted organizers.

    The unnamed actor, played by Michael Cera, was at least partly based on the “Spider-Man” star Maguire.

    “People wanted to say they played with him,” Chastain says. “The same way they wanted to say they rode on Air Force One. My job security was gonna depend on bringing him his fish.”

    In her book, Bloom described the allure for the players she drew.

    “The formula of keeping pros out, inviting in celebrities and other interesting and important people, and even the mystique of playing in the private room of the Viper Room added up to one of the most coveted invitations in town,” she writes, later adding that “I just needed to continue feeding it new, rich blood; and to be strategic about how to fill those ten precious seats.”

    Bloom would get caught up in a broad 2013 nationwide crackdown on high-stakes private poker games, probably the highest profile poker bust in years before this week. She got a year’s probation, a $1,000 fine, and community service.

    There were no accusations of rigging at her game, but that didn’t make it legal.

    The legality of private-space poker games has been disputed for decades and widely varies among U.S. states. But in general, they tend to bring attention and prosecution when the host is profiting the way that a casino would.

    A brief history of movies making poker cool

    Poker — and cheating at it — has run through movies, especially Westerns, from their silent beginnings.

    Prominent poker scenes feature in 1944’s “Tall in the Saddle” with John Wayne and 1950’s “The Gunfighter” with Gregory Peck.

    “The Cincinnati Kid” in 1965 was dedicated entirely to poker — with Steve McQueen bringing his unmatched cool to the title character.

    A pair of movies co-starring Robert Redford and Paul Newman really raised the game’s profile, though.

    In the opening scene of 1969’s “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,’ a hyper-cool Redford is playing poker and refuses to leave until another player takes back a cheating accusation.

    In 1973’s Best Picture Oscar winner “The Sting,” 1930s con-men Newman and Redford seek revenge against a big fish and run a series of increasingly bold gambling scams that could’ve come from Thursday’s indictments. Newman out-cheats the man at poker to set him up for the big con, a phony radio horse race.

    The 1980s saw a dip in screen poker, with the subject largely relegated to the TV “Gambler” movies, starring Kenny Rogers, based on his hit song.

    But the end of the decade brought a poker boomlet from the increased legalization of commercial games.

    Then, at possibly the perfect moment, came “Rounders.” The 1998 Matt Damon film did for Texas Hold ’em what “Sideways” did for pinot noir and “Pitch Perfect” did for a cappella: it took an old and popular phenomenon and made them widespread crazes.

    Soon after came explosive growth in online poker, whose players often sought out big face-to-face games. And the development of cameras that showed players’ cards — very similar to the tech allegedly used to cheat players, according to the new indictments — made poker a TV spectator sport.

    The “Ocean’s” films and the general mystique they brought piled on too.

    Clooney, talking about the broader set of busts Thursday that included alleged gambling on basketball itself, pointed out that his Cincinnati Reds were the beneficiaries of sport’s most infamous gambling scandal, the 1919 “Black Sox” and the fixing of the World Series, “so I have great guilt for that.”

    “But you know there — we’ve never had a moment in our history that we didn’t have some dumb scandal or something crazy,” he said. “I feel very bad for the gambling scandal ’cause this was on the night that, you know, we had some amazing basketball happen.”

    —-

    Associated Press writer Leslie Ambriz contributed to this report.

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  • Oregon E. coli Case Linked To Washington Cheese – KXL

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    File image of E. coli bacteria. Credit: MGN

    PORTLAND, OR – The Oregon Health Authority reports that an Oregon resident is one of three people who tested positive for E. Coli bacteria after eating unpasteurized aged cheese produced at the Twin Sisters Creamery Farmhouse in Washington state.

    Samples of leftover cheese obtained from the Oregon resident were tested at a laboratory, and those tests confirmed the presence of  the same E. coli pathogen that was found in two Washington state residents who had indirect exposure to cheese from the same company.  All three people experienced symptoms of E.coli infection between September 5th and September 16th. 

    Twin Sisters Peppercorn Cheese. Courtesy FDA.
    Twin Sisters Farmhouse Cheese. Courtesy FDA.
    Twin Sisters Mustard Seed Cheese. Courtesy FDA.
    Twin Sisters Whatcom Blue Cheese. Courtesy FDA.

    All sizes of Whatcom Blue, Farmhouse, Peppercorn and Mustard Seed varieties of aged cheese from Twin Sisters Creamery produced on or after May 27, 2025, are being recalled.

    • #450 Made on 5/27/2025 – Batch Code 250527B Whatcom Blue
    • #452 Made on 6/10/2025 – Batch Code 250610B Whatcom Blue
    • #454 Made on 6/18/2025 – Batch Code 250618B Whatcom Blue
    • #455 Made on 6/24/2025 – Batch Code 250625B Whatcom Blue
    • #451 Made on 6/03/2025 – Batch Code 250603F Farmhouse
    • #453 Made on 6/16/2025 – Batch Code 250616B Farmhouse
    • #451 Made on 6/03/2025 – Batch Code 250603P Peppercorn
    • #453 Made on 6/16/2025 – Batch Code 250616 Mustard Seed

    Some cheese products were repackaged by grocery stores and markets, so the original label may not be present. In these instances, the grocery store label should say the brand of cheese.

    For additional information about the investigation of these E. coli infections, read the Washington State Department of Health’s announcement.

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    Tim Lantz

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