(Portland, OR)  --  Transportation officials say excessive speed was to blame for Portland's deadliest traffic year on record.  The Portland Bureau of Transportation presented a report to City Council yesterday showing excessive speed was a factor in a majority of crashes last year.  The report says 40 of the 69 traffic deaths reported last year were at least partially caused by excessive speed.  The report also found that people experiencing homelessness are disproportionately affected by traffic violence.

(Portland, OR)  --  Multnomah County's Homelessness Czar is stepping down amid allegations of bullying women in the office.  Willamette Week reports Chris Fick resigned Monday afternoon at the request of Multnomah County Chair Jessica Vega Pederson.  The resignation took effect on Tuesday.  Officials say six former and current female employees came forward with allegations that Fick repeatedly bullied women workers at the county.  Fick is receiving more than 25-thousand dollars in severance pay.

(Jacksonville, OR)  --  An investigation is ongoing into the discovery of skeletal human remains in rural Jacksonville.  The Jackson County Sheriff's Office says the remains were found Sunday in a remote area of rugged terrain in the Applegate area.  Police are investigating the death as suspicious.

(Vancouver, WA)  --  Evergreen Public Schools Superintendent John Boyd is retiring.  Boyd announced yesterday he plans to retire at the end of this school year.  Boyd says it was a difficult decision but that he and his family have agreed that this is the right time for him to retire.  Boyd has served as superintendent since 2022 and has worked as a teacher, principal and administrator for over three decades.  Evergreen Public Schools serves students in the Vancouver, Washington area.

(Salem, OR)  --  A second suspect has been arrested in a Salem mail theft investigation.  Forty-nine-year-old Brett Regimbal, of Salem, was arrested after a nearly seven-hour standoff with Salem Police SWAT.  Regimbal refused to talk with negotiators, so police sent a K9 into the house and he was taken into custody.  Investigators found stolen mail, counterfeit mail keys, evidence of identity theft and drugs.  Regimbal was booked into the Polk County Jail on charges including possession of a burglary tool, identity theft, and strangulation.  He had two outstanding warrants from Marion and Yamhill counties.

(Portland, OR)  --  Portland City Council is postponing discussion on Mayor Ted Wheeler's new camping ban proposal that would replace the previous law, which is tied up in court.  Council members were scheduled to take up the ban this week but are now delaying discussions on it until next Wednesday.  The new ordinance would focus on the manner of camping.  Things that would be prohibited include using a propane heater, blocking access to private property, and selling bike or car parts.  Violators could face a 100-dollar fine and up to seven days in jail.  Wheeler says it's mainly aimed and people who refused services that are offered for alternate shelter.

(Portland, OR)  --  Multnomah County is on track to meet its goal for spending Supportive House Services money.  This fiscal year, they've spent 91 million dollars which is 53 percent of the 170-million-dollar budget.  That's more than they spent in the entire previous fiscal year.  The money is used for shelter, outreach, permanent supportive housing and short-term housing assistance.  The program got off to a slow start the first two years because of workforce challenges in the homeless services sector, but those issues are improving.

(Salem, OR)  --  Oregon's Department of Agriculture is enacting emergency requirements for imported cattle in response to recent cases of bird flu in cattle found in other states.  Effective immediately, cattle exposed to, infected with or suspected to be carrying avian influenza or bovine influenza are not allowed to be brought into Oregon.  And dairy cattle coming from states with virus outbreaks need extra health certificates and special permission from the ODA.  The agency has also declared highly pathogenic avian influenza a reportable disease, regardless of species.

(Salem, OR)  --  A group of female Republican lawmakers demands action by the Oregon Schools Activities Association after a transgender student placed third in the girls' division at a Sherwood track competition.  A dozen state representatives signed a letter to the OSAA director, saying they are left with no choice but to encourage parents to withdraw their girls from competitions in which athletes who were assigned male at birth are allowed to participate.  They also say they plan to pursue a statutory change in the 2025 session to remove records set by athletes assigned male at birth competing in girls' sports. 

(Gresham, OR) -- Shootings appear to be on the rise in Gresham. The Gresham Police Department claims the number of shootings reported in the city is up 400-percent from 2018. Police say there have been 38 shootings in Gresham so far this year. The department claims it needs more police officers on the streets to address the alleged problem.

(Bethany, OR)  --  Police in Washington County are warning parents after a man allegedly tried to abduct a child near school.  It happened around 5:20 yesterday evening near the Jacob Wismer Elementary and Stoller Middle school complex.  Police say the boy was walking home from the elementary school when a man approached him and claimed to be a friend of his mother's.  The man then told the boy he'd been sent to pick him up.  Police say the boy ran away and got home safely.  The suspect is described as a large man in his 70s with a three-inch white beard, Pit Viper-style sunglasses and an American flag hat.

(Camas, WA)  --  A city near Portland is being called one of the best places to live in America.  Personal finance website Money says Camas in Washington's Clark County is one of the 50 best places to live in the U.S.  The website lists Camas in its "Best Kept Secrets" category and praises the town's commitment to revitalizing its downtown area as well as its easy access to natural attractions, like the Cape Horn Lookout.  Eugene also made the list under the website's "Not Just College Towns" category.

(Seattle, WA)  --  The families of a Seattle couple killed in a mass shooting that also injured an Oregon man during an electronic music festival last summer in Washington are filing a lawsuit.  Thirty-one-year-old Andrew Cuadra of Eugene suffered a gunshot wound in the attack last June at the Beyond Wonderland EDM festival at the Gorge Amphitheater.  Family members of the two women killed in the shooting, 29-year-old Brandy Escamilla and 26-year-old Josilyn Ruiz, are suing event organizer Live Nation and its security contractors.  They argue the companies had both the means and the responsibility to do more to prevent the shooting.  Court documents show 26-year-old James Kelly of Joint Base Lewis-McChord told detectives he took psychedelic mushrooms and started to believe the world was ending before pulling out a gun and opening fire.

(Salem, OR)  --  The Salem-Keizer School District plans to cut 400 positions to balance its budget for next year.  The cuts total 40-million-dollars which is on top of the 31-million-dollars the district already planned to cut.  Two-hundred-31 teachers will be eliminated across all grade levels, 114 instructional assistants, health assistants and graduation coaches will be cut along with eight administrators.  School District Superintendent Andrea Castañeda blamed the shortfall on underfunding by the state.

(Oregon City, OR)  --  A Clackamas County Jail deputy has been charged with Official Misconduct for an incident that happened last July.  The Clackamas County Sheriff's Office says the charges stem from a standard review following a use of force incident on an inmate by Deputy Jeanamarie Fisher.  Oregon State Police were called in to conduct the investigation.  Fisher has been placed on paid administrative leave.  The Clackamas County District Attorney's Office filed the charges against Fisher.

(Portland, OR)  --  Sight impaired basketball fans are experiencing NBA games in a partnership with the Portland Trail Blazers.  OneCourt, based in Seattle, developed a device that allows sight impaired people to experience a basketball game by feel through their hands.  They place their hands on a device that lays on their lap.  Vibrations indicate where the play is on the court.  The two organizations worked with local nonprofits to invite sight impaired people to test the devices.  The Trail Blazers allow the company to access the NBA's live gameplay tracking data that translates to vibrations on the device.  Tests will continue at the final two games of the season this week.

(Portland, OR)  --  The Oregon Zoo is bringing back its Zoo Brew festival to help kick off the summer season.  The zoo announced this week it will run the popular beer-tasting festival June 7th and 8th.  Over 45 breweries and cideries from the Pacific Northwest will be represented.  Tickets are available at the Oregon Zoo's website.

(Salem, OR)  --  Oregon is distributing millions of dollars to local fire agencies to help out with this year's wildfire season.  The Oregon State Fire Marshal announced earlier this week it has awarded a total of six-million dollars in grants to nearly 200 local agencies.  The funding is intended to help the agencies pay for the additional staffing necessary to fight the growing number of wildfires in the state.

(Portland, OR) -- One person is dead after being crushed by a 12-hundred-pound tree stump in Northeast Portland. KATU-2 reports the victim was using some sort of equipment to remove the stump from their backyard yesterday morning when the equipment malfunctioned. Firefighters say the victim died at the scene.

(Vancouver, WA) -- A 23-year-old man accused of opening fire on a pair of churches and a school parking lot in Vancouver is pleading not guilty. KATU-2 reports Aleksey Suturin pleaded not guilty to multiple charges in court yesterday in connection to the drive-by shooting spree early Tuesday morning. Police say the spree started with a shooting at the Seventh Day Adventist Church on Northeast Saint Johns Road. Then shots were fired at the Kessid Columbia Church on Northwest 99th Street and later at a school parking lot. No injuries were reported. Suturin is being held without bail until a competency evaluation can be completed.

(Chehalis, OR) -- A Southwest Washington man is pleading not guilty to sabotaging a pair of electrical substations in Oregon. The Oregonian reports Nathaniel Cheney of Chehalis pleaded not guilty to federal charges in court yesterday. He's accused of breaking into power stations in Oregon City and Clackamas near Portland in November of 2022 and shooting at pieces of equipment. Police say he had an accomplice, whose name remains redacted.

(Milwaukie, OR) -- Milwaukie Police have released the name of a man who was hit by a vehicle and killed on Tuesday. Police say 80-year-old Louis Daniel Rodrigues, of Milwaukie, was crossing Southeast McLoughlin Boulevard in an area that wasn't a crosswalk. There was also reduced driver visibility. Rodrigues died at the scene. No citations or charges were issued to the driver who remained at the scene.

(Gresham, OR) -- A suspect in a Gresham assault has been arrested. Police were trying to find the person who used a skateboard to hit a man on the head. The victim was hospitalized. Tuesday night, the 15-year-old suspect came with his parents to the Gresham Police Department and turned himself in. He was lodged at the Donald E. Long Juvenile Detention Facility and will be charged with assault.

(Hillsboro, OR) -- Police are seeking help in their search for a missing Hillsboro man. The Hillsboro Police Department says 58-year-old Daniel Quitugua has been missing since April 2nd. Police say he was last seen leaving his home in his white Toyota Tacoma. Anyone with information is urged to contact police.

(Portland, OR) -- A pilot project to help people in Portland's Central City with mental health and addiction problems is being expanded. The Unified Command, under the Governor's 90-day fentanyl emergency, has recommended spending 682-thousand dollars to lease a space and staff the operation. The money would fund four peer support specialist-outreach team members, a project coordinator, a vehicle and leased space at the Mercy Corps building. The cost is being split between the state, Multnomah County and the City of Portland.