Bike Path Booby Trap
According to the Willamette Week, two of the three men that Booby trapped part of a bike path corridor earlier this month are being indicted on felony charges of assault and reckless endangerment. The three suspects: Antonio Tolman-Duran, Dakota Murphy and Justin Jones strung twine over the Corridor along I-205 in order to target the Houseless population living in the area.
A cyclist, Carlene Oostegard pedaled through the trap and sustained injuries on her face and neck last month. Two of the suspects have pleaded not guilty and are due to be arraigned on January the fifteenth.
Homicide Indictment
Multnomah County District Attorney Rod Underhill announced today that a grand jury has returned a three count indictment against 38-year-old Nathan Wayne Moore.
The indictment accuses him of shooting and killing 41-year-old Dominique Eivers on November 19th.
This investigation started when Portland Police got information about a disturbance on Southeast Powell Boulevard in Portland. Officers began speaking with several people, and found blood on the ground. They learned Eivers was dropped off at a hospital. He died as a result of a gunshot, according to the Oregon State Medical Examiner.
Police arrested Moore on November 19th. He pleaded not guilty. The next scheduled court date for the case is January 8th.
An indictment is an accusation of a crime, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Health Money Left on Table
Thousands of Oregonians may be leaving money on the table when it comes to help for health insurance. More than one hundred thousand Oregonians were estimated to be eligible for subsidies through HealthCare dot gov in 2018, but did not enroll.
Oregonians who do not get health insurance through their job or a program such as the Oregon Health Plan or Medicare may for qualify help paying for 2019 coverage at HealthCare dot gov, but only until December fifteenth. That’s the deadline to get health insurance for next year.
“The best way to find out if you qualify for financial assistance is to apply,” said Cameron Smith, director of the Department of Consumer and Business Services. “Don’t assume you make too much to be eligible.”
People making about $48,000 or less per year, and families of four making about $100,000 or less, may get help paying for coverage. Last year, Oregonians who chose plans through HealthCare dot gov got an average subsidy of $421 per month.
To apply, go to oregonhealthcare.gov before December 15.
Wilsonville Crime Spree
Officers have arrested a couple in Wilsonville they connected to a crime spree, involving as many as forty local theft cases.
They’re accusing Skylar and Jessica Tweedle of crimes including burglaries, garage and car break-ins, and package thefts.
During a traffic stop yesterday, police discovered the Tweedles had so called "jiggle keys" which are filed-down car keys used in car break-ins and thefts, garage-door openers, credit cards, packages stolen from porches, computers, cell phones, gift cards, purses and bags, various forms of ID, and drug items. Also in the car at the time of the stop was their 3-year-old child, who is now with other family members.
The Tweedles admitted to their participation in recent crimes, and were booked into Clackamas County Jail on meth, burglary, ID theft and other charges.
Officers ae looking for a third person they want to question about the theft spree, 30 year old Joshua Kenneth Derrick.
Illegal Elk Hunt
State Police are asking for the public’s help to find those responsible for illegally killing and wasting a bull elk in Washington County.
On November 10th, Oregon State Police discovered that a group of hunters shot 2 bull elk.
The hunters were on Weyerhaeuser [Ware-Houser] property near Wolf Creek and Timber Roads. Police don’t think they had permits to be there. One of those reporting it was watching the hunters from some nearby trees. When the Troopers arrived, the hunters were no longer there. One elk had been harvested and the other was left to waste.
The Troopers salvaged most of the meat from the wasted elk and donated it to the Portland Rescue Mission.
The Oregon State Police are asking anyone with information about this unlawful take, to contact their TIP program, which offers cash rewards for the unlawful killing or wasting of big game mammals.
The TIP Hotline is 1-800-452-7888, and the email is TIP @ state.or.us.
Climate Change
A national report shows that heat waves, wildfires, droughts and floods, are already affecting human health. But Oregon is among the Northwest states taking steps to reduce the risks of climate change, according to the national climate assessment.
Emily York, one of the authors of the report’s Northwest chapter, says it “ makes it clear that climate change is not just something that will happen in the future, it’s happening now and affecting the health of people right here in Oregon."
The part about the Northwest says extreme climate-related events are increasing heat- and respiratory- related emergency room visits, harmful algae blooms, and mental health risks. It says those most at risk include children, tribes, farmworkers, and low-income households.
It features a project of the Oregon Climate and Health Program, with the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs.
Oregon’s Public Health Division and local health departments monitor trends in emergency and urgent care visits when there is poor air quality or extreme heat. Local health departments have helped by providing testing for water well users in drought- prone areas.
Although the report highlights actions taken in Oregon, it says our public health system and Oregon’s social safety net do not have the capacity to respond to the expected health risks of climate change.
Church Gentrification
White flight, gentrification and the urban church are the topics of a lecture that’s open to the public at Warner Pacific University in Portland next week. Dr. Lloyd Chia, who teaches social science, will explore the relationships between urbanization, gentrification, wealth, racial injustice and faith.
According to the university, During the era of white- flight to the suburbs, many churches chose to follow their wealthier and white members out to the suburbs in the name of needing “more space,” propelling the mega-church movement of the ’70s and ’80s. Chia’s lecture draws attention to how the church failed to work in the best interest of urban communities that needed it most during that time.
He says now, churches are once again “following the money” back into the city centers. While many churches are motivated by a desire to love the city and impact it for good, they can also be part of the gentrifying process displacing minorities and transforming neighborhoods, marked by a reverse white-flight back to city centers.
You can hear Dr. Chia speak on “The Urban Church as Fair Weather Friend” on Thursday, December 6th at 7 pm, in the Schlatter Chapel at Warner Pacific University on SE 68th Avenue in Portland.
- KBOO