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Drug users outside Portland daycare cause preschool children to play inside for safety: 'This is awful'

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Drug users outside Portland daycare cause preschool children to play inside for safety: 'This is awful'

Drug addicts positioned outside a school and a daycare center in Portland, Oregon are causing children to be forced to play inside due to safety concerns, according to a recent report.

“Usually, I do mostly meth,” Violet, a local drug user who often smokes outside of the school, told NBC affiliate KGW. “And this area always has been known to be a heavy drug area,” she said, adding that “they shouldn’t have put a preschool right f—ing there.”

“We don’t want [the children] to be exposed to that because it’s their innocence that we’re defiling,” Violet added. 

“Probably the next block is going to be over, and then, two blocks over are going to be the next spot soon,” Violet told KGW, explaining that drug users will find a different place to meet even if police move them away from the area near Saint James Lutheran Church on Southwest Jefferson and 10th Avenue. 

ALL ROADS ‘LEAD BACK TO FENTANYL’: CITY OVERRUN WITH DRUGS SEES PROGRESS AFTER OVERWHELMED POLICE GET NEW HELP

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Drug addicts posted up outside a school and a daycare center in Portland, Oregon are causing children to be forced to play inside due to safety concerns, according to a recent report. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images and Hannah Ray Lambert/Fox News Digital)

“I mean, that sucks, but this sucks too,” another drug user told the outlet about the problem on Portland streets. “They can move if they want, or they can help us get rid of the problem.” 

“It’s untenable,” local parent Kelly Forsyth said. “We often will walk over needles with our kids. They’re within ten feet, you’ll see people shooting up, passed out.” 

“It feels like my kids aren’t being set up well for their future,” Forsyth said.

KGW reported that the preschoolers have been told to play inside by teachers due to safety concerns about the surrounding neighborhood. 

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Some local police officers in Portland spoke out against the rampant drug use around the daycare and school. “It’s really concerning for me,” officer David Baer said of the scores of drug users around Saint James Lutheran Church. “I’ve been here a long time; nothing really seems to bother me anymore, but as a parent to a 2-year-old, I was like, ‘This is awful.’”

PORTLAND SECURITY GUARD TEARS UP OVER DEADLY CONSEQUENCES SINCE DRUG LAW: ‘EVERYONE DESERVES BETTER THAN THIS’

Some local police officers in Portland spoke out against the rampant drug use around the daycare and school. (Hannah Ray Lambert/Fox News Digital)

“We want to be downtown. We want to spend time here. We want our kids to remain safe and do the things they like to do. I want the city to listen to us, and I want them to take action,” local parent Ryen Salo said. 

The drug problems come as staffing at the Portland Police Bureau’s Central Precinct is down over 50%.

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On a statewide level, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek directed OSP last fall to send some troopers to Portland to help local law enforcement track and bust fentanyl dealers. 

Fentanyl started taking off in Oregon around 2018. Since then, overdose deaths attributed to synthetic opioids have surged 533% in Multnomah County, according to local health officials.

Public drug use is currently “not a crime” under Oregon law, KGW reported. 

The office of Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler told Fox News Digital it was “aware of the concerns regarding the Park Blocks near the St. James Child Development Center, and Mayor Wheeler empathizes with the frustrations shared,” and laid out steps it had taken to address the issue, including the Portland Police Bureau and the Oregon State Police making “numerous points of contact with the folks near the site.”

The downtown skyline and the Broadway Bridge are viewed in the early morning on Feb. 11, 2012, in Portland, Oregon.  (George Rose/Getty Images)

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“We are continuing to move forward immediate solutions both at the local level and through legislative action at the state level,” a spokesman said. “Through our engagement with parents at the school, St. James staff, and engaging with those loitering near the site, the Mayor’s office and our public safety partners have taken the following recent actions to address the problem:

  • The Street Services Coordination Center removed numerous tents along the Daycare entrance and on Park this week and posted additional sites.
  • This morning, staff from the Mayor’s office visited St. James during drop off hours and met with the daycare director and parents in-person after walking around the church and attached apartments.
  • The Mayor’s staff have repeatedly engaged directly with people loitering near the entrance.
  • The Portland Police Bureau and the Oregon State Police have made numerous points of contact with the folks near the site.
  • The Mayor’s intent is that the 90-day Fentanyl Emergency (in-tandem with Multnomah County and the State of Oregon) will result in stronger, more responsive coordination with our public safety and behavioral health partners and ultimately durable solutions to sites like this one.

“It has to be noted that state laws do not prohibit public use and do not permit cities enacting laws to the contrary. Police are unable to make arrests without a crime. Mayor Wheeler will continue advocating that the Oregon State Legislature take swift action in changing drug use laws so that law enforcement has the tools they need to engage. This remains a top priority for our team.”

 

Fox News’ Hanna Ray Lambert contributed to this report.

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California

Two Jewish men beaten in San Jose after speaking Hebrew | The Jerusalem Post

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Two Jewish men beaten in San Jose after speaking Hebrew | The Jerusalem Post


Two Jewish men were beaten, and later briefly hospitalized, after they were heard speaking Hebrew in front of a restaurant in San Jose’s Santana Row in California, local media reported on Tuesday. 

Footage of the incident, shot by local witnesses, shows the pair of victims attacked by three other individuals outside the Augustine restaurant, NBC Bay Area reported.

“I just turned around, and they literally started punching,” one of the victims, who wished not to be identified, told the outlet. “We got swarmed very badly. I’m in a lot of pain. I still cannot chew. My jaw hurts, my back is hurting.”

According to NBC, the victims said they did not recognize their assailants, and police are investigating the incident as a possible hate crime.

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According to ABC7 News, both Jewish men were waiting to be seated at the restaurant when the incident occurred.

“One of the witnesses said that they heard them saying, ‘don’t mess with Iran’, which we don’t know why,” one of the victims told the outlet. “We don’t have any problem with them. But, I heard at the beginning of the fight, something with, ‘F the Jews’.”

ABC7 added that one of the victims had been knocked out and needed stitches after the assault.

In a statement, the Bay Area Jewish Community Relations Council identified the pair of victims as Israeli Americans.

Sam Liccardo, the Democratic representative of California’s 16th Congressional District and former San Jose mayor, condemned the assault in a subsequent statement on X/Twitter.

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“Violence targeting any members of our community—including our Jewish and Israeli community members—amounts to an attack on all of us,” he wrote.

Current San Jose Mayor also weighed in on X, stating that “Antisemitism and all acts of hatred have no place in San Jose. Being able to talk about our differences and celebrate them is what makes us the safest big city in America.”

“I have been in touch with our police department and leaders in the local Jewish community regarding this deeply disturbing incident and will continue to monitor the situation closely as the investigation continues,” he added.





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Colorado

‘It’s Not a Penalty’: Bednar Rips Officials For MacKinnon Ejection | Colorado Hockey Now

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‘It’s Not a Penalty’: Bednar Rips Officials For MacKinnon Ejection | Colorado Hockey Now


Head coach Jared Bednar is often calm and calculated during his postgame press conferences. But his frustrations were made loud and clear on Tuesday, following the Avalanche’s 4-3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers at Ball Arena in a game that saw superstar center Nathan MacKinnon get ejected late in the second period.

With the Avs on the power play trailing 2-1, MacKinnon entered the Oilers’ zone with speed and received an east-to-west pass from Martin Necas. MacKinnon’s shot went wide, but with little space to maneuver because Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse was cutting in on him, MacKinnon barreled into goalie Connor Ingram and was handed a five-minute major and a game misconduct.

“[MacKinnon] makes the play on the puck, and I got his toes cutting up ice probably through the top of the paint, and Ingram’s on the goal line. There’s no chance that he hits the goalie if Nurse doesn’t run into him. He’s not hitting the goalie,” Bednar said, after watching his team fall to 43-11-9 on the season.

Ingram left the game with an injury and did not return.

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“I don’t care if he’s injured, not injured, if it’s a severe crash, not a severe crash. It’s not a penalty,” Bednar said. “If you put guys in your own goalie, it’s not a penalty.”

The MacKinnon call prematurely ended the Avs’ second power play of the night. They successfully killed off the 4:05 remaining on the major and tied the game, but couldn’t secure a point.

Ross Colton, Necas, and Valeri Nichushkin had Colorado’s goals. Unfortunately for Colton, he left the game with an upper-body injury in the second period and did not return.

“He took a shot from a player during the game and he kind of tightened up so he’s got an upper-body injury. Hopefully he loosens up for tomorrow and can play in Seattle,” Bednar said.

Mackenzie Blackwood started for the Avs after getting pulled in Dallas two games ago. He let in three goals on his first 10 shots before locking in later in the game. Blackwood made several big stops during the lengthy PK before Nichushkin tied it up. But it still wasn’t enough. Blackwood finished with 20 saves.

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The Oilers finished 2-for-4 on the power play, getting the game-winning goal from Connor McDavid on a spectacular give-and-go with Leon Draisaitl with 10:57 remaining in regulation. Both of them finished with two points, while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had two goals.

Colorado had a power play after that, but could not capitalize. Necas’ tally came on the PP earlier in the evening, and the Avs finished 1-for-3. Colton’s goal came just 24 seconds into the first period, which snapped his nine-game goalless drought.

All of the Avalanche’s best plays were in the first and third periods. The second was a different story.

“I’ll give you an example, three or four times at the start of the second period, we try to go in on a rush, and we lose it and change, and they get odd-man rushes and a scoring chance against,” Bednar said. “You can’t do that. You can’t do that against anybody, never mind the best offensive team in the league.”

Edmonton also played with a shortened bench. On top of losing Ingram to an injury, forward Colton Dach, and defenseman Ty Emberson also left with ailments and did not return. From the moment MacKinnon was ejected, the pace of the game changed. Frustrations were noticeable on both sides.

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“It was a great game up until that,” Nazem Kadri said. “I think it was a good battle out there. Players were playing hard and, you know, it’s unfortunate that’s how it’s gotta end.”

Kadri was also vehemently against the MacKinnon call.

“I think Nate makes an effort. He’s diving across the top of the crease to try to get out of the way, like that’s a part of the rule for the player to at least make some sort of attempt. There was clear contact. I have no idea how that was a five-minute,” he said.

Good: Nichushkin Is Heating Up

When he’s been available to play, there haven’t been many bad stretches for Nichushkin. His on-ice production has been solid over the past three regular seasons. But this year, the 30-year-old veteran forward has had tough stretches. Entering the break, and coming out of it, Nichushkin wasn’t producing at the rate he usually does.

Over the past three games, he’s looked more like the power forward that we’ve grown accustomed to. And he’s gotten rewarded for it on the scoresheet.

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Bad: The Penalty

I had a hard time deciphering if it was or wasn’t a penalty on MacKinnon when it first happened. I watched replays, I slowed them down, and I started to form an opinion.

But regardless of whether MacKinnon should’ve been called for anything, it shouldn’t have been a five. That part I can’t wrap my head around.

Bednar was frustrated and asked about it again. He added, “I really don’t give a crap if the goalies hurt. That’s on their D.”

Good:

Bad: Defensive Breakdowns

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Each of the first three Edmonton goals were scored by guys that were open in front of the goal. On the first two,



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Hawaii

Towering lava fountains of Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano trigger park and highway closures

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Towering lava fountains of Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano trigger park and highway closures


HONOLULU — The latest lava fountaining episode of an erupting Hawaii volcano reached 1,000 feet high Tuesday, prompting temporary closures at a national park and part of an important highway because of falling glassy volcanic fragments, including ash.

Kilauea, on Hawaii’s Big Island, has been dazzling residents and visitors for more than year with an on-and-off eruption that periodically sends fountains of lava soaring into the sky.

The fountaining that began Tuesday morning marked the eruption’s 43rd episode since it began in December 2024. A livestream showed two fountains of bright-red lava and smoke. It’s unclear how long the fountaining will last. Some episodes have lasted a few days and others a few hours.

This image from video by the United States Geological Survey shows lava erupting from Kilauea volcano on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii.USGS / via AP

Like other times, the molten rock was confined within Kilauea’s summit crater inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and hasn’t threatened homes or buildings.

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But the lava fountains were creating trouble for neighboring communities and a highway where the volcanic fragments and ash, known as tephra, was falling. The tephra prompted temporary closures at the national park around the summit and a partial closure of Highway 11, an important route around the island, on either side of the park.

Hawaii County officials also opened a shelter at a district gymnasium for residents and tourists impacted by the road closure or falling tephra. There were no people using the shelter soon after it opened, said Tom Callis, a county spokesperson.

The National Weather Service issued an ashfall warning.

Volcanic tephra can irritate eyes, skin and the respiratory system, according to county officials. Tephra also can clog and cause other problems with water catchment collection systems, which are common in some parts of the Big Island, officials said.

Ash fell so heavily during a previous fountaining episode that some communities needed help from county civil defense workers to clean up ash that coated their homes, Callis said.

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Kilauea is one of the world’s most active volcanoes.



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