PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A former Oregon corrections officer received a lifetime hunting ban on Wednesday after pleading guilty to several poaching-related charges.

Christopher Mason, 49, of Umatilla, was sentenced in two separate court cases to 24 months of probation and 300 hours of community service. He was also fined over $114,000 and was required to forfeit his firearms.

Oregon State Police said they began investigating Mason in 2024 after receiving information that he had been poaching big game animals.

“In February 2025, OSP served a search warrant, and multiple big game animals and firearms were seized as evidence. Sixty-seven criminal charges were referred for prosecution,” officials said. “The charges spanned multiple counties.”

Mason pleaded guilty to four counts of unlawful take of buck deer and three counts of unlawful take of black bear on June 18. In a separate case on June 26, he pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a short-barreled rifle, unlawful possession of a silencer, unlawful possession of multiple wildlife and unlawful take of mule deer.

“This is another example of serial poaching which rises to the level of felony conduct based solely on the repeated poaching conduct and impact of one individual on Oregon’s game mammals,” prosecutor Jay Hall said. “The conduct across the several counties amounts to one of the highest damage amounts done to Oregon wildlife by any singular actor.”

SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — In the middle of Utah’s drought, an environmental group is calling out what it labeled “hysteria” over water supplies for Wasatch Front cities.

“We’ve heard for 50 years that Utah is about to run out of water for its cities,” said Zach Frankel, director of the Utah Rivers Council. “And it’s a myth.”

Frankel, a frequent presence on Utah’s Capitol Hill, said cities — including the people who live in them — account for only a sliver of Utah’s total water use.

MORE | Utah Drought

He said that water rates are so low we have “the most wasteful water users in the country” and that outdoor watering could be dramatically curtailed with little to no impact.

Claims of running out of water, Frankel said, are aimed at pushing pricey, publicly funded water construction projects.

Ogden is embarking on a $100 million replacement of a 100-year-old pipeline through Ogden Canyon aimed at “improving reliability, reducing water loss, and supporting long-term water security.”

The Weber Basin Waster Conservancy District is not driving or financing the construction, but is involved with it, and the general manager called the Utah Rivers Council position “hogwash.”

“We’re not doing projects … just to spend hundreds of millions of dollars,” said GM Scott Paxman. “We are running out of water.”

Paxman said 20,000 more homes are already approved and/or permitted within the district boundaries, and even more permits are likely in Ogden Valley, Summit and Morgan Counties.

Laura Briefer, director of the Salt Lake City Department of Public Utilities, said the city rates have gone up, and are “encouraging conservation.”

Frankel said conservation efforts can go further, even as more and more water is diverted in northern Utah from agriculture to growing communities — water that will not end up in a near-record-low Great Salt Lake.

“If you went to the gas station and saw someone pouring gasoline on the sidewalk while simultaneously simply telling us, ‘We’re running out of gas,’ it would be, ‘What are you talking about?’” Frankel said. “Put the nozzle back.”

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NAVASOTA, Texas (KBTX) – For many Texans, the Fourth of July is about fireworks and family cookouts. At Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site, it’s also about standing where Texas’ own independence story began, and marking a milestone in how the Lone Star State became part of the nation it celebrates.

The Texas historic site, set on 293 acres of parkland along the Brazos River, is known as “Where Texas Became Texas.” It is the place where 59 delegates met and signed the Texas Declaration of Independence from Mexico on March 2, 1836, launching what would become the Republic of Texas.

From 1836 to 1846, Texas existed as a separate nation, before the question of annexation came to the forefront. Site staff say Washington-on-the-Brazos offers a “bookended” look at the Republic’s decade-long history because discussions about joining the United States also took place there and were ultimately voted on in the property.

This year’s July 4 programming is designed to connect those chapters of Texas history with the national holiday, including a commemoration tied directly to the Lone Star being added to the American flag.

“This is also the 180th anniversary of when Texas was added to the American flag,” said Chandler Wahrmund, assistant site manager for the Fanthorp Inn State Historic Site, which is part of the broader Republic of Texas Complex.

A historic site with multiple stops

Washington-on-the-Brazos includes several major attractions:

• Visitor Center: The recommended starting point for guests. It features interactive exhibits presenting a timeline of the Texas Revolution and includes the Museum Store, with snacks and Texas-themed items. The Visitor Center is free and is where visitors can gather information and purchase entry tickets for the site’s paid attractions.
• Independence Hall: A replica building that sits on the spot where the Texas Declaration of Independence was signed, allowing visitors to visualize where that pivotal moment unfolded.
• Star of the Republic Museum: A central museum on the grounds focused on the Republic era.
• Barrington Living History Farm: A living-history area that interprets life in the Republic of Texas period through demonstrations and activities.

The historic site is also the core of the Republic of Texas Complex, which includes Fanthorp Inn, a preserved 19th-century stagecoach inn in nearby Anderson.

July 4 events across the grounds

Staff say this year’s July 4 celebration will include activities happening throughout the site, with scheduled programs at key times.

According to site staff, the day includes:

• Flag raising ceremony at 11 a.m.
• Readings of the American Declaration of Independence at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
• Star of the Republic Museum cockade-making, creating patriotic lapel decorations
• Barrington Living History Farm games, including trap ball, a precursor to baseball
• Townsite activities at Hatfield’s Exchange, a recreated high-class bar from the period, with lemonade and other period-inspired nonalcoholic drinks for visitors

Wahrmund said the day is a chance to revisit the country’s founding words, and understand why they still matter.

“I love to read the words of Thomas Jefferson on the day, July 4th, to really understand why we exist as a nation,” he said.

Hours and admission

Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site will be open 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on July 4, and admission is free all day.