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Jail refuses to book first person arrested under Portland's new homeless camping rules

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Jail refuses to book first person arrested under Portland's new homeless camping rules

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Police in Portland, Oregon, made their first arrest under a new ordinance restricting camping on public property, but the county jail refused to book the suspect.

It’s the latest blow to city officials’ attempts to crack down on pervasive homeless camps.

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“I am disappointed by the Sheriff’s decision to refuse to book individuals arrested for violating the law,” Mayor Ted Wheeler told Fox News Digital in a statement. “I am deeply concerned by this disconnect and what it may mean for future efforts to improve public safety.”

Portland’s new camping restrictions took effect July 1. People who refuse offers of shelter could face up to seven days in jail under the ordinance, but the county jail refused to book a man accused of breaking the law last week. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)

CRISIS IN THE NORTHWEST: INSIDE ONE OF OREGON’S LARGEST HOMELESS CAMPS WITH A FORMER DRUG DEALER

Last Friday, officers arrested a man accused of repeatedly refusing offers of shelter, including a tiny home, a spokesperson for the Portland Police Bureau told Fox News Digital. They took the man to the downtown jail, but staff declined to book him, so he was released.

The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) operates the two jails in Portland. Deputy John Plock, a spokesperson for the office, told Willamette Week that jail staff do not book people arrested for violating city rules, only those accused of committing misdemeanor or felony offenses under state law.

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The policy stems from an August 2023 directive from Sheriff Nicole Morrisey O’Donnell, Plock said.

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That came as a surprise to city officials, including the mayor, who said his office met with Morrisey O’Donnell and her team “several times over the last year and a half to receive input on the City’s public camping laws.”

The sheriff’s representatives “explicitly stated publicly that booking restrictions had been lifted,” Wheeler said in his statement. “That is clearly not the case.”

“I urge the Sheriff to reconsider her position,” Wheeler’s statement reads.

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MCSO did not respond to emailed questions from Fox News Digital, but Morrisey O’Donnell released a statement Tuesday denying that her office had ever agreed to book people arrested for city ordinance violations.

“As the elected official charged with managing the jail, I believe we need to utilize the corrections system as a place for people who pose a genuine danger to the public, and that does not include individuals whose only offense is living unsheltered,” Morrisey O’Donnell said in the statement.

Tents cover an open space near the Steel Bridge in Portland, Oregon on July 7, 2023. Portland’s new rules ban people from camping on public property if they have “access to reasonable alternative shelter.” The ordinance also bans campers from lighting fires or using gas heaters at campsites, causing environmental damage, or putting up structures. And it requires people to keep all their belongings within two feet of their tent. (Hannah Ray Lambert/Fox News Digital)

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Oregon’s homeless population has skyrocketed in recent years. The crisis is most apparent in the state’s largest city, where tents, RVs and campsites often sprawl across sidewalks, parks and other open areas.

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The Portland City Council approved a daytime camping ban last year, but a lawsuit stopped it from being enforced on the grounds it violated state law.

Then this May, commissioners unanimously approved new time, place and manner restrictions that prohibit people from camping on public property if they have access to “reasonable alternative shelter.” People who turn down an offer of shelter could face a $100 fine, seven days in jail, or both under the ordinance.

Even if shelter is not available, the ordinance prohibits camping sidewalks or anywhere that blocks access to businesses or other private property.

The city has performed more than 3,600 site assessments since the ordinance took effect on July 1. Most campers approached by the city have accepted shelter offers or otherwise complied with the restrictions, a spokesperson for the mayor’s office told Fox News Digital.

Friday’s arrest was the first since the ordinance took effect, according to Willamette Week. The mayor’s office stressed that outreach workers had contacted the man at the campsite numerous times before the city referred the matter to police.

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Portland officials, including Wheeler, have long expressed frustration with state laws and other legal barriers that have hindered the city’s ability to address issues like homeless camping and public drug use.

Oregon is set to recriminalize drug possession starting Sept. 1. Individuals caught with drugs are supposed to have a choice between jail or locally-operated deflection programs, but now Wheeler said now he’s worried about what the sheriff’s policy means for those who decline deflection.

The sheriff’s office has budgeted 1,130 beds between its two jails and has previously warned that overcrowding could trigger the release of incarcerated individuals. The average daily inmate population has been around 80% of capacity or less since the sheriff’s August 2023 directive, according to MCSO data.

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West

Knife-wielding nut allegedly asked Christian his religion – then stabbed him and dog before police shot him

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Knife-wielding nut allegedly asked Christian his religion – then stabbed him and dog before police shot him

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An armed Washington man was shot and killed by police after authorities say he stabbed a man and the victim’s dog, attacking them moments after asking the victim what religion he practiced.

The incident unfolded just before 6:30 a.m. on Sunday, when a man called 911 to report he had been stabbed by an unknown man near a local S S Quickstop Grocer in Parkland, the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office said in a social media post

When officers arrived, the victim and his dog were both in serious condition. 

OFFICER-INVOLVED SHOOTING REPORTED INSIDE NYC HOSPITAL FOLLOWING KNIFE INCIDENT

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A man and his dog are in serious condition after an unknown attacker asked the victim about his religion, stabbing them moments later near an SS Quick Stop Grocer in Parkland, Washington on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026.  (Pierce County Sheriff’s Office)

According to authorities, the victim reported that the unknown man approached him and asked what religion he was.

“The victim answered the man and said something about being a Christian, and the man then attacked and stabbed the victim and his dog,” police said. 

Before being transported to a hospital, the victim was able to give a description of the male suspect, resulting in police searching the area for several hours. 

WASHINGTON MAN ALLEGEDLY LURES POLICE WITH BOGUS 911 CALL, SLASHES OFFICER IN FACE

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Police say the unidentified attacker approached them while armed, leading to a deputy-involved shooting on the 800th block of 112th Street in Parkland, Washington on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (Pierce County Sheriff’s Office)

The victim’s dog was subsequently transported to a local animal hospital and was immediately taken into surgery.

Approximately two hours later, a deputy noticed the suspect on the 800th block of 112th Street and pursued him as he fled behind a nearby house. 

The armed suspect then advanced toward deputies, who fired on him, FOX 13 reported

KNIFE-WIELDING MAN IN ST. LOUIS AIRPORT SHOT AND KILLED BY POLICE

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The unidentified attacker was transported to a local hospital, where he later died from his injuries after being shot by police in Parkland, Washington on Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026, according to FOX 13. (Pierce County Sheriff’s Office)

The suspect was transported to a nearby hospital, where he later died from his injuries, according to the outlet.

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The conditions of both the victim and the dog have not been released. 

The Pierce County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

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San Francisco, CA

Exclusive: San Francisco Police Department investigating Zoox collision with a parked car | TechCrunch

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Exclusive: San Francisco Police Department investigating Zoox collision with a parked car | TechCrunch


The San Francisco Police Department is investigating an accident involving a Zoox autonomous vehicle that crashed into the driver’s side door of a parked car, TechCrunch has learned.

Officers responded to the crash, which occurred at around 2 p.m. local time on January 17 near the intersection of 15th and Mission Streets, according to the department. The Zoox robotaxi was traveling along 15th street when a street ambassador named Jamel Durden opened the driver’s-side door of his 1977 Cadillac Coupe DeVille, according to MissionLocal, which first reported the crash.

Durden’s hand was reportedly smashed during the crash, and the Zoox vehicle suffered damage to its glass doors. The San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) told TechCrunch the Zoox vehicle was carrying a passenger at the time, which has not been previously reported. That passenger was an employee of Zoox, according to the company, and was not injured, which the SFPD confirmed.

The police department declined to provide TechCrunch with an incident report “[d]ue to the fact it is still an open investigation.” Zoox filed its own police report about the incident, the company told TechCrunch, but said no additional details have been requested. In a statement on January 20, Zoox said it was “cooperating with local authorities to provide an accurate account of the incident.”

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The California Department of Motor Vehicles, which regulates autonomous vehicles in the state, has also met with Zoox about the January 17 crash. The DMV told TechCrunch that Zoox filed a crash report “in compliance with California regulations.” That report is not yet publicly available.

Zoox is in the early stages of building out its robotaxi service in San Francisco. In November, the company started offering free rides to members of the public who are part of the “Zoox Explorer” early-rider program. The company is operating a similar program in Las Vegas, Nevada.

This rollout has come with challenges. The Amazon-owned company issued a recall in December to fix an issue where some of its vehicles were crossing center lanes and blocking crosswalks. (Zoox also issued two different software updates during recalls earlier in 2025 before it started offering public rides.)

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The January crash in San Francisco happened when Durden “suddenly opened” the door of his car into the path of the robotaxi, according to Zoox. The company said the robotaxi “identified the opening door and tried to avoid it but contact was unavoidable.” (Durden’s employer could not be reached for comment.)

Zoox also said it offered medical attention to Durden, who allegedly declined. According to MissionLocal, Durden refused medical treatment until his car was towed.

“Safety and transparency are foundational to Zoox, and we are cooperating with local authorities to provide an accurate account of the incident,” the company said in a statement.

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Denver, CO

Huge new $27 million Denver bathhouse would include sauna, cold plunges

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Huge new  million Denver bathhouse would include sauna, cold plunges


Memphis Orion’s steamy vision of Denver includes state-of-the-art saunas and cold plunges, salt scrubs, solariums, and towel-whipping “aufgussing” rituals.

Adam Lerner and Memphis Orion speak within a mobile sauna at Coba Bathhouse in Denver on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)

For now, however, the amenities for his new business are limited to a steel-frame trailer behind a gutted industrial building. His custom-built, solar-powered mobile sauna, or Cobacita, fits a little over a dozen people on its wooden benches. That’s a far cry from from the hundreds Orion envisions inside his $27 million Coba Bathhouse project just a few feet away.

“I’m a connoisseur of the world of bathhouses, and I love the different technologies emerging around the world for it,” said Orion, the CEO of Coba. “The modern bathhouse is taking these traditional (forms) and updating them and bringing them to together for people who are moving away from bars and alcohol being the center of social life.”

Consisting of three buildings connected by gardens and outdoor seating areas, Coba — a combination of Colorado and bathhouse — is a concept of extreme, immersive proportions backed by veterans of the art and entertainment worlds. When it’s finished in 2027, it will sit across from the Auraria Campus on West Colfax Avenue in Denver, just south of Domo Japanese restaurant in the La Alma neighborhood.

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Orion sees it employing 90 to 100 people and fitting about 400 guests at any one time. If all goes well, its founders believe it will draw roughly 300,000 people per year.

Day passes will cost $50 to $75, with $220 monthly memberships, although prices are preliminary. It’s about the cost of a casual dinner out, chief strategy officer Adam Lerner said, and arguably a value for a theme park’s-worth of wellness attractions. Lush urban gardens, tea ceremonies, wood-burning firepits, steam rituals like aufgussing (a towel-whipping, dancing group experience) and group-soaking pools are on the menu.

A solarium, thermal pool and multi-level garden will offer visitors year-round exterior access at Denver's Coba Bathhouse, said architect Paul Andersen. (Rendering provided by Independent Architecture)
A solarium, thermal pool and multi-level garden will offer visitors year-round exterior access at Denver’s Coba Bathhouse, said architect Paul Andersen.

Coba’s buildings, including a former asphalt factory that lacks electricity or running water, are, for now, a staging area and proving ground still in need of permits, excavators and carpenters before they can match the elaborate renderings Orion and his partners have been floating to investors.

The project is slated to cost about $27 million, Orion said, with $3.5 million of that going toward the land purchase. He received a $526,200 state tax credit, since the project will include a thermal energy network, with an 800-foot-deep geothermal well planned for underneath the parking lot. The technology will use the consistent temperature deep underground to draw and disperse heat and cold as part of Coba’s electricity-hungry infrastructure.

Orion’s confident the “landmark” bathhouse will draw Denverites who are hungry for new experiences. In this case, that’s an upscale version of downregulation, a.k.a. chilling and steaming one’s way to relaxation, happiness and social well-being.

Orion, an industrial engineering and renovation expert, is surrounded by a pool of expertise. His co-founder in Coba, and the company’s chief commercial officer, is Jon Medina, a designer and producer who has worked with Meow Wolf, AEG Presents and Outside Magazine. Also from Meow Wolf: Coba’s chief financial officer Carl Christensen, the former co-CEO and chief financial officer of Meow Wolf. That immersive-entertainment company just happens to have an outpost about a mile away from Coba.

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An entrance to one of the Coba Bathhouse buildings, as designed by architect Paul Andersen. (Rendering provided by Independent Architecture)
An entrance to one of the Coba Bathhouse buildings, as designed by architect Paul Andersen. (Rendering provided by Independent Architecture)

Chief strategy officer Lerner formerly led the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver. Meow Wolf co-founder Vince Kadlubek, architect Paul Andersen and others continue to advise on the project. The balance of art and culture veterans should ensure that Coba has a strong cultural appeal, its founders believe, with an emphasis on memorable experiences.

“We wanted to take the mundane and make it more adventurous,” Medina said, citing the “rain room,” where water follows people as they walk through it (a nicer version, perhaps, of the cartoon raincloud that follows around someone in a bad mood).

Coba’s layout is designed to circulate guests through the environments until they find their comfort zone(s). There’s a giant cold plunge pool that fits about 30 people — and one with even colder temps that fits 6 to 10. There’s the 60-seater room called the Ritual Sauna, water massages, a dark and silent sauna meant for solo introversion, floating pools, a rooftop garden and rentable “thermal suites.”

Renderings of the finished Coba look like a psychedelic hall of justice, albeit with Art Deco arches replaced by wavy roof lines. They conceal not just internal wellness features but also a café, space for musical performances and workshops, and lockers and common areas.

Part of the mobile sauna at Coba Bathhouse in Denver on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
Part of the mobile sauna at Coba Bathhouse in Denver on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)

“Here the idea is to create something that maybe draws from history, but is not a direct reference to it,” architect Andersen said. “This is something very different, even otherworldly.”

Coba’s success may turn on how transported its guests feel, since it’s being pitched as a respite from stress and an excuse to put down your phone and bond with neighbors.

“We wanted to create a place that has this combination of feeling connected to nature but also modern life,” Lerner said. “Because this is not a retreat. This is actually a place that is integrated into your weekly routine. The kind of place you go to four times a month. Which is why a bathhouse differentiates itself from, say, a spa, which is a luxury indulgence.”

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Paul Andersen, Adam Lerner and Jon Medina tour the space being converted into Coba Bathhouse in Denver on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
Paul Andersen, Adam Lerner and Jon Medina tour the space being converted into Coba Bathhouse in Denver on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)

Lerner first met Orion at the ritualistic, art-driven Burning Man Festival in Nevada, and has maintained a friendship that dovetailed into the one-acre Coba project. Their connections are coming in handy as they hold small sessions and continue to raise funds for construction. They even recruited Denver Mayor Mike Johnston and Zach Neumeyer, the chairman of Sage Hospitality, to make remarks on their Jan. 22 “civic preview.”

Coba has the potential to outlast fads in biohacking and contrast therapy meant to tame and train the body, said Denver journalist and author Scott Carney. He’s written extensively on how the body can be conditioned to extreme environments, and his Jan. 22 visit to Coba convinced him of its pure intentions.

“There are a few other contrast therapy spots that have popped up around Denver, from mobile saunas and river jumps at the Golden library, to the sauna/plunge combos at Nurture and Archipelago, as well as SWTHZ on Tennyson,” he wrote via email. “But they are all smaller and … more specifically health-oriented. People go there for their quick hot and cold fix and then move on.”

Coba may endure because it’s social, he said, instead of just service-oriented.

Or as Coba’s founders write in their 27-page investor pitch: “Bring a swimsuit if you’d like to participate. Dress is casual. The person next to you may be in swimwear.”

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