West

Oregon city reverses vote, removes convicted murderer from police review board after backlash

Published

1 month ago

January 20, 2026

Oregon city reverses vote, removes convicted murderer from police review board after backlash

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After weeks of mounting backlash and public outrage, the Salem City Council voted to remove Kyle Hedquist — a man convicted of murdering a teenager — from boards advising the Oregon city’s police and fire departments, undoing a controversial reappointment approved just weeks earlier.

The council voted 6 to 2 during a special meeting to revoke Hedquist’s appointments to the Community Police Review Board and the Civil Service Commission, according to the Salem Statesman Journal.

The decision overturned a narrow 5-to-4 vote on Dec. 8 that reappointed Hedquist to multiple public safety-related boards despite a recommendation from the Boards and Commissions Appointments Committee to leave the police review board position vacant.

Hedquist was convicted in 1995 of murdering 19-year-old Nikki Thrasher. He later said he feared Thrasher would report him to police for hiding stolen property at her home. Hedquist served nearly 28 years in prison before then-Gov. Kate Brown commuted his sentence, citing rehabilitation and good behavior.

BACKLASH ERUPTS AFTER CITY COUNCIL APPOINTS POLICE REVIEW BOARD MEMBER WITH MURDER CONVICTION

Salem City Councilor Deanna Gwyn shows a picture of Nikki Thrasher, who was murdered in 1995 by Kyle Hedquist, during a special meeting to reconsider the reappointment of Hedquist to two public safety commissions on Jan. 7, 2025. (Kevin Neri/Statesman Journal / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)

Since his release, Hedquist became a policy associate for the Oregon Justice Resource Center and advocated for criminal justice reform at the Oregon Legislature. He told the Statesman Journal he joined Salem’s advisory boards to continue serving his community.

His role on the police review board came under renewed scrutiny after city staff acknowledged background checks had not been conducted on board and commission members — meaning the council was not explicitly informed of Hedquist’s criminal history or given clear standards for how such history should factor into appointment decisions.

Kyle Hedquist, right, attends the special Salem City Council meeting to reconsider his reappointment to two public safety commissions on Jan. 7, 2025. (Kevin Neri/Statesman Journal / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)

Meeting records show council members were not provided guidance on which types of criminal convictions could disqualify applicants, how much time must pass following a conviction or whether additional vetting was required for sensitive public safety oversight roles.

The controversy escalated after the Dec. 8 vote, prompting outrage from the Salem Police Employees Union and Salem Professional Fire Fighters Local 314. The unions accused city leaders of creating a “credibility crisis” by appointing and reappointing a convicted murderer to boards advising police and fire leadership and launched a public pressure campaign urging residents to contact councilors.

CONVICTED KILLER KEPT IN POLICE OVERSIGHT ROLE AS CITY COUNCIL DISMISSES CONCERNS OVER PUBLIC SAFETY

Kyle Hedquist gives testimony during the special Salem City Council meeting to reconsider his reappointment to two public safety commissions on Jan. 7, 2025. (Kevin Neri/Statesman Journal / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)

During the Jan. 7 meeting, emotions ran high as hundreds of written testimonies were submitted and residents addressed the council during public comment. Councilor Deanna Gwyn said she never would have supported Hedquist’s appointment had she known about his murder conviction. She held up a photo of Thrasher and read a note from the victim’s high school best friend.

Hedquist addressed the council through tears, describing the lasting weight of his crime and his efforts at rehabilitation.

“For 11,364 days, I have carried the weight of the worst decision of my life,” he said. “The death of Nikki Thrasher is the gravity that pulls at everything I do.”

His wife told councilors their family had received death threats after the controversy went national. Other speakers both condemned and defended Hedquist, highlighting deep divisions within the community over rehabilitation, accountability and public safety.

Salem City Councilor Vanessa Nordyke speaks during the special meeting to reconsider the reappointment of Kyle Hedquist from two commissions designed to advise the fire and police departments on Jan. 7, 2025. (Kevin Neri/Statesman Journal / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)

Councilor Vanessa Nordyke, who is running for mayor against Mayor Julie Hoy, initially voted to reappoint Hedquist in December but later called for the council to revisit the decision after hearing from police and fire unions and members of the public. She later acknowledged she was wrong, telling the Statesman Journal she wished she had heard public testimony before the Dec. 8 vote.

The Jan. 7 meeting also resulted in sweeping changes to the city’s rules governing boards and commissions.

Under the newly adopted standards, applicants to the Community Police Review Board and the Civil Service Commission must now complete criminal background checks. Anyone convicted of a violent felony is automatically disqualified from serving on those boards.

PROGRESSIVE-BACKED CANDIDATE CONVICTED IN MAN’S KILLING WINS CITY COUNCIL ELECTION

Salem City Council holds a special meeting to reconsider the reappointment of Kyle Hedquist from two commissions designed to advise the fire and police departments on Jan. 7, 2025. (Kevin Neri/Statesman Journal / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)

The council also voted to reserve at least one seat on the Community Police Review Board for someone with personal experience as a victim of a felony crime, a move supporters said would help ensure victim perspectives are represented in police oversight.

In addition, the council expanded background check requirements to all city boards and commissions, mandating that members undergo the same vetting process required of other city volunteers and employees.

As part of the action taken that night, the council formally withdrew Hedquist’s reappointment, leaving open positions on both the Community Police Review Board and the Civil Service Commission.

Hoy, who voted against Hedquist’s reappointment in December and supported revoking it in January, said in a Facebook post that her position throughout the controversy was rooted in governance and public trust rather than politics.

“Wednesday night’s meeting reflected the level of concern many in our community feel about this issue,” Hoy wrote. “My vote was based on process, governance, and public trust, not ideology or personalities.”

Kyle Hedquist sought reappointment to the Community Police Review Board after facing scrutiny over a recent request for a police ride-along. He was convicted of murder and had his sentence commuted by former Gov. Kate Brown in 2022. (Kevin Neri/Statesman Journal/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)

Hoy said the committee tasked with reviewing the appointment considered the information available at the time and made a recommendation to the full council, adding that respecting that process is essential to maintaining public confidence and supporting city staff.

“We serve in a political environment, but city council does its best work when decisions are grounded in good governance, not politics,” she wrote.

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Councilor Brad Brown criticized the death threats received by councilors and a website created to target those who voted in favor of the appointment, calling the episode a low point for civic discourse.

“I thought we were better than this,” Brown said.

Stepheny Price covers crime, including missing persons, homicides and migrant crime. Send story tips to stepheny.price@fox.com.

Stepheny Price is a Writer at Fox News with a focus on West Coast and Midwest news, missing persons, national and international crime stories, homicide cases, and border security.

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Montana

Your guide to local sports events, plus what’s on TV

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1 hour ago

March 2, 2026

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Your guide to local sports events, plus what’s on TV

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Nevada

How the strikes on Iran could impact gas prices in northern Nevada

Published

2 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

How the strikes on Iran could impact gas prices in northern Nevada

The United States and Israel launched targeted attacks on Iran on Saturday. The move brought new uncertainty into global energy markets, as northern Nevadans could be paying more at the pump in the coming weeks.

Following the strikes, oil prices increased. Brent crude, the international benchmark, jumped to roughly $73 a barrel, while the national benchmark, West Texas Intermediate, traded above $67.

Much of the concern centers around the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway between Iran and Oman. which carries about a fifth of the world’s oil supplies.

Patrick de Haan, head of petroleum analysis with GasBuddy, a price tracking company, spoke on the current questions in the region.

“The known would reduce oil prices if there becomes clarity, but it’s the unknown that is stoking fears…. If there is some sort of clarity in the days ahead, whether from Iran, the United States, or Israel, on how long this would last. We’d be able to put potentially an end date for the potential impacts that we’re seeing,” said de Haan.

Experts say for every $5 to $10 increase in oil prices, drivers could pay 15 to 25 cents more per gallon.

According to Triple-A, the average price of a gallon of gas in Nevada on Sunday comes in at $3.70, which comes in above the national average of roughly $2.98.

Over at the Rainbow Market on Vassar Street, prices sat just below four dollars a gallon on Sunday. Reno resident Abran Reyes talked about gas prices potentially going up.

“Whether it’s to work, to maybe run errands, to do stuff that helps you, gas is essential…. That gas price really hits, especially in today’s economy, where gas prices are extraordinary…. I just hope everyone’s safe. I hope our soldiers and all of our troops can be okay,” said Reyes.

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New Mexico

3 thoughts: New Mexico 81, SDSU 76 … Kudos for the local kid, mid-majors getting the squeeze and European bigs

Published

2 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

3 thoughts: New Mexico 81, SDSU 76 … Kudos for the local kid, mid-majors getting the squeeze and European bigs

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Three thoughts on San Diego State’s 81-76 loss at New Mexico on Saturday afternoon:

1. Kudos

No loss is a happy occasion within SDSU’s basketball program, but it was mitigated somewhat by the how and who:

The how: A 3-pointer from the left wing with 43 seconds left that broke a 74-74 tie.

The who: Luke Haupt, a sixth-year senior from St. Augustine High School and Point Loma Nazarene University who is one of those classy, genuine guys you can’t help but root for.

Aztecs coaches know him and his family well, his father Mike being the longtime head coach at Saints who sent Trey Kell to them. Aztecs players know him from the Swish summer league and open gyms during the summer.

Coach Brian Dutcher: “Kudos to Luke, known him a long time. Coaches are a little different than fan bases, where sometimes (fans) get too hard on the opposition. I wanted to win in the worst way, trust me when I tell you that. But … tip your hat to guys who make important and timely plays.”

Junior guard Miles Byrd: “Credit to Luke Haupt. He’s a San Diego kid. He’s going to (get) up for these type of games. You respect that. Players show up in games like this, and he showed up.”

There’s respect for the moment and respect for what it took to get there.

Haupt grew up, like most kids in San Diego, watching the Aztecs and dreaming of maybe one day playing in Viejas Arena. He went to Division II PLNU instead and toiled in relative anonymity for five seasons, one of which was abbreviated by the pandemic and 1½ of which was wiped out by knee surgery.

The 6-foot-7 wing finally got to Division I for his sixth and final year, lured to New Mexico by former UC San Diego coach Eric Olen, and has averaged 7.2 points per game with a career high of 30 against Boise State. He had 17 on Saturday against his hometown team, the final three coming with 43 seconds left in a tie game.

The play wasn’t designed for him. Fate sent the ball his way.

“It was a big shot, but it was everything I’ve worked on my entire career and basketball life,” Haupt said. “It’s all the people who have helped me get here and all the work that’s been put in.

“These are moments you dream about.”

2. Death of Cinderella

The Aztecs have slipped off the NCAA Tournament bubble with losses in three of their last four games, yet their metrics are comparable and in some cases better than a year ago, when they didn’t win the conference tournament and sneaked into the First Four in Dayton.

They are hanging tough at 42 in Kenpom and 44 in NET. Last year they were 46 and 52 on Selection Sunday.

The problem is that there might be historically few at-large berths available to mid-major conferences as the preposterous sums of money coursing through the sport accentuates the divide between the haves and have-nots. The latest field from ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has 11 teams from the SEC, nine from the Big Ten and eight each from the Big 12 and ACC.

The Big East, considered a power conference given its financial commitment to men’s basketball (although that is starting to wane), is expected to get only three, but do the math: Power conferences account for 34 of the 37 at-large invitations to the 68-team field.

Lunardi, and several other bracketologists, has only three mid-majors getting at-large berths: Saint Mary’s and Santa Clara from the WCC, and New Mexico from the Mountain West.

Only Saint Mary’s is in the main bracket. Santa Clara and New Mexico are in his First Four (and the Lobos are his last team in).

“It’s harder,” Dutcher said, “because there are only so many at-large bids that are going to go to non-power conference teams. When thrown up against the power conferences, the Selection Committee is finding ways to put the power conference teams in.”

Since the tournament expanded from 65 to 68 in 2011, mid-majors have averaged a combined 6.3 at-large berths. The high was 10 in 2013, but it’s been seven as recently as 2024. Last year it slipped to four, equaling the record low, and no mid-major teams reached the Sweet 16.

If teams like Utah State, Saint Louis and Miami (Ohio) win their conference tournaments, knocking out “bid stealers,” it could be three, maybe even two.

Money is talking. It doesn’t guarantee success, but it certainly increases the chances.

3. Euros

The Aztecs have not dipped into the European professional market for players, but maybe this season will change their perspective.

They have nine losses. Seven have come against teams with a European big.

The latest was New Mexico, which got 24 points and 18 rebounds from the 6-foot-9, 240-pound Tomislav Buljan, a 23-year-old Croatian pro granted one season of collegiate eligibility by the NCAA. He had 20 and 14 in the first meeting, when the Aztecs narrowly escaped with an 83-79 win after trailing in the final minute.

“He was a monster tonight,” Haupt said. “That was huge for us. Loved the way he played.”

The week before, the Aztecs lost to Colorado State and Rashaan Mbemba from Austria.

They’ve lost to Grand Canyon twice with 7-1 Turkish pro Efe Demirel, a 21-year-old “freshman” who has experience in the Euroleague, the continent’s most prestigious competition.

In the December loss to Arizona where the Aztecs were crushed 52-28 on the boards, 7-2, 260-pound Lithuanian center Motiejus Krivas had 13.

Michigan, which beat SDSU in November, has 7-3 Aday Mara of Spain.

Baylor beat the Aztecs two days later with 6-9 Michael Rataj of Germany, then a few weeks later added 7-0 James Nnaji from Spanish club FC Barcelona.

Only Troy and Utah State didn’t start a European big in wins against SDSU — although Mexican forward Victor Valdes had 20 points for Troy.

“Obviously, it’s changing the game,” Dutcher said. “The European pros are coming over because they can make more money over here than they can in Europe. They come over and they’re making good money, whether it’s Demirel at Grand Canyon or it’s Buljan at New Mexico.

“These are good players who come up through a club system and are basically professional basketball players.”

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