Oregon

AP All-Big Ten: Oregon's Gabriel, Penn State's Carter and Indiana's Cignetti take top honors

Published

1 year ago

December 10, 2024

AP All-Big Ten: Oregon's Gabriel, Penn State's Carter and Indiana's Cignetti take top honors

Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel is The Associated Press Big Ten offensive player of the year, Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter is defensive player of the year and Indiana’s Curt Cignetti is coach of the year.

Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson and Penn State tight end Tyler Warren were unanimous first-team selections Tuesday by the voting panel of 21 media members who cover the conference.

The first team includes five players from Iowa, four from Ohio State and three each from conference champion Oregon and Indiana.

Repeat first-team selections are Minnesota offensive tackle Aireontae Ersery, Ohio State guard Donovan Jackson and Iowa linebacker Jay Higgins. Ohio State defensive end JT Tuimoloau, a first-team pick in 2022 and ’23, is on the second team.

Gabriel, who transferred from Oklahoma in the offseason, led unbeaten and top-ranked Oregon to the Big Ten championship in its first year in the league. Gabriel averages 274 yards passing per game and has thrown for 28 touchdowns against six interceptions. His 73.2% completion rate is second in the nation.

Carter leads the Big Ten with 19.5 tackles for loss, and his 10 sacks are the most by a Penn State player since Carl Nassib had 15.5 in 2015.

Cignetti has orchestrated one of the great turnarounds of all time in his first season at Indiana. The Hoosiers, who won three games in 2023, have double-digit wins for the first time and will take an 11-1 record into their College Football Playoff first-round game at Notre Dame on Dec. 20.

Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter (11) prepares to sack Maryland quarterback MJ Morris, left, during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in State College, Pa. Credit: AP/Barry Reeger

Ohio State freshman Jeremiah Smith is newcomer of the year. He set school freshman records for receptions (57), yards (934), touchdown receptions (10) and 100-yard games (three).

First-team offense

Wide receivers — Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State, freshman, 6-3, 215, Miami Gardens, Florida; Pat Bryant, Illinois, senior, 6-3, 200, Jacksonville, Florida; Tai Felton, Maryland, senior, 6-2, 186, Ashburn, Virginia.

Tackles — Aireontae Ersery, Minnesota, senior, 6-3, 330, Kansas City, Missouri; Josh Conerly Jr., Oregon, junior, 6-4, 315, Seattle.

Guards — Connor Colby, Iowa, senior, 6-6, 310, Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Donovan Jackson, Ohio State, senior, 6-4, 320, Cypress, Texas.

Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti watches from the sideline as... — Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti watches from the sideline as his team plays Michigan during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Bloomington, Ind., Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. Credit: AP/AJ MAST

Center — Seth McLaughlin, Ohio State, graduate, 6-4, 305, Buford, Georgia.

Tight end — u-Tyler Warren, Penn State, senior, 6-6, 261, Mechanicsville, Virginia.

Quarterback — Dillon Gabriel, Oregon, graduate, 6-0, 200, Mililani, Hawaii.

Running backs — u-Kaleb Johnson, Iowa, junior, 6-0, 225, Hamilton, Ohio; Kyle Monangai, Rutgers, senior, 5-9, 209, Roseland, New Jersey.

Kicker — Dominic Zvada, Michigan, junior, 6-3, 180, Chandler, Arizona.

All-purpose — Kaden Wetjen, Iowa, senior, 5-10, 196, Williamsburg, Iowa.

First-team defense

Edge rushers — Abdul Carter, Penn State, junior, 6-3, 252, Philadelphia; Mikail Kamara, Indiana, junior, 6-1, 265, Ashburn, Virginia.

Interior linemen — Mason Graham, Michigan, junior, 6-3, 320, Mission Viejo, California; Derrick Harmon, Oregon, junior, 6-5, 310, Detroit.

Linebackers — Jay Higgins, Iowa, senior, 6-2, 232, Indianapolis; Aiden Fisher, Indiana, junior, 6-1, 233, Fredericksburg, Virginia; Carson Schwesinger, UCLA, junior, 6-2, 225, Moorpark, California.

Cornerbacks — D’Angelo Ponds, Indiana, sophomore, 5-9, 170, Miami; Xavier Scott, Illinois, junior, 5-11, 190, Riviera Beach, Florida.

Safeties — Caleb Downs, Ohio State, sophomore, 6-0, 205, Hoschton, Georgia; Koi Perich, Minnesota, freshman, 6-1, 200, Esko, Minnesota.

Defensive back — Sebastian Castro, Iowa, graduate, 5-11, 205, Oak Lawn, Illinois.

Punter — Eddie Czaplicki, Southern California, senior, 6-1, 207, Charlotte, North Carolina.

Second-team offense

Wide receivers — Tez Johnson, Oregon, senior, 5-10, 165, Pinson, Alabama; Elijah Sarratt, Indiana, junior, 6-2, 209, Stafford, Virginia; Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State, graduate, 6-1, 205, Steilacoom, Washington.

Tackles — Gennings Dunker, Iowa, junior, 6-5, 316, Lena, Illinois; Hollin Pierce, Rutgers, senior, 6-8, 344, Trenton, New Jersey.

Guards — Emmanuel Pregnon, Southern California, senior, 6-5, 320, Denver; Olaivavega Ioane, Penn State, sophomore, 6-4, 348, Graham, Washington.

Center — Logan Jones, Iowa, senior, 6-3, 293, Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Tight end — Colston Loveland, Michigan, junior, 6-5, 245, Gooding, Idaho.

Quarterback — Kurtis Rourke, Indiana, graduate, 6-5, 233, Oakville, Ontario.

Running backs — Jordan James, Oregon, junior, 5-10, 210, Nashville, Tennessee; Woody Marks, Southern California, senior, 5-10, 208, Atlanta.

Kicker — Jonathan Kim, Michigan State, graduate, 6-1, 227, Fredericksburg, Virginia.

All-purpose — Woody Marks, Southern California, senior, 5-10, 208, Atlanta.

Second-team defense

Edge rushers — Matayo Uiagalelei, Oregon, sophomore, 6-5, 270, Bellflower, California; JT Tuimoloau, Ohio State, senior, 6-5, 269, Edgewood, Washington.

Interior linemen — Ty Robinson, Nebraska, senior, 6-6, 310, Gilbert, Arizona; Kenneth Grant, Michigan, junior, 6-3, 339, Gary, Indiana.

Linebackers — Cody Lindenberg, Minnesota, senior, 6-3, 240, Anoka, Minnesota; Bryce Boettcher, Oregon, senior, 6-2, 225, Eugene, Oregon; Kobe King, Penn State, junior, 6-1, 248, Detroit.

Cornerbacks — Jermari Harris, Iowa, graduate, 6-1, 189, Chicago; Will Johnson, Michigan, junior, 6-2, 202, Detroit.

Safeties — Jaylen Reed, Penn State, senior, 6-0, 212, Detroit; Lathan Ransom, Ohio State, graduate, 6-1, 210, Tucson, Arizona.

Punter — Rhys Dakin, Iowa, freshman, 6-0, 222, Melbourne, Australia.

Individual honors

Offensive player of the year — Dillon Gabriel, Oregon.

Defensive player of the year — Abdul Carter, Penn State.

Coach of the year — Curt Cignetti, Indiana.

Newcomer of the year — Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State.

___

AP All-Big Ten voting panel

Bob Asmussen, Champaign (Illinois) News-Gazette; Colten Bartholomew, Madison.com (Wisconsin); Bill Bender, The Sporting News; Frank Bodani, York (Pennsylvania) Daily Record; Angelique Chengelis, Detroit News; James Crepea, The Oregonian, Portland, Oregon; Scott Dochterman, The Athletic; Dave Eanet, WGN Radio, Chicago; George Gerbo, Washington Times; Andy Greder, St. Paul (Minnesota) Pioneer Press; Brenna Greene, KOIN-TV, Portland, Oregon; Zach Hanley, WISC-TV, Madison, Wisconsin; Amie Just, Lincoln (Nebraska) Journal Star; Stephen Means, Cleveland.com; Luke Mullin, Lincoln (Nebraska) Journal Star; Zach Osterman, Indianapolis Star; Jim Polzin, Madison.com (Wisconsin); Dylan Sinn, Fort Wayne (Indiana) Journal Gazette; John Steppe, Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Gazette; Darren Wolfson, KSTP-TV, St. Paul, Minnesota; Andy Yamashita, Seattle Times.

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Oregon

Merkley Announces Additional Oregon Town Halls April 2-4

Published

8 minutes ago

March 27, 2026

Press Room

Merkley Announces Additional Oregon Town Halls April 2-4

Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley announced today he will hold seven in-person town halls for Oregonians in Gilliam, Sherman, Klamath, Lake, Deschutes, Crook and Jefferson counties between Thursday, April 2 and Saturday, April 4. These events follow previously announced town halls between Monday, March 30 and Wednesday, April 1. “I’m looking forward to again visiting wonderful communities […]

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Oregon

Oregon Supreme Court overturns JonBenét Ramsey photographer conviction

Published

12 hours ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

Oregon Supreme Court overturns JonBenét Ramsey photographer conviction

The Oregon Supreme Court has overturned the conviction of a Lane County man who once photographed child beauty queen JonBenét Ramsey and was convicted in 2021 on several child pornography charges.

Randall DeWitt Simons, 73, of Oakridge, was charged in 2019 with 15 counts of first-degree encouraging child sex abuse. He was later convicted on every count and sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Simons was first arrested after authorities began investigating a report from a restaurant in Oakridge that someone had been using the restaurant’s Wi-Fi to download inappropriate and concerning images.

Law enforcement officers directed the business to track, log, and report all of the user’s internet activity to the investigating officer for more than a year, without a warrant.

Police tracked the computer’s IP address from the restaurant’s Wi-Fi system, which led officers to a man who lived near the restaurant and had given Simons a computer, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in Lane County Circuit Court. Investigators obtained a warrant to search the laptop in Simon’s home, relying on information they had collected over time. He was subsequently arrested.

On March 26, the court ruled warrantless internet surveillance on public Wi-Fi violates privacy.

In an opinion written by Justice Bronson D. James, the court held that the Oregon Constitution recognizes people have a right to privacy in their internet browsing activities and the right is not extinguished when they use a publicly accessible wireless network. It’s even true in cases where that access is conditioned on a person accepting a terms-of-service agreement that says a provider may monitor activity and cooperate with law enforcement, James wrote.

During criminal proceedings in the Lane County Circuit Court, Simons moved to controvert the warrant and suppress the evidence obtained by police, arguing the business was a “state actor for purposes of Article I, section 9, and that its year-long warrantless surveillance was an unconstitutional, warrantless search attributable to the state,” the Supreme Court opinion said.

The Circuit Court denied Simon’s motion. The Oregon Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court’s decision in part and stated Simons had no cognizable privacy interest in his internet activities performed on a third-party network.

The Oregon Supreme Court rejected the state’s argument.

“The mere fact that a person accesses the internet through a public network does not eliminate their Article I, section 9, right to privacy in their online activities,” according to James. “Even when access is expressly conditioned on a user’s acceptance of terms-of-service provisions purporting to alert the user that the provider may monitor activity and cooperate with law enforcement.”

Justice K. Bushong suggested in a partial dissent the Court should reconsider its approach in a future case to what constitutes a “search” under the Oregon Constitution. The court’s decision reverses the Court of Appeals and sends the case back to the Lane County Circuit Court for further proceedings.

Simons has maintained his innocence since he was arrested in 2019.

Simons had been a photographer for 6-year-old Colorado beauty queen JonBenét Ramsey a few months before her still-unsolved 1996 murder, the Associated Press reported in 1998.

In October 1998, Simons was arrested on a charge of indecent exposure in Lincoln County, Colorado. According to the book “Perfect Murder, Perfect Town” by Lawrence Schiller, Simons was arrested in 1998 for allegedly walking nude down a residential street in the small town of Genoa, Colorado. Simons allegedly offered to the arresting deputy unprovoked, “I didn’t kill JonBenét.”

Haleigh Kochanski is a breaking news and public safety reporter for The Register-Guard. You may reach her at HKochanski@gannett.com.

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Oregon

Umatilla, Morrow counties establish Young Republicans of Oregon chapter – East Oregonian

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1 day ago

March 26, 2026

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Umatilla, Morrow counties establish Young Republicans of Oregon chapter

Published 8:00 pm Wednesday, March 25, 2026

IRRIGON — Young Republicans living in Umatilla and Morrow counties now can join a local chapter of the statewide Young Republicans of Oregon organization.

The Umatilla Morrow Young Republicans will advance Republican values and leadership in young residents through political training, networking opportunities and connection to Republican leaders. The group is focused on young adults, generally attracting college-aged people, though it includes people aged 18 to 40.

The five Young Republicans of Oregon members living in Umatilla and Morrow counties elected three officers to lead their new chapter. Irrigon’s Evan Purves was elected chair, with Connor Roberts of Hermiston as his vice chair and Kaelyn Moore of Milton-Freewater serving as secretary.

“I am super grateful for this opportunity to lead my neighbors,” Purves said. “It’s going to be really fun. We have some good events planned.”

Purves, 19, is a student at Blue Mountain Community College who eventually hopes to pursue a four-year degree in public administration. He initially became interested in the Young Republicans during an internship with Oregon state Rep. Greg Smith, of Heppner. He said it was an experience that showed him how the legislature works.

The internship also inspired him to step into a leadership role with the Young Republicans and help establish a local chapter of the organization. The newest chapter of the Young Republicans of Oregon, which was announced Monday, March 23, has been in the works since November 2025.

The Young Republicans of Oregon State Chair, Tanner Elliott, said the new chapter — the fourth chapter statewide — indicates momentum for conservative values.

“In less than a year, we’ve continued expanding because young conservatives are stepping up and getting involved in their communities,” Elliott said. “I want to congratulate the chapter’s leadership team on their election and especially commend their new chair Evan Purves for taking on this role. I’m confident this group will make a meaningful impact in Eastern Oregon and help drive our organization forward.”

Future plans in Umatilla, Morrow counties

The leadership team of UMYR already is making efforts to effect change.

In early May, Purves said, Umatilla Morrow Young Republicans will host a door knocking campaign in support of Smith’s reelection campaign. There also will be an official kickoff event the same weekend celebrating the new chapter and outlining priorities for the future.

“If there’s anything that we might struggle with is membership,” he said. “The recruiting part is us going out there and hosting events and socials, having opportunities for people to come out and do something fun that anybody’s invited to.”

Regarding other priorities, voter engagement is important to Purves,

“Even though we live in a big conservative area, there’s not a lot of politically engaged people, especially in my generation,” he said. “We want to get them involved.”

He said one of his concerns is businesses leaving the state due to policies that aren’t friendly to corporations, a common issue raised by Republican lawmakers. The decisions being made impact every community, he said, and he wants to have a say in what the leaders are doing.

“These bills affect all of us,” he said. “It’s just important to get people involved and get people to vote and be a part of it.”

People interested in updates on the efforts of the Umatilla Morrow Young Republicans can follow the group on Facebook or Instagram or become a member at yro.gop.

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