Oregon
Audit finds missed safety checks at Oregon state parks
A new state audit found safety inspections are not consistently being completed or documented at some Oregon state parks.
The audit, released by the Oregon Secretary of State’s Audits Division, examined operations at overnight campgrounds and found required inspections at multiple parks were missed or undocumented – in some cases for years.
“Oregonians love their state parks and have been able to safely enjoy them for decades,” Secretary of State Tobias Read said. “The findings in this audit will help protect that important legacy and our public dollars.”
Auditors found that buildings used by employees, many of which are also accessed by the public, volunteers, and contractors, were not consistently inspected as required under OSHA rules and agency policy.
At least one location had no inspection records for three years.
Beyond safety inspections, the audit also identified significant problems with how the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) tracks its assets.
According to the report, the agency’s asset management system contains unreliable and incomplete data, including missing records, untracked equipment, and items incorrectly labeled as inactive or missing.
Auditors say those gaps increase the risk of lost property, inaccurate financial reporting, and inadequate insurance coverage.
“These problems risk Oregonians’ safety and taxpayer money through avoidable lawsuits and fines,” the Secretary of State’s office wrote in a press release.
The audit issued eight recommendations, including the need to establish consistent inspection protocols, improve training and accountability, and replace the agency’s outdated asset management system.
In response, a spokesperson for OPRD said it agrees with the findings and has already begun making changes.
“OPRD thanks and acknowledges the audit’s findings and appreciates the Audits Division’s work,” said Interim Director Stefanie Coons. “The safety of our visitors and the protection of Oregon’s state parks have always guided our decisions, and we remain committed to strengthening the systems that support that responsibility.”
The agency says improvements were already underway during the audit and include updating policies, strengthening safety practices, and modernizing its asset tracking system. Officials say new fees will help fund upgrades to ensure the system is functional moving forward.
Oregon’s state park system sees roughly 51 million visitors each year and includes more than 250 properties, over 2,000 buildings, and a wide range of infrastructure, from campgrounds and restrooms to roads, docks, and historic structures.
The Department does not regularly receive state general fund dollars. It is primarily funded through visitor fees, lottery funds, and recreational vehicle registration fees.
Auditors say improving oversight will be key to ensuring those assets and the people who use them are properly protected.
Read the full audit below:
Oregon
Kentucky showing interest in Oregon forward Kwame Evans Jr.
With the transfer portal officially open, Kentucky Basketball continues to show interest in multiple players.
According to Jacob Polacheck of KSR, Kentucky has shown early interest in Oregon junior forward Kwame Evans Jr., a versatile frontcourt player coming off a strong season with the Ducks.
Evans, who has spent all three of his collegiate seasons at Oregon, is coming off a productive junior campaign. He averaged 13.3 points (45.4% shooting from the field and 30.4% from deep), 7.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.3 blocks per game, while recording four double-doubles.
Despite the reported interest, Polacheck also notes that Kentucky has not yet scheduled a Zoom meeting or an official campus visit with Evans. However, there is familiarity between the two sides. Kentucky was involved in Evans’ recruitment during his high school process under former head coach John Calipari.
In addition to exploring transfer options, Evans is also expected to test the NBA Draft waters, leaving his future uncertain for now.
As the portal window opens and roster movement intensifies, Kentucky appears to be actively evaluating its options in hopes of strengthening its lineup for next season.
Oregon
Oregon DOJ probe into sanctuary law compliance at Salem courthouse faces legal hurdles – Salem Reporter
A high-profile late March arrest by federal immigration agents at a courthouse in Marion County appears to have violated the state’s sanctuary law, but it’s unclear whether an inquiry into the incident from the Oregon Department of Justice will result in any significant action.
The review from state attorneys came in response to federal immigration agents at Salem’s Marion County Circuit Court receiving some assistance from local authorities during two arrests on March 26. Video depicting those arrests shows one instance of a member of the sheriff’s office walking around federal agents pushing a man to the ground inside the courthouse.
“The Oregon Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Unit received a report about federal immigration officials entering the Marion County Courthouse,” Jenny Hansson, a spokesperson for the Oregon Department of Justice, said in a statement Monday. “The CRU contacted the sheriff’s office regarding the incident and were advised that ICE agents presented a judicial warrant for a specific individual.”
But although one of the arrests in Salem involved a man for whom federal agents obtained a judicial warrant, federal immigration authorities relied on an administrative warrant to arrest one man shown in the video. The difference between judicial warrants, signed by judges, and administrative warrants, signed by immigration officers, is key in Oregon’s longstanding sanctuary law. Guidelines from Oregon Chief Justice Meagan Flynn in summer 2025 also echo the state’s 2021 sanctuary law and prohibit “civil arrests in or around court facilities without a judicial warrant or judicial order.”
The sanctuary law, first passed in the 1980s and expanded in 2021, prohibits using state and local law enforcement resources to assist with immigration enforcement without a judicial warrant.
Oregon law doesn’t permit local or state law enforcement to assist with immigration arrests through administrative warrants. A federal judge in February dismissed a lawsuit from Marion County officials claiming that the law forced local governments to decide between conflicting state and federal laws.
Hansson said she wasn’t able to respond to follow-up questions about the administrative arrest by Monday.
“This is all we can really say at this time,” she wrote.
There have been few publicly reported instances of immigration enforcement at Oregon courthouses, such as a July arrest by federal immigration agents outside Washington County Circuit Court. While the Trump administration argues that such arrests are necessary to allow agents to conduct safe operations, critics say the approach discourages witnesses, crime victims and survivors from participating in the legal system.
While the Marion County Sheriff’s Office directly assisted in apprehending the individual with the judicial warrant, they took a more hands-off approach for the administrative warrant.
A statement from the local law enforcement agency said that its officers escorted federal agents “through publicly accessible areas as they removed the disorderly arrestee from the courthouse to ensure there were no further disruptions to court operations.” A witness who spoke to the Salem Reporter, however, said they did not see the man “visibly resisting.”
Oregon lawmakers didn’t take up legislation during this year’s legislative session to further restrict civil arrests under immigration law at courthouses, deferring to existing state law that allows people to file civil suits against public agencies in the state which violate the sanctuary provisions.
California passed a law during the first iteration of the Trump administration to empower arrested individuals to seek a writ of habeas corpus. That would allow a detainee to appear in person in front of a judge to determine whether their detention was justified.
A federal judge in November dismissed a lawsuit from the Trump administration challenging a New York law largely banning immigration-related courthouse arrests, though the case has since been appealed.
State lawmaker supports thorough investigation
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office has maintained that its operations were conducted in accordance with state and federal law. An agency spokesperson did not immediately respond to questions from the Capital Chronicle on Monday.
But following the March 26 arrest with the administrative warrant, the state’s Department of Justice told The Oregonian/OregonLive that it was reviewing the incident “to determine whether legal action is warranted.”
It’s unclear what exactly could come from that inquiry. Although the case could be investigated for concerns of excessive force, the justice department’s own guidance suggests that enforcement of the sanctuary law rests upon individual Oregonians.
“Oregon DOJ can intervene in a non-punitive way with agencies subject to the law to improve compliance with sanctuary laws,” the civil rights unit’s sanctuary promise community toolkit reads. “The Oregon DOJ report can be subpoenaed for use if a community member or any person files for injunctive relief or otherwise pursues civil legal action/remedies against a violating agency.”
The only successful legal challenge brought under Oregon’s sanctuary laws since 2021 involved a lawsuit backed by the nonprofit Cottage Grove-based Rural Organizing Project. The organization helped win a court order in 2024 barring the city and its police from collaborating with federal immigration authorities to enforce immigration law.
But even if a report found that the Marion County Sheriff’s Office violated the state’s sanctuary law, it’s not guaranteed that the agency could be required to face sanctions from state court. The office hasn’t named the man whom federal immigration agents arrested, though they’ve said that he was facing charges of unlawful possession of cocaine and driving under the influence of intoxicants.
Tung Yin, a professor of law at Portland’s Lewis & Clark Law School, questioned how enforcement of the sanctuary law would work for a person who was arrested and eventually deported. He said that they “probably would not have a claim under state law.”
“I highly doubt any public interest organizations would be able to sue on behalf of a removed person, even if there were a claim against federal officials,” Yin wrote in an email. “Standing in Oregon courts isn’t as stringent as in federal courts, but a generalized interest on behalf of the community probably won’t work.”
Rep. Willy Chotzen, a Portland Democrat who serves as vice chair of the House Judiciary Committee, helped oversee the passage of immigrant rights bills attempting to restrict the conduct of federal agents in Oregon during this year’s short legislative session. He said he supports having a full investigation into the incident, adding that the video “shows something that is very alarming, and something that certainly looks like it would be a violation of our sanctuary laws.”
“We either need, as a state, to enforce the sanctuary laws or the individuals who are impacted and harmed, they need to have access to a lawyer,” he told the Capital Chronicle. “They need to have access to the court system in ways that I think we’re seeing the Trump administration actively trying to prevent people from having such access.”
An unnamed spokesperson for the Homeland Security Department didn’t answer questions about the administrative arrest and instead responded to an inquiry with information about the criminal charges facing the man they had arrested with a judicial warrant. The spokesperson criticized elected officials who decline to cooperate with federal immigration authorities, saying they “are wasting law enforcement time, energy, and resources, while putting their own constituents in danger.”
Oregon Capital Chronicle is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oregon Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Julia Shumway for questions: [email protected]. Follow Oregon Capital Chronicle on Facebook and Twitter.
STORY TIP OR IDEA? Send an email to Salem Reporter’s news team: [email protected].
Shaanth Kodialam Nanguneri is a reporter based in Salem, Oregon covering Gov. Tina Kotek and the Oregon Legislature. He grew up in the Bay Area, California and went on to study at UCLA, reporting for the Daily Bruin until graduating in March 2025. Previously, he was a reporting intern covering criminal justice and health for CalMatters in Sacramento, California. He is always eager to tell stories that illuminate how complex and intricate policies from state government can help shape the lives of everyday Oregonians.
Oregon
Oregon Lottery Pick 4 results for April 5
The Oregon Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at April 5, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Pick 4 numbers from April 5 drawing
1PM: 0-8-0-2
4PM: 0-8-9-3
7PM: 4-0-6-9
10PM: 4-9-8-4
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the Oregon Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 7:59 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 7:59 p.m. on Tuesday and Friday.
- Pick 4: 1 p.m., 4 p.m., 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. daily.
- Win for Life: 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Megabucks: 7:29 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by an Oregon editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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