Oregon
Debbie Colbert named first woman to lead Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
An insider at Oregon’s Department of Fish and Wildlife has been named the agency’s next leader.
Debbie Colbert was unanimously chosen in a vote late Friday afternoon by the state Fish and Wildlife Commission.
Colbert is a deputy director at the agency, leading its fish and wildlife programs, and has spent much of her career working in natural resources in the state.
She’ll replace Curt Melcher, who’s been director since 2015. He retired in April after four decades at the agency.
“Debbie Colbert brings the breadth of experience needed to lead this agency forward,” Gov. Tina Kotek said in a written statement Friday. “She is known for collaboration and taking challenges head on to improve critical fish and wildlife habitats in Oregon.”
Colbert is the first woman to lead ODFW, but in another key way represents a continuation of tradition: the Fish and Wildlife Commission has a long history of appointing agency staff, and of renewing their four-year terms.
Colbert was up against Kaitlin Lovell, a scientist and attorney who manages the Fish and Wildlife Division at Portland’s Bureau of Environmental Services, and who was the preferred pick of the Center for Biological Diversity.
“For too long the department has concentrated its resources on hunting and fishing, neglecting animals that aren’t of interest as targets. With the extinction crisis and climate breakdown getting worse every day, that won’t fly anymore,” the nonprofit advocacy group wrote in an email a day before the Fish and Wildlife Commission met to vote on ODFW’s next leader.
The Center for Biological Diversity said it endorsed Lovell as an outsider with a track record of conservation.
Colbert emphasized her own commitment to conservation during an hourslong meeting in which she and Lovell responded to questions submitted by ODFW staff Friday, ahead of the commission’s vote.
“I will continue to bring a sense of urgency on delivering results in the face of growing complexity and challenges,” Colbert said in an opening statement to the commission. “I am also very committed to positioning the agency so it engages all Oregonians. Our tent extends to everyone who wants to protect and enhance fish, wildlife and their habitats.”
Before joining ODFW, Colbert worked for the Oregon Water Resources Department. She holds a Ph.D. in interdisciplinary oceanography and was a 2022 National Conservation Leadership Fellow.
ODFW runs fish hatcheries, issues fishing and hunting licenses, and protects and restores habitat for northwest fish and animal species. The agency employs 1,200 people in 33 offices across the state.
Copyright 2024 Oregon Public Broadcasting
The Oregon Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at May 18, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from May 18 drawing
04-13-34-61-65, Powerball: 12, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from May 18 drawing
1PM: 5-2-3-7
4PM: 9-9-5-4
7PM: 1-1-6-6
10PM: 6-1-5-2
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Win for Life numbers from May 18 drawing
26-50-61-74
Check Win for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Megabucks numbers from May 18 drawing
07-08-11-31-32-41
Check Megabucks 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.
KEIZER, Ore. — Marion County officials are alerting the public about a registered sex offender living in Keizer, saying the notification is intended to support public awareness and safety.
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office said it is releasing the information pursuant to ORS 163A.215, which authorizes Community Corrections to inform the public when the release of such information will enhance public safety and protection.
The sheriff’s office said Julian Ivan Herrera has been convicted of a sex offense requiring registration with the Oregon State Police and, based on his criminal history, has been classified at a level indicating a potential to re-offend.
Herrera’s listed residence is 699 Lost Ln N in Keizer. He is described as a 41-year-old Black man who is 5-foot-4 and weighs 125 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. His SID number is 18104153, and his date of birth is Nov. 1,1984.
According to the sheriff’s office, Herrera is on supervised probation for the crimes of harassment and sex abuse in the third degree. His prior convictions include contributing to the sexual delinquency of a minor, attempted assault IV, and public indecency.
The sheriff’s office said Herrera was granted supervision on March 23, 2026, and his supervision is set to expire March 22,2031.
Victims of Herrera include a minor female known to him and an adult male known to him, according to the sheriff’s office.
Special conditions listed by the sheriff’s office include no contact with minors, not frequenting places where minors congregate, and no alcohol or other intoxicating substances.
Oregon
Career criminal creep with 166 arrests, 55 convictions since 1999 sentenced to life in prison
An Oregon creep with a record-setting rap sheet cataloguing a staggering 166 arrests dating back to his teens was finally sentenced to life in prison on Friday.
Joshua Cory Nealy, 41, was slapped with the hefty life sentence without possibility for parole for a January 2023 arrest where he flashed a female clothing store employee and a security officer, according to a news release from the Washington County District Attorney’s Office.
The misdemeanor charge, which would usually land first-time offenders behind bars for just one year, did him in after a whopping 55 prior convictions, including seven felony charges.
Nealy was already on parole when he strolled into the Washington Square Mall in Portland and started schmoozing with a skeptical clothing store clerk.
The repeat offender sifted aimlessly through the store and collected a random assortment of clothes. He asked the female clerk for assistance while he was nude in the store’s changing room — then “opened the door fully and exposed himself to her,” the release said.
Nealy invited the woman to have sex and attempted to cajole her into the dressing room. The victim quickly flagged down a security officer, who Nealy also flashed before fleeing the store with a stolen pair of sunglasses.
Officers with the Tigard Police Department — located one town over from the mall — nabbed the registered sex offender that same day.
Before Washington County Circuit Judge Theodore Sims remanded Nealy to life in prison on Friday, his attorneys tried to argue that the repeat offender had a “compromised mental state.”
The lawyers cited a police report from Nealy’s 2007 attempted rape conviction that described how he “was using ‘crank’,” the street term for meth, “had been awake for two days and expressed his belief that his mother was the Queen of Southern England,” as reported by Oregon Live.
They also noted the defense’s sentencing memo for his first public indecency conviction, where he was apparently talking gibberish during the ordeal.
Then, the lawyers alleged that Nealy was “under the influence” during the incident at the Portland mall.
Despite their efforts, Nealy was handed the life sentence in accordance with a state statute that requires the imposition for defendants who have two prior felony sex crime convictions.
Court records obtained by Oregon Live show that Nealy still has two outstanding cases for assault and attempted assault in Washington County.
Nealy, whose criminal record dates back to when he was just 14 years old, was previously charged with attempted rape, robbery, various assaults, failure to report as a sex offender and more.
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