Oregon
Former Oregon transportation employees plead guilty in $6M equipment reselling scheme
Three former Oregon Division of Transportation workers at a Clackamas County upkeep store pleaded responsible Tuesday to bilking the state out of greater than $6 million by furtively reselling the company’s tools.
Former transportation upkeep coordinator John Tipton hatched the long-running scheme on the Lawnfield Upkeep Station in Clackamas in 2005, prosecutors stated, earlier than regularly roping in two different workers and certainly one of their wives because the years glided by.
The plot was uncovered after an unrelated whistleblower criticism was filed in opposition to Tipton, prosecutors stated. ODOT introduced the outcomes of an inside investigation that led to the dismissal or abrupt retirement of all three workers in February 2020.
Tipton, now 61, pleaded responsible in Clackamas County Circuit Courtroom to 35 counts of assorted fees, together with first-degree aggravated theft, pc crime and official misconduct. A plea deal requires him to obtain 12 years in jail.
Additionally coming into responsible pleas have been former panorama supervisor Frank Clarence Smead Jr., who is anticipated to obtain a seven-year jail sentence; his spouse, Marta Smead, who didn’t work for ODOT and is anticipated to be sentenced to 3 and a half years in jail; and former coverage analyst Autumn Arndt, who is anticipated to obtain a five-year sentence and pay again $100,000 to the state.
The plotters used an ODOT bank card to buy upkeep tools reminiscent of chainsaws that have been then secretly resold on-line, in accordance with prosecutors and court docket information. The staff lined their tracks by creating lots of of phony invoices.
“The plea negotiations mirrored the relative culpability of the defendants,” stated Clackamas County Chief Deputy District Lawyer Chris Owen.
ODOT didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark. All 4 defendants are scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 6.
— Zane Sparling; zsparling@oregonian.com; 503-319-7083; @pdxzane
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Oregon
Arizona State Lands Transfer Portal Lineman My’Keil Gardner From Oregon Ducks
Another Oregon Ducks transfer has found a new home in the portal as the 2024 college football season comes closer to an end.
Per reports from On3’s Pete Nakos, the Arizona State Sun Devils have landed a commitment and ensuing signature from Oregon defensive lineman transfer My’Keil Gardner. He entered the portal on Thursday and will have four years of eligibility left.
Gardner posted one total tackle in three games last year as a freshman but did not record a statistic with the Ducks in 2024 after sitting the entire campaign due to an undisclosed injury.
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Originally a three-star recruit in the 2023 class out of Liberty High School in Peoria, AZ, Gardner received offers from programs like Texas, USC, Washington State, UCLA, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin, Colorado State, Arizona State, Colorado, Iowa State, Nebraska and many more.
He took official visits to Michigan, Texas, Wisconsin, Cal and Oregon before committing to the Ducks on Aug. 3, 2022.
Gardner is now the seventh Oregon transfer to commit out of the portal since it opened last month. He joins safety Tyler Turner (Baylor), quarterback Jaron Keawe Sagapolutele (Cal), cornerback Khamari Terrell (Texas State), offensive tackle JacQawn McRoy (Arkansas), edge rushers Jaxson Jones (Utah), Emar’rion Winston (Baylor) and Jaeden Moore (Pitt) and receiver Ryan Pellum (undecided) as Oregon players that have entered the portal this offseason.
Despite the departures, the Ducks have also made some portal additions in running back Makhi Hughes (Tulane), receiver Malik Benson (Florida State), offensive tackle Isaiah World (Nevada), defensive lineman Bear Alexander (USC), cornerback Theran Johnson (Northwestern), safety Dillon Thieneman (Purdue), offensive lineman Alex Harkey (Texas State) and tight end Jamari Johnson (Louisville).
Gardner will now head to Tempe, where the Sun Devils are coming off one of the best seasons in program history. Under head coach Kenny Dillingham, Arizona State finished the year with an 11-3 record that was highlighted by winning a Big 12 Championship and earning a berth in the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff. However, the Sun Devils’ season ended in heartbreak with a 39-31 double-overtime loss to the Texas Longhorns in the CFP quarterfinals at the Peach Bowl on New Year’s Day.
Oregon coach Dan Lanning talked about the talent out of the state of Arizona before the Ducks played in last year’s Fiesta Bowl, a game Gardner saw action in. Now, he’s headed back to his home state.
“There’s great football here in Arizona and I think it’s only getting better. There are certainly some great players who play here in Arizona. We want to be able to come to the state of Arizona and get the best players consistently. Having games like this gives us that opportunity,” Lanning said.
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Oregon
Here are Oregon’s fastest-growing jobs and what they pay
State economists expect Oregon will add 170,000 jobs over the next several years, bolstered by strong growth in the construction and health care industries.
The pace of job growth is slowing, though, as the state’s population ages, the post-pandemic labor boom recedes and as migration into Oregon settles into a slower pace. The Oregon Employment Department’s latest forecast anticipates just 8% more jobs during the coming decade, down from prior 10-year forecasts that predicted employment would grow by as much as 13%.
Oregon
Oregon State, Jade Carey open home gymnastics schedule with dominant performance: Photos
No. 9 Oregon State put on a show in its first 2025 home gymnastics meet Saturday, scoring 196.40 points to easily beat Brigham Young at Gill Coliseum.
Senior Jade Carey, performing in a home meet for the first time since winning two Olympic gold medals last summer, scored 39.725 in all-around. Carey had scores of 9.95 on bars and floor, 9.925 on beam and 9.90 on vault.
Carey had the highest score in each event on either team. The best scores by a Beaver gymnast aside from Carey were 9.85s by Natalie Briones (bars), Sage Thompson (bars), Lauren Letzsch (beam), Savannah Miller (floor) and Sophia Esposito (floor and beam).
Brigham Young scored 194.2 points. Kylie Eaquinto led the way with an all-around score of 39.050.
— Nick Daschel covers the Oregon State Beavers. Reach him at 360-607-4824 or @nickdaschel. Listen to the Beaver Banter podcast or subscribe to the Beavers Roundup newsletter.
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