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Judge blocks Oregon city at center of SCOTUS homelessness ruling from enforcing ban on encampments

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Judge blocks Oregon city at center of SCOTUS homelessness ruling from enforcing ban on encampments


An Oregon judge has issued a preliminary injunction blocking a rural city at the center of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on homeless encampments from enforcing camping restrictions unless certain conditions are met.

Josephine County Circuit Court Judge Sarah McGlaughlin ruled Friday that the city of Grants Pass must increase capacity at locations the city approved for camping and ensure the sites are physically accessible to people with disabilities.

If the city fails to meet those conditions, the judge’s order prohibits the city from citing, arresting or fining people for camping on public property. It also prevents the city from forcing people to leave campsites, from removing campsites that are not clearly abandoned or from prohibiting camping in most city parks.

The city may still enforce rules banning sleeping on sidewalks and streets or in alleys and doorways.

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CA MAYOR DECLARES HOMELESSNESS ‘CAN’T BE A CHOICE,’ SUGGESTS ARRESTING THOSE WHO REPEATEDLY REFUSE SHELTER

With Fruitdale Elementary School in the background, a homeless man adjusts his shoes at Fruitdale Park, March 23, 2024, in Grants Pass, Oregon. (AP)

Mayor Clint Scherf told The Associated Press he was “disheartened” by the judge’s order. The city’s information coordinator, Mike Zacchino, told the outlet that the city was “reviewing all aspects to ensure we make the best decision for our community.”

The lawsuit that ignited the case, filed by Disability Rights Oregon, argued that the city was discriminating against people with disabilities and violating a state law requiring cities’ camping regulations to be “objectively reasonable.” Five homeless people in Grants Pass were among the plaintiffs.

Grants Pass has struggled for years to handle the homelessness crisis and has become symbolic of the national debate over how to respond to the issue. Many of the city’s parks, in particular, saw encampments impacted by drug use and litter.

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Fremont, California — another city seeking to deal with the homelessness crisis — passed one of the nation’s strictest anti-homeless encampment ordinances last month, banning camping on any public property and subjecting anyone “causing, permitting, aiding, abetting or concealing” encampments to either a $1,000 fine or up to six months in jail.

Last summer, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a case brought by the city that communities can ban sleeping outside and fine people who violate the ban, including when there are not enough shelter beds.

A volunteer holds on to a wheelchair as they help Max Hartfelt into his tent after relocating him from one park to another on Saturday, March 23, 2024, in Grants Pass, Oregon. (AP)

The Supreme Court ruling overturned an appeals court decision that camping bans enforced when shelter space is insufficient amounted to cruel and unusual punishment under the Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

Following the high court ruling, Grants Pass banned camping on all city property except sites designated by the City Council, which established two locations for the hundreds of homeless people in an effort to remove them from the parks.

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After taking office this year, the new mayor and new council members moved to close the larger of the two sites, which housed roughly 120 tents, the lawsuit said. The smaller site’s hours of operation were also reduced to between 5 p.m. and 7 a.m.

Both sites were often crowded, with poor conditions and inaccessible to people with disabilities because of loose gravel, according to the complaint.

“It is unconscionable to me to allow people to live there like that,” City Council member Indra Nicholas said before the vote to close the larger site.

CALIFORNIA CITY PASSES SWEEPING HOMELESS ENCAMPMENT BAN ON ALL PUBLIC PROPERTY

Vehicles drive down Rogue River Highway as light shines on the area on March 23, 2024, in Grants Pass, Oregon. (AP)

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After the lawsuit was filed, the city reopened a second, smaller site and extended the time people could remain at the location to four days.

McGlaughin’s order states that the city must increase capacity to what it was before the larger site was closed.

Tom Stenson, deputy legal director for Disability Rights Oregon, praised the ruling.

“This is not a radical solution. The court is basically saying, ‘Go back to the amount of space and places for people who are homeless that you had just three months ago,’” he told The Associated Press.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.



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Public asked to help find missing 2-year-old Armani Andrews in Portland

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Public asked to help find missing 2-year-old Armani Andrews in Portland


Oregon officials asked the public to help find a two-year-old boy who went missing from Portland last Wednesday, June 17.

The Oregon Department of Human Services, Child Welfare Division, is asking the public to help find Armani Andrews and call 911 or local law enforcement if they believe they saw him.

Armani is believed to be in danger and is suspected to be in Portland, around any of the following areas: Rose Haven, Multnomah County Central Library, or Southeast Portland around 82nd-103rd.

Armani is a two-year-old Black/mixed race baby. He is about 24 inches tall, he has brown hair, brown eyes, and his weight is unknown.

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If contacting Portland Police Bureau about Armani, reference the case number: #PP185430

The report number for Armani with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children Report is: 2093182

ODHS said in a statement when a child is missing, they may be in significant danger and the department “may need to locate them to assess and support their safety.”

KATU News reached out to ODHS to clarify whether there is a custody aspect to the missing child’s case. The department said they are unable to provide that information.

Armani Andrews with Mother Rashonda Andrews/ODHS photos

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You can report suspected child abuse to the Oregon Child Abuse Hotline by calling 1-855-503-SAFE (7233). The toll-free number allows anyone to report abuse of any child or adult to the Oregon Department of Human Services, 24 hours a day, seven days a week and every day of the year.

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KATU News included photographs of Armani to help the public identify and find him.



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The Cost of the Crackdown: How Trump’s immigration enforcement affects Oregon

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The Cost of the Crackdown: How Trump’s immigration enforcement affects Oregon


President Donald Trump campaigned on carrying out what he called the largest deportation operation in American history.

After taking office, his administration quickly ramped up immigration enforcement. Border czar Tom Homan also pledged to focus on so-called sanctuary cities, including Portland. According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, more than 675,000 people were deported in 2025, while the agency says more than 2 million people “self-deported.”

READ ALSO | Supreme Court hands Trump immigration wins, but birthright citizenship might be different

In Oregon, state data shows state and local agencies experienced a 265% increase in immigration-related requests from federal authorities last year.

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So what does that mean for Oregon’s economy?

The state’s chief economist says the effects are beginning to emerge.

Carl Riccadonna, Oregon’s state economist, said immigration enforcement actions are influencing consumer spending and activity across several key industries, though the state cannot yet quantify the overall impact.

“What we’re seeing in terms of immigration action is playing out in either consumption patterns, which we’ve seen in some communities, or in industrial or sectoral activity,” Riccadonna said. “This does then have implications for how we are reading the overall macroeconomy and putting together that revenue forecast.”

Portland police officers walk outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

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Riccadonna said the effects extend beyond agriculture, an industry that has historically relied on immigrant labor.

“We have certainly, in sector-by-sector analysis, we’re hearing evidence of impacts from immigration in consumption numbers, so retail, groceries, those sorts of things,” Riccadonna said. “There are also significant impacts in the retail sector and leisure and hospitality, restaurants and construction, important legacy industries of Oregon like timber, forestry … and manufacturing has a very large footprint as well.”

While the state is seeing those trends, Riccadonna said economists cannot yet calculate exactly how much immigration enforcement has affected Oregon’s economy.

“We haven’t done an exercise to say, well, this is what the forecast would have been otherwise. We don’t produce counterfactuals … but there’s plenty of anecdotal evidence from the cherry harvest this past summer and stresses elsewhere throughout those specific sectors,” he said.

National data offers additional context.

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According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the recent immigration surge — which the report says mostly comprises immigrants who were not lawful permanent residents, were not eligible to apply for lawful permanent residency based on their current status, and were not admitted on a temporary basis under the Immigration and Nationality Act — generated approximately $10 billion in state and local tax revenue in 2023. During that same period, governments spent nearly $19 billion on services such as schools, shelters and border security.

A damaged car is seen as law enforcement officials work the scene following reports that federal immigration officers shot and wounded people in Portland, Ore., Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

A damaged car is seen as law enforcement officials work the scene following reports that federal immigration officers shot and wounded people in Portland, Ore., Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

The Congressional Budget Office also projects the immigration surge that began in 2023 will increase the U.S. labor force by approximately 5.8 million people by 2034 and boost the nation’s economic output by nearly $9 trillion over the next decade.

Riccadonna said Oregon expects to gain a clearer picture of the economic effects as more tax and revenue data becomes available.

This story is part of KATU’s “The Cost of the Crackdown” special, which examines how increased immigration enforcement is affecting Oregon, from businesses and workers to the state’s broader economy.

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Oregon National Guard tests drone to remotely deliver explosive during training

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Oregon National Guard tests drone to remotely deliver explosive during training


Oregon Army National Guard soldiers tested a new method of clearing battlefield obstacles during annual training this week by using a heavy-lift drone to remotely deliver and detonate a live explosive charge.

The proof-of-concept demonstration took place June 22 and was led by soldiers with Bravo Company, 741st Brigade Engineer Battalion, 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team.

The exercise focused on using an unmanned aircraft to carry a live Bangalore torpedo — an explosive device designed to clear wire obstacles — allowing engineers to breach barriers while remaining farther from potential enemy threats.

Army engineers are responsible for creating safe routes for friendly forces by clearing obstacles such as concertina wire and minefields. Traditionally, placing explosive charges requires soldiers to move close to enemy positions, increasing their exposure to danger.

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During the demonstration, a heavy-lift drone carried the explosive charge to a wire obstacle before remotely detonating it, successfully creating a lane through the barrier.

The project was the result of several months of planning by the battalion’s drone working group under the direction of battalion commander Lt. Col. Eric Zimmerman. The unit partnered with Ashland-based Lorica Technologies, which provided the heavy-lift drone used during the demonstration.

Lt. Col. Zimmerman said recent conflicts have highlighted the importance of adapting new technologies for the battlefield.

“Watching what’s happening in Ukraine and seeing how innovative they’ve been inspires you to get better and think bigger,” Lt. Col. Zimmerman said.

The team conducted multiple tests before the live demonstration, beginning with inert training devices before progressing to live explosives. Officials said the final test successfully delivered and detonated a two-section Bangalore torpedo.

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Lt. Col. Zimmerman credited the project’s success to collaboration between battalion leadership and the soldiers responsible for carrying out the mission.

“I’m really proud,” Lt. Col. Zimmerman said. “The Soldiers of Bravo Company took an idea from the battalion staff and applied their expertise to make that idea functional and effective.”

Military officials said the demonstration highlights how the Oregon Army National Guard is incorporating emerging unmanned aircraft technology into engineer operations. Lessons learned from the project are expected to help shape future training and the Army’s continued integration of drones into combat engineering missions.

The Oregon Army National Guard is made up of citizen-soldiers who serve part time while maintaining civilian careers, attending school or raising families. In addition to federal deployments, Guard members respond to state emergencies such as wildfires, floods and winter storms when activated by the governor.



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