Oregon
Oregon Ducks Turn Heads With More NFL Rookie Minicamp Invites
Two days after the 2026 NFL Draft ended, Oregon Ducks offensive lineman Matthew Bedford accepted an invite to the New Orleans Saints’ rookie minicamp, and punter James Ferguson-Reynolds to the New York Giants’ rookie minicamp, according to The Oregonian’s James Crepea.
Bedford started his college career with the Indiana Hooisers and Ferguson-Reynolds with the Boise State Broncos before transferring to Eugene, Oregon.
Offensive Lineman Matthew Bedford
Across his two seasons with Oregon, Matthew Bedford only played eight of the 29 games played after suffering a left knee injury in the fall of 2024.
He was set to be the starting right guard and was only on the offensive line for 84 total snaps during his time with the Ducks.
Punter James Ferguson-Reynolds
James Ferguson-Reynolds, a native of Geelong, Australia, came to the United States in 2020. He was named an Associated Press Third Team All-American in 2023.
In his senior season with Oregon, Ferguson-Reynolds punted 35 times for 1,470 yards, averaging 42.0 yards per attempt. The leftie had 17 punts inside the 20-yard line and six punts of 50-plus yards, with a long boot of 58 yards.
Below are the four other Ducks that will be looking for a shot at a spot at an NFL training camp and an opening-day roster spot.
Running Back Noah Whittington
Noah Whittington is headed to the Houston Texans as an undrafted free agent, per CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz.
The Ducks’ leading rusher from the 2025 season was an All-Big Ten Conference Honorable Mention selection with 829 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 129 carries. He finished his college career with 2,950 career rushing yards after starting his career with the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers from 2020 to 2021, then moving to the Emerald City from 2022 to 2025.
Offensive Tackle Isaiah World
Isaiah World signed as an undrafted free agent with the Los Angeles Chargers, according to Zenitz.
The 6-8, 315-pound giant earned All-Big Ten Conference Honorable Mention honors before suffering a torn ACL in his left knee during the College Football Playoff semifinal loss to the Indiana Hoosiers in the Peach Bowl. The former Nevada Wolfpack is expected to make a full recovery after not participating in the NFL Combine or Oregon’s Pro Day.
Long Snapper Luke Basso
Luke Basso will sign as an undrafted free agent with the Denver Broncos, reported by Crepea.
The Duck will have the chance to reunite with quarterback Bo Nix, with whom he played alongside during the 2022 and 2023 campaigns at Autzen Stadium. The primary specialist appeared in 39 games, while earning All-Big Ten Conference First Team honors in his redshirt junior season and All-Big Ten Conference Second Team honors during his redshirt senior season.
Kicker Atticus Sappington
Atticus Sappington will be joining the Minnesota Vikings as a rookie minicamp invite, per Crepea.
The former Oregon State Beaver turned Duck went 51-for-61 on his field goal college attempts, turning a 83.6 percentage. On 40 through 49-yard attempts, Sappington knocked through 17-for-21 kicks through the uprights.
With the long distance of 50 yards or more, the Portland, Oregon, native finished 2-for-5 throughout his college career. His longest included a 51-yarder against the Washington Huskies on Nov. 29, 2025, in the rivalry road 26-14 win to cap his Pacific Northwest tenure.
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PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) – Fireworks are on sale in Oregon until July 6, but state and local rules limit where they can be used and what types are allowed.
In Portland, fireworks use and sales are banned year-round.
Fireworks are also banned on beaches and in state and national parks.
Statewide, fireworks that fly into the air, explode, act unpredictably or move more than 12 feet horizontally are illegal. Banned fireworks include sky lanterns, missiles, rockets, Roman candles, firecrackers, cherry bombs and M-80s.
Fountains, sparklers, ground spinners and smoke devices are among the fireworks allowed under state rules.
Officials said people should not call 911 to report illegal fireworks. They said reports should go to the non-emergency line for the area.
First responders said there were 263 fires across Portland during last year’s fireworks season, and 27 were caused by fireworks.
For more details about fireworks regulation in Oregon, click here.
In Washington, fireworks sales legally begin Sunday and run through July 4.
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GEARHART, Ore. (KATU) — Another gray whale washed up on the Oregon coast last week, this time in Gearhart, according to Seaside Aquarium.
The 41-foot-long male had been dead for months before washing up on the beach, Seaside Aquarium general manager Keith Chandler said.
He noted that there have been 19 total whale strandings or carcasses washing up on beaches just this year on the Oregon coast region.
The Cascadia Research Collective is reporting at least 30 on Washington coastline alone. | TIMELINE
Of those deaths, more than half were at least partially attributed to malnutrition. That could have been the cause in more strandings, however, necropsies were not performed in roughly a dozen of the 30 strandings.
Chandler said strong wind from the west this year has been contributing to why coastal towns are seeing a lot of whales and other things washing up on shore. However he also noted that many of the Grey whales washed ashore were emaciated with necropsies showing signs of malnourishment.
“The food sources have been compromised. The warmer water means the nutrients that they’re getting aren’t as good, so the whole food chain is kind of not as healthy,” Chandler said.
He pointed to the warming waters with climate change as the main reason noting that warm water plankton–Grey Whale’s main food source–is thinner and has fewer nutrients than plankton in cooler waters.
Chandler says this whale will not have a necropsy done because of its level of decomposition.
“The fresher ones, the team from Portland State [University] will come down and they’ll go in and do measurements, take samples and stuff, measurements of the internal organs. But on one this decayed, you won’t gain anything from it scientifically. And it’s just kind of a mess to do when they’re this rotten,” he said.
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You can report a whale stranding to the West Coast Marine Mammal Stranding Network Hotline by calling 1-866-767-6114.
SALEM, OR — Gov. Tina Kotek announced today that she will appoint Nathan J. Lichvarcik to the Lane County Circuit Court bench, filling a vacancy created by the upcoming resignation of Judge Debra K. Vogt.
Lichvarcik’s appointment is effective Aug. 1, 2026.
Lichvarcik is a criminal law attorney with the U.S. Attorney’s Office. He has worked in the office’s Eugene branch for the past 14 years and has served as branch supervisor for the Eugene and Medford offices since 2020.
He has also taught Trial Advocacy at the University of Oregon Law School for the past 10 years.
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