Oregon

Oregon outlaws jet boats with engines above 15 horsepower on Upper Rogue River

Published

1 year ago

February 1, 2025

Oregon outlaws jet boats with engines above 15 horsepower on Upper Rogue River

The Oregon State Marine Board outlawed fast-moving jet boats on the Upper Rogue River after a long and contentious battle between anglers, environmental groups and commercial jet boat drivers.

The decision, made at a meeting Jan. 23, limits motorboats to an engine of 15 horsepower or lower on the popular upper river above Dodge Bridge County Park and Rogue River tributaries, between Fishers Ferry County Park and William L. Jess Dam at Lost Creek Reservoir.

The move effectively bans charter jet boat trips upstream of Table Rock Road, which has been a source of controversy for years.

Rogue Jet Boat Adventures, which has operated tours in the area, told the Rogue Valley Times they are “concerned about the decisions limiting access to a section of the river that provides invaluable opportunities for school groups, veterans, the elderly, and individuals with disabilities — people who otherwise may not have the chance to experience this area of natural beauty and educational significance,” owner Taylor Grimes told the newspaper.

Grimes can still operate jet boat tours at lower segments of the river.

Environmental groups and anglers who said the jet boats degraded protection, water quality and safety celebrated the decision.

“Rogue Riverkeeper believes this rule-making highlights the importance of protecting water quality and aquatic habitat and building policy resilience in the face of climate change as our environment faces changes in use as well as the impacts that climate change itself will bring,” the group wrote.

Oregon State Marine Board approves grants for boating facilities

At the same meeting, the OSMB approved a series of grants to fund boating access at various locations including:

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Pioneer Park West on the Klamath River. This project involves installing an accessible single-stall vault toilet, engineering services and sidewalks as part of a renovation project for improved river access. $180,000 in boating facility grant funds and $60,000 in waterway access grant funds to match $901,843 of applicant cash and pre-agreement match, for a total project cost of $1,141,843.
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Moonshine Falls on the Klamath River. Access road improvements to this new river access site will serve as a put-in location for the Big Bend run. The board approved $40,000 in waterway access grant funds to match $2,101,807 of applicant cash and pre-agreement match, for a total project cost of $2,141,807.
Salmon Harbor West Basin boarding dock replacement on the Umpqua River. This project will replace the timber boarding docks with aluminum, which have an anticipated useful life of 25 years depending on use, weather conditions and maintenance. The board approved $270,000 in boating facility grant funds to match $90,000 of applicant cash, labor, equipment, materials, administration and pre-agreement match, for a total project cost of $360,000.
U.S. Forest Service, Siuslaw National Forest, Sutton Boat Ramp and boarding dock replacement. Due to permitting delays, the USFS requested a grant extension to June 30, 2027. The board conditionally approved, subject to legislative approval of the agency’s 2025-27 budget, $449,496.43 from the 2025-27 boating facility grant funding to match $149,832.14 of applicant cash and administrative match, for a total project cost of $599,328.57.

Zach Urness has been an outdoors reporter in Oregon for 18 years and is host of the Explore Oregon Podcast. He can be reached at zurness@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6801. Find him on X at @ZachsORoutdoors.

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Oregon

Merkley Announces Additional Oregon Town Halls April 2-4

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11 hours ago

March 27, 2026

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Merkley Announces Additional Oregon Town Halls April 2-4

Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley announced today he will hold seven in-person town halls for Oregonians in Gilliam, Sherman, Klamath, Lake, Deschutes, Crook and Jefferson counties between Thursday, April 2 and Saturday, April 4. These events follow previously announced town halls between Monday, March 30 and Wednesday, April 1. “I’m looking forward to again visiting wonderful communities […]

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Oregon

Oregon Supreme Court overturns JonBenét Ramsey photographer conviction

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23 hours ago

March 26, 2026

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Oregon Supreme Court overturns JonBenét Ramsey photographer conviction

The Oregon Supreme Court has overturned the conviction of a Lane County man who once photographed child beauty queen JonBenét Ramsey and was convicted in 2021 on several child pornography charges.

Randall DeWitt Simons, 73, of Oakridge, was charged in 2019 with 15 counts of first-degree encouraging child sex abuse. He was later convicted on every count and sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Simons was first arrested after authorities began investigating a report from a restaurant in Oakridge that someone had been using the restaurant’s Wi-Fi to download inappropriate and concerning images.

Law enforcement officers directed the business to track, log, and report all of the user’s internet activity to the investigating officer for more than a year, without a warrant.

Police tracked the computer’s IP address from the restaurant’s Wi-Fi system, which led officers to a man who lived near the restaurant and had given Simons a computer, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in Lane County Circuit Court. Investigators obtained a warrant to search the laptop in Simon’s home, relying on information they had collected over time. He was subsequently arrested.

On March 26, the court ruled warrantless internet surveillance on public Wi-Fi violates privacy.

In an opinion written by Justice Bronson D. James, the court held that the Oregon Constitution recognizes people have a right to privacy in their internet browsing activities and the right is not extinguished when they use a publicly accessible wireless network. It’s even true in cases where that access is conditioned on a person accepting a terms-of-service agreement that says a provider may monitor activity and cooperate with law enforcement, James wrote.

During criminal proceedings in the Lane County Circuit Court, Simons moved to controvert the warrant and suppress the evidence obtained by police, arguing the business was a “state actor for purposes of Article I, section 9, and that its year-long warrantless surveillance was an unconstitutional, warrantless search attributable to the state,” the Supreme Court opinion said.

The Circuit Court denied Simon’s motion. The Oregon Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court’s decision in part and stated Simons had no cognizable privacy interest in his internet activities performed on a third-party network.

The Oregon Supreme Court rejected the state’s argument.

“The mere fact that a person accesses the internet through a public network does not eliminate their Article I, section 9, right to privacy in their online activities,” according to James. “Even when access is expressly conditioned on a user’s acceptance of terms-of-service provisions purporting to alert the user that the provider may monitor activity and cooperate with law enforcement.”

Justice K. Bushong suggested in a partial dissent the Court should reconsider its approach in a future case to what constitutes a “search” under the Oregon Constitution. The court’s decision reverses the Court of Appeals and sends the case back to the Lane County Circuit Court for further proceedings.

Simons has maintained his innocence since he was arrested in 2019.

Simons had been a photographer for 6-year-old Colorado beauty queen JonBenét Ramsey a few months before her still-unsolved 1996 murder, the Associated Press reported in 1998.

In October 1998, Simons was arrested on a charge of indecent exposure in Lincoln County, Colorado. According to the book “Perfect Murder, Perfect Town” by Lawrence Schiller, Simons was arrested in 1998 for allegedly walking nude down a residential street in the small town of Genoa, Colorado. Simons allegedly offered to the arresting deputy unprovoked, “I didn’t kill JonBenét.”

Haleigh Kochanski is a breaking news and public safety reporter for The Register-Guard. You may reach her at HKochanski@gannett.com.

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Umatilla, Morrow counties establish Young Republicans of Oregon chapter – East Oregonian

Published

1 day ago

March 26, 2026

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Umatilla, Morrow counties establish Young Republicans of Oregon chapter

Published 8:00 pm Wednesday, March 25, 2026

IRRIGON — Young Republicans living in Umatilla and Morrow counties now can join a local chapter of the statewide Young Republicans of Oregon organization.

The Umatilla Morrow Young Republicans will advance Republican values and leadership in young residents through political training, networking opportunities and connection to Republican leaders. The group is focused on young adults, generally attracting college-aged people, though it includes people aged 18 to 40.

The five Young Republicans of Oregon members living in Umatilla and Morrow counties elected three officers to lead their new chapter. Irrigon’s Evan Purves was elected chair, with Connor Roberts of Hermiston as his vice chair and Kaelyn Moore of Milton-Freewater serving as secretary.

“I am super grateful for this opportunity to lead my neighbors,” Purves said. “It’s going to be really fun. We have some good events planned.”

Purves, 19, is a student at Blue Mountain Community College who eventually hopes to pursue a four-year degree in public administration. He initially became interested in the Young Republicans during an internship with Oregon state Rep. Greg Smith, of Heppner. He said it was an experience that showed him how the legislature works.

The internship also inspired him to step into a leadership role with the Young Republicans and help establish a local chapter of the organization. The newest chapter of the Young Republicans of Oregon, which was announced Monday, March 23, has been in the works since November 2025.

The Young Republicans of Oregon State Chair, Tanner Elliott, said the new chapter — the fourth chapter statewide — indicates momentum for conservative values.

“In less than a year, we’ve continued expanding because young conservatives are stepping up and getting involved in their communities,” Elliott said. “I want to congratulate the chapter’s leadership team on their election and especially commend their new chair Evan Purves for taking on this role. I’m confident this group will make a meaningful impact in Eastern Oregon and help drive our organization forward.”

Future plans in Umatilla, Morrow counties

The leadership team of UMYR already is making efforts to effect change.

In early May, Purves said, Umatilla Morrow Young Republicans will host a door knocking campaign in support of Smith’s reelection campaign. There also will be an official kickoff event the same weekend celebrating the new chapter and outlining priorities for the future.

“If there’s anything that we might struggle with is membership,” he said. “The recruiting part is us going out there and hosting events and socials, having opportunities for people to come out and do something fun that anybody’s invited to.”

Regarding other priorities, voter engagement is important to Purves,

“Even though we live in a big conservative area, there’s not a lot of politically engaged people, especially in my generation,” he said. “We want to get them involved.”

He said one of his concerns is businesses leaving the state due to policies that aren’t friendly to corporations, a common issue raised by Republican lawmakers. The decisions being made impact every community, he said, and he wants to have a say in what the leaders are doing.

“These bills affect all of us,” he said. “It’s just important to get people involved and get people to vote and be a part of it.”

People interested in updates on the efforts of the Umatilla Morrow Young Republicans can follow the group on Facebook or Instagram or become a member at yro.gop.

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