Oregon
Oregon Parks and Recreation considers changes to e-bike rules
Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) has launched a project to consider new rules for electric bike use in campgrounds, beaches and other parks facilities.
The effort comes as e-bike use has skyrocketed statewide and a new law that clarified e-bike types was passed by the Oregon Legislature last session.
You’ll recall in 2017 we reported on an unfortunate wrinkle in OPRD rules that meant bikes with battery motors were technically not allowed on the popular bike paths throughout the State Park system. That legal glitch was cleared up in 2018 when the State Parks Commission approved a new administrative rule that allowed e-bikes to be ridden on trails and roads wider than eight feet unless otherwise posted.
Now they seek to re-evaluate the rules to account for different types of e-bikes and different trail types. According to OPRD, the resulting change in rules is expected to be made later this year and could, “expand, limit or continue where e-bikes can be used.”
(Keep in mind, Oregon parks are managed with Oregon Administrative Rules (OAR), not the Oregon Vehicle Code.)
House Bill 4103 passed the legislature earlier this year. It brought Oregon in line with national standards and adopted a three-class system: Class 1 includes bikes that can go up to 20 mph with only pedal and battery power; Class 2 includes bikes that can go up to 20 mph with a throttle; and Class 3 includes bikes that can go up to 28 mph with only pedal-assisted power.
“OPRD’s current e-bike rules do not account for these differences between e-bike classes, so now is an ideal time to revisit current regulations and assess whether changes are appropriate,” reads an OPRD webpage.
A new survey is the first step in the public outreach process that will help inform which new rule(s) OPRD ultimately adopts. The survey asks respondents what type of activities they do in parks, how often they encounter e-bikes, and whether, “e-bikes on trails impact your recreational experience.” Another question: “Do you have any concerns about e-bikes sharing trails?” makes it clear that this process will tilt heavily toward ameliorating complaints from some park users that some e-bike riders don’t ride with respect to others.
I sincerely hope OPRD does not over-regulate e-bikes. They should focus on regulating behaviors, not bicycle types, just like they do with other types of vehicles. Any type of blanket exclusion of a particular type of e-bike could risk limiting access t recreational activities for many Oregonians.
The survey is open through August 31st. Take it here.
Stay tuned for the public comment period and any other news on this front.
EUGENE – The chaos of the transfer portal is almost over. The window for players to enter the portal closed on Jan. 16, and many transfers were quick to commit to new programs.
The Oregon Ducks received another big transfer portal haul. Oregon coach Dan Lanning secured transfer commitments from 14 incoming players. Despite the Ducks filling gaps in the roster, only two incoming transfers ranked inside ESPN’s top-50 transfer rankings.
Where Oregon’s Transfer Portal Additions Rank
Lanning’s top-ranked transfer is former Minnesota Golden Gophers safety Koi Perich. Perich is the highest-ranked safety by ESPN, coming in at No. 11 on the list. The safety posted 128 tackles, six interceptions, four pass deflections, two forced fumbles and a sack in two years with Minnesota.
Perich will look to have a similar trajectory to Oregon 2025 safety Dillon Thieneman. Like Perich, Thieneman also saw previous success as one of the Big Ten’s top safeties with another program in the conference. Thieneman transferred ahead of his junior season, continued his development under Lanning and is poised to be an early pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Joining Perich as one of the top-ranked transfers is former Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Dylan Raiola. He’s another player coming off his sophomore season in the Big Ten who looks for a change of scenery. Raiola threw for over 2,000 yards in each of his first two seasons. He finished his second year with 18 touchdowns on 72.4 percent completion.
Raiola ranks No. 30 among ESPN’s top transfers. Oregon quarterback Dante Moore announced that he would return to Eugene in 2026 shortly after Raiola transferred. Moore redshirted his first season with the Ducks after transferring before starting for the team. The expectation is that Raiola will do the same and start in 2027.
MORE: Oregon Ducks Receive Update On Offensive Tackle Transfer Jordan Seaton
MORE: One Underrated Transfer In The Oregon Ducks’ Portal Class
MORE: How to Watch Oregon Ducks’ 2026 Big Ten Schedule Reveal
SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER HERE!
Other Top Transfers with Oregon Connections
The Ducks have been in pursuit of former Colorado offensive tackle Jordan Seaton, who ranks No. 4 among transfers. Seaton is a former five-star recruit entering his junior year. He’s a potential first-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft, but college programs are currently scrambling to secure his commitment.
Seaton made visits to Mississippi State, Miami and LSU. He was scheduled to take a visit to Eugene, but cancelled. Lanning and Oregon offensive line coach A’lique Terry ended up visiting with Seaton in Atlanta on Tuesday night instead.
Adding Seaton to the Ducks’ offensive line would be major for the program. Oregon lost offensive linemen Isaiah World, Alex Harkey and Emmanuel Pregnon, with each having only one year of eligibility with the team. The Ducks bring back center Iapani Laloulu and add Yale transfer offensive tackle Michael Bennett.
The only outgoing transfer on ESPN’s top-50 list is former Oregon defensive tackle Tionne Gray at No. 39. Gray transferred to Notre Dame with three years of eligibility remaining. The defensive tackle redshirted his first season in Eugene and showed promise in 2025 as a rotational piece. He finished with 18 total tackles during his time at Oregon.
MSU basketball: Video analysis on the Spartans’ win at Oregon
Lansing State Journal columnist Graham Couch and Detroit Free Press beat writer Chris Solari discuss the Spartans’ win at Oregon on Tuesday night.
1. MSU rides a couple great performances to a win in a game it could have lost
EUGENE, Ore. — That’s how you win the Big Ten. Not that performance by Michigan State — the Spartans will have to be better in several ways against stiffer tests later in conference play. But it’s partly games like this — when you find yourself in a battle on the road against a wounded team that seems connected and up for the fight — that decide championships and seeding in the NCAA tournament.
For the second straight game in the Pacific Northwest, MSU wasn’t its best in some of the ways it has been this season. For the second straight game, it pulled away behind the deft play of point guard Jeremy Fears, and this time with outstanding games from two others in its core four, Carson Cooper and Coen Carr.
On a night Jaxon Kohler found himself in foul trouble early and never got going offensively (taking just three shots), Carson Cooper was as close as he’ll ever be to Hakeem Olajuwon, scoring a career-high 19 points, on 8-of-10 shooting, to go with seven rebounds and four blocked shots. Coen Carr, with 15 points and eight rebounds, played with purpose we hadn’t seen from him in recent games.
And so MSU, which trailed 38-35 and led just 42-41, got away with a game that might have gone differently if not for a few great performances and a finish during which the Spartans showed a lot of the mettle we’ve seen all season.
MSU, now 17-2 and 7-1 in the Big Ten, needs wins over Maryland (Saturday) and at Rutgers (next Tuesday) to get to 9-1 at the turn of league play when Michigan visits Breslin Center on Jan. 30.
Coen Carr answers emphatically — and this should be his every night
Tom Izzo won’t have to stick up for Coen Carr after this one. Three days after declaring it would be a “cold day in Hell” before he gave up on Carr after Carr’s uninspiring performance at Washington and January struggles, Carr delivered an emphatic performance — best characterized by his driving layup through Oregon’s Sean Stewart to give the Spartans a 53-42 lead with 7:15 remaining.
That play spoke to his mindset and aggression all night. Forget the shooting — hitting 3 of 5 3-pointers is nice and it would be outstanding for this team if he hit them more regularly. But it was the purpose with which he played all night that stood out.
Carr finished with 15 points on 6-for-9 shooting. But he also pulled down eight rebounds and dished three assists, a couple of them really nice plays, in 27 minutes.
It was a heck of an answer to a lackluster start to the month. He also showed what he’s capable of — on the glass and as a playmaker — and that should be expected every night.
A Trey Fort sighting — when MSU needed it
Trey Fort has become the odd man out for MSU’s basketball team for most of this season. He’s behind Divine Ugochukwu, Kur Teng and Jordan Scott at shooting guard, largely because he hasn’t shown he can offer something at a higher level than those three. Ugochukwu gives the Spartans secondary ball-handling, Teng is the best shooter of the group and Scott is the best defender, rebounder and all-around impact guy.
If Fort were hitting shots at a higher clip than 29% from 3 and 32% from the floor — heading into Tuesday night — or a difference-maker defensively, he’d have a larger role. Instead, he’s getting single-digit minutes most nights, including just three against Northwestern, two against Indiana and five at Washington. To his credit, his body language and attitude have remained positive, at least in public settings and, by all accounts, around his teammates.
That’s important, because he’s a turned ankle from a much larger role. And still a capable player and shot-maker, and someone who can create his own shot — even if sometimes early this season it wasn’t the shot Tom Izzo and Co. wanted.
Tuesday at Oregon, he played 15 minutes, including the final 8:31 of the first half and more than six minutes in the second (another long stretch). He was what he hasn’t been for MSU regularly — a better option than Scott or Teng, neither of whom played aggressively or well.
Fort hit two jump shots n the first half, the first to put MSU ahead 23-22 and then 25-22. Both came at the time the Spartans were struggling to find offense. In the second half, he entered the game with 13:52 remaining with MSU trailing 38-35 and completely out of sorts offensively. On MSU’s second possession with him in the game, Fort came off a screen and buried an 18-foot jumper. He then buried a 3 from the right side to put the Spartans ahead 42-38 with 11 minutes remaining.
Fort is a fearless shooter, which is both a strength and a weakness. On this night, it was a strength, his confidence needed.
MSU was plus-12 with Fort in the game in those 15 minutes and he finished an efficient 4-for-5 from the floor in two extended stints. These weren’t planned stints. But he’ll get more of them in the future because of it. And MSU will likely be quicker to go to him when the others aren’t producing. He got his opportunity and delivered when the Spartans needed it.
“Trey let the game come to him, instead of forcing the game,” Izzo said. “I was not only impressed, but I was excited for him. It’s been a rough go for him.”
Contact Graham Couch at gcouch@lsj.com. Follow him on X @Graham_Couch and BlueSky @GrahamCouch.
The northern lights could once again be visible in Oregon in the wake of powerful activity from the sun.
A strong solar flare on Sunday was followed by a severe geomagnetic storm on Tuesday, giving Oregonians and many others along the northern edge of the country another chance to see the auroras.
While Earth has entered the declining phase of solar cycle 25, that doesn’t mean northern lights viewing opportunities are going away. In fact, experts say, the declining phase can have longer, if lighter, geomagnetic storms, as well as powerful “last gasp” storms from the sun.
On Tuesday night, people in 18 states could get a chance to see the auroras on Tuesday night.
The lights could be visible in Oregon, as well as in parts of Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and Alaska.
To view the lights, stay away from light pollution and look toward the northern horizon.
Follow the Space Weather Prediction Center’s 30-minute aurora forecast to see the latest predictions of where the lights will be visible.
Can Pickles Help You Lose Weight? Discover the Perks of Fermented Foods
Public domain contest challenges filmmakers to remix Betty Boop, Nancy Drew and more
Hundreds of creatives warn against an AI slop future
Iran accused of sex assaults on teenage prisoners, while families charged to recover remains of loved ones
Judge rules NYC’s lone Republican congressional district unconstitutional, orders redraw
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Indiana Members Credit Union announced as new anchor tenant at Bottleworks District
Judge rules NYC’s lone Republican congressional district unconstitutional, orders redraw
French firm Lactalis latest to recall baby formula amid contamination scare
Autopsy finds Cuban immigrant in ICE custody died of homicide due to asphyxia
Supreme Court appears ready to keep Lisa Cook on Federal Reserve board despite Trump efforts to fire her
Greenland, NATO and war: Fact-checking Trump’s Davos speech
-
Sports4 days agoMiami’s Carson Beck turns heads with stunning admission about attending classes as college athlete
-
Detroit, MI1 week agoSchool Closings: List of closures across metro Detroit
-
Culture1 week agoTry This Quiz on Myths and Stories That Inspired Recent Books
-
Lifestyle1 week agoJulio Iglesias accused of sexual assault as Spanish prosecutors study the allegations
-
Education1 week agoVideo: Lego Unveils New Smart Brick
-
Pittsburg, PA3 days agoSean McDermott Should Be Steelers Next Head Coach
-
Education1 week ago
How a Syrian Hiking Club Is Rediscovering the Country
-
Sports2 days agoMiami star throws punch at Indiana player after national championship loss