Oregon
Oregon’s U.S. Senators Pledge to Vote Against Homeland Security Spending
Both of Oregon’s U.S. senators are among the growing opposition to a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security, as outrage over federal killings in Minnesota builds to a showdown in Congress.
This week, senators are set to vote on an appropriations package that contains six funding bills, including one for DHS. In separate votes on Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the majority of the package by a vote of 341–88, but the DHS portion of the bill passed by a much narrower margin, 220–207.
Republicans now face a steep challenge passing the $64.4 billion DHS spending package, $10 billion of which would be directed to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The bill will require 60 votes to pass the Senate—that means it needs bipartisan support.
But it comes to the chamber in the wake of the fatal ICE shooting of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, in Minneapolis on Jan. 24, the latest escalation in a string of immigration crackdowns nationwide that have turned increasingly violent. Video footage has since undercut many of the federal government’s initial claims about Pretti, including that he was brandishing a gun. (He was holding a cellphone, and he had been disarmed before agents started firing.) Across the country, public outrage has grown over ICE’s actions in Minneapolis.
Pretti’s death marked the second killing of a U.S. citizen at the hands of ICE this month, after an agent shot Renee Nicole Good on Jan. 7. Good was also 37.
Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley have told WW they plan to vote against the DHS spending bill.
Wyden says the Senate has “absolutely no business” approving funding for DHS without “sufficient guardrails against these heinous and intolerable ICE abuses in Minneapolis, Portland and far too many other cities across America.”
Wyden says he’s working with fellow senators to push for reforms, including requiring ICE agents to wear their uniforms and display their badges, and is also pushing against racial profiling during ICE operations.
He adds: “I’m also battling for the rights of elected officials to visit immigration detention sites and for local communities in Oregon to refuse the siting of detention facilities in their towns. I’d also add that I’m keeping receipts on who’s issuing these orders under Trump—as well as who’s following those orders. I’m putting all those people on notice: The courts are not going to forget who broke the law in Oregon, Minnesota or anywhere else in America.”
Merkley says the Trump administration has used ICE to “terrorize communities” while denying people due process and often resorting to violence.
“I oppose giving one more penny to ICE, which already got $75 billion from Trump and Republicans in the Big Ugly Betrayal Bill,” Merkley said. “As long as more funding for ICE is in the DHS bill, I will vote against it.”
Whether the congressional standoff leads to a government shutdown remains to be seen. NBC reports that Senate Democrats have plans to advocate separating out DHS from the spending bills for other agencies in a similar fashion—trying to limit the consequences of a partial government shutdown. (That decision is ultimately up to the Republican majority leader.)
Aaron Mesh contributed reporting.
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A 73-year-old man was sentenced on Tuesday to 20 years in prison for the 1983 killing of his then-girlfriend. It was a case that went unsolved for more than 40 years.
The sentence was announced by Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield.
In July 1983, Teresa Peroni, 27, was reported missing after attending a party in the Selma area of Josephine County southwest of Grants Pass. She was last seen walking in the woods with her boyfriend Marcus Sanfratello.
Authorities deemed Peroni’s disappearance suspicious, but they lacked evidence to bring charges against anyone.
In 1997, a human skull was found on private property near where Peroni disappeared. In 2024, authorities in Josephine County reopened the case. In addition to re-interviewing witnesses, they collected new DNA evidence to build a case against Sanfratello.
With the DNA, experts at the University of North Texas confirmed the skull was Peroni’s.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Man arraigned on murder charge in Oregon for death of then-girlfriend in 1980s cold case
A grand jury indicted Sanfratello of second-degree murder, on June 27, 2025.
Police arrested Sanfratello in Chico, California the next day. He was then extradited to Oregon to face the charge of murder.
Under a plea agreement, Sanfratello pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter.
He will serve at least 10 years in prison, Oregon’s attorney general’s office said.
“For Teresa Peroni’s family, this has been a 43-year wait for an answer they never should have had to wait for,” Rayfield said in a news release. “Cases like this remind us of why we don’t give up. It doesn’t matter how many years have passed — if someone took a life, we’re going to keep working until we can hold them accountable.”
Oregon
100+ Women Who Care of Central Oregon Donates Nearly $20,000 to M Perfectly – The Source – Bend, Oregon
The Oregon Ducks are set for one of the biggest timelines of their recruiting cycle, as many top targets are nearing commitments. This time around, the Ducks have a ton of top targets still remaining on their board compared to past seasons, as the Ducks have eight total commitments at this time.
Oregon coach Dan Lanning and his staff still need to land a safety commitment, but three-star safety Elijah Butler out of Maryland recently included the Ducks in his final six schools.
Oregon Target Elijah Butler Makes Exciting Recruiting Announcement
Butler announced his top six schools ahead of a crucial part of his recruitment, according to a graphic by Leyton Roberts. The Ducks made the cut alongside the Maryland Terrapins, Virginia Tech Hokies, Auburn Tigers, Florida Gators, and the Alabama Crimson Tide. The talented prospect would be a great addition for any of these teams, as they could all use a safety prospect at this point in the recruiting timeline.
Butler is from the state of Maryland, which makes the Terrapins one to watch.
It is also worth noting that he has been labeled as one of the best players in the state of Maryland, as he currently ranks as the state’s No. 9 prospect, according to Rivals. This is important as the Terrapins have always made solid attempts to land their in-state stars, including last season when they landed one of the better players in the state’s history, Zion Elee.
As of now, the prospect hasn’t been predicted to land with any of these schools, which means it is likely still a tight race entering the official visit schedule. He has yet to schedule an official visit with all of the schools he has listed in his top six, as he is still missing three key official visits. Butler has scheduled official visits with Alabama, Auburn, and Florida, according to 247Sports. This means he still needs to set one with Oregon, Virginia Tech, and Maryland if he wants to take one to each school.
If the Ducks are able to get Butler on a visit, then they would likely be in a more favorable position to land his commitment, as it currently. seems they are one of the trailing teams from this list. It seems highly unlikely that the Ducks will gain his commitment unless they get him on an official visit, which is still possible at this point, as plenty of top prospects across the nation are still scheduling their official visits.
As of now, the Ducks have 27 prospects set to take an official visit, according to 247Sports. Among all of the prospects who have scheduled a visit thus far, only one of the players is listed as a safety. That player is a three-star target, Junior Tu’upo. This leads one to believe that the Ducks could try to get Butler on a visit, or at a minimum, pitch their program to the prospect from St Frances Academy.
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