The third weekend of round-robin play lacked the normal travel pairings. For example, Stanford visited Oregon State and played host to Utah, while Cal was at home against Colorado and on the road against Oregon. Also, Washington played ASU at home and UCLA on the road, but WSU played USC on the road and Arizona at home. The remaining eight weeks of conference play will feature the traditional home-road pairings.
Theme of the week II: Deteriorating outlook
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The Pac-12’s prospects for the NCAA Tournament are growing darker by the week as the wrong teams win, and lose. As of Sunday morning, the conference had just two teams (Arizona and Utah) in the top 40 of the NET rankings — the target range for receiving at-large bids to the NCAAs. Beyond that duo, Oregon and Colorado have the best chance to reach the field. From here, this looks like a three-bid league.
Team of the week: Washington State
The Cougars recorded an impressive weekend sweep with a victory at USC (72-64) on Wednesday and a home upset of Arizona (73-70) on Saturday. It was the Cougars’ first victory over Arizona in … 53 weeks. That’s right, WSU beat Arizona last season, as well — although that upset was in Tucson. (The Wildcats were ranked in the top 10 both times.) The Cougars held Arizona’s high-octane offense to 34.7 percent shooting and its lowest point total of the season.
Team of the season: Oregon
Picked fourth in the preseason media poll, the Ducks (5-0) are alone at the top through three weeks of play. They have a one-game lead on Arizona State — of note: the only head-to-head matchup between the Ducks and Sun Devils this season is in Eugene — and a two-game lead (in the loss column) over Stanford and Arizona. However, the Ducks’ remaining road schedule is rugged. We don’t expect them to control the race from start to finish.
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Player of the week: WSU’s Isaac Jones
The Cougars’ big week would not have been possible without first-rate work from the 6-foot-9 senior, who scored 26 points at USC and 24 against Arizona and combined for 24 rebounds. (He also made 15-of-25 field goal attempts and was 20-of-25 from the foul line.) Jones spent three seasons in junior college, then one year at Idaho before transferring to WSU last spring. He leads the Cougars in scoring (14.8 ppg) and rebounding (8.5 rpg).
Game of the week: Stanford 88, Oregon State 84 (OT)
The Cardinal won twice this week, beginning with a narrow escape in Corvallis in which they rallied from a double-digit deficit in the second half and took a brief lead in the final minute. OSU forced overtime, but a 3-pointer by Stanford’s Brandon Angel in the extra period was decisive. The Cardinal collected its second win of the weekend on Sunday afternoon, with a 79-73 victory over Utah.
Misleading score of the week: WSU 73, Arizona 70
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The result looks worse than it is for Arizona’s resume, and here’s why: Although they played a soft non-conference schedule, the Cougars were well within the top 75 of the NET rankings, thus leaving the defeat as a Quadrant I loss for the Wildcats. Their NET ranking did not budge overnight from the No. 2 position.
Comeback of the week: Cal 82, Colorado 78
The Bears continue to produce surprising results (in a positive fashion) under first-year coach Mark Madsen. Their latest eye-opener: Rallying from a 19-point deficit early in the second half to topple CU. With star guard Jaylon Tyson leading the way (a career-high 30 points), Cal outscored the Buffaloes 51-28 over the final 17 minutes. The Bears have two wins in six conference games — as many as they produced last season in 20.
Wipeout of the week: Utah 90, UCLA 44
Just when you thought things could not get worse — after a home loss to Cal — the Bruins produced the second-worst loss in school history. Some fans might remember the ‘Maples Massacre,’ a 48-point wipeout at Stanford in 1997. Well, the pummeling in Salt Lake City could have been worse: The Utes led by 49 points with two minutes left, before UCLA trimmed the margin. The Bruins were outscored by 36 points in the second half and out-rebounded 50-28 for the game. “As you get into this and it gets more physical,” coach Mick Cronin said, “we haven’t met that challenge at all.” UCLA beat Washington on Sunday but has lost eight of its last 10.
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Depleted roster of the week: USC
The reeling Trojans lost at Colorado without three players who combine for 40 points and 11 rebounds per game: Guards Boogie Ellis and Isaiah Collier and big man Joshua Morgan. Collier will miss at least a month (hand injury); Ellis was sidelined with a bad hamstring; and Morgan sat out because of a respiratory infection. The Trojans have dropped seven of their past 10 and have no chance to make the NCAA Tournament through the at-large pool.
Game of next week: Oregon at Utah (Jan. 21)
The duel in Salt Lake City lost a bit of luster Sunday when the Utes were hit with their third conference loss (at Stanford). But the storyline remains solid on Oregon’s side: The Ducks don’t need to sweep the Mountain trip, but they must avoid getting swept.
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SALEM, Ore. (KATU) — Oregon’s childhood vaccination rates have fallen to their lowest levels on record, while the number of parents claiming nonmedical vaccine exemptions continues to climb, according to newly released data from the Oregon Health Authority.
The agency reported on Thursday that 85.6% of Oregon kindergarteners were up to date on required vaccines during the 2025-26 school year.
At the same time, the nonmedical exemption rate reached a record high of 10.9%.
State health officials say the trend is raising concerns about the potential for outbreaks of highly contagious diseases, including measles and whooping cough.
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“Although the vast majority of families in Oregon are still choosing to protect families through vaccination, the downward trends are deeply concerning,” said Dr. Howard Chiou, medical director for communicable diseases and immunizations at OHA. “We risk seeing the return of diseases such as measles and polio—diseases of the past that once caused widespread harm but are entirely preventable with vaccines.”
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The statewide numbers tell only part of the story.
According to OHA, more than one in three Oregon schools with at least 10 students have measles vaccination rates below 95%, the threshold public health officials say is needed to help prevent outbreaks through community immunity.
Chiou said those exemption rates, combined with lower vaccination coverage at some schools, are increasing the risk of disease outbreaks.
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The concerns come as Oregon and the nation are seeing increases in vaccine-preventable diseases.
OHA says the nonmedical exemption rate for the second dose of the measles vaccine has nearly doubled over the past decade, rising from 4.9% to 9.4%.
The state also recorded 1,475 cases of pertussis, or whooping cough, in 2025, the highest total in 75 years.
What could happen if the trend continues?
Dr. Alanna Braun, a pediatrician at OHSU, said declining vaccination rates increase the likelihood of disease outbreaks.
“The thing that really stands out to me the most is just sort of the trend of just ongoing decreased immunization rates across our state and seeing how many schools here in Oregon are now at risk for major outbreaks of some really serious illnesses,” said Braun.
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Braun said communities become more vulnerable when vaccination rates fall below the level needed to prevent the spread of disease.
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She noted that outbreaks can affect more than just unvaccinated students.
“A lot of kids have infant siblings at home who are not able to be vaccinated,” Braun said. “Certainly, there are kids in all of these schools who are unable to be vaccinated, kids who are undergoing chemotherapy for cancer. There are teachers who are immunocompromised for various reasons.”
Braun said the long-term outlook is concerning if vaccination rates continue to fall.
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“As we’re seeing reduced rates of immunizations, I think it’s more and more likely that we are gonna see some of these preventable illnesses with more frequency,” she said.
What parents can do
OHA is encouraging parents to check vaccination rates at their child’s school and talk with their healthcare provider if they have questions about vaccines.
“We want to empower families to make informed decisions,” said Chiou. “We want parents to revisit and reconsider their decisions because the situation in Oregon has changed.”
Parents can view vaccination and exemption rates for individual schools using OHA’s School Immunization Data Dashboard.
PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) – Starting in 2026, a new law in Oregon requires all non-motorized boats, regardless of size, to buy and carry a waterway access permit. That includes paddleboards and kayaks.
But there has been some push back from one organization.
Ben Roche is part of Let Us Paddle. The organization aims to repeal the updates to the waterway access permit.
“It’s Oregonians constitutional right to free access to our waterways. And human powered watercrafts are the best way to do that, and the least environmentally impactful,” said Roche.
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According to the Oregon State Marine Board, permit fees range from $6 to $35.
If you’re caught without a permit, there’s a $115 fine.
The state agency says the funding goes directly to two programs.
One supports aquatic invasive species watercraft inspection stations and the other improves access points to the water that specifically serve paddlers.
“There is a need for inspection and we support that. What we don’t support is charging recreational paddleboarders for cleaning of motorboats that enter our state,” said Roche.
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Roche adds, the state is only funding a few dozen access points.
Let Us Paddle has collected at least 20,000 signatures, and they want about 130,000 more by July 2.
They need at least 120,000 verified signatures to put the repeal before voters on the November ballot.
But even if they don’t meet the requirement, Roche says he’ll keep pushing for change.
“I think it’s really a poorly crafted bill that collects a small drop in the bucket of revenue but impacts thousands of recreational kayakers across the state,” said Roche.
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FOX 12 reached out to the Oregon State Marine Board to ask more questions, but have not yet to heard back.
Oregon DMV temporarily paused dispersing new undercover vehicle license plates starting April 15.
FILE – The U.S. Department of Justice seal is seen on a podium before a news conference, May 4, 2026, in Washington.
Julia Demaree Nikhinson / AP
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The Justice Department is suing four states after they refused to issue confidential license plates to federal law enforcement agencies, despite having done so in the past.
The lawsuits, filed Wednesday in Oregon, Washington, Massachusetts and Maine, seek to force states to resume what the federal government describes as long-standing, routine policies.
The scope of the combined litigation raises questions about ways the federal government has aggressively carried out immigration enforcement since President Donald Trump’s reelection, and whether the Constitution grants states the power to deny federal law enforcement agencies license plates that effectively conceal officers’ identities.
“Oregon’s DMV policy illegally discriminates against the United States, violates the Supremacy clause, and is unconstitutional,” attorneys for the federal government argued in court filings.
Oregon DMV temporarily paused disbursing new undercover license plates to all federal agencies starting April 15.
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“The DMV is currently evaluating the undercover vehicle registration program to ensure the program complies with Oregon law,” Oregon DMV Administrator Amy Joyce explained in a May 22 letter to Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate.
A recent lawsuit filed against Oregon State Police alleges the state is providing personal information to federal immigration authorities through databases, including Oregon’s DMV.
“If the DMV process for issuing undercover plates could be questioned under Oregon law, the State is at risk for additional litigation,” Joyce explained in the letter to Shumate.
The state’s review of the undercover license plate program doesn’t prevent federal vehicles from legally driving on Oregon roads.
“State and local law enforcement are unaffected by this pause and the federal agencies that participate in the program are able to continue to use their existing unexpired plates,” Kevin Glenn, a spokesperson for Gov. Tina Kotek wrote in a statement.
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Immigration officers have relied on these license plates for enforcement, including during Operation Black Rose in Oregon. According to U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement, officers arrested more than 1,498 people between September and March, which led to 1,057 removals.
The lawsuits filed Wednesday argue the states’ DMV policies undermine ongoing federal investigations.
“Federal law enforcement agencies should not be subject to the challenged DMV policy, which is unconstitutional and recklessly disregards officer safety, public safety, and federal operational needs‚” the Justice Department’s lawsuit states.
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