Oregon
Pac-12 rewind: Oregon rolls, WSU topples Arizona and UCLA staggers as unconventional weekend schedule unfolds
Recapping the weekend action across the Pac-12 …
Theme of the week I: Schedule change
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
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.
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
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.
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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The man wanted in connection with two Pierce County homicides was shot and killed by police in Seaside, Oregon, Pierce County Sheriff Keith Swank announced on X Wednesday night.
Hayes McCloud, 24, was identified earlier in the day by the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) as a person of interest in two killings — the first in Puyallup around 2:40 a.m. and the second in Tacoma shortly after 3 a.m.
On Wednesday night, authorities referred to him as a suspect.
“The suspect has been contacted by police in Seaside, Oregon,” PCSO said in a Facebook post. “We are no longer looking for the suspect and details of the contact and major incident that transpired in Oregon will be available once the investigation is concluded.”
After that announcement, Swank posted an update on X.
“After he killed the person in Tacoma, he drove away. We didn’t know where he went, but he was picked up by a Flock camera in Lewis County around 4 a.m. So we knew he was headed southbound at that point,” Swank’s post said. “The suspect was shot and killed by police in Seaside, Oregon. No cops were hurt. I’m glad he was stopped before he killed anyone else. Great police work!”
The murder suspect from the homicide on Woodland Avenue also shot and killed a person in Tacoma.
After he killed the person in Tacoma, he drove away. We didn’t know where he went, but he was picked up by a flock camera in Lewis County around 4:00 AM. So we knew he was headed…
— Sheriff Keith Swank (@SaveOurSheriff) July 9, 2026
35-year-old killed in Puyallup home early Wednesday
At 2:40 a.m. Wednesday, deputies responded to the 12500 block of Woodland Avenue E. in Puyallup after receiving reports that a man was found dead in a home. Two homeowners were at the scene when deputies arrived.
“The preliminary investigation indicates there was homicidal violence in a bedroom that eventually led outside the home,” the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office reported. “The 35-year-old male was located inside the home with multiple deadly injuries. We have no suspect in custody at this time.”
Second homicide in Tacoma less than 30 minutes later
Just after 3 a.m., police responded to the 6900 block of E. D Street in Tacoma’s Hillsdale neighborhood after multiple people reported hearing gunfire. When officers arrived, they found a man suffering from apparent gunshot wounds.
Officers began lifesaving measures, but the victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
Contributing: Frank Sumrall, MyNorthwest
Frank Lenzi is the News Director for KIRO Newsradio. Read more of his stories here.
The Oregon Country Fair is right around the corner and got an up-close preview of the annual event with generations of revelers expected to return yet again.
Vendors and construction teams were busy setting the venue up on Wednesday. It opens to the public on Friday, and organizers are expecting a big turnout.
For over fifty years, people have come together to enjoy live music, art, food and community at the event in Veneta.
“It has definitely changed and evolved and it’s definitely still holding true to the magic that has started the fair,” said fair attendee Jill Carter.
Carter has been going to the fair for about forty years, but throughout her time there, there’s always one thing on her mind.
“I’ve had a lifelong dream to do the poster, and I’ve been working on applying for a long time, and I got to do it and I’m so excited!”
Carter says over the years, she’s fine-tuned her design proposal to accurately capture the whimsey of the fair.
“In our day-to-day world, we really don’t get to connect on this kind of level of art and whimsey.”
This curated space of art and whimsey is what keeps generations returning to the fair.
“I was at a meeting the other day and somebody was a third generation Oregon Country fairgoer. Their parents were babies here. They were babies here. Now, they’re on crews that help manage the safety of this community,” says Kate Gillespie, the White Bird Rock Medicine crew coordinator.
Gillespie has been working within medical response at the fair for sixteen years.
Before fair goers even arrive, White Bird Rock Medicine works on setting up for the two hospitals provided on site as well as staffing medical crew – which consists of almost 300 medical professionals and mental health crisis workers.
“We are prepared to deal with first aid things like scrapes, bumps, bruises; injured feet are a big thing that we see – all the way up to things like cardiac events and strokes,” Gillespie explains.
And for the attendees they serve, the event is a yearly tradition that is more than just a fair – it’s a chance to catch up with old friends and make new memories.
“I think it’s really like a reunion for a lot of the people that are out here on this property,” says Gillespie.
The Oregon Country Fair runs Friday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the intersection of Suttle Road and Bus Road in Veneta.
For more information, visit the fair website.
The Oregon attorney general will ask a court to pause Paramount’s PSKY.O $110 billion bid to acquire Warner Bros. WBD.O for 60 days, saying on Tuesday that the company withheld records of its lobbying efforts.
While Paramount has told the state it will not close the deal before July 16, Attorney General Dan Rayfield said he will ask a Multnomah County court to order the company to hand over records and to delay the deal so the state can review them.
“We’re not going to let Paramount Skydance play hide the ball so they can rush through their massive merger,” Rayfield said in a statement. “Oregonians have a real stake in this deal – in our film industry, in our economy, in the choices they’ll have as consumers.”
A Paramount spokesperson said the information Oregon seeks “has nothing to do with whether this transaction complies with Oregon’s antitrust laws and is not a legitimate basis to delay a plainly lawful, pro-competitive transaction.”
The company has provided the state with documents relevant to the merger, the spokesperson added.
Oregon is seeking documents regarding “Project Warrior,” which was Paramount’s internal code name for efforts to obtain regulatory clearance. The state is also asking for records related to the company’s efforts to lobby the Trump administration for support of the merger.
Paramount CEO David Ellison’s father, billionaire Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, has cultivated ties with President Donald Trump, and the company has hired former Trump officials.
Oregon is also seeking information on whether Paramount had any role in the U.S. Department of Justice’s statement announcing it had cleared the deal.
While Oregon ordinarily “would afford significant weight” to the DOJ’s determination, the state plans to cite a Wall Street Journal report that officials overrode career staff attorneys at the DOJ who were leaning toward a recommendation to challenge the deal, according to documents to be filed in court that Reuters reviewed.
The DOJ issued a lengthy statement last month saying it believed the deal would “increase competition across the media and entertainment ecosystem, with benefits for American consumers and workers.”
The company has said the deal would create a stronger streaming competitor to Netflix NFLX.O and Disney DIS.N, and benefit creatives and consumers.
California, New York and other U.S. states are preparing to sue to block the deal, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters last month. The states have authority to enforce laws against mergers that they believe would unlawfully decrease competition.
Opponents of the deal, including some actors, writers and media workers, have worried that it would hurt jobs.
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