Oregon

Raevyn Rogers, Klaudia Kazimierska go 1-2 in women’s 800 at Oregon Relays

Published

2 years ago

April 20, 2024

Raevyn Rogers, Klaudia Kazimierska go 1-2 in women’s 800 at Oregon Relays

Raevyn Rogers was struggling with her allergies Friday afternoon. Klaudia Kazimierska was still feeling the effects of a weeklong cold.

Those ailments didn’t prevent either runner from having a good race during the opening day of the Oregon Relays track and field meet at Hayward Field.

Rogers and Kazimierska — the former Oregon star and the current Duck standout — finished 1-2, respectively, in the women’s 800 meters.

It was a comfortable win for Rogers, the 2020 Olympic bronze medalist, who crossed in 2 minutes, 2 seconds. Kazimierska used a late kick to move into second place and finish in a personal-record 2:03.28.

“I wanted to do my best,” Rogers said. “As soon as I got in Eugene my allergies were insane and I was nervous how today was going to go. Thankfully I was able to feel better during warmups and was able to still compete.”

Rogers wasted little time asserting herself in the race as she led for nearly all of the final 600 meters.

“I intentionally wanted to really give my best and really be aggressive because I know every time I step on the track I have to be that way,” she said.

Kazimierska was near the middle of the pack with 300 to go when she found some space inside to move closer to the front.

By the time she hit the final turn, Kazimierska had moved outside and kicked past the last two runners who were trying to stay close to Rogers.

“(Coach Shalane Flanagan) told me to try and run even splits but that pace was really fast,” said the Oregon sophomore, who got sick last week running in the cold and rainy conditions at the Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa, California. “I feel like in the last 100 I moved outside and it was kind of too late to make that move, but a PR’s a PR.”

While she didn’t challenge Rogers for the win, the former Duck was still impressed with Kazimierska’s effort.

“If you’re on the team and you’re a Duck, you have to be strong, you have to be a competitor,” Rogers said. “For Klaudia to finish second is no surprise. She’s a hard worker.”

World record set in the DMR

The Brooks Beasts team of Brannon Kidder, Brandon Miller, Isaiah Harris and Henry Wynne thrilled the remaining crowd with a world record at the end of the meet.

The team reset the record in the distance medley relay, running 9:14.58 to take down the previous record of 9:15.50 set at the IAAF World Relays in 2015.

Oregon Relays Pro Challenge races continue on Day 2

Great Britain’s Josh Kerr is entered in the men’s 800 at 8:53 p.m., as the 2023 world outdoor champion in the 1,500 and 2024 world indoor champion in the 3,000 takes on a field that includes Oregon’s Elliott Cook, Matthew Erickson, Rheinhardt Harrison and James Harding.

Former Duck Sam Prakel is also entered, as are 2018 NCAA 800 champ Harris and 2022 NCAA indoor champ Miller.

Also on tap is a women’s 1,500 that will include Karissa Schweizer, Christina Aragon and Kaylee Mitchell of the Eugene-based Bowerman Track Club, as well as Oregon’s Maddy Elmore, Silan Ayyildiz and Mia Barnett.

That race is scheduled for 8:45 p.m.

At 9:15 p.m. there will be a men’s mile featuring Olympian Moh Ahmed, Thomas Ratcliffe, Duncan Hamilton and Kieran Tuntivate of the Bowerman Track Club, former Duck Jackson Mestler and current Duck Tomas Palfrey among the 18 entries.

Follow Chris Hansen on X @chansen_RG or email at chansen@registerguard.com.

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Oregon

Merkley Announces Additional Oregon Town Halls April 2-4

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1 hour ago

March 27, 2026

Press Room

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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13 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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