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Rural Oregon Town Becomes Face of Homelessness

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Rural Oregon Town Becomes Face of Homelessness


A pickleball game in the leafy Oregon community was suddenly interrupted one rainy weekend morning by the arrival of an ambulance. After paramedics rushed through the park toward a tent, one of dozens illegally erected by the town’s hundreds of homeless people, play resumed as though nothing had happened. The scene was emblematic of the crisis gripping the small, Oregon mountain town of Grants Pass, where a fierce fight over park space has become a battleground for a much larger, national debate on homelessness that has reached the US Supreme Court, per the AP.

The town’s case, set to be heard April 22, has broad implications for how not only Grants Pass, but communities nationwide address homelessness, including whether they can fine or jail people for camping in public. It has made the town of 40,000 the unlikely face of the nation’s homelessness crisis, and further fueled the debate over how to deal with it. “I certainly wish this wasn’t what my town was known for,” says Mayor Sara Bristol. “It’s not the reason why I became mayor. And yet it has dominated every single thing that I’ve done for the last 3 1/2 years.”

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  • Background: Like many Western communities, Grants Pass has struggled for years with a burgeoning homeless population. From 2013 to 2018, the city issued 500 citations for camping or sleeping in public, including in vehicles, with fines that could reach hundreds of dollars. But a 2018 decision by the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals changed the calculus. The court held that while communities are allowed to prohibit tents in public spaces, it violated the Eighth Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment to give people criminal citations for sleeping outside when they had no place else to go. Four years later, in a case challenging restrictions in Grants Pass, the court expanded that ruling, holding that civil citations also can be unconstitutional.
  • Two sides: Officials across the political spectrum—from Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom in California, which has nearly 30% of the nation’s homeless population, to a group of 22 conservative-led states—have filed briefs in the case, saying lower court rulings have hamstrung their ability to deal with encampments. But civil rights groups and attorneys for the homeless residents who challenged the restrictions in 2018 insist people shouldn’t be punished for lacking housing. Officials throughout the West have overstated the impact of the court decisions to distract from their own failings to provide solutions to homelessness, they argued.
  • The scene: In Grants Pass, the town’s parks, many lining the picturesque Rogue River, are at the heart of the debate. Cherished for their open spaces, picnic tables, playgrounds, and sports fields, they host everything from annual boat-racing festivals and vintage car shows to Easter egg hunts and summer concerts. They’re also the sites of encampments blighted by illegal drug use and crime, including a shooting at a park last year that left one person dead. Tents cluster along riverbanks, next to tennis courts and jungle gyms, with tarps shielding belongings from the rain. When the sun comes out, clothes and blankets are strung across tree branches to dry, and used needles litter the ground.

(More homelessness stories.)





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Oregon’s U.S. Senators Pledge to Vote Against Homeland Security Spending

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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.

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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.”

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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.

Willamette Week’s reporting has concrete impacts that change laws, force action from civic leaders, and drive compromised politicians from public office.

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Junior totals 32 points, leads team to 2 wins, voted Oregon Boys Basketball Player of the Week (1/26/2026)

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Junior totals 32 points, leads team to 2 wins, voted Oregon Boys Basketball Player of the Week (1/26/2026)


Congratulations to Canby’s Joe Roberts for being voted The Oregonian/OregonLive’s Oregon High School Boys Basketball Player of the Week.

The junior wing had totals of 32 points (including a varsity high of 22 against Milwaukie), 10 rebounds, five assists and four steals for the Cougars in their victories against Hood River Valley and Milwaukie in Northwest Oregon Conference games.

Roberts received 61.8% of the vote, beating out Lucas LaBounty, a senior on the Thurston team, who finished second with 19.8%. Brody Rygh, a senior on the Sherwood team, was third with 6.3%, and Zane Ozier, a junior on the Portland Christian team, was fourth with 4.6%. There were 400 votes tallied last week.

We encourage Player of the Week nominations from readers every week. If you would like to nominate an athlete, email danbrood91@gmail.com.

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For complete coverage of Oregon high school sports, including schedules, scores, recruiting news and additional player spotlights, visit OregonLive’s high school sports section throughout the season.



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Oregon Lottery Pick 4 results for Jan. 25

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The Oregon Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at Jan. 25, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Pick 4 numbers from Jan. 25 drawing

1PM: 8-5-0-6

4PM: 1-0-4-7

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7PM: 4-0-6-0

10PM: 1-2-8-0

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

When are the Oregon Lottery drawings held?

  • Powerball: 7:59 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
  • Mega Millions: 7:59 p.m. on Tuesday and Friday.
  • Pick 4: 1 p.m., 4 p.m., 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. daily.
  • Win for Life: 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
  • Megabucks: 7:29 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.

Winning lottery numbers are sponsored by Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network.

Where can you buy lottery tickets?

Tickets can be purchased in person at gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores. Some airport terminals may also sell lottery tickets.

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You can also order tickets online through Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network, in these U.S. states and territories: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Washington D.C., and West Virginia. The Jackpocket app allows you to pick your lottery game and numbers, place your order, see your ticket and collect your winnings all using your phone or home computer.

Jackpocket is the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network. Gannett may earn revenue for audience referrals to Jackpocket services. GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER, Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). 18+ (19+ in NE, 21+ in AZ). Physically present where Jackpocket operates. Jackpocket is not affiliated with any State Lottery. Eligibility Restrictions apply. Void where prohibited. Terms: jackpocket.com/tos.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by an Oregon editor. You can send feedback using this form.



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