Oregon

Sea level rise threatens critical sites along Oregon coast, analysis warns

Published

2 years ago

June 25, 2024

Sea level rise threatens critical sites along Oregon coast, analysis warns

FILE: The Pacific City State Airport in Oregon’s Tillamook County floods on Nov. 7, 2022, during a phenomenon known as king tides, which is when a full or new moon causes ocean tides to reach their highest point in the year. Climate change could lead to more significant frequent flooding in the coming decades, according to an analysis released Tuesday.

Photo courtesy of the Oregon King Tides Project

Rising ocean levels could threaten dozens of water treatment plants, fire and police stations and other critical infrastructure along Oregon’s coastline by 2050, according to an analysis by a science advocacy group that published Tuesday.

The Union of Concerned Scientists estimates that about 26 sites in Oregon could flood twice a year by 2050, including waste and water treatment plants, fire and police stations, electrical substations and industrial contamination sites. The nonprofit estimates that number could increase to 86 critical sites flooding twice annually by the end of the century. That’s assuming sea levels rise 3.2 feet by 2100.

The analysis maps critical infrastructure sites that are vulnerable to future flooding across the country. The East Coast appears to get hit the hardest. Some cities there, like Boston and Miami, are already disappearing into the ocean, giving West Coast cities a glimpse into what the future may hold for them.

In Oregon, critical infrastructure appears most vulnerable around Astoria, Tillamook and Coos Bay.

About two-dozen electrical hubs, post offices, waste treatment facilities and other critical infrastructure could flood twice annually by 2050, according to an analysis of federal data by the Union of Concerned Scientists.
*Map courtesy of the Union for Concerned Scientists*

Kristina Dahl, climate scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said local governments should prepare now for a future when floods could inundate sewers, disrupt electrical power and destroy homes.

“We encourage communities to do a really detailed risk assessment,” Dahl said. “Once they know what’s at risk within the community, they can start to prioritize.”

The report calls on policymakers to increase funding for coastal infrastructure, particularly in areas with lower-than-average incomes. It also encourages local governments to protect residents in subsidized housing that could be flooded by helping them relocate.

The global average sea level has been rising 3.3 millimeters — about one-eighth of an inch — every year since the 1990s, according to satellite data from NASA. Oceans are rising as a direct result of climate change, as warming temperatures melt glaciers.

Carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels are the biggest contributors to global warming. Those emissions reached record levels last year, which was also the hottest year on record.

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Oregon

Oregon Supreme Court overturns JonBenét Ramsey photographer conviction

Published

3 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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Oregon

Umatilla, Morrow counties establish Young Republicans of Oregon chapter – East Oregonian

Published

15 hours 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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Oregon

Video shows ‘fireball’ briefly illuminate Oregon skyline

Published

1 day ago

March 25, 2026

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Video shows ‘fireball’ briefly illuminate Oregon skyline

Yet another meteor has entered the Earth’s atmosphere.

Onlookers across parts of California, Nevada, Washington and Oregon spotted another space rock streaking across the sky on Monday, March 23.

Jason Jenkins, who spotted the fireball while driving to work, told ABC News that the meteor reminded him of a “lightning strike because it was so bright.”

“The video doesn’t do justice on how bright and close it seemed,” Jenkins added.

The American Meteor Society received 137 witness reports and 11 videos chronicling the brief but dazzling moment.

Watch ‘fireball’ streak across Oregon skyline

Videos show green fireball streaking across night sky

A green fireball was seen crossing the sky in the Pacific Northwest.

From northeast Ohio to Texas, the March 23 event was the latest in a series of sightings across the U.S. this week. Those sightings were characterized by a “loud boom” and a rogue meteor fragment.

Hundreds of people in California, Nevada and Arizona captured another “shooting star” on camera this last weekend. The vast majority of reports came out of California.

A bright, glowing orb zipping through the night sky, trailed closely by a signature fiery “tail,” is seen in various clips shared by awestruck residents over the course of the week. Some even reported a greenish-yellow glow as the space rock lit up the sky for about five seconds.

What is a meteor?

Meteors, like comets or asteroids, are space rocks that orbit the sun, according to NASA.

Often called “shooting stars,” meteors come from meteoroids − small, often pebble-sized pieces that break off asteroids or comets. When a meteoroid enters Earth’s atmosphere, it becomes a meteor.

Because meteors enter the atmosphere at such high speeds, the space rocks burn up as they fall from our sky, creating the streak of light we commonly know as a shooting star or “fireball.”

If a meteor survives the entry and ends up on the ground (or lodged in someone’s roof), it is then called a meteorite.

Contributing: Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY

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