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Swamp rock star’s Oregon ranch, listed at $2M, gets fast offer

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Swamp rock star’s Oregon ranch, listed at M, gets fast offer


It may be too late to own rock star John Fogerty’s former eastern Oregon ranch. An offer for the rustically cool house on 274 acres in Wallowa County was accepted after 13 days on the market.

The asking price: $1,950,000.

California born and raised Fogerty, now 79, discovered the remote land on the banks of the Grande Ronde River near the unincorporated community of Troy in the 1970s while elk hunting.

He helped build the single-level, vaulted ceiling house that was completed in 1974, two years after Creedence Clearwater Revival, the successful band he formed with his older brother Tom and others, broke up. Singer, guitarist and songwriter John Fogerty then started a solo career.

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Most of the ranch home’s 1,698 square feet of living space is a time capsule of 1970s decor — vintage orange shag carpet and the two bathrooms have either a turquoise or dark mustard colored tub, sink and toilet.

There are also rustic touches like wagon-wheel chandeliers. Steel plates connecting the exposed ceiling beams were made by Fogerty, who modeled them after gussets used in an old sawmill.

Behind the rock fireplace is a hidden stone stairway to a secret loft overlooking the open living room, dining room and kitchen. Two of the three bedrooms also have lofts. Some appliances and the heating-cooling system have been updated.

Fogerty owned the property for almost three decades.

A canoe left behind by Fogerty, who sold the property in 2002 to brothers Patrick and Michael Burns, was hoisted into the open rafters in the living room to be on display. The Burnses used the property for family gatherings and rented it out as a vacation getaway.

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An attached one-car garage is used as a gaming room and a 1,500-foot-long grass runway allowed Fogerty’s pilot and later the Burnses to land a small plane.

Lore also comes with the house. The ranch is a short stomp to the Wenaha Bar & Grill in Troy. The bar is famous for Fogerty’s hours-long impromptu jam sessions. Word would get out, local musicians would join in and the honky-tonk and rock hootenannies would go on well into the night.

Fogerty’s “Born on the Bayou,” “Proud Mary” and other hit songs are a blend of rockabilly, country, funk and swamp blues, with lyrics evoking Southern settings and tales.

The Burns brothers, retired commercial fishermen who live in Washington state, own other ranch properties and founded Alaska-based Blue North Fisheries, one of largest Pacific cod harvesters in the country.

They listed the property Nov. 12 and accepted an offer Nov. 25.

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The Burnses’ Grande Ronde Lodge and Cattle Ranch is being marketed as Fogerty Ranch by listing broker Caleb Howard of the LandLeader real estate network.

Howard told The Oregonian/OregonLive that Fogerty Ranch is an investment that will interest a wide range of buyers. In addition to having a famous first owner of a well-built home, the land has income opportunities and 1.5 miles along the Grande Ronde River.

“The ideal buyer is an outdoorsman wanting to utilize both the property and surrounding area for the fishing, hunting, hiking, rafting and other outdoor activities while enjoying the remoteness this getaway offers,” Howard said.

The property is in Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife’s Sled Springs Hunting Unit and qualifies for landowner preference hunting tags, said Howard, who added, “all prospective buyers must be prequalified prior to entry.”

— Janet Eastman covers design and trends. Reach her at 503-294-4072, jeastman@oregonian.com and follow her on X @janeteastman.

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5-star QB Will Mencl reveals what led to Oregon commitment

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5-star QB Will Mencl reveals what led to Oregon commitment


The good times keep on rolling for the Oregon Ducks in the recruiting world. Dan Lanning and the Ducks scored a massive commitment from five-star quarterback Will Mencl out of Chandler, Arizona.

Oregon had been rumored to be leading the race for Mencl’s services for months, but the No. 1 quarterback in the country, per Rivals, cleared the air and committed to the Ducks on Wednesday evening. Mencl chose the Ducks over Auburn and Penn State, both of which battled hard for him down the stretch.

However, Mencl has been connected to Oregon for a long time. While he was offered last fall before breaking out in his junior season, Mencl has been a fan of the program long before he popped up on the Ducks’ recruiting radar. In a post shared by Rivals recruiting expert Steve Wiltfong, Mencl was announced as a quarterback for the Ducks when he was a kid at the 2019 NFL Draft fan experience in 2019.

Now, Mencl is ready to don the green and yellow for real and make his childhood dreams come true. The Ducks have made a point to get Mencl on campus as often as possible and as recently as last week. The continued connection between both sides is ultimately what made the decision easy for the nation’s top passer. Mencl said he told Lanning and the Oregon staff about his decision on Sunday.

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“The biggest thing was the relationship with the staff,” Mencl said after committing. “I feel like that continued to grow over time, especially when I first got there last spring. Being able to sit down with Coach Koa, really being an underlooked guy at that time, and kind of blowing up my junior season. And then, the path to the NFL. You can’t deny what they do with quarterbacks and the type of scheme they run. I felt like that was the best fit for me and my family to get to the next level.”

Koa Ka’ai, Oregon’s new quarterback coach, made waves earlier in the offseason after his recruiting test about ice cream flavors went viral, but that doesn’t appear to have scared Mencl off. In fact, the two have a close connection that Oregon hopes will translate to success on the field in the near future.

“My relationship with Coach Koa, I feel like that is super, super strong,” Mencl told Rivals. “I’ve had a lot of discussions with Coach Lanning about the culture there and how they’re going to continue to sustain greatness throughout the program.”

Mencl exploded onto the national recruiting scene with a massive junior season for Chandler. He completed more than 70% of his passes for 3,815 yards and 33 touchdowns against five interceptions in his junior season, leading Chandler to a state title berth. He also rushed for 741 yards and an additional 17 touchdowns.

The Ducks expect to have some competition for Mencl to compete with when he joins the team for the 2027 season, with Dylan Raiola and Akili Smith Jr. already on the roster and competing for a role as the backup. Oregon has gone to the transfer portal as well in recent seasons, finding success with Bo Nix, Dillon Gabriel, and now Dante Moore.

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Oregon has recruited well at quarterback in the past, establishing an NFL pedigree that attracted Mencl. Maybe he will be the one to buck the trend and give the Ducks a true, homegrown product under center.

Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.



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Wine Enthusiast names 2 Oregon sparkling wines among best

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Wine Enthusiast names 2 Oregon sparkling wines among best


‘Pour in the largest glass you can find while slow dancing in your socks,’ a Wine Enthusiast contributor said of an Oregon wine

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Wine Enthusiast released a list of the top 40 sparkling wines around the world in 2026 – highlighting two bottles of bubbly from Oregon.

“While it can seem like you need a fortune to enjoy high quality sparkling wine, you honestly don’t. Excellent affordable bubbles are being produced around the world, often in places you might not expect. Each of the selections on our inaugural Top 40 Sparkling Wines list delivers personality, freshness, and celebration for under $75,” Wine Enthusiast wrote.

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Wine Enthusiast divided its list into separate sparkling categories including, Champagne, Italian Bollicine, American sparkling and bottles $25 and under.

Snagging a spot on the American sparkling list: Corollary Wines in McMinnville.

Corollary Wines’ 2021 Momtazi Carbonic Rose Pinot Noir scored a spot on Wine Enthusiast’s list of the top 40 sparkling wines of 2026 (Courtesy Corollary Wines).

Corollarly’s 2021 Momtazi Carbonic Rosé Pinot Noir scored 96 points from Wine Enthusiast.

“This is a Peter Max print of a wine, with vivid aromas and flavors to match the wine’s electric Kool-Aid color. It is filled to the brim with aromas and flavors of macerated strawberries, candied rose petals, apricots, and a bitter note similar to watermelon rind. Pour in the largest glass you can find while slow dancing in your socks,” wrote Wine Enthusiast contributor Michael Alberty.

The second Oregon winery to earn a spot on the list: Lytle-Barnett in Dundee.

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Wine Enthusiast also gave Lytle-Barnett’s 2018 Brut Rosé Pinot Noir Chardonnay 96 points.

Lytle-Barnett’s 2018 Brit Rose Pinot Noir Chardonnay was named among the top 40 sparkling wines of 2026 by Wine Enthusiast (Courtesy Lytle-Barnett, Lester Tsai).

“Bubbles as persistent as an eight-year-old with a question deliver aromas of dried rose petals, macerated strawberries, and a touch of fresh hay and talc. This 70/30 Pinot Noir and Chardonnay blend is packed with flavors of lemon zest, Honeycrisp apple slices drizzled in caramel, and a dollop of raspberry,” Alberty wrote.

The nods to Corollary and Lytle-Barnett come as the wineries recently helped launch Method Oregon, a nonprofit made up of 50 Oregon wineries aiming to turn Oregon into a global sparkling wine destination.



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Man sentenced to 20 years for Oregon killing of girlfriend four decades ago

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Man sentenced to 20 years for Oregon killing of girlfriend four decades ago


A 73-year-old man was sentenced on Tuesday to 20 years in prison for the 1983 killing of his then-girlfriend. It was a case that went unsolved for more than 40 years.

The sentence was announced by Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield.

In July 1983, Teresa Peroni, 27, was reported missing after attending a party in the Selma area of Josephine County southwest of Grants Pass. She was last seen walking in the woods with her boyfriend Marcus Sanfratello.

Authorities deemed Peroni’s disappearance suspicious, but they lacked evidence to bring charges against anyone.

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In 1997, a human skull was found on private property near where Peroni disappeared. In 2024, authorities in Josephine County reopened the case. In addition to re-interviewing witnesses, they collected new DNA evidence to build a case against Sanfratello.

With the DNA, experts at the University of North Texas confirmed the skull was Peroni’s.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Man arraigned on murder charge in Oregon for death of then-girlfriend in 1980s cold case

A grand jury indicted Sanfratello of second-degree murder, on June 27, 2025.

Police arrested Sanfratello in Chico, California the next day. He was then extradited to Oregon to face the charge of murder.

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Under a plea agreement, Sanfratello pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter.

He will serve at least 10 years in prison, Oregon’s attorney general’s office said.

“For Teresa Peroni’s family, this has been a 43-year wait for an answer they never should have had to wait for,” Rayfield said in a news release. “Cases like this remind us of why we don’t give up. It doesn’t matter how many years have passed — if someone took a life, we’re going to keep working until we can hold them accountable.”



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