Oregon
Two more Oregon newspapers go dark. This time in Columbia County
Another Oregon news source has gone belly up due to declining revenues.
The Columbia County Chronicle & Chief, a recently formed hybrid of two existing papers serving the rural environs northwest of Portland, printed its last issue Sept. 25.
Its publisher, Country Media, had merged the St. Helens Chronicle and Clatskanie Chief in December 2023, citing the need to cut costs in the face of declining print revenue and difficulties with staff turnover.
“Combining the two newspapers into one was a last-ditch effort to reduce expenses and reestablish profitability,” company president Steve Hungerford said in a statement. “Sadly, that wasn’t successful.”
The weekly Chronicle & Chief was down to a newsroom of one, plus an administrator and page designer when the closure was announced. Both papers had served Columbia County under a variety of mastheads since the late 1800s.
It’s the latest bad news for local print media publishers, who have spent decades searching for a sustainable business model while grappling with an ad market now dominated by tech companies.
EO Media Group stopped printing five newspapers and cut two-dozen staffers in June. Pamplin Media Group also saw job losses once it sold to the Mississippi-based Carpenter chain. The new owners are running house ads warning they will merge their Estacada and Sandy papers unless more readers start paying.
There are about 1,000 people left working for the state’s newspapers, a decline of three quarters since 2000, The Oregonian/OregonLive previously reported.
The Chronicle and Chief’s final issue included front-page reports on a delayed reservoir project and the loss of 24-hour police coverage in St. Helens. Its demise did not go unnoted.
“Social media cannot replace our county paper of record, because its content is not professionally vetted,” reader Margaret Trenchard-Smith wrote in a letter to the editor. “We have lost a chunk of our history.”
—Zane Sparling covers breaking news and courts for The Oregonian/OregonLive. Reach him at 503-319-7083, zsparling@oregonian.com or @pdxzane.
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Oregon
Oregon Lands Commitment From Massive Transfer OL Isaiah World
Nevada offensive line transfer Isaiah World has committed to Oregon. The 6-foot-8, 309-pounder was was on campus in Eugene for a visit with the Ducks that started on Monday evening.
World is the latest transfer portal commitment for Dan Lanning and the Ducks, who add the No. 7 offensive tackle in the transfer portal according to the On3 rankings.
The San Diego native entered the transfer portal earlier this month after spending the last four seasons in Reno. As a redshirt junior World has one year of eligibility remaining for the 2025 season.
He fills a major need for Oregon, who could lose both of their starting tackles following the 2024 season in Ajani Cornelius and Josh Conerly Jr. Oregon will also lose Marcus Harper II, who will exhaust his college eligibility following this year. World is the second offensive tackle commitment from the transfer portal for coach A’lique Terry, who also landed a commitment from former Texas State offensive tackle Alex Harkey on Wednesday.
Matthew Bedford, a former Indiana offensive lineman who transferred to Oregon last offseason, could have a potential to return after missing much of 2024 with an injury and appearing in just one regular season game.
World brings a strong track record with him to Eugene, having earned All-Mountain West honorable mention honors in the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
Prior to playing for the Wolfpack, World was a three-star (80.92 per On3 Industry) prospect from Lincoln High School in the 2021 recruiting class.
Fans should expect the Ducks to continue weighing their options along the offensive line in the transfer portal, as they’ve been linked to Vanderbilt transfer Gunnar Hansen and Texas State transfer Alex Harkey.
Oregon transfer portal tracker
Departures
-OL JacQawn McRoy (Arkansas)
-OLB Jaxson Jones (Utah)
-OLB Emar’rion Winston
-OLB Jaeden Moore
-DB Khamari Terrell
-DB Tyler Turner
Additions
–S Dillon Thieneman (Purdue)
-CB Theran Johnson (Northwestern)
-TE Jamari Johnson (Louisville)
-OT Alex Harkey (Texas State)
-OT Isaiah World (Nevada)
Oregon
Oregon man pleads guilty to stalking UConn basketball star Paige Bueckers
An Oregon man pleaded guilty Wednesday in a Connecticut superior court to stalking and harassing University of Connecticut basketball star guard Paige Bueckers, ESPN reported.
Robert Cole Parmalee, 40, of Grants Pass, was arrested in September on charges of breach of peace, stalking and second-degree harassment of Bueckers.
A protective order will remain in place until 2064, according to court records.
Parmalee received a one-year suspended sentence and three years probation, during which time he is barred from Connecticut and any arenas, hotels or practice facilities where the UConn basketball team is present, according to ESPN.
UConn campus police became aware of Parmalee in June after he allegedly sent “rambling” emails to university staff that said he was trying to marry a member of the basketball team, according to ESPN. Parmalee also is identified as “Parmelee.”
Parmalee also posted on social media about wanting to marry Bueckers, including sharing a post with a fake wedding invitation and posting pictures of him with an engagement ring on his tongue. In an August TikTok post, Parmalee wrote, “I’m coming to UCONN Paige Madison Bueckers, I’ll be in Hartford tomorrow morning,” shared photos of himself at an airport with tickets.
Oregon court records show Parmalee has a history of criminal charges going back to 2002, including sexual abuse, harassment, driving under the influence and possession of methamphetamines.
In 2023, he was arrested after his roommates alleged he set the house on fire in Josephine County in order to get money for a bigger house, court records show. The case was dismissed after a certified mental health evaluator found him unable to aid and assist in his own defense.
The evaluator reported Parmalee appeared to be displaying a psychotic disorder and likely a schizophrenia spectrum disorder.
Isabel Funk covers breaking news and public safety for the Statesman Journal. Funk can be reached at ifunk@statesmanjournal.com or on X at @isabeldfunk
Oregon
Strong winds knock out power to thousands on Oregon coast
CANNON BEACH, Ore. (KPTV) – Strong winds overnight caused power outages throughout northwest Oregon and southwest Washington.
On Tuesday, the National Weather Service issued a High Wind Warning along the Oregon coastline and a Wind Advisory in the I-5 corridor. The winds began to calm by 4 a.m. Wednesday.
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As of 6:35 a.m., Pacific Power was reporting about 16,632 customers without power from Cannon Beach to Astoria. About 235 customers were without power in the Lincoln City area.
Pacific Power confirmed the outages were due to storm damage. Crews are working to make repairs and restore service.
The Jewell School District, the Neah-Kah-Nie School District and the Warrenton-Hammond School District will all be starting on a two-hour delay due to power outages on the coast.
SEE ALSO:
Portland General Electric was reporting about 1,860 customers without power throughout their service area Wednesday morning.
Due to power outages, the Colton School District in Clackamas County is starting three hours late Wednesday.
Welches School (K-8) and Firwood Elementary in the Oregon Trail School District will be closed due to no power.
Vancouver police responded to a downed tree on Northwest Lincoln Avenue between Northwest 59th Street and Northwest 62nd Street. Crews quickly cleaned up the debris and reopened the roadway.
Clark PUD was reporting about 667 customers were without power just before 7 a.m.
View the latest weather forecast from the FOX 12 Weather team here.
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