10-11-2024  11:05 am   •   PDX and SEA Weather

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NORTHWEST NEWS

In Pacific Northwest, 2 Toss-up US House Races Could Determine Control of Narrowly Divided Congress

Oregon’s GOP-held 5th Congressional District and Washington state’s Democratic-held 3rd Congressional District are considered toss ups, meaning either party has a good chance of winning. If Janelle Bynum wins in November, she'll be Oregon’s first Black member of Congress. 

Salmon Swim Freely in the Klamath River for 1st Time in a Century After Dams Removed

“It’s been over one hundred years since a wild salmon last swam through this reach of the Klamath River,” said Damon Goodman, a regional director for the nonprofit conservation group California Trout. “I am incredibly humbled to witness this moment and share this news, standing on the shoulders of decades of work by our Tribal partners, as the salmon return home."

Taxpayers in 24 States Will Be Able to File Their Returns Directly With the IRS in 2025

The pilot program in 2024 allowed people in certain states with very simple W-2s to calculate and submit their returns directly to the IRS. Those using the program claimed more than million in refunds, the IRS said.

Companies Back Away From Oregon Floating Offshore Wind Project as Opposition Grows

The federal government finalized two areas for floating offshore wind farms along the Oregon coast in February. But opposition from tribes, fishermen and coastal residents highlights some of the challenges the plan faces.

NEWS BRIEFS

Senator Manning and Elected Officials to Tour a New Free Pre-Apprenticeship Program

The boot camp is a FREE four-week training program introducing basic carpentry skills to individuals with little or no...

Prepare Your Trees for Winter Weather

Portland Parks & Recreation Urban Forestry staff share tips and resources. ...

PSU’s Coty Raven Morris Named a Semifinalist for GRAMMY 2025 Music Educator Award

Morris, the Hinckley assistant professor of choir, music education and social justice, is one of just 25 music teachers selected as...

Washington State Fines 35 Plastic Producers $416,000 For Not Using Enough Recycled Plastic

The Washington Department of Ecology issued the first penalties under a 2021 state law aimed at reducing waste and pollution from...

In Pacific Northwest, 2 toss-up US House races could determine control of narrowly divided Congress

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — In their battle for Congress, national Republicans and Democrats are keenly eyeing the Pacific Northwest, where two of the most competitive U.S. House races in the country are playing out. Oregon’s GOP-held 5th Congressional District and Washington state’s...

Washington state woman calls 911 after being hounded by up to 100 raccoons

Sheriff's deputies in Washington's Kitsap County frequently get calls about animals — loose livestock, problem dogs. But the 911 call they received recently from a woman being hounded by dozens of raccoons swarming her home near Poulsbo stood out. The woman reported having had to...

After blowout loss to Texas A&M, No. 21 Missouri hopes to bounce back against struggling UMass

AMHERST, Mass. (AP) — Missouri coach Eliah Drinkwitz is hoping his No. 21 Tigers can make people forget about their embarrassing 41-10 loss to then-No.25 Texas A&M. And that’s bad news for UMass (1-4). Mizzou (4-1) heads to Amherst, Massachusetts, on Saturday for...

No. 21 Mizzou hopes to bounce back from Texas A&M loss with game at FCS UMass

No. 21 Missouri (4-1) at UMass (1-5), Saturday, 12 p.m. (ESPN2) BetMGM College Football Odds: Missouri by 27 1/2. Series record: First meeting. WHAT’S AT STAKE? Mizzou is trying to bounce back from a 41-10 loss to No. 25 Texas A&M and...

OPINION

The Skanner News: 2024 City Government Endorsements

In the lead-up to a massive transformation of city government, the mayor’s office and 12 city council seats are open. These are our endorsements for candidates we find to be most aligned with the values of equity and progress in Portland, and who we feel...

No Cheek Left to Turn: Standing Up for Albina Head Start and the Low-Income Families it Serves is the Only Option

This month, Albina Head Start filed a federal lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to defend itself against a misapplied rule that could force the program – and all the children it serves – to lose federal funding. ...

DOJ and State Attorneys General File Joint Consumer Lawsuit

In August, the Department of Justice and eight state Attorneys Generals filed a lawsuit charging RealPage Inc., a commercial revenue management software firm with providing apartment managers with illegal price fixing software data that violates...

America Needs Kamala Harris to Win

Because a 'House Divided Against Itself Cannot Stand' ...

AFRICAN AMERICANS IN THE NEWS

A man charged in the killing of a Georgia nursing student faces hearing as trial looms

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — The man accused of killing a nursing student whose body was found on the University of Georgia campus appeared in court Friday for a motions hearing ahead of his scheduled trial next month. Jose Ibarra is charged with murder and other crimes in the February...

Obama urges Black men to show up for Harris as he campaigns in critical Pennsylvania

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Former President Barack Obama gave a blistering critique of his White House successor Donald Trump and urged Black men to show up for Kamala Harris as he opened a swing-state tour for the Democratic ticket. At a campaign field office to thank volunteers, Obama said...

Harris viewed more positively by Hispanic women than by Hispanic men: AP-NORC poll

WASHINGTON (AP) — A solid majority of Hispanic women have a positive opinion of Vice President Kamala Harris and a negative view of former President Donald Trump, but Hispanic men are more divided on both candidates, according to a recent poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public...

ENTERTAINMENT

Celebrity birthdays for the week of Oct. 13-19

Celebrity birthdays for the week of Oct. 13-19: Oct. 13: Gospel singer Shirley Caesar is 87. Musician Paul Simon is 83. Keyboardist Robert Lamm of Chicago is 80. Country singer Lacy J. Dalton is 78. Actor Demond Wilson (“Sanford and Son”) is 78. Singer Sammy Hagar is 77. Singer...

Music Review: James Bay's 'Changes All the Time' is soulful folk-pop for the stomp and holler crowd

“Talk,” like much of British troubadour James Bay 's latest album, “Changes All the Time,” ends with a rousing chorus sung above a guitar melody. To get there, he starts with a confession: “I don’t know how to talk to you/I gotta give you something true.” The truth is,...

Book Review: Deborah Levy's 'The Position of Spoons' may be just for the diehard fans

Deborah Levy is a celebrated novelist, memoirist and playwright whose latest book — “The Position of Spoons” — is a petite collection of essays spanning the last few decades of her career. Though Levy calls the entries in her book “intimacies,” at times that feels like the wrong word,...

U.S. & WORLD NEWS

AI is having its Nobel moment. Do scientists need the tech industry to sustain it?

Hours after the artificial intelligence pioneer Geoffrey Hinton won a Nobel Prize in physics, he drove a rented...

One Tech Tip: Here's what you need to do before and after your phone is stolen or lost

LONDON (AP) — Phones hold so much of our digital lives — emails, social media and bank accounts, photos, chat...

Austin Stowell is emotional about playing stoic Jethro Gibbs in 'NCIS: Origins'

LONDON (AP) — Once again, Austin Stowell is having the best day ever — all thanks to him winning the role of...

Turkish citizens fleeing Lebanon mourn the homes and family left behind

ON BOARD THE TCG SANCAKTAR (AP) — Eyup Sabri Kirgiz gathered up his loved ones — both family and pets — and...

Stellantis CEO under fire from Italian lawmakers as the group grapples with financial troubles

ROME (AP) — Italian lawmakers on Friday questioned the head of Stellantis, the world's fourth largest automaker,...

Partial remains of British climber believed found 100 years after Everest ascent

LONDON (AP) — Climbers believe they have found the partial remains of a British mountaineer who might — or...

By Michael Martinez and Stephanie Gallman CNN

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett announced plans Wednesday to file an anti-trust lawsuit against the NCAA over its sanctions against Penn State University following the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal.

Last July, the NCAA levied unprecedented sanctions against the university, including a fine of $60 million. It also stripped 14 seasons of football victories from late head coach Joe Paterno.

"These sanctions did not punish Sandusky," or those who allegedly helped cover up his repeated sexual abuse of disadvantaged children, said Corbett at a news conference in State College.

He said they instead affect past and current students who were not part of the scandal.

"I cannot and will not let it happen without a fight," said Corbett, adding that the Sandusky case was a criminal matter and not a violation of NCAA rules.

Corbett also called a university-funded review of the scandal led by former FBI Director Louis Freeh an incomplete report.

Freeh's 267-page review was released in July and blamed former university president Graham Spanier, Paterno, suspended Athletic Director Tim Curley and ex-Vice President Gary Schultz for allegedly taking part in a cover-up to avoid bad publicity.

The scandal led to Spanier's ouster and shocked the nation after Freeh's team concluded that the school's top administrators had "empowered" Sandusky, the former defensive coordinator for the football team, to continue his abuse.

The fine is expected to be paid over five years and will fund an endowment with a mission of fighting child sex abuse and supporting victims.

Pennsylvania's U.S. House delegation objects to the NCAA's plans to spend only 25% of those funds within the state.

The delegation wants the association to spend all of the $60 million in Pennsylvania, according to a November letter to the NCAA.

"While we fully support the stated purpose of the endowment, we believe its funds should be used solely for programs and organizations within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, where a need exists for the creation of prevention programs for sexually abused children," the letter stated.

The NCAA declined to comment Tuesday on the governor's planned lawsuit, spokesman Bob Williams said. The organization historically doesn't comment on any possible legal actions unless and until they are filed, he said.

Sandusky, 68, was convicted last June on 45 counts of child sex abuse, ranging from corruption of minors to involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, which were laid out in graphic testimony by his accusers over the course of the less-than-two-week trial. In October, he was sentenced to 30 to 60 years in prison, meaning he'll likely die behind bars.

Penn State, a college football powerhouse and two-time national champion, avoided the NCAA's "death penalty," a suspension from play of a year or more, in the Sandusky abuse case.

But Ed Ray, the chairman of the NCAA's executive committee, said the sanctions on the school "should serve as a stark wake-up call to everyone in college sports."

Penn State President Rodney Erickson said the university accepted the decision and would not appeal. "I think, for the whole university, what this calls upon us to do is to look at our whole value culture, our whole value set, our value base," Erickson told CNN last year.

Paterno, who coached at Penn State for 46 years, was fired after Sandusky's arrest in November 2011. He had been the all-time leader in major college football victories for a coach, with 409 wins. The NCAA's decision strikes 111 of those from his record, beginning in 1998 -- a move that posthumously bumps him from the top of the list.

Last July, the Big Ten Conference declared Penn State ineligible for any conference title football games and ruled that the Nittany Lions' share of bowl revenues for four seasons -- about $13 million -- will be donated to charities that "protect children."

David La Torre, a Penn State spokesman, said last year the school will not use tax or tuition dollars to pay the NCAA's $60 million fine.