03-24-2023  12:20 am   •   PDX and SEA Weather
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4

NORTHWEST NEWS

Idaho Hospital to Stop Baby Deliveries, Partly Over Politics

A rural hospital in northern Idaho will stop delivering babies or providing other obstetrical care, citing a shifting legal climate in which recently enacted state laws could subject physicians to prosecution for providing abortions, among other reasons

Water Contamination in Oregon Could Prompt EPA to Step In

It's been three decades since state agencies first noted high levels of nitrate contamination in the groundwater in Morrow and Umatilla counties and residents have long complained that the pollution is negatively impacting their health.

North Portland Library to Undergo Renovations and Expansion

As one of the library building projects funded by the 2020 Multnomah County voter-approved bond, North Portland Library will close to the public on April 5, 2023, to begin construction processes for its renovation and expansion.

Report: 119K People Hurt by Riot-Control Weapons Since 2015

The report on casualties from a largely unregulated industry cites an alarming evolution of crowd-control devices into more powerful and indiscriminate designs and deployment, including dropping tear gas from drones.

NEWS BRIEFS

Motorcycle Lane Filtering Law Passes Oregon Senate

SB 422 will allow motorcyclists to avoid dangers of stop-and-go traffic under certain conditions ...

MET Rental Assistance Now Available

The Muslim Educational Trust is extending its Rental Assistance Program to families in need living in Multnomah or Washington...

Two for One Tickets for Seven Guitars on Thursday, March 23

Taylore Mahogany Scott's performance in Seven Guitars brings to life Vera Dotson, a woman whose story arose in August Wilson's...

PassinArt: A Theatre Company and PNMC Festival Call for Actors and Directors

Actors and directors of all skill levels are sought for the Pacific NW Multicultural Readers Series and Film Festival ...

Hearing on New Burnside Bridge Construction

The Earthquake Ready Burnside Bridge Project team will present HB 3323 and 3301 this Thursday, March 23 from 5-6:30 p.m. ...

Officials: Safety device, human error derailed Wash. train

ANACORTES, Wash. (AP) — A safety device meant to keep trains from tipping into Puget Sound knocked a train off the tracks last week, spilling 3,100 gallons (11,734 liters) of diesel fuel in Washington state, according to the Federal Railroad Administration. The seven-car BNSF...

Idaho abortion law one reason hospital won't deliver babies

A rural hospital in northern Idaho will stop delivering babies or providing other obstetrical care, citing a shifting legal climate in which recently enacted state laws could subject physicians to prosecution for providing abortions, among other reasons. Bonner General Health in...

March Madness: Alabama and surprising bunch remain in South

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Alabama was expected to be in the Sweet 16 as the overall top seed in the NCAA Tournament. Few thought the teams standing between the Crimson Tide and a trip to the Final Four would be No. 5 seed San Diego State, sixth-seeded Creighton and 15th-seeded...

March Madness: Sweet 16 begins from NYC to Las Vegas

March Madness has reached Sweet 16 weekend. Two No. 1 seeds, Kansas and Purdue, are already gone along with millions of busted brackets and a host of bluebloods including Kentucky, Duke and Indiana —though UCLA's drive for a 12th national title remains alive. Here is what to know: ...

OPINION

Celebrating 196 Years of The Black Press

It was on March 17, 1827, at a meeting of “Freed Negroes” in New York City, that Samuel Cornish, a Presbyterian minister, and John Russwurn, the first Negro college graduate in the United States, established the negro newspaper. ...

DEQ Announces Suspension of Oregon’s Clean Vehicle Rebate Program

The state’s popular incentive for drivers to switch to electric vehicles is scheduled to pause in May ...

FHA Makes Housing More Affordable for 850,000 Borrowers

Savings tied to median market home prices ...

State Takeover Schemes Threaten Public Safety

Blue cities in red states, beware: conservatives in state government may be coming for your police department. ...

AFRICAN AMERICANS IN THE NEWS

GOP sets vote on 'parents rights' in clash over schools

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans will press forward Friday with a midterm campaign promise by voting on legislation to give parents greater say in what is taught in public schools, even as critics decry the “parents' rights” bill as a burdensome proposal that would fuel a far-right...

1st Black editor named to lead Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Thursday named Leroy Chapman Jr. as its new editor-in-chief, making him the first Black editor to lead the newspaper in its 155-year history. Chapman, 52, has worked in journalism for nearly three decades and has spent the past 12 years at the...

Lawsuit: Slurs, coercion at BBQ chain with racist history

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A South Carolina barbecue chain known for its pro-segregation stance in a landmark 1960s case and its embrace of the Confederate flag in 2000 is facing allegations of racism and sexual harassment by the fired general manager of one of its restaurants. According...

ENTERTAINMENT

Musicians fight threat of Tennessee anti-LGBTQ, drag bills

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — When Tennessee lawmakers passed legislation this month targeting drag performances and transgender youth, many musicians living and working in the state felt their community, their audiences and their artistic expressions were also under fire. The trend of...

Review: A compassionate immigrant drama in 'Tori and Lokita'

It's one of the great ironies of cinema that many — not all, but many — of the most seemingly arthouse filmmakers make some of the most approachable films. Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne are imposing names in cinema. The Belgian brothers have twice won the Palme d'Or. But you would...

Lindsay Lohan, other celebs settle with SEC over crypto case

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Actress Lindsay Lohan, rapper Akon and several other celebrities have agreed to pay tens of thousands of dollars to settle claims they promoted crypto investments to their millions of social media followers without disclosing they were being paid to do so. Lohan,...

U.S. & WORLD NEWS

GOP sets vote on 'parents rights' in clash over schools

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans will press forward Friday with a midterm campaign promise by voting on...

Informant didn't spy on Proud Boys defense, prosecutors say

WASHINGTON (AP) — As revelations that a defense witness was also an FBI informant roil the already contentious...

Corruption, deep disparity mark Iraq's oil legacy post-2003

NAHRAN OMAR, Iraq (AP) — The oil is pumped 24 hours a day several meters from Raghed Jasim’s home in Iraq’s...

Germany urges North Macedonia to amend charter for EU bid

SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock urged North Macedonia’s leaders...

Why the religious fast for Ramadan, Lent and other holy days

Muslims around the world are welcoming the start of Ramadan, a month of fasting, increased worship, heightened...

A look at the uranium-based ammo the UK will send to Ukraine

WASHINGTON (AP) — Russia threatened to escalate attacks in Ukraine after the British government announced it...

Michael Pearson CNN

(CNN) -- More prosecution witnesses are expected to testify Thursday in a marathon 11-hour session in the rape trial of two Steubenville, Ohio, football players accused of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl.

The trial, which is likely to stretch into the weekend, is moving quickly to accommodate the schedule of visiting Judge Thomas Lipps, who is presiding over the trial without a jury. A verdict is expected by Sunday.

Prosecutor Marianne Hemmeter opened the trial Wednesday saying the defendants -- Trent Mays, 17, and Ma'lik Richmond, 16 -- treated the girl "like a toy" with a string of degrading acts during a series of end-of-summer parties in August.

The teens are charged with rape. Mays is also charged with illegal use of a minor in nudity oriented material. Defense attorneys say the two are innocent.

According to prosecutors, Richmond and Mays each penetrated the victim's vagina with their fingers, an act that constitutes rape under Ohio law.

They are not accused of having intercourse with the girl, although Hemmeter said in opening statements that one photograph appears to show semen on the girl's body and DNA analysis of semen found on a blanket she was lying on was a match for Mays.

Some of the alleged abuse was captured in cellphone images circulated in text messages and on the Internet, raising the profile of the case and bringing national attention to the town.

The case will hinge not on consent, but rather whether Mays and Richmond knew the girl was too impaired to know what was happening the night of the alleged attacks, Hemmeter said in opening statements Wednesday.

The girl, Hemmeter said, was "too impaired to say no, too impaired to say stop."

Six witnesses for the prosecution testified Wednesday, saying she appeared to be drunk -- stumbling, swaying and throwing up.

One witness, a 17-year-old girl who went to a party with the alleged victim, said she and the girl shared a half a bottle of vodka, which they each poured into a flavored crushed ice drink.

The alleged victim also had a beer and seemed to get drunk very quickly, the witness said.

The party broke up about 12:30 a.m. and the girl left with Mays and Richmond, according to the witness -- who said she pleaded with her not go. The witness said she didn't see the girl again until the next day when she picked her up at another home.

She described the girl as a "mess," wearing her stained shirt inside out.

On cross-examination, Richmond's attorney, Walter Madison, asked the witness if her view of what had happened that night had been framed by the tweets and social media posts she had seen about the victim, and if what she had seen in those messages made her angry.

The girl said it had.

Another witness, a 17-year-old friend of Richmond, said on cross-examination that while the girl appeared drunk, he did not believe she was unaware of what she was doing.

The boy also told Mays' attorney, Brian Duncan, that he hadn't seen the girl drinking and had not witnessed Mays involved in any sexual contact with the girl.

Another witness, a 17-year-old girl, told prosecutors that the girl was unable to lift her head when a now-infamous picture was taken of her being held limply by Richmond and Mays, but she said the girl was not unconscious.

On cross-examination, she told Madison that the girl was able to answer questions and could walk on her own.

The case has cast an unwelcome spotlight on Steubenville, a small, down-on-its-luck town along the banks of the Ohio River.

Critics have accused community leaders of trying to paper over rampant misconduct by players of the highly regarded Steubenville High School football team and have suggested that other students took part in the assaults or failed to do enough stop them.

The case has attracted the attention of bloggers and even the loosely organized hacking group Anonymous, which have questioned everything from the behavior of the football team to the integrity of the investigation.

CNN's Poppy Harlow and Brian Vitagliano contributed to this report.

 

MLK Breakfast 2023

Photos from The Skanner Foundation's 37th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast.