03-24-2023  12:20 am   •   PDX and SEA Weather
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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...

Julia Talanova CNN

Ohio Rape School Official(CNN) -- The small town of Steubenville became a household name for the wrong reasons, thanks to social media, but when two teenage boys were arrested there, accused of raping a 16-year-old girl, very few people in the Rust Belt town in Ohio were eager to talk.

And someone may have tried to cover up for them. An Ohio school official was jailed Monday without bond after being indicted in connection with the case, the Ohio Attorney General's Office said.

William Rhinaman, 53, director of technology at Steubenville High School, faces four counts: tampering with evidence, obstructing justice, obstructing official business and perjury in connection with the case, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said. Rhinaman was arrested Monday.

If convicted, he could face four years behind bars, more time than the two convicted boys will serve.

Details of the indictment, including what kind of evidence was allegedly tampered with, were not immediately available.

"This is the first indictment in an ongoing grand jury investigation," DeWine said in a prepared statement. "Our goal remains to uncover the truth, and our investigation continues."

Rape convictions

Authorities said star Steubenville High School football players Ma'lik Richmond and Trenton Mays, who were respectively 16 and 17 at the time, raped the girl during a series of end-of-summer parties in August 2012.

Photos and videos of the victim, sent out with lurid text messages, hit social media and attracted the attention of bloggers, who questioned everything from the behavior of the football team to the integrity of the investigation.

Richmond and Mays were convicted of rape in March after a trial that divided their football-crazed town of less than 20,000 souls. Mays also was found guilty of disseminating a nude photo of a minor.

At the heart of the case was the question of whether the victim, who testified that she remembered little, was too drunk to understand what was happening to her and too drunk to consent.

Richmond was sentenced to a minimum of one year in a juvenile correctional facility. Mays got two years.

Silent town

After the two teenagers were convicted, DeWine revealed that 16 people had refused to talk to investigators. A grand jury would determine whether other crimes had been committed.

Rhinaman will be arraigned in Steubenville at the Jefferson County Court House on Wednesday, attorney general's office spokesman Dan Tierney said. Court-appointed counsel will represent him.

"I am aware of the situation, and I will get you a press release on Tuesday, " Mike McVey, superintendent for Steubenville City Schools, said in an e-mail response.

Bob Fitzsimmons, the family attorney representing the 16-year-old victim who was raped, told CNN that the grand jury's first indictment is a significant first step.

"I think it's important that this shows some fruits from the investigative grand jury and also considers the importance of those responsible for reporting and/or preserving evidence after a crime is committed involving a child, in this case a girl 16 years of age," Fitzsimmons said.

CNN was unable to reach Rhinaman's attorney for comment Monday.

CNN's Poppy Harlow, Susan Candiotti and Ross Levitt contributed to this report.

 

MLK Breakfast 2023

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