05-31-2023  5:08 pm   •   PDX and SEA Weather
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NORTHWEST NEWS

Truck Driver Indicted on Manslaughter Charges After Deadly Oregon Crash That Killed 7 Farmworkers

A grand jury in Marion County Court on Tuesday indicted Lincoln Smith, a 52-year-old truck driver from California, on 12 counts, including seven charges of manslaughter, reckless driving and driving under the influence of intoxicants.

Amazon Workers Stage Walkout Over Company's Climate Impact, Return-to-Office Mandate

The lunchtime protest comes a week after Amazon's annual shareholder meeting and a month after a policy took effect requiring workers to return to the office three days per week.

Happy Black Birders Week: Local Group Promotes Inclusivity in Birdwatching, Outdoor Enjoyment

Birdhers is in its fifth year of weekly walks and annual retreats.

Oregon Man Died Waiting for an Ambulance, Highlighting Lack of Emergency Responders

Officials in Multnomah County have said ambulances should arrive to 90% of emergency calls within eight minutes. However KGW-TV reported that during a five-month period ending in February, that mark was missed about a third of the time.

NEWS BRIEFS

Oregon and Washington Memorial Day Events

Check out a listing of ceremonies and other community Memorial Day events in Oregon and Washington. A full list of all US events,...

Communities Invited to Interstate Bridge Replacement Neighborhood Forums in Vancouver and Portland

May 31 and June 6 forums allow community members to learn about the program’s environmental review process ...

Bonamici, Salinas Introduce Bill to Prevent Senior Hunger

Senior Hunger Prevention Act will address challenges older adults, grandparent and kinship caregivers, and adults with disabilities...

This is Our Lane - Too: Joint Statement on the Maternal Health Crisis from the Association of Black Cardiologists, American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association

Urgent action is needed to combat the maternal health crisis in America and cardiologists have a vital role to play. ...

New Skateboarding Area Planned for Southeast Portland’s Creston Park

Area has largest number of overall youth and of people of color out of locations studied ...

Portland mulls ban on daytime camping amid sharp rise in homelessness

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — City Council members in Portland were considering on Wednesday whether to ban homeless camping during daytime hours in most public places, a move that aims to bring the city into compliance with a new state law and appease the growing number of residents frustrated by a...

Corporate Amazon workers protest company’s climate impact and return-to-office mandate in walkout

SEATTLE (AP) — Telling executives to “strive harder,” hundreds of corporate Amazon workers protested what they decried as the company's lack of progress on climate goals and an inequitable return-to-office mandate during a lunchtime demonstration at its Seattle headquarters Wednesday. ...

Foster, Ware homer, Auburn eliminates Mizzou 10-4 in SEC

HOOVER, Ala. (AP) — Cole Foster hit a three-run homer, Bryson Ware added a two-run shot and fifth-seeded Auburn wrapped up the first day of the SEC Tournament with a 10-4 win over ninth-seeded Missouri on Tuesday night. Auburn (34-9), which has won nine-straight, moved into the...

Small Missouri college adds football programs to boost enrollment

FULTON, Mo. (AP) — A small college in central Missouri has announced it will add football and women's flag football programs as part of its plan to grow enrollment. William Woods University will add about 140 students between the two new sports, athletic director Steve Wilson said...

OPINION

Significant Workforce Investments Needed to Stem Public Defense Crisis

We have a responsibility to ensure our state government is protecting the constitutional rights of all Oregonians, including people accused of a crime ...

Over 80 Groups Tell Federal Regulators Key Bank Broke $16.5 Billion Promise

Cross-country redlining aided wealthy white communities while excluding Black areas ...

Public Health 101: Guns

America: where all attempts to curb access to guns are shot down. Should we raise a glass to that? ...

Op-Ed: Ballot Measure Creates New Barriers to Success for Black-owned Businesses

Measure 26-238, a proposed local capital gains tax, is unfair and a burden on Black business owners in an already-challenging economic environment. ...

AFRICAN AMERICANS IN THE NEWS

Adult filmmakers ask judge to delay Utah law requiring porn sites verify user ages

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Attorneys representing adult entertainers, erotica authors and sex educators on Wednesday asked a judge to put on hold a Utah law requiring porn and other adult websites verify user ages. The Free Speech Coalition and its co-plaintiffs argued the new state law...

Louisiana lawmakers reject resolution that opponents say target diversity, equity efforts in schools

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Republicans in Louisiana rejected a resolution Wednesday that sought to request K-12 schools and institutions of higher education submit a report of all programs and activities related to critical race theory and diversity, equity and inclusion. Authored by...

Little Amal, a 12-foot puppet of a Syrian refugee, will travel the US

NEW YORK (AP) — Little Amal, a 12-foot (3.7-meter) puppet of a Syrian refugee, will journey across the United States this fall, visiting key places in America's history to raise awareness about immigration and migration. The puppet of the 10-year-old girl will visit the U.S....

ENTERTAINMENT

Céline Dion cancels European concerts 'until I’m really ready to be back on stage'

Céline Dion has canceled all her scheduled tour dates through April 2024 as she continues treatment for a rare neurological disorder. “I’m so sorry to disappoint all of you once again," the singer said in a statement on social media. "I’m working really hard to build back my...

'The Ride' docuseries takes peaks and valleys of professional bull riding by the horns

NEW YORK (AP) — If at first you’re thrown from the bull, try, try again — at least that’s part of what the new docuseries “The Ride” highlights. “Bull riding: you have to eat, sleep and breathe it. Whenever you go to bed at night, you got to be thinking about it,” said...

Celebrity birthdays for the week of June 4-10

Celebrity birthdays for the week of June 4-10 June 4: Actor Bruce Dern is 87. Saxophonist Roger Ball (Average White Band) is 79. Singer-actor Michelle Phillips (The Mamas and The Papas) is 79. Jazz saxophonist Anthony Braxton is 78. Bassist Danny Brown of The Fixx is 72. Actor Parker...

U.S. & WORLD NEWS

NASA talks UFOs with public ahead of final report on unidentified flying objects

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA held its first public meeting on UFOs on Wednesday a year after launching a...

Trial opens for 3 charged with aiding Chinese campaign to pressure expats into returning home

NEW YORK (AP) — An American sleuth and two Chinese men faced jurors Wednesday in the first trial to come out of...

Here's how Jordan's royal wedding will reverberate across the region and beyond

The Middle Eastern country of Jordan is set to host its biggest royal wedding in years on Thursday as the...

International Atomic Energy Agency reports seen by AP say Iran resolves 2 inquiries by inspectors

VIENNA (AP) — Iran has resolved two outstanding inquiries from the International Atomic Energy Agency over...

Theodoros Pangalos, outspoken Greek former foreign minister, dies at 84

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Theodoros Pangalos, a former Greek foreign minister known for his undiplomatic outbursts...

UK hails first post-Brexit trade deals with Australia, New Zealand, but impact likely small

LONDON (AP) — The U.K. government hailed an era of cheaper Australian wine and New Zealand kiwi fruit as...

Anthony Mccartney and Thomas Watkins Associated Press Writers

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The doctor charged in Michael Jackson's death had requested lifesaving gear and a nurse from the concert promoter organizing the singer's London shows, documents obtained by The Associated Press show.
But neither request was apparently in place when Jackson died last June 25 after Dr. Conrad Murray administered a mixture of sedatives, including the anesthetic propofol, in an attempt to get the chronic insomniac to sleep.
Propofol is extremely powerful and is usually administered only in medical settings with emergency equipment on hand. Patients are normally constantly monitored.
Murray was alone when he gave the drugs to Jackson. After he realized the sedated star was not breathing, he performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation but was unable to revive him. He performed CPR on the singer while he was in bed instead of moving him to the floor, an action that was criticized after Jackson's death.
The doctor has pleaded not guilty to an involuntary manslaughter charge in Jackson's death. His proposed contract with promoter AEG Live, which included a monthly fee of $150,000 (euro122,000), was not finalized before the singer's death. Murray never received payment for his services.
The request for a heart resuscitation machine and another person with medical training are revealed in e-mails and a contract drafted by AEG Live and sent to Murray.
The documents are included in a complaint filed by Jackson's father, Joe, to the California Medical Board against AEG Live, accusing the promoter of Jackson's comeback ``This Is It'' tour of engaging in the ``unlawful practice of corporate medicine.'' It also accuses the company of forcing Murray to provide Jackson with dangerous medical services.
Michael Roth, an AEG spokesman, said the company had not seen the complaint and could not comment on it or the contract.
Murray's lawyer Ed Chernoff declined to comment.
``AEG hired, directed, controlled and demanded Dr. Conrad Murray, a medical doctor, to medicate Michael Jackson, provide Jackson with dangerous medical services, and to give Michael Jackson controlled substances and other drugs without providing cardiopulmonary resuscitation equipment or nursing assistance as it had promised in writing it would provide,'' the complaint states.
Murray's request for the CPR equipment was first made to a concert tour business manager, an e-mail message shows. The complaint states Murray also requested a nurse, and the doctor's proposed contract called for AEG to hire a ``qualified assistant medical person.''
The request was later mentioned in Murray's proposed contract. The language stated AEG ``shall provide Dr. Murray for his use during the term with medical equipment requested by Dr. Murray to assist him in performing the services as approved by (AEG).''
The equipment is described as a ``portable cardio pulmonary resuscitation unit ('CPR Machine'), saline, catheters, needles, a gurney and other mutually approved medical equipment necessary for the Services.''
The complaint states Murray signed the document a day before Michael Jackson's death.
Murray had known Jackson and treated him and his children occasionally in recent years, the doctor's attorney has said and the complaint states.
The AEG agreement would have covered Murray's work while Jackson was preparing for the London shows and throughout the concerts last summer.
An e-mail sent to Murray during the negotiations explained a delay in the contract's drafting because it was a ``rare event'' for a physician to be hired to care for a singer on tour.
E-mails also show the contract was still being reworked two days before Jackson's death, which happened a week before he was to travel to London for the ``This Is It'' shows.
A spokeswoman for the California Medical Board said complaints filed to the agency are confidential unless it takes any action. The board receives 8,000 complaints a year, according to its website.
Joe Jackson's attorney, Brian Oxman, confirmed he filed a complaint with the California Medical Board but declined to discuss it.
In his complaint, Joe Jackson -- who has repeatedly criticized AEG Live since shortly after his son's death -- accuses the promoter of agreeing to pay Murray vastly more than he was making so that it could exert control over his medical decisions.
Joe Jackson's filing cites a 2008 income declaration by Murray in a child support proceeding in which the cardiologist stated he earned only $3,300 per month. The Jackson family patriarch is also contemplating a wrongful death lawsuit against Murray.