05-06-2024  11:09 am   •   PDX and SEA Weather
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NORTHWEST NEWS

Safety Lapses Contributed to Patient Assaults at Oregon State Hospital

A federal report says safety lapses at the Oregon State Hospital contributed to recent patient-on-patient assaults. The report by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services investigated a recent choking attack and sexual assault, among other incidents. It found that staff didn't always adequately supervise their patients, and that the hospital didn't fully investigate the incidents. In a statement, the hospital said it was dedicated to its patients and working to improve conditions. It has 10 days from receiving the report to submit a plan of correction. The hospital is Oregon's most secure inpatient psychiatric facility

Police Detain Driver Who Accelerated Toward Protesters at Portland State University in Oregon

The Portland Police Bureau said in a written statement late Thursday afternoon that the man was taken to a hospital on a police mental health hold. They did not release his name. The vehicle appeared to accelerate from a stop toward the crowd but braked before it reached anyone. 

Portland Government Will Change On Jan. 1. The City’s Transition Team Explains What We Can Expect.

‘It’s a learning curve that everyone has to be intentional about‘

What Marijuana Reclassification Means for the United States

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is moving toward reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug. The Justice Department proposal would recognize the medical uses of cannabis but wouldn’t legalize it for recreational use. Some advocates for legalized weed say the move doesn't go far enough, while opponents say it goes too far.

NEWS BRIEFS

Legendary Civil Rights Leader Medgar Wiley Evers Receives Presidential Medal of Freedom

Evers family overwhelmed with gratitude after Biden announces highest civilian honor. ...

April 30 is the Registration Deadline for the May Primary Election

Voters can register or update their registration online at OregonVotes.gov until 11:59 p.m. on April 30. ...

Chair Jessica Vega Pederson Releases $3.96 Billion Executive Budget for Fiscal Year 2024-2025

Investments will boost shelter and homeless services, tackle the fentanyl crisis, strengthen the safety net and support a...

New Funding Will Invest in Promising Oregon Technology and Science Startups

Today Business Oregon and its Oregon Innovation Council announced a million award to the Portland Seed Fund that will...

Unity in Prayer: Interfaith Vigil and Memorial Service Honoring Youth Affected by Violence

As part of the 2024 National Youth Violence Prevention Week, the Multnomah County Prevention and Health Promotion Community Adolescent...

Want to show teachers appreciation? This top school gives them more freedom

BOCA RATON, Fla. (AP) — When teachers at A.D. Henderson School, one of the top-performing schools in Florida, are asked how they succeed, one answer is universal: They have autonomy. Nationally, most teachers report feeling stressed and overwhelmed at work, according to a Pew...

Escaped zebra captured near Seattle after gallivanting around Cascade mountain foothills for days

SEATTLE (AP) — A zebra that has been hoofing through the foothills of western Washington for days was recaptured Friday evening, nearly a week after she escaped with three other zebras from a trailer near Seattle. Local residents and animal control officers corralled the zebra...

Defending national champion LSU boosts its postseason hopes with series win against Texas A&M

With two weeks left in the regular season, LSU is scrambling to avoid becoming the third straight defending national champion to miss the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers (31-18, 9-15) won two of three against then-No. 1 Texas A&M to take a giant step over the weekend, but they...

The Bo Nix era begins in Denver, and the Broncos also drafted his top target at Oregon

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — For the first time in his 17 seasons as a coach, Sean Payton has a rookie quarterback to nurture. Payton's Denver Broncos took Bo Nix in the first round of the NFL draft. The coach then helped out both himself and Nix by moving up to draft his new QB's top...

OPINION

New White House Plan Could Reduce or Eliminate Accumulated Interest for 30 Million Student Loan Borrowers

Multiple recent announcements from the Biden administration offer new hope for the 43.2 million borrowers hoping to get relief from the onerous burden of a collective

Op-Ed: Why MAGA Policies Are Detrimental to Black Communities

NNPA NEWSWIRE – MAGA proponents peddle baseless claims of widespread voter fraud to justify voter suppression tactics that disproportionately target Black voters. From restrictive voter ID laws to purging voter rolls to limiting early voting hours, these...

Loving and Embracing the Differences in Our Youngest Learners

Yet our responsibility to all parents and society at large means we must do more to share insights, especially with underserved and under-resourced communities. ...

Gallup Finds Black Generational Divide on Affirmative Action

Each spring, many aspiring students and their families begin receiving college acceptance letters and offers of financial aid packages. This year’s college decisions will add yet another consideration: the effects of a 2023 Supreme Court, 6-3 ruling that...

AFRICAN AMERICANS IN THE NEWS

Civil rights leader Daisy Bates and singer Johnny Cash to replace Arkansas statues at the US Capitol

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — When Arkansas lawmakers decided five years ago to replace the statues representing the state at the U.S. Capitol, there was little objection to getting rid of the existing sculptures. The statues that had stood there for more than 100 years were obscure figures in the...

They shared a name — but not a future. How two kids fought to escape poverty in Baltimore

BALTIMORE (AP) — Growing up in the streets of east Baltimore surrounded by poverty and gun violence, two kids named Antonio became fast friends. Both called “Tone,” they were similarly charismatic and ambitious, dreaming of the day they would finally leave behind the struggles that defined...

On D-Day, 19-year-old medic Charles Shay was ready to give his life, and save as many as he could

BRETTEVILLE-L'ORGUEILLEUSE, France (AP) — On D-Day, Charles Shay was a 19-year-old U.S. Army medic who was ready to give his life — and save as many as he could. Now 99, he’s spreading a message of peace with tireless dedication as he’s about to take part in the 80th...

ENTERTAINMENT

Ashley Judd speaks out on the right of women to control their bodies and be free from male violence

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Actor Ashley Judd, whose allegations against movie mogul Harvey Weinstein helped spark the #MeToo movement, spoke out Monday on the rights of women and girls to control their own bodies and be free from male violence. A goodwill ambassador for the U.N....

Movie Review: Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt are great fun in ‘The Fall Guy’

One of the worst movie sins is when a comedy fails to at least match the natural charisma of its stars. Not all actors are capable of being effortlessly witty without a tightly crafted script and some excellent direction and editing. But Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt seem, at least from afar, adept...

Asian American Literature Festival that was canceled by the Smithsonian in 2023 to be revived

NEW YORK (AP) — A festival celebrating Asian American literary works that was suddenly canceled last year by the Smithsonian Institution is getting resurrected, organizers announced Thursday. The Asian American Literature Festival is making a return, the Asian American Literature...

U.S. & WORLD NEWS

3 bodies in Mexican well identified as Australian and American surfers killed for truck's tires

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Relatives have identified three bodies found in a well as those of two Australian surfers and...

What are tactical nuclear weapons and why did Russia order drills?

Russia's Defense Ministry said Monday that the military would hold drills involving tactical nuclear weapons —...

Columbia University cancels main commencement after weeks of pro-Palestinian protests

NEW YORK (AP) — Columbia University canceled its large university-wide commencement ceremony Monday following...

Chad holds presidential election after years of military rule

N'DJAMENA, Chad (AP) — Voters in Chad headed to the polls on Monday to cast their ballot in a long delayed...

An inquiry into a building fire in South Africa that killed 76 finds city authorities responsible

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — A report into a building fire that killed 76 people in South Africa last year has...

More than 40 workers trapped after a building under construction collapsed in South Africa

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — A multi-story apartment building under construction collapsed Monday in a coastal...

Michael Martinez and Natalie Brunell CNN

LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- The father of a homeless California man who died after being beaten by Fullerton police officers filed a wrongful death lawsuit Thursday against the city, its police chief and the six officers allegedly involved in the fatal incident.

The lawsuit filed by Frederick Ronald Thomas Jr., 55, of Cypress, California, also alleges assault and battery, negligence and civil rights violations in the death of his son, Kelly James Thomas.

The suit, filed in Orange County Superior Court one year after the beating, seeks more than $25,000 in damages.

Kelly Thomas, 37, a lifelong resident of Fullerton, was shirtless and carrying a backpack, and was wearing long pants and slippers, when Fullerton police were called to investigate a "homeless" man looking in car windows and pulling door handles of parked cars at the city's bus depot last July 5, the lawsuit said.

A security camera at the downtown bus depot provided 16 minutes of video of the officers questioning and then beating Thomas, who was schizophrenic.

An anniversary vigil was scheduled to be held Thursday evening at the Fullerton depot.

Two of the officers have been charged in the beating death and were ordered in May to stand trial.

Officer Manuel Ramos is charged with second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter, and Cpl. Jay Patrick Cicinelli is charged with involuntary manslaughter and felony use of excessive force.

Both have pleaded not guilty.

Ramos, 37, a 10-year veteran of the police department, would face a maximum sentence of 15 years to life if convicted, authorities said. Cicinelli, 39, a 12-year Fullerton police veteran, would face a maximum of four years in prison if convicted.

"The murder of Kelly Thomas was the inevitable result of the culture of corruption and deliberate indifference within the City of Fullerton Police Department," the lawsuit alleges. "The city's police department has a longstanding reputation of running roughshod on its citizens' constitutional rights, ignoring citizen complaints and issuing no discipline to officers accused of wrongdoing," the lawsuit claims.

Fullerton police spokesman Sgt. Jeff Stuart said the department hadn't yet reviewed the lawsuit and didn't have a comment Thursday.

Recently, Thomas' mother, Cathy, received $1 million from Fullerton's insurance reserves in an agreement to settle her claim against the city in her son's death, according to a city statement. Cathy Thomas, who's divorced from Frederick "Ron" Thomas, released the city and its police officers from all potential claims, the city's statement said.

Garo Mardirossian, the attorney in Ron Thomas' suit, told reporters Thursday that he also represented Cathy Thomas at one point. He declined to comment on her settlement agreement.

Meanwhile, Ron Thomas told reporters at Thursday's press conference that he's considering running for mayor of Fullerton.

 

The Skanner Foundation's 38th Annual MLK Breakfast