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State of Oregon Fines Itself for Dirty Stormwater Discharges

Permit violations occurred September 2006 to January 2007 on section of highway between Corvallis and Newport, affecting fish habitat.

(SALEM, Ore.) - The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has issued a $90,000 penalty to the Oregon Department of Transportation for more than three dozen documented violations of ODOT’s stormwater discharge permit which occurred during a construction project along U.S. Highway 20 in Lincoln County.

The violations, which occurred from September 2006 through January 2007, stem from ODOT’s failure to prevent discharge of sediment-laden stormwater from a construction site to the Yaquina River and its multiple tributaries.

Fish Food Recall Affects Additional State Hatcheries

ODFW staff is in the process of obtaining certification from all fish feed manufacturers to verify that it is free from melamine contamination.

(SALEM, Ore.) - Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife managers learned yesterday that additional hatcheries received potentially tainted fish food from a Canadian supplier, the Skretting Company.

Skretting recalled the suspect product on May 8th.

As a result of this new information, ODFW hatchery managers have immediately discontinued using the additional recalled feed and have begun an inventory of all feed on hand at ODFW hatcheries and facilities.

Oregon Senate Passes Bill to Retain Rural Doctors

Legislation restructures health care incentives, extends malpractice reinsurance program for rural areas.

(SALEM, Ore.) - The Oregon Senate yesterday passed Senate Bill 183, legislation that restructures and extends the malpractice program for rural doctors.

The bill changes the definition of rural and limits providers, resulting in the continuation of the program to 2011 without additional resources.

The bill also adds nurse practitioners and certified nurse midwives to the list of providers eligible for the program.

Salem - Portland Afternoon Traffic and Weather Report

Tonight's weather: Mostly Clear. Low 40.

(SALEM, Ore.) - Good Afternoon! Here is your afternoon Salem and Portland traffic and weather report from Salem-News.com.

Salem area traffic report: Expect normal backups heading out of the city on Commercial St, the Center and Marion Street Bridges, Lancaster Drive, and Mission St. I-5 between Salem and Portland, and Highway 22 east and west are reported clear.

Portland area traffic report: No accidents being reported. Expect the usual delays heading out of the downtown area.

Oregon Strawberries - Still Great, Just Fewer of Them

Oregon producers are projected to harvest about 2,000 acres of strawberries this year.

(SALEM, Ore.) - Within a month, Oregon strawberries are expected to be ready for harvest, unofficially marking the beginning of the growing season.

But for the state's strawberry industry, competition and other factors have left production at a fraction of what it once was.

Niche marketing for both processed and fresh fruit is keeping the commodity alive, but it will probably never return to its glory days.

Fire Forces Evacuations at Albany Plant

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

(ALBANY, Ore. ) - Albany firefighters responded to a report of a commercial structure fire this afternoon with the possibility of an explosion at Absorbent Technologies, Inc.

All Albany Fire Department personnel responded along with the Hazardous-Materials Region 5 team.

Employee's of Absorbent Technologies were evacuated.

Police Asking for Help in Locating Shooting Suspect

The shooting victim, Justin Warren, remains in critical condition at OHSU.

(MILWAUKIE, Ore. ) - Detectives of the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office are releasing the name of the suspect in the shooting at 15037 SE McLoughlin Blvd, Milwaukie, Oregon that has left a man in critical condition.

Investigators are actively looking for 25-year-old Phillip Anh Tran.

Tran is 5'7" tall and 145 lbs.

NASCAR: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Says Goodbye to DEI

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has spent all nine seasons of his NEXTEL Cup career driving for DEI.

(MOORESVILLE, N.C.) - Months of speculation about Dale Earnhardt Jr. ended Thursday morning, when the veteran driver announced that he is leaving Dale Earnhardt Incorporated. His departure happens at the end of the 2007 season.

Earnhardt Jr and Kelley Earnhardt Elledge, his business manager and sister, had been attempting to negotiate a contract all year with DEI. Earnhardt Junior says that eventually they realized they just weren't in the same ballpark.

Shaw Man Pleads Guilty to 14 Counts of Sexual Abuse

The Judge could send Wyler to prison for 140 years on all of the charges.

(SALEM, Ore.) - A Shaw, Oregon man has pled guilty to sexually abusing three boys over a three-year period.

57-year old Steven J. Wyler entered his guilty plea yesterday on four counts of first degree sex abuse and 10 counts of improper display of a child.

All of his victims were boys under the age of 14. Wyler admitted to touching his victims sexually and filming them touching each other.

Catholic Abuse Victim Says Church is Evading Responsibility

As part of a legal settlement, the Portland Catholic Archdiocese has agreed to provide church records on abuse cases. But former victims say it is not enough.

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - In the wake of a judge's decision to award a $50 million settlement to approximately 200 sex abuse victims from the Portland Archdiocese, a group representing the victims says Oregon may have only unearthed the tip of an iceberg.

Former victim Bill Crane says that in spite of the disclosures and a court judgment, "those Catholics continue to allow their kids around these alleged abusers."

Crane and others say that many Catholics are told by church officials that the truth of many settled clergy sex abuse cases is “questionable,” even though they have admitted that hundreds of incidents of sexual abuse occurred.