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ODOT to Try Experimental Rumble Strips on Highway 18

It is hoped that the use of rumble strips will wake drivers up and save lives.

(GRAND RONDE) - The Oregon Department of Transportation is moving quickly to install experimental centerline rumble strips on Oregon 18 near the communities of Grande Ronde and Fort Hill.

Albany Police Arrest Predatory Sex Suspect in Child Abduction Case

Police say a search led them to the suspect and the little girl, in a secluded area along the Willamette River.

(ALBANY) - A report of a missing 7-year old girl led Albany Police to a sex abuse case and the arrest of a man suspected of nabbing the child from her front yard.

On Tuesday, August 8, 2006 at 9:20 PM, the Albany Police Department responded to the 600 block of SE 6th Avenue on the report of a missing 7-year old girl.

The parents told police that they had last seen their daughter in the front yard about 40 minutes prior to calling police.

Crews Battling Fires in Mt. Hood National Forest

The Northwest Oregon Interagency Incident Management Team assumed control of crews in the Forest.

(TIMBERLINE) - A series of fires continue to burn on Mt. Hood National Forest as a result of a lightning storm that swept through the area the evening of August 7, 2006. The main area of concern is on the north east end of the Forest where an estimated 200 acre fire and several smaller fires are burning.

The fires are being referred to as the Mt. Hood Complex.

Lion Capital Acquires Salem Based Kettle Foods

(SALEM) - An agreement has been reached whereby Lion Capital will acquire Kettle Foods, a leading premium natural potato chip company in the US and UK. Lion is acquiring the company in a private transaction which, conditional upon regulatory approval, is expected to close in the next 30 days. No financial details of the transaction are being released.

Established in 1978, Kettle Foods is one of the leading premium salty snack companies in the US and the UK.

The company’s main products include Kettle® batch cooked potato chips, and in the US it also produces and sells KettleTM brand Bakes baked potato chips, nuts, nut butters and tortilla products.

Record Lottery Sales Lead to Record Transfers to Oregon

Oregon Lottery Dale Penn says the organization is accomplishing what they set out to do 21 years ago.

(SALEM) - For the past fiscal year ending June 30, 2006, the Oregon Lottery registered $1.09 billion in sales, marking the first time in the Lottery's 21-year history that sales reached the billion dollar level.

Bolstered by those record sales, an all-time high $483.6 million of Lottery profits were transferred to the State Economic Development Fund this fiscal year.

Oregon Attorney General and Silverton Police Chief Sponsor August Public Forum Focusing on Fighting ID Theft

The forum featuring Oregon's top law enforcement officer and an expert who recently completed 6 months training police in Iraq, it should offer valuable insight geared toward ending a huge worldwide problem.

(SILVERTON) - Silverton Chief of Police Rick Lewis and Attorney General Hardy Myers want Silverton area residents to know how to protect themselves and their families from the fastest growing crime in the world: Identity Theft.

The two law enforcement agencies will convene a free, public forum on Identity Theft on Wednesday, August 16th at 7:00 PM in the Silverton Council Chambers, 421 South Water, Silverton.

Jan Margosian, consumer information coordinator for the Oregon Department of Justice, will represent Attorney General Hardy Myers’ office, focusing on the many ways individuals, their families and small business can prevent being victims of identity theft.

Senate President Names New Legislative Director

(SALEM) - Senate President Peter Courtney today announced that Brian Shipley will become his new Legislative Director, succeeding Jack Dempsey who will become Associate Director of Government Relations at Oregon Health & Science University.

This will be Shipley’s second stint in the Senate President’s office; he was Courtney’s Senior Policy Advisor before becoming Chief of Staff for the Senate Majority Office in 2004.

He was a Legislative Assistant before that, working for Sen. Frank Shields in 2003, Reps. Kitty Piercy and Judith Uherbelau in 1997 and Rep. Piercy in 1995. Shipley received his bachelor’s degree from Willamette University in Salem and law degree from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. He will begin transitioning into the Senate President’s office in September.

Lighting Caused Fires Erupt Throughout Central Oregon

(PRINEVILLE) - Firefighters were on the move this morning responding to multiple fires across Central Oregon following Monday’s thunderstorms, which lit up the sky last evening.

Oregon Health Officials Confirm Three Human West Nile Virus Cases

They are the year's first human WVV cases in the state. Oregon recorded eight human cases in 2005 and five cases in 2004.

(SALEM) - The Oregon State Public Health Laboratory has confirmed that three people in Malheur County have tested positive for West Nile virus infection, public health officials at the Oregon Department of Human Services Public Health Division said Tuesday.

"All three of these people are recovering," said Chris Thomas, public health nurse in Malheur County.

BP Pipeline Closure Has Minimal Impact at Gasoline Pumps—So Far

Overnight statewide average price spiked by less than a penny per gallon over the BP pipeline announcement. National average price held steady, but during the past week, state and national average rose by 3-cents. Oregon now ranks 30th among 50 states and District of Columbia.

(SALEM) - A day after BP announced the closure of one of its Prudhoe Bay pipelines; a more thorough, although incomplete, assessment of conditions offers some optimism. While the market price of crude oil immediately jumped and closed Monday at just under $77 per barrel, average gasoline prices, even in the Pacific Northwest, remained fairly stable.