US Supreme Court decision means more wetlands won’t be under federal jurisdiction
The Washington Department of Ecology plans to hire more people to regulate wetlands in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to rein in federal regulators. Ecology estimates at least 50% of the state’s wetlands will no longer be under the jurisdiction of the Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers because of the ruling. The 5-4 decision limits federal control to wetlands connected to streams, rivers lakes and oceans. (Don Jenkins/Capital Press)
City of Salem to pay $25,000 to activist
The City of Salem has agreed to pay $25,000 to a local activist who said police unjustly shot him with less-lethal munitions and falsely arrested him during a counterprotest outside Planned Parenthood in 2021. The settlement comes four months after attorneys representing Clifford Eiffler-Rodriguez filed a civil rights lawsuit against the Salem Police Department, accusing them of excessive and unconstitutional use of force. (Whitney Woodworth/Salem Statesman Journal)
Man’s ‘century plant’ beginning to bloom for first — and last — time
After decades spent tending to the desert succulent that is also known as an agave americana, Klamath Falls’ Tim Starnes has brought the plant to its first and final bloom. Though century plants do not in fact live to 100 years, most specimens are estimated to live between 10 and 30 years, Starnes’ agave entered its 43rd year in 2023. Lasting three to four months, the blooming process pales in comparison to the length of the plant’s longevity. It also marks the end of its lifecycle. (Molly O’Brien/Klamath Falls Herald and News)
Feds: Damascus woman, 19, ran drugs via social media apps for years
Averi Rose Dickinson, 19, of Damascus is facing federal drug charges for using social media to advertise, sell and distribute illegal drugs to minors in and around Portland. She’s been charged with conspiring to distribute and distributing controlled substances, as well as possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The FBI began investigating Dickinson in January, according to a U.S. Justice Department press release, after learning she ran a drug distribution service called “Kiki’s Delivery Service” that advertised and took orders for illegal narcotics on social media apps including Instagram, Snapchat and Telegram. (Gresham Outlook)
First Black woman to lead Portland Fire & Rescue will retire in July
Portland’s fire chief, Sara Boone, will retire next month. Boone announced her retirement Thursday. She will stay on to lead the department until early July. Boone started her career as a Portland firefighter in 1995 and worked her way up through the ranks. She was the first Black woman to lead the fire bureau. Commissioner Rene Gonzalez, who oversees Portland Fire & Rescue, applauded Boone for leading her department through COVID-19 and the devastating wildfires of 2020. Gonzalez named Ryan Gillespie, one of Boone’s top deputies, as the interim chief. Gillespie has worked for the city since 1998. (OPB Staff)
