Oregon, Eugene | featured news

WASHINGTON — Spurred by a horrific elementary school shooting, President Obama tasked his administration Wednesday with creating concrete proposals to reduce the gun violence that has plagued the country. “This time, the words need to lead to action,” said Obama, who set a January deadline for the recommendations.

Attorneys for Occupy Eugene have filed a federal lawsuit against the General Services Administration, which is attempting to evict a protest group from a plaza outside the Federal Building in downtown Eugene for the second time this year.

NEWPORT — Two endangered sea turtles that washed ashore on the north Oregon coast in stormy weather have been moved to the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport. Both turtles are extremely cold and in critical condition. The turtles were found Monday at Seaside and at Gearhart.

BEND — The man who directed a charter school in Redmond was sentenced Tuesday to 19 months in prison. Michael Bremont, who built up the Edmond Proficiency Academy, was convicted of sexually abusing two former students. KTVZ reports ( http://is.gd/hvMIPr ) his arrest in February shocked students and parents.

YREKA, Calif. — Northbound lanes of Interstate 5 in far Northern California have reopened after a series of traffic collisions involving about 60 vehicles shut down the roadway. The California Highway Patrol says the highway reopened at 5 a.m.

HERMISTON — Another 178 jobs will be cut as operations shut down at the Umatilla Chemical Depot. The Washington Demilitarization Co. told Oregon officials that engineering, maintenance and administrative jobs will be cut in February.

Offensive lineman Kyle Long will play his final game for Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 3, after being denied an appeal to the NCAA for another year of eligibility, two UO sources said Tuesday.

Heavy snowstorms will continue to hit the mountain passes in the Cascade Range Wednesday through Friday, but somewhat warmer temperatures mean that Eugene-Springfield will likely see only a lot of rain, in contrast to the early-season snowstorm that swooped into the valley today.

It will be January before the Eugene School Board reviews a proposal about what to include on a construction bond measure to put before voters, but in a series of recent work sessions, board members have made it clear what they don’t want to see: anything involving Edison Elementary School.

Siuslaw Financial Group, the parent company of Siuslaw Bank, said it is declaring a special dividend for its shareholders — to be paid before the end of the year in order to beat an expected increase in taxes.