LOCAL
Oregonlive
Neighboring police agencies are rethinking helping Portland police except in major emergencies in the wake of a million-dollar judgment against Washington County and Hillsboro awarded after their officers wounded a man while helping Portland police with a search warrant. Washington County Sheriff Pat Garrett has ordered his deputies not to take any enforcement action in Portland unless there’s a direct tie to their casework in Washington County. Clackamas County is thinking of following suit. Washington County’s move came on the advice of its senior assistant counsel, Elmer M. Dickens, who doubles as the attorney for the Oregon State Sheriffs Association.
Lane County residents told to evacuate amid ‘historic’ release of water from reservoir
Oregonlive
Authorities have asked residents of two Lane County floodplains to evacuate immediately as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released water from a reservoir amid heavy rains, the Lane County Sheriff’s Office said Sunday. The immediate threat is most acute for people in the Row River floodplain, the sheriff’s office said, with a delayed impact to those on the Coast Fork of the Willamette floodplain. Both areas have been issued a Level 3 evacuation notice, which means that danger to the area is imminent.
School Board member resigns after town hall controversy
Hood River News
Hood River County School District Board Member Benjamin Sheppard submitted a letter of resignation to the Hood River County School District earlier this week. His resignation follows community backlash related to his controversial behavior at Rep. Greg Walden’s town hall last month, which included shouting questions and comments at Rep. Walden from the audience and reportedly wearing a jacket portraying the American flag upside down. The Hood River County School District Board of Directors aims to select a replacement for Sheppard’s vacant Position 2 at an upcoming public school board meeting on April 24.
NATIONAL
Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen Leaving Post
Oregon Public Broadcasting
Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen is leaving her post, President Trump announced Sunday as he continues to focus on restricting border crossings amid a recent surge. Nielsen had recently warned a congressional panel of a “catastrophe” on the Southern border after the number of crossings hit a 10-year high. Trump confirmed the news in a tweet, saying, “I would like to thank her for her service.”
Layoffs at highest level in first quarter since 2009 as recession fears grow: economic report
Oregonlive
The beginning of 2019 produced the most layoffs in a first quarter in 10 years, amid rising concerns of an impending recession. “Total announced cuts hit 190,410, a 10.3 percent increase from the fourth quarter and 35.6 percent jump from the same period a year ago,” CNBC reported Friday. The layoff numbers come from an analysis by outplacement company Challenger Gray & Christmas, which says the cuts are a result of “economic uncertainty and fears of an upcoming downturn.” The quarterly jobs cuts are the most since the third quarter of 2015, and the most for a first quarter since 2009.
OPINION
Opinion: Bill would give auto dealers too much control over customers’ information
Oregonlive
Recently California passed a data privacy law to protect consumers. Washington state will likely have a new privacy law in a few weeks. But here in Oregon, our Legislature is heading in a different direction as it considers a bill that should be titled the “Breach Waiting to Happen Act.” As a data protection expert and cybersecurity professional, I hope that our legislators are wise and kill this idea quickly. A lay person might read House Bill 3152 as authorizing standard information-sharing arrangements between auto manufacturers, dealers and the companies that build specialized computer systems for the industry.