(Salem, OR) -- The Oregon Attorney General's Office has released a report that found employees of the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission didn't break any laws when they were allowed to buy rare liquors. The investigation reviewed 10-thousand internal documents and emails. More than 40 OLCC employees, commissioners, and liquor store owners and employees were questioned. The Oregon Government Ethics Commission will review the report as it determines whether ethics rules were violated.

(Portland, OR) -- New data show more than 300 lives were lost to fentanyl in Multnomah County last year. The county released preliminary data from its fentanyl overdose mortality report yesterday. The data show a total of 322 people died from fentanyl overdoses countywide in 2023. That brings the total number of fentanyl overdose deaths in Multnomah County to 868 since 2018.

(Corvallis, OR) -- The increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide is 10 times faster than any other point in the last 50-thousand years. Studying air bubbles trapped miles deep in Antarctic ice, researchers from Oregon State University found the increase is greater than any natural increase in carbon dioxide that occurred. They say this increase is due to human causes and it will overwhelm the ocean's ability to trap carbon dioxide. It also leads to increased westerly winds that cause the ocean to release more carbon dioxide, which results in warmer temperatures.

(Salem, OR) -- The Oregon Lottery is warning of jackpot scams. Following the one-point-three-billion-dollar Powerball winner in Oregon, the scammers send text messages claiming the winner is donating prize money at random to 10 people. The victim is asked to call a phone number to claim the money. The lottery says other scams might also be circulating. Don't give your personal or financial information over the phone and if something appears too good to be true, it usually is.

(Vancouver, WA) -- The Clark County Sheriff's Office is trying to identify a home invasion robbery suspect. Saturday morning, the armed suspect entered a home after a resident opened a sliding glass door to let out their dog out. The suspect threatened the resident with a gun, stole a purse and a Honda CRV that was in the garage. Police located the car, but the suspect eluded officers. The car was found abandoned in Longview. The suspect is described as a white male, six-feet one-inch tall with broad shoulders and 180 pounds. He was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and a black facemask with white print on it.

(Salem, OR) -- If you filed your Oregon income taxes using TurboTax you may need to file an amended return. In some cases, TurboTax selected the standard deduction when an itemized deduction would have saved more money. As many as 12-thousand taxpayers may have been affected by the problem. Turbo Tax contacted those customers and provided instructions for filing the amended return with the Oregon Department of Revenue at no extra cost.

(Portland, OR) -- A violent burglary suspect is behind bars after breaking into a Northeast Portland automotive business and doing tens of thousand of dollars in damage to vehicles. Portland Police arriving at the shop on Northeast Airport Way early Sunday, noticed several windows broken and the suspect yelling from inside. He threw a hammer at officers from a broken window, narrowly missing them. Crisis intervention specialists arrived and talked him out. Thirty-four-year-old Alvie Sanders was treated for self-inflicted injuries and booked into jail for burglary, theft and criminal mischief.

(Portland, OR) -- Oregon is being called one of the nation's top ten most dangerous states. U.S. News and World Report's public safety rankings are based on 2022 statistics for violent crime and property crime in each state. Oregon is ranked the 8th most dangerous state. Washington is 5th, while New Mexico takes the top spot as the most dangerous state in the nation.

(Salem, OR) -- The Public Utility Commission will take public comment this week on a proposed seven-percent rate increase for customers of Portland General Electric. The hearing will be held on Zoom Thursday evening at 6 p.m. on the PUC's website. The proposed rate hike follows another large rate hike last January. PGE says it's for a battery power storage facility, transmission and distribution, technology upgrades and generation facilities. The increase would cause an average residential bill to go up eleven dollars a month.

(Portland, OR) -- The Oregon Zoo's California condor hatching program is celebrating a record-setting hatch. Officials say a total of 13 fluffy condor chicks are hopping in their nest boxes. The zoo has been hatching condors to help grow the species for 20 years. The chicks will spend at least eight months with their parents before moving to pre-release pens for about a year. They'll eventually be released in California or Arizona. In 1982, only 22 condors remained in the wild. Now there are 560.

(Salem, OR) -- State lawmakers will embark on a 12-stop tour of the state this summer, to hear Oregonians priorities for transportation. Members of the Joint Committee on Transportation will hold hearings in each of the 12 cities, which include Albany, Eugene, Coos Bay, Hermiston and Bend. They say they'll use information gathered to craft a transportation package for the 2025 legislative session. The tour starts in early June and runs through the end of September.

(Salem, OR) -- Oregon's Department of Fish and Wildlife has a new Director. Dr. Debbie Colbert is the first woman to be appointed to the permanent role. She's been ODFW's Deputy Director for Fish and Wildlife Programs for several years. Prior to that, she was Deputy Director for Administration. She's also worked for Oregon Water Resources and Oregon State University and, at one point was a researcher at sea. Colbert was selected by unanimous vote Friday, by the Fish and Wildlife Commission.

(Sandy, OR) -- A man is recovering after being pulled from the Sandy River in Troutdale. The Multnomah County Sheriff's Office says the man was swimming in the cold waters when he became disoriented. Another swimmer pulled him out of the water to safety. First responders performed first aid and rushed him to a hospital, where he is recovering.

(Tigard, OR) -- An investigation is ongoing into a house fire in Tigard. Firefighters responded to the blaze in the 10500 block of Southwest Johnson Street around 3 o'clock yesterday afternoon to find heavy flames coming from the home. Officials say everyone inside the home was able to escape safely. Investigators are still looking into what caused the fire.

(Hillsboro, OR) -- The Oregon International Airshow is coming up this weekend at the Hillsboro Airport. Performers include the Air Force F-16 Viper Demo Team, the Navy's F/A-18 Super Hornet Demo Team. Flybys with Air Force F-35A Lightnings and historic aircraft. There's also static displays on the tarmac. Friday night features a new drone display after the sun goes down. You can buy tickets online in advance.

(Portland, OR) -- Construction begins this week on Fourth Avenue in downtown Portland to bring corner ramps up to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Work starts between Grant and Mil streets. When that's complete, contractors will work between Mill and Burnside. To reduce the impact on pedestrians and businesses, they'll do one corner at a time.

(Portland, OR) -- Portland Police coordinated another mission focusing on stolen vehicles Friday night. They locate one stolen vehicle for every attempted stop. Two drivers tried to elude police and were caught. Four stolen vehicles were recovered. Seven people were arrested. Police seized two illegal guns with extended magazines and one gun had an illegal switch making it fully automatic. Portland worked with Gresham Police, Port of Portland Police, and the Multnomah County District Attorneys Office.

(Portland, OR) -- The Rose Festival is joining two new initiatives that promote downtown and small businesses. The weekend of the Starlight Parade, May 31st through June 2nd, will be the Rose Festival's Starry Nights Small Business Event. Customers who visit certain businesses can use a QR code to enter for prizes. The Rose Festival is also joining Sage Hospitality Group's five hotels that will be offering custom room packages for each weekend of the Festival.

PORTLAND, OR -- The FBI is investigating an emerging social media scam. Hackers take over a person’s Facebook account, then post big-ticket items for sale that don’t exist, like trucks, trailers and ATVs. They claim to be selling the possessions of a relative forced to move into "aged care" and can only communicate through online messaging apps. In just one Oregon incident, around a dozen people lost more than $10,000.

FBI Portland Cybersquad Supervisory Special Agent Yaqub Prowell says the first step to protecting yourself is to try to avoid getting hacked. "We want to use strong, unique passwords, as just kind of the basics of cyber hygiene. You definitely want to enable multi-factor authentication, wherever that’s available. You want to avoid unsecure wifi networks." He adds, "Also limit oversharing. Be mindful of what you post on social media, because personal information can always be used against you."

Prowell says hackers use various tactics to achieve one goal: Getting money. "In order to make that money, they have to get you to do something that you may not normally do." He says they do that by using social psychology. The items listed for sale in the scam are well below market value. It's a strategy Prowell has seen before, "Something that looks like a deal that’s just amazing and too good to be true, combined with the fact that it appears to be emanating or originating from someone that you know, that plays into our basic psychology; now we have trust."

The hackers then use that trust to convince the victim to put a "deposit" down on an item, using a money transfer app. "At the end of the day, criminals want to make money. So, in general, if you are suddenly being asked for money from people that you know, and they’re asking you to send that money via electronic means, you really need to make sure that they are legit and that what they’re requesting is a legitimate request." Prowell says, "Please, pick up the phone. Talk to your friend. Actually have a more close, genuine, human connection, to [be] assured that those communications that you’re having are legitimate."

It's just the latest cybersecurity threat. According to the FBI's latest report, Oregonians lost over a billion dollars in 2023 to cyber-related fraud and other internet-based crimes. Prowell says, "These things can be mitigated and avoided with some basic cyber hygiene, as well as just developing the muscle memory of not being complacent in your communications with individuals that are purporting to be trustworthy." 

He urges victims of cyber crimes to report it, regardless of dollar amount, at IC3.gov.

(Beaverton, OR)  --  Construction will cause long delays on Highway 217 southbound starting at 9 p.m. Friday.  Crews will be building a new auxiliary lane between Allen Boulevard and Hall Boulevard.  Only one lane will be open southbound.  The work is expected to be complete by 5 a.m. Monday.

(Portland, OR)  --  The name of a man who was shot and killed by Portland Police on Monday has been released.  Officers were investigating an armed robbery when they served a search warrant near 111th and Northeast Halsey.  Investigators say 45-year-old Richard Perez fired at SERT officers and they returned fire killing him.  No officers were injured.  Two other people at the scene were arrested.  One was booked on a robbery charge and the other had a parole violation.

(Portland, OR)  --  Portland's Bloom tour starts on Friday.  It's part walking tour and part floral show.  Local florists have teamed up with nearly 30 businesses downtown, in Old Town and the Central Eastside to create spectacular, large, one-of-a-kind floral arrangements.  The floral displays will remain in place through June 11th.  You'll find a list of the locations on the Visit Downtown Instagram and Facebook sites.

(Portland, OR)  --  A major closure of I-5 will happen in June.  ODOT will close four miles of I-5 in southwest Portland from June 28th through July 1st.  The closure is needed to rebuild the bridge over 28th Avenue.  The new bridge is being built under the existing structure, to save time and more than five-million-dollars in construction costs.  I-5 northbound will close from Barbur Boulevard to Terwilliger and southbound I-5 will close from Terwilliger to Capitol Highway.

(Portland, OR)  --  Portland Police conducted a mission focused on crime in the Jantzen Beach and Delta Park areas on Wednesday.  They stopped ten vehicles, made six arrests and recovered two stolen cars.  Officers also seized 45 grams of methamphetamine.  

(Clackamas, OR)  --  A second suspect has been arrested in connection with the murder of man in Clackamas April 29th.  The Clackamas County Sheriff's Office says 26-year-old Dominique Britt was involved in the homicide.  She knew the victim, Nathan Anderson, and the other suspect, Cody Denewith.  Both Britt and Denewith are charged with Murder in the Second Degree.