News

Oregon's unemployment rate has edged down again, hitting 8.0 percent last month. That's an improvement from March's figure of 8.2 percent, and better than April, 2012's figure of 8.8 percent. The department said an employment survey showed a rise of 3,700 Oregon jobs in April, driven by gains in hiring among leisure and hospitality businesses.Read More »

The Grants Pass Police are reporting the arrest of a man they say broke into a business and a home, and also violated a restraining order. 23-year old Dakota Lee Geer also faces charges of assaulting a police dog while allegedly resisting arrest early this morning. An alert neighbor heard someone making noise at 2:18 a.m. at Auto Smith of Oregon and notified police.Read More »

Authorities in Douglas County say they've identified a woman whose body was found last week in the South Umpqua River near the county fairgrounds. The sheriff's office says it doesn't have the complete autopsy report, but foul play is not suspected in her death. The sheriff's office said she was 44-year-old Diana Dallagiacomo.Read More »

Fired damaged a two-story condominium this morning at 544 Village Drive in Central Point. Firefighters saved a number of pets, including a Chihuahua, though a bearded dragon did not survive. A woman living downstairs first noticed the fire at around 8:50 a.m., reflecting on a car window as she looked outside. She escaped safely, and firefighters were able to rescue her dog.Read More »

A study by the Chronicle of Higher Education says Oregon State University's president, Ed Ray, made more than $700,000 in the last school year, putting him at 20th in compensation among the nation's public university presidents. But Oregon higher education officials say the publication's annual survey got it wrong, and Ray made about $590,000. The university system's general counRead More »

Interior Secretary Sally Jewell says the nation is heading into a tough wildfire season made even more challenging because budget cuts mean fewer firefighters to battle blazes. Jewell said Monday that a dry year is creating the potential for another extreme summer of forest and range fires. Jewell spent the past two days touring the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise.Read More »

The AAA auto club reports the average price of a gallon of gasoline in Oregon is $3.92. That's up 26 cents in a week, and it's 34 cents higher than the national average. Some metro prices from AAA's Monday survey: Portland $3.91, Salem $3.92, Eugene-Springfield $3.96, and Medford-Ashland $3.94.

An index of indicators has taken a dip but still points to growth in Oregon's economy. University of Oregon economist Tim Duy says the Index of Economic Indicators shows growth in the state economy near the average rate since 1990. He told the Eugene Register-Guard the index was down slightly in March, the first decline since July. Duy says first-time unemployment claRead More »

The residents of a home in the 200 block of Chestnut Street in Medford safely escaped a fire that destroyed their home today. Firefighters say it will be difficult to determine the cause of the blaze due to the heavy damage in the home. Neighbors reported the fire at 3:08 a.m. When trucks arrived, flames had engulfed 50 to 75 percent of the home.Read More »