Aug. 21: Senator calls for Wheeler’s resignation over Occupy ICE PDX
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., on Tuesday introduced a resolution in response to the Occupy ICE protests that broke out across the United States earlier this summer, asking his fellow senators to “[express] solidarity with the men and women of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement who bring human traffickers, drug traffickers, gang members, and violent criminals to justice” and calling for the immediate resignation of Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, “so that a leader committed to protecting all law-abiding citizens and public servants from harm can assume the duties of Mayor of Portland.” In the resolution, Cassidy criticized Wheeler’s initial hands-off approach to the 39-day protest at the Portland ICE facility, which Portland Police Bureau officers eventually cleared on July 25.
Aug. 22: Oregon retailers can’t restrict gun sales based on age
The Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries suggested in a memo released this week that Oregon retailers who restrict firearm sales based on age are in violation of state nondiscrimination laws. Hannah Brumbles, an 18-year-old Columbia County resident, filed a civil rights complaint with the state, claiming a Walmart store in St. Helens, Ore. discriminated against her by refusing to sell her a firearm because she was under 21.
Aug. 23: Pendleton man sentenced to jail for Yellowstone bison harassment
Raymond Reinke of Pendleton, Ore., has been sentenced to 130 days in jail for harassing wildlife, interfering with law enforcement and disorderly conduct after a video of him drunkenly harassing a bison in Yellowstone National Park gained national attention. Reinke, who is banned from Yellowstone, Glacier and Grand Teton National Parks, will undergo court-ordered chemical dependency treatment.
Aug. 25: Sen. John McCain dies at 81
Six-term U.S. Senator and former presidential candidate John McCain died at age 81, according to a statement from his office. McCain was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer, in July 2017. On Aug. 24, McCain’s family announced in a statement his decision to discontinue medical treatment.
Aug. 26: Shooter kills two, injures 11 at Jacksonville video game tournament
Two people have been killed and several others injured after a single shooter opened fire at a “Madden NFL 19” video game tournament being live streamed from a mall in Jacksonville, Fl. Authorities say they believe suspect David Katz of Baltimore, who was in town for the tournament, used at least one handgun in the attack before fatally shooting himself. Nine other people who were injured in the attack are in stable condition after being taken to hospitals. Authorities say two additional people were injured as they fled the scene.
Aug. 27: Harriet Tubman Middle School reopens
On the first day of Portland Public Schools’ 2018–19 school year, Harriet Tubman Middle School reopened for the first time since 2012, serving sixth, seventh and eighth-grade students who have previously attended Boise-Eliot, Irvington, Martin Luther King Jr. and Sabin schools. The school, which members of Portland’s Black community protected through protests in the 1980s, later became Harriet Tubman Young Women’s Leadership Academy—the district’s last remaining single-gender school—before the PPS School Board voted to close it, citing low enrollment.
