Free Republic

Twenty-three Democrat run states and the District of Columbia, the home of our nation’s capital, filed amicus briefs in support of government censorship and banning of free speech in the United States. These 23 states and the District of Columbia filed amicus briefs in support of the Biden administration in the SCOTUS case is Murthy, et al v. Missouri, et al, 23-411 (Missouri v. Biden) case. The states essentially argue that they have an interest in collaborating with tech companies to “encourage” the public to behave themselves and “discourage” the public from believing alleged “disinformation” or engaging in online predatory...

...A large number of young hatchery-raised salmon that were released into the Klamath River recently were killed when they passed through a tunnel near the base of the Iron Gate Dam on the river...

Recently, the city of Portland, Oregon, exhibited a moment of sanity when city officials decided to reverse a law they had enacted in 2020 that basically decriminalized all drugs. The results of that law were extremely predictable (everyone did, in fact, predict it). Crime escalated, drug use became rampant, overdoses soared, and the city descended even further into chaos than it already had. But if you were fooled into thinking that Portland may have regained a modicum of common sense, you can rest easy: it has not. Yesterday, independent journalist Andy Ngô broke the news that a Portland area woman...

A bill that aims to push back against a rise in book bans in Oregon school districts has passed the Senate. Senate Bill 1583 says that "that a school official cannot prohibit materials because the materials concern a class of people identified in our education anti-discrimination laws. In other words, you cannot ban a book because the book involves folks from marginalized communities," according to bill sponsor Sen. Lew Frederick, D-Portland. "If you are not allowing kids to have books, and you are telling them what books they have to read or what books they can't read, you are basically...

An undocumented man wanted in Oregon for rape is now in federal custody after the Martin County Sheriff’s Office says U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) initially declined to hold him. The Martin County Sheriff’s Office says they were legally required to release 26-year-old Juan Jose-Sebastian from jail, even though they knew he was wanted in Oregon for rape charges. After Gov. Ron DeSantis and U.S. Rep. Brian Mast got involved, the sheriff’s office was given the legal authority to rearrest Jose-Sebastian. Investigators say this all started over two weeks ago when deputies arrested Juan Jose-Sebastian, an undocumented Guatemalan immigrant...

SALEM, Ore. (KATU) — Oregon lawmakers on a joint committee on Tuesday voted to move a bill that would make possession of drugs a crime again to the House for a vote. The bill would effectively change voter-approved Measure 110. The bill has an emergency clause, which means if it makes it through both houses of the Legislature and the governor signs it, it becomes law immediately. But the new criminal charge for drug possession would take effect Sept. 1, giving the Department of Justice a chance to implement it. If it becomes law, people openly using illegal drugs on...

Well, that escalated quickly. I guess we’re just going to cancel the utopia? How can you have a utopia that arrests people simply for living on the streets in tents and shooting up fentanyl in front of children? It’s fascism.

An Oregon man accused of spiking smoothies with sedatives and giving them to his daughter’s pre-teen friends has been charged with multiple felonies, according to court documents. Michael Meyden, 57, of Lake Oswego, allegedly drugged three of his daughter’s friends while they slept over on the night of Aug. 25, 2023, according to court documents and a probable cause affidavit filed this week in Clackamas County. The girls, all 12 years old, were hospitalized and tested positive for benzodiazepine, described in the affidavit as a drug typically prescribed for anxiety, with common prescriptions under the names Valium, Xanax and Klonopin....

Oregon lawmakers passed a bill to recriminalize certain drugs The bill now heads to the desk of Democrat Gov. Tina Kote who declared a state of emergency weeks ago over the fentanyl crisis in Portland Oregon saw 1,268 fentanyl-related deaths from 2019 to 2023 Oregon lawmakers passed a bill to recriminalize possession of drugs weeks after Gov. Tina Kotek declared state of emergency over the fentanyl crisis in Portland. A bill recriminalizing the possession of small amounts of drugs was passed by the Oregon Legislature on Friday. The bill reverses a key part of the state's drug decriminalization law, which...

Eugene mayoral candidate Douglas Barr, a FOOD for Lane County driver, has lived in the community for decades. A resident of the Bethel district, Barr, 59, has been involved in various community organizations. In 2020, he ran for city council in Ward 7, where he lost to incumbent Claire Syrett. Barr is also a convicted felon, he shared with the Daily Emerald. Upon further review, the Emerald found that in 1984 at age 19, Barr was involved in a self-described hate crime — referred to as “gay bashing” by the prosecution. Barr and three other men were charged of the...

A transgender killer smirked at her victim's relatives and refused to apologize because her gender identity made her 'vulnerable', as she was sentenced to 22 years behind bars. Moses Jacob Lopez, 30, brutally stabbed cab driver Reese McDowell Lawhon to death in his car in April 2023 with bladed brass knuckles after suffering a mental health episode while on a night out partying in Portland. Lawhon had picked her up after a 911 operator suggested she call a cab home. Lopez senselessly stabbed him in the chest without provocation. At her sentencing on Wednesday, Lopez callously justified the murder by...

It's a common sight on the streets of downtown Portland, Oregon: people in front of stores, trendy restaurants and hotels, on sidewalks, corners, and benches, crouched over torch lighters held up to sheets of tinfoil or meth pipes. Some drape blankets over their heads, or duck behind concrete barriers. Others don’t try to hide. "All summer long, we were right out in the open. You didn't have to be paranoid anymore, you didn't have to be worried about the cops," said John Hood, a 61-year-old drug addict living on the streets of Oregon’s most populous city. Hood spoke to Reuters...

Oregon transportation leaders hope a grant to repair charging stations will make the using electrical vehicles more practical in the state. Rebecca Hansen-White / KLCC Oregon has received a $10 million dollar grant to repair broken or malfunctioning electric vehicle charging stations across the state. Matt Noble, Oregon Department of Transportation spokesperson, said broken charging stations have made electric vehicles impractical for many Oregonians. “Maybe five, 10 years ago, EV drivers were having more of a range anxiety. It was: ‘Can my EV reach a charging station?’” he said. “That’s really shifted in the last couple of years to ‘I’m...

Medina announced that he would be pleading not guilty and slammed the DOJ as a "two-tiered system of justice." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ On Friday, the FBI arrested an Oregon-based independent conservative journalist and content creator on charges related to the January 6 protest and riot at the US Capitol. David Medina, 34, of Sherwood, Oregon is the latest to be targeted by Biden's Department of Justice over alleged actions taken on January 6, 2021. He has been charged with felony obstruction of an official proceeding and several misdemeanors. The misdemeanors include destruction of government property, entering or remaining in any restricted building...

KGW has a policy of thoroughly screening all content for standards and accuracy before broadcast, but failed to uphold it, the station said.A television station in Portland, Oregon, apologized Friday for inadvertently showing a racist image during a program aimed at highlighting positive stories. KGW-TV displayed the image Thursday evening during “The Good Stuff,” which includes a “Throwback Thursday” segment sharing “cheesy, silly, or memorable” photos submitted by viewers. “The image, seemingly from the 1950s, depicted children throwing balls towards a sign prominently displaying (a racial slur),” the station said Friday in a statement posted to its website. “We understand...

Let’s face facts; some people are getting richer off the removal of the Klamath River dams. Glen Spain member [formerly] of Klamath River Renewal Corp. ‘KRRC’ board and fisherman’s advocate said “Economics Not Salmon Is the Reason PacifiCorp is Removing the Dams” It is now estimated by some experts that the total direct cost for the Klamath River dam removal project, will reach $800-million dollars, not the $450-million cost estimate projected over tens years ago. And then we have the costs related to the liabilities that are already arising from what is seen by many as an ill-fated project. According...

A resident in Oregon has been infected with the state's first instance of bubonic plague since 2015, according to Fox News Digital. The report noted that the individual was likely infected with the plague by their pet cat. Dr. Richard Fawcett, the Deschutes County health officer, said in a recent release that "[a]ll close contacts of the resident and their pet have been contacted and provided medication to prevent illness." Officials familiar with the situation said there was little chance that the infection could present an issue for the community since it was treated in the earlier stages of the...

An Oregon resident has been infected with the state’s first case of bubonic plague since 2015, health officials said last week. The resident was likely infected with plague by their symptomatic pet cat, Deschutes County Health Services said in a news release on Wednesday. "All close contacts of the resident and their pet have been contacted and provided medication to prevent illness," Dr. Richard Fawcett, the Deschutes County health officer, said in the release without identifying the infected resident. Officials said there was little risk to the community since the case was identified and treated in the earlier stages of...

An amendment introduced to the Oregon legislature Thursday would criminalize drug use on public transit. The Oregon Transit Association and Amalgamated Transit Union Local 757 are seeking to amend Senate Bill 1553 to create a misdemeanor charge for people who use illicit drugs while riding public transit. The charge of interfering with public transportation would apply to a person who “while in or on a public transit vehicle or public transit station, knowingly ingests, inhales, injects, or otherwise consumes a controlled substance that is not lawfully possessed by the person,” the amendment reads.

In February 2021, politicians and activists celebrated Oregon's implementation of Measure 110, the nation's first law to decriminalize drugs like fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and meth. It's not a surprise what happened next: a dramatic increase in overdoses. Fast forward to last week: Oregon Governor Tina Kotek and Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler declared a state of emergency in Portland due to sharp rises in overdose deaths, public drug use, and crime. Though the state of emergency is a step in the right direction, more must be done to undo the harm caused by Measure 110 and help more Oregonians live safe...