SYDNEY — Three American crew members were killed Thursday when a C-130 Hercules aerial water tanker crashed while battling wildfires in southeastern Australia, officials said. New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian confirmed the crash deaths in the state's Snowy Monaro region, which came as Australia grapples with an unprecedented fire...
Storms Nudge Most of California Out of Dry Category
SAN FRANCISCO — Recent heavy storms across California have wiped out much of the state's abnormally dry conditions. Two months ago, the U.S. Drought Monitor categorized more 81% of the state as abnormally dry because of above-normal temperatures and a lack of precipitation six weeks into the water year that...
Crash Shines Light on Immigrants in Christmas Tree Workforce
GERVAIS, Ore. — It was nighttime when Pedro Lucas came home, clutching receipts showing he had paid a funeral home to have the bodies of three immigrant laborers returned to Guatemala from Oregon. The three, including two of Lucas' cousins, were killed when a pickup truck slammed into a van...
'Bomb Cyclone' Snowstorm Closes I-80 Near Lake Tahoe
A snowstorm in the Sierra Nevada has shut down a highway in the mountains west of the Nevada-California line. The California Highway Patrol said traffic on U.S. Interstate 80 was being held Tuesday on both sides of Donner Pass north of Lake Tahoe so crews could clear the highway of...
Bulldogs Lose at No. 15 Oregon in Season Opener
EUGENE, Ore. — Oregon's roster is almost completely made over from last season's Sweet 16 team. As the No. 15 Ducks' most experienced player, Payton Pritchard stepped up Tuesday night. He had 24 points with seven rebounds and seven assists in a 71-57 victory over Fresno State in the season...
Swarm of Sea Urchins Wreaks Destruction on US West Coast
NEWPORT, Ore. — Tens of millions of voracious purple sea urchins that have already chomped their way through towering underwater kelp forests in California are spreading north to Oregon, sending the delicate marine ecosystem off the shore into such disarray that other critical species are starving to death. A recent...
Mysterious Deaths of Bulls Are Roiling Oregon Ranch Country
SALEM, Ore. — The first dead bull was found in a timbered ravine in eastern Oregon. There was no indication it had been shot, attacked by predators or eaten poisonous plants. The animal’s sex organs and tongue had been removed. All the blood was gone. In the next few days,...
Amtrak Train Stopped in Oregon After Fresno Man's Threats
KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. — Police say an Amtrak passenger train was forced to make an unscheduled stop in Oregon after a Fresno man threatened to harm himself and others. The Klamath County Sheriff's Office says Mason Lira, 25, was charged with disorderly conduct and interfering with public transportation Sunday. Train...
Should Grizzly Bears Be Restored to California's Sierra?
Wildlife advocates are seeking a court order that would force U.S. officials to consider if grizzly bears should be restored to California's Sierra Nevada and habitats in other Western states, following the animals' resurgence in the Northern Rockies. Grizzly bears are protected as a threatened species outside Alaska. An estimated...
Oregon is Awash in Marijuana. It’s Now Looking to Limit Growers.
SALEM, Ore. — Oregon is awash in pot, glutted with so much legal weed that if growing were to stop today, it could take more than six years by one estimate to smoke or eat it all. Now, the state is looking to curb production. Five years after they legalized...