Salem News Journal Page 16

Governor Kate Brown delivered the following address following her swearing-in ceremony: Governors Roberts and Kulongoski, tribal leaders, Speaker Kotek, President Courtney, honored colleagues, good morning. As I take the oath of office this morning, I am blessed to have the support of a large and wonderful family, many of whom are here.

Deputies with the Marion County Sheriff's Office are seeking the public's help in locating, Brandon Michael Thompson, age 25 of Aumsville.

UPDATE: Subject who died in officer involved shooting identified as Bruce Lee Steward, 34 years old of Colton. At 10:31 this morning a male called 911 from a residence in the 29000 block of S. Wall St. in Colton. The male caller told dispatchers that someone had been stabbed.

UPDATE: Corvallis Police have positively identified the victim in the Alan B. Berg Park homicide as 42 year old Kimberly Theresa Hakes of Corvallis. Hakes was killed sometime before 10:30am in the park where she was camping. 

A young lady was learning to drive in the North High School parking lot today when she stepped on the gas instead of the brake, broke through a chain link fence and landed on the railroad tracks.

“Many drivers are noticing spikes in gas prices for the first time in months. The national average for regular unleaded jumps 12 cents this week to $2.19 a gallon. Oregon’s average shoots up 13 cents to $2.26 a gallon.

Governor John Kitzhaber, Oregon's 37th Governor will resign in disgrace. He announced today that he will resign effective Wed. Feb. !8. Senate President Peter Courtney had this to say,“He served in the Oregon House as a Representative. He served in the Oregon State Senate. He was the President of the Oregon State Senate for a record number of years.

A visiting Spanish instructor at Willamette University was arrested by Salem Police Detectives on February 11 and charged with Public Indecency. The instructor, 33-year old Antonio Martin-Ledesma, is from Seville, Spain, but has been instructing Spanish classes at Willamette University for the past two years.

Madrona Avenue SE will be closed to all through traffic at the Union Pacific railroad crossing between 25th Street SE and Fairview Industrial Drive SE. The closure will start Monday, February 16, 2015, 7 a.m. and run through Tuesday, February 17, 2015, 5 p.m.

During the late evening hours of Sunday, February 1, 2015, 4 downtown Albany businesses were forcibly entered and property was taken. One business had surveillance video which captured images of the suspect.

Oregon State Police troopers are investigating a head-on crash on highway 97 near milepost 123, in Redmond. Preliminary information indicates that shortly before 3:30 p.m., on Wednesday, February 11, a silver Dodge 2500 pickup, driven by Troy J. Schaffner, 27, of Redmond,

Recently, the Oregon State Police has taken reports from people who have been scammed out of money by people posing as law enforcement officers on the telephone.

Yesterday, Gustavo Villanueva (DOB 10/12/1970) was sentenced on the charge of Manslaughter in the First Degree for his participation in the death of his wife, Maribel Gutierrez-Salinas (DOB 2/8/1974). The Honorable Dale W. Penn sentenced Gustavo Villanueva to a term of 180 months in the Department of Corrections followed by a term of Post Prison Supervision (20 years minus time served).

Salem Mayor Anna Peterson will give her annual State of the City Address at noon, Feb. 18, at the Salem Convention Center, 200 Commercial Street SE. The mayor said her speech would highlight accomplishments of the past year, but its emphasis would be on an action plan for 2015.

Representative Brad Witt released a statement following the latest job growth report from the Oregon Department of Employment.

The Senate approved legislation this morning creating the Pacific Northwest Manufacturing Partnership Advisory Committee (PNMP), a consortium dedicated to accelerating the resurgence of manufacturing in the region.

Travelers may experience delays on a 10-mile stretch of Highway 18 in the H.B. Van Duzer State Scenic Corridor while crews remove unhealthy trees. Oregon Department of Transportation will be working under an agreement with Oregon Parks and Recreation Department on the three-day project, set for Feb. 24-26

Oregon State Police  Fish and Wildlife Troopers in Deschutes and Klamath Counties arrest La Pine man and others relating to Mule Deer Poaching.

U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley will present Congressional Gold Medals at a special ceremony in Portland on Monday, Feb. 16, to four Oregon families for the World War II service of their loved one.