Memo to Criminals

It has happened again: a routine traffic stop leads to a major drug bust. The latest case happened on US Highway 97 near Klamath Falls and it resulted in the discovery of 107 pounds of marijuana in the vehicle.

What is a "routine" traffic stop, and why can't someone who is transporting hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of cargo avoid being detected? Oregon State Police say it can start with something as simple as a burned out light, speeding, following another vehicle too closely. Oftentimes the driver has been on the road for many hours and is driving a long distance, so fatigue is a factor.

Once they've been pulled over, police study how you react. Many times the driver starts sweating or is obviously nervous in the way they answer questions. A more obvious clue that an observant officer can sniff out is the odor that a large quantity of marijuana gives off.

Police insist they usually do not know who is driving a car when they pull it over on a cold stop. It's the way a driver reacts that often tips them off to investigate further. These routine traffic stops have really paid off for police this year, and there's no doubt their training and expertise are major factors. But they also get a lot of unwitting help from the criminals. - Gregg Hersholt

Tags: drugs, traffic stops

Election Day is Near!

Election day is a little more than a week away, and I have to admit, I haven't even opened my ballot or my voters pamphlet. I will, though! Like a lot of Oregonians, I am a last minute voter. All ballots must be in by 8:00pm on May 15th. Make sure to mail them early, or drop them off at a designated ballot box. You can find a list of drop off boxes here, along with a link to the state voters pamphlet. There are a lot of local races, but this is also Oregon's presidential primary election. Newt Gingrich is still on the ballot, even though he announced this week he is suspending his campaign. A lot of people are running unopposed, or only one party has stepped up to fill a seat, so it's going to be an interesting day on Tuesday, May 16th, when the results are announced. Of course, you can hear them all on Portland's Morning News.
Happy voting!
-Lacey Evans

Tags: politics, Elections, Oregon Primary, May 15th

The Impact of Protests

There are few things more powerful than a large crowd of people gathered to send a message. The chanting in unison to let the world know injustices are being done, that people are being oppressed, or killed can really stir up empathy. We've seen this in cities across the globe, in the U-S and even in Portland. However, there is a fine line to this method of getting attention and empathy. When people start breaking windows and starting fires in trash bins and fighting with the police, the empathy wanes. That was the subject of my discussion on May Day as some friends and I watched protesters on TV. We saw the police say they wouldn't arrested protesters for not having a permit but they would force them to stay on the sidewalks so the traffic could get by. Then we saw some wayward protesters say "we'll walk in the streets if they want to" even if it means clashing with police. There were clashes too. As I'm writing this, 35 protesters were arrested. Watching the damage made some of the people I was with cringe or roll their eyes and say "now they've gone too far." ((To be fair MOST of the protesters on Tuesday did so peacefully and lawfully.)) School closures make us all mad, unfair wages are uncool, and no one wants to see the banks take advantage of every day citizens, but how we send that message is just as important as the message itself.

~Rebecca Marshall

KXL News Anchor and News Director

Tags: May Day protests, impact

School Funding Problems Longterm

I had the chance to talk to Superintendent Smith when she came into the KXL studios today. She told me property tax revenue and bond measures are too unreliable. She opts for working with the Governor and legislature to set high level targets more than adequately raising funding revenue and make things less problematic . Education has been squeezed by the state where it got 45% of the pie several years ago in the most recent legislative session it was given 39 % of state budget that’s a loss of 35 million dollars and the equivalent of 350 teachers. Smith says the district has been evaluating empty schools. Selling off those it thinks it will not use again. Renting out buildings when possible and keep others in reserve for future use. She believes we have no choice as a state but to put our thinking caps on and come up with innovative ideas. The Oregon Lottery and a sales tax are at the top of her list. She was very kind and calm considering all the pressure I'm sure she's under.

~ Rosemary Reynolds

KXL Reporter

Tags: School Funding; PPS; Carol Smith

You Can't Escape Jury Duty!

You may have noticed that the wonderful Rosemary Reynolds was co-anchoring Portland's Afternoon News on Tuesday. That's because I was doing my civic duty: jury duty. People usually groan when they get a jury summons and many people try to get out of it. Not me though, I was excited! I've never been called for jury duty and wanted to have the experience. Never been called either? Mostly you will do a lot of waiting, but the process was very intriguing to me. Hundreds of people sit in a room, waiting for a judge to call down and request a jury pool, made up (usually) of 18 people. Those people then go to the courtroom and are asked a series of standard questions, like name, education and occupation. From there, the lawyers will narrow it down to 12 people (usually) and the remainder are sent back down to the waiting room. I never even made it that far, but I was close. (More on that later.) Since the process is totally random, you could be called up to a courtroom several times or not at all. I was picked as a "holding group" just before lunch, which meant that 2 courts were still waiting to see if a jury was needed or not. About 50 people were held back just in case, and the rest of the masses were set free. Turns out, the holding group wasn't needed and I was released after about 7 hours of playing on my i Pad.
Probably sounds boring for a lot of people but it reminded me that jury duty is important. You could be involved in a case that dramatically impacts your community, not to mention the direct parties involved. The people involved in the cases, whether criminal or civil, are dependent on you serving. I wish I could tell you I got called to a juicy case but alas, it just meant a day out of work. But the next time you're called, just think of the important implications it means.
-Lacey

Tags: Multnomah County, Jury Duty, Civic Duty

Bowling For A Good Cause

Chances are you've heard Steve Leader and I singing the praises of Sleep Country on KXL. Sure, they make great mattresses but it's what the owner does behind the scenes that has always really impressed us. Dale Carlson has made a point of raising money for foster kids with his Pajama Bowl event. Steve and I put on the PJ's and threw for a couple of games on Sunday. We were joined by KUPL's morning team Scott Simon and Jolynn Winter. My 8 year old son came along too and at one point was only a couple of pins behind Steve (sorry Steve, I had to tell). We had a really good time but the best feeling was raising money for foster kids. I still haven't heard the tally but we'll pass it along as soon as we know.

~Rebecca

Tags: Foster kids, Sleep Country

Afternoon In Depth 5/16/12 After yesterday's primary elections, Portland Mayoral hopefuls Charlie Hales and Jefferson Smith are set to go head to head this November. Hear from both candidates Listen Subscribe
Morning In Depth 5/16/12 Rob Kremer of Kremer & Abrams talks the Attorney General's race, state legislative races, Portland Mayor and Clackamas County Listen Subscribe
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