Thursday
Today
Friday
M w <41 i*.
High: 68 High: 73 High: 72
Low: 49 Low: 52 Low: 55
Precip: 20% Precip: 10% Precip: 40%
IN BRIEF
House approves ban
on gun damage lawsuits
SALEM — Gun makers or sellers
could not be sued for damages
caused by illegal use of firearms un
der a bill easily approved Tliesday by
the House.
The measure went to the Senate on
a 39-17 vote despite opponents’
claims that it is constitutionally
flawed.
Backers of the bill said the gun in
dustry is prone to harassment by op
ponents who have brought lawsuits
without merit around the country in
hopes of making a legitimate busi
ness liable for criminals’ acts.
Lawmakers need to protect the in
dustry “from frivolous lawsuits that
intend to run it out of business,” said
Rep. Chuck Burley, R-Bend.
The bill, which also covers ammu
nition, is sought by Nosier, Inc., a long
time Bend-based ammunition maker.
The measure still would permit
damage lawsuits to be brought under
allegations that weapons were defec
tive or that laws governing firearms
sales were violated.
Gun sellers also could be sued
for damages when there was evi
dence they knew or should have
known that a buyer “was likely to
use the firearm in a manner that
would cause unreasonable risk of
physical injury.”
Democratic Rep. Robert Acker
man of Eugene argued that the bill
probably would be struck down
in court.
He said the measure would take
away the state constitutional right
to a legal remedy for an injury —
the right to sue for damages —
without providing an alternative.
But Rep. Wayne Krieger, D-Gold
Beach, said the remedy is “you can
sue the person using the gun.”
Other supporters said baseball
bats and cars can be used to injure
people and that product makers
shouldn’t be responsible for their
criminal misuse.
Opponents of the bill contended
I
that it goes too far in shielding a busi
ness from liability for negligence.
The bill “singles out one industry
and says they have no duty of care,”
said Rep. Greg Macpherson, D-Lake
Oswego.
He said the measure apparently
would bar a lawsuit if a gun dealer
left a store unlocked at night and
weapons were stolen or if a loaded
gun was left unattended.
“At least the facts should go to a
judge or jury,” he said.
Three workers injured
in chemical plant blast
PORTLAND — Three people suf
fered minor injuries Monday after a
pressure cooker exploded at a
chemical plant near the Columbia
River, officials said.
The injuries were not considered
life-threatening and the workers un
derwent decontamination before
being taken to an area hospital, ac
cording to Portland Fire and Rescue.
Workers at Lacamas Laboratories
Inc. were heating a pharmaceutical
precursor used in drugs to fight HIV
in Africa when the pressure cooker
exploded, causing a two-alarm fire,
officials said.
State and city environmental agen
cies were on the scene, monitoring
whether chemicals from the plant
leaked into the Columbia River.
“It was a pretty substantial explo
sion,” Lt. Allen Oswalt of the Port
land Fire Bureau told KPTV at the
scene. “There were some in there
that were bad actors — chemicals
that don’t play well together.”
About 200 workers at a nearby
Nordstrom warehouse were evacu
ated following the explosion.
Power to the area was knocked out,
and a water main and natural gas lines
were damaged, officials said.
The cause of the explosion is
under investigation.
School superintendent
resigns after citation
PORTLAND — The superintend
ent of the North Bend School District
has resigned following a citation for
public indecency.
Michael Struiksma, 51, had been
on paid suspension since May 2
pending an investigation into allega
tions he violated his contract with the
school district.
The school board did not release
details when it announced the sus
pension or the resignation.
But the Douglas County sheriff’s
office told The Associated Press on
Tuesday that Struiksma had been
cited for public indecency after a
county parks department employee
overheard a sexual encounter
between two men in a public rest
room on the docks at Winchester
Bay on April 21.
The parks worker took down the
license plate numbers of cars driven
by the two men and gave it to sher
iff’s deputies, who investigated and
eventually cited Struiksma on May
1, said Deputy Dwes Hutson, sher
iff’s department spokesman.
Deputies also cited Joshua David
Cox, 22, of Elkton, Hutson said.
Struiksma was scheduled to ap
pear May 31 in Douglas County Jus
tice Court in Reedsport to enter a
plea to the misdemeanor citation.
Rick Evans, chairman of the.
North Bend school board, an
nounced after a board meeting
Monday night that Struiksma
had resigned.
“As of today, he is no longer em
ployed by the district,” Evans told
The Register-Guard. “From our
perspective, it’s over.”
Struiksma was hired as superin
tendent May 3, 2004, and began
work last July at an annual salary of
$90,000. He previously served as an
assistant superintendent in Alba
marle County, Va., and Silver City,
N.M., according to the North Bend
School District’s Web site.
Evans told The Register-Guard
that the school board has not dis
cussed hiring a new superintendent,
but he said the district likely would
hire someone temporarily for next
year and conduct a search for a
permanent replacement.
The board named veteran school
district administrator Jim Moyer, 58,
as interim superintendent.
Bones of man found
near Seattle-area park
BLACK DIAMOND, Wash. — Hu
man bones have been found near
Kanaskat-Palmer State Park east of
this King County town southeast
of Seattle.
Sheriff’s Sgt. John W. Urquhart
said the remains of Thomas Bottorff,
45, apparently had been in place
about 18 months before they were
found Saturday in a wooded,
overgrown area.
Investigators in the King County
medical examiner’s office said Mon
day the cause of death remained
undetermined.
The Associated Press
jEiV
^outcaWP Sc^oo\w
’“'^rSSSS
Unwet®1*
#*»■»■1 s“.X»sw »,e “' “i o««»"w
iSSZs&S*^'
«S5**—* ■
n pampas c'asses’9 , ncC ed«lss29
f Of 0P'can V n0to'N^ pC
_
022192
Sign up for summer campS^
Camps include work with day, ^ *“
glass and painting projects
Space is limited, sign up ASAP /
• Decorate Your World
• How Does Your Garden Gn
• By the Sea
• We Love Our Pets
• Fairy Princess Paint Party
• Paint the Masters
• Personalized Dinnerware
• Family and Friends
www.brush-fire.com
954 Pearl St. | 485-7161 | 10-9 M-Sat. | 10-8 Sun.
FREE POOL
TIE 10PM
Til CLOSE
SUN & MON
$7 CAD BOMBS
$2.25 PABST
Wednesday
$2.25 Sushi Dolls
99 WEST BDOADWAY • 683-3154
The First Annual
Farmer’s Market
at the University of Oregon Bookstore.
Wednesday, May 11-8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Join the Students for Local Foods at the UO
Bookstore in welcoming farmers and speakers as
they share information about locally grown foods.
Farmer’s Market, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., UO Bookstore
Buy fresh produce and food. Meet with your local
farmer about CSA opportunities or internships.
Featured farmers: Byrd's Share Basket, Fox Hollow Creek
Nursery, Little Wing Farm, Muslin Creek Farm, Menzter
Farm, Nettle Edge Farm, River Bend Farm, Rogue Creamery,
Sweet Briar Farms, Sweetwater Nursery, Tea Lady Specialty
Teas, Wintergreen Farm, Waltland Butterfly Flower Garden.
Speakers, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m., EMU Amphitheater
Enjoy FREE local snacks while experts discuss locally
grown foods and community supported agriculture.
Featured speakers: Jen Anonia, Ann Bettman, Kate Darby,
Susan Bowi-McCoy, Rachael DeBuse, Jason Schreiner,
Galen Martin, Jeremy Roth.
For more information, contact Karen Pettinelli at
(508) 259-4427 or email kpettine@gladstone.uoregon.edu
UNIVERSITY OF OREGON
BOOKSTORE
895 E. 13th Street ■ 346-4331 ■ UOBookstore.com
Non-profit. Owned by UO students faculty and staff since 1920.