SALEM, Ore. (KOIN) -- Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek is pulling the plug on plans to allow her wife to take on an expanded role in her administration and will not implement an Office of the First Spouse. “I am sorry for the way this conversation between my office and you has started,” Kotek said during a press conference Wednesday afternoon. Her apology follows claims that she didn't correctly handle efforts to expand the role for her wife, Aimee Kotek Wilson. 98-year-old Portland fountain donated by Jewish immigrant vandalized The 90-day fentanyl emergency for the county ended Monday. But the declara ..read more

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A Salem man was arrested Thursday morning due to alleged kidnapping and domestic violence incidents that happened last week.  The Salem Police Department announced the arrest of 25-year-old Agustin Caldaza Sierra, who was located at an apartment in the 4100 block of Satter Drive Northeast early in the morning.  Police: 3 armed robberies within hour on Portland’s west side possibly connected On April 18, Sierra allegedly assaulted his former girlfriend and coerced her and her children into his car, police said.  “The woman reported being able to escape fro ..read more

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — One person who was riding a motorcycle during a crash died in Salem Wednesday morning, authorities said. The Salem Police Department identified 32-year-old Zachary Hendrickson, of Salem, as the motorcyclist who was injured and subsequently died. Despite efforts from bystanders and a police officer who rendered Hendrickson aid in the immediate aftermath of the crash, he was later declared dead by paramedics.  Salem felon arrested for possession of sawed-off shotgun, drugs, police say It was just after 7 a.m. that multiple people reported a crash between a motorcycle ..read more

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- An 11-year-old girl who was last seen early Tuesday morning was found later Tuesday and is safe, Salem police said. Authorities said she showed up at school later. No other information is available ..read more

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A missing 43-year-old woman from Newberg was found dead in the area of Chehalem Creek on April 3, the Newberg-Dundee Police Department said. The Newberg-Dundee Police Department opened a missing person investigation for the victim, Carolyn Duncan, after people close to her said it was unusual for her to go missing. Officers initially searched her residence and the surrounding neighborhood, but were unable to find her. Woman found dead in Clackamas County house fire prompts homicide investigation NDPD called in the Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office Search & Rescue team ..read more

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- A man is dead and another is injured after a shooting at Wallace Marine Park in Salem, authorities said. According to Salem Police, officers responded to reports of a shooting incident just after 3 a.m. Thursday and when they arrived they found one man - identified as 29-year-old Charley Allen Hodges - dead and a 25-year-old injured man at the scene. The injured man, whose identity has not yet been released, was taken to the hospital with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound ..read more

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- The Salem-Keizer Education Association says it has reached a tentative agreement with Salem-Keizer Public Schools, after the teachers union overwhelmingly voted to authorize a strike if talks were to fail. In a statement sent overnight Monday, the union said the agreement would usher in a new two-year contact between employees and the school district ..read more

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Two weeks after a teen was shot and killed near a Salem high school, the district is now considering weapon detectors in schools. Parents and students got their first look at the safety measure in a demonstration at Stephens Middle School on Friday that allowed families to ask questions about how the new system could potentially protect their students ..read more

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A man was sentenced in a Marion County court Thursday for committing a shooting in Salem in 2022 that injured two people when he was just 17 years old.  The now 18-year-old Saul Sosa-Medina was sentenced to nearly six years in prison with an adult conviction of second-degree assault with a firearm and two juvenile convictions: first-degree attempted assault and unlawful use of a weapon, the Marion County District Attorney announced. Mother charged after son killed in Wednesday night car crash Sosa-Medina committed the shooting in Aug. 2022, injuring one girl and on ..read more

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – With spring and summer travel plans in swing, Yelp compiled a list of the top family-friendly travel destinations in the United States in 2024, with one city in Oregon making the top 10 list. The number one family-friendly travel destination is Fredericksburg, Texas, according to Yelp – citing the Pontotoc Vineyard Weingarten, Pioneer Museum, and sprawling wildflowers at Wildseed Farms. Napa, Calif., Charlottesville, Va., Kill Devil Hills, N.C., and Breckenridge, Colo. round out the top five ranked cities ..read more