NEWS OF THE DAY
From Across the Nation
➊ Racial justice: Oregon Gov. Kate Brown said Friday she’s sending state troopers and sheriffs deputies to Portland through the weekend to help police monitor a weekend rally by the rightwing group Proud Boys and counter protests by liberal groups. Portland has been roiled by often violent protests for more than three months following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The city denied a permit to protest organizers, citing estimated crowds of thousands amid the coronavirus pandemic. But police said they will not try to stop the Proud Boys from gathering at a park in northern Portland.
➋ Officer arrested: A Los Angeles police officer has been arrested for a second time for allegedly stealing cash from the backpack of an employee at a cannabis grow facility, prosecutors and police said. Officer Luis Mota was initially charged with misdemeanor theft after his first arrest in January. Following his arrest on Thursday, Mota was charged with felony burglary. An employee at the facility alerted police that money was missing from her backpack after police conducted enforcement at the pot grow. Surveillance video pointed to Mota as the alleged thief, prosecutors said.
➌ Tahoe skull: Carson City, Nev., sheriff ’s deputies are investigating the discovery of a human skull along a popular biking trail at Lake Tahoe. The sheriff ’s office says bicyclists at Lake Tahoe State Park found the skull this week on the Flume Trail near Incline Village. Investigators said the skull looks as if it has been exposed to the elements for some time. Deputies and members of the Carson City Search and Rescue Unit uncovered what they believe to be additional human remains at the site. The Washoe County Sheriff ’s Office and a K9 unit assisted in a further search of the area. The remains are being examined by the Washoe County Medical Examiner’s Office.
➍ Logging proposal: The U.S. Forest Service is proposing to exempt a portion of the country’s largest national forest from a ban on timber harvests and road building in roadless areas, a move conservation groups denounced. The Tongass National Forest, which covers more than 25,000 square miles in southeast Alaska, is one of the largest, relatively intact temperate rain forests in the world. Supporters of the exemption see it as increasing access to federal lands for such things as timber harvests and development of minerals and energy projects. Critics say it could adversely affect wildlife, contribute to climate change and hurt tourism and recreation. Kate Glover, an attorney for Earthjustice, said her group will challenge the proposal.
➎ Judicial fight: New Mexico’s Democratic senators have placed the judicial confirmations for two U.S. District Court vacancies on hold until after the Nov. 3 election. They say the president has politicized the process, so they’ll wait until the voters have spoken. Using their homestate consultation authority, Sens. Martin Heinrich and Tom Udall interrupted the vetting of two possible lifetime appointments. The federal court in New Mexico has relied on visiting judges to relieve pressure on its robust dockets of immigration and drug trafficking cases.