(PORTLAND, Ore.) Hello Portlanders! It's Tuesday, Jan. 17 - Here's your daily round up of all the news happening in the City of Roses.
1. PPB investigating city's first homicide of the year
Portland police are investigating after a man was fatally shot Monday in the Hazelwood neighborhood. East Precinct officers responded to Northeast 102nd Avenue near Glisan Street around 2:45 p.m. At the scene, they found a man suffering from a gunshot wound. He later died after being taken to a local hospital.
According to Portland Police Bureau spokesperson Nathan Sheppard, the shooting is being investigated as the city’s first homicide of 2023. However, the medical examiner has not yet confirmed the cause of death.
As of Jan. 12, police had responded to 39 shootings that wounded 13 people. Last year ended with 101 people killed in homicides, primarily shootings, the second straight year of record killings.
2. Oregon bill would allow schools to give students naloxone without parental permission
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says children 13 years old and younger are dying of fentanyl poisoning at a rate faster than other age groups. It’s why there’s a push to get naloxone, or Narcan, a drug that can help restore breathing after an overdose, into schools. Local lawmakers are considering a bill that would protect school staff who try to help in these situations.
Over the last year, several Portland teenagers have died after illegally buying or being given fake oxycontin or other pain medication pills that are laced with fentanyl. Fentanyl is 50 times stronger than heroin and one pill can kill a teenager in minutes.
Portland, Beaverton, West Linn, Wilsonville, Oregon City and Hillsboro have all approved supplying naloxone in schools. However, schools usually need parental permission to give a student medication.
House Bill 2883 would allow school employees to administer naloxone to a student without parental permission. It would also protect employees from civil and criminal liability. The hope is that this will encourage more districts to carry the medication in all school buildings.
3. SOLVE Oregon hosts MLK Day clean-up in NE Portland
On Monday, SOLVE Oregon hosted a clean-up event in northeast Portland in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. More than 300 volunteers showed up to help clean Irving Park.
“This is a federally recognized day of service. So, in honor of Dr. King’s legacy, we wanted to get all of our volunteers out,” said Kris Carico, CEO of SOLVE Oregon.
To learn more about SOLVE Oregon or to volunteer for their next clean-up event, visit solveoregon.org.
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