Murmurs: Cannabis Extracts CEO Leaves Amid Scrutiny Into Past Allegations

In other news: Merkley denied entry to children's detention facility.

(Daniel Cole)

Cannabis Extracts CEO Leaves Amid Scrutiny: Former tech entrepreneur Nitin Khanna resigned as chief executive at the Portland cannabis extract company Cura with little explanation last week. His resignation came after renewed scrutiny into an allegation that Khanna sexually assaulted a woman at his wedding in 2012. Khanna settled a lawsuit with the woman for an undisclosed amount in 2014. Cura initially said in a press release that "personal allegations" against Khanna had become "a distraction for the company's mission." But new CEO and president Cameron Forni tells WW the resignation stems from an alleged "campaign by a competitor to harm our company." Forni declined to identify the rival company.

Merkley Denied Entry to Children's Detention Facility: A Facebook live video that U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley posted June 3 received more than 1.7 million hits in two days. It records Merkley's attempt to visit an immigration detention facility for children in the wake of the Trump administration's policy of separating children from their parents seeking asylum. Merkley says he failed to gain access through the agencies involved, but he went anyway, accompanied by a camera crew, to the door of a former Walmart in Brownsville, Texas. Somebody called the police and Merkley left without further incident. The resulting pushback from the Trump administration has included the claim that Merkley favors "reckless open border policies."

Jury to Decide whether Oregon Is Cutting Enough Trees: A Linn County judge last week ruled that a $1.4 billion class action lawsuit filed by 14 rural counties and 100 local taxing jurisdictions against the Oregon Department of Forestry can proceed to trial. At issue is a dispute between the plaintiffs and the state over whether the state has extracted the "greatest permanent value" from 650,000 acres of public timberlands spread across western Oregon. The counties say a 77-year-old contract requires the state to maximize harvest and cash payments to local jurisdictions. The state's position is that "greatest value" may come from cutting fewer trees. Linn County Circuit Judge Daniel Murphy has set the case for jury trial next year—which means a dozen citizens in a county hit by the lower payments, rather than Oregon Court of Appeals judges, will be the deciders. Portland lawyer John DiLorenzo, who represents the counties, says he's "pleased" the case will move to trial.

Political Brawlers Invade Downtown: Right-wing and antifascist brawlers returned to downtown Portland on June 3 for a small but remarkably bloody confrontation. The standoff was sparked by a traveling group of violent extremists, called Patriot Prayer, visiting Portland on the first anniversary of a protest held right after killings on a MAX train. This year's event quickly devolved into haymakers and rock throwing. Portland police did not break up the clashes.

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