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News After years of delays and missteps, Multnomah County commissioners this morning unanimously approved the design for a new East County Courthouse in Rockwood. "I know this is a building. But it represents more than the stones, bricks and glass we see on paper," said Commissioner Diane McKeel, who represents East County on the five-member board. "It represents commitment to an area left behind ...   More

News New Multnomah County Chair Jeff Cogen this morning presented his proposed 2010-2011 budget to the board of commissioners, who will now spend a few weeks wrangling with department heads before passing a final spending plan next month. It was the 10th straight year of budget cuts in Multnomah County, due mainly to declining state revenues that pass through the county and Oregon's screwed-up property ...   More

News Paul van Orden, one of the eight candidates on the ballot for Multnomah County Commissioner in District #2, got a bad break this morning. On the last weekend before ballots come due this Tuesday, van Orden learned this morning that his campaign office at 421 N. Broadway had been burglarized. But don't leap to a conclusion this was some campaign dirty trick by an opponent in the race. In fact, ...   More

News Three days into what's now the general-election race for Multnomah County commissioner, candidate Loretta Smith today picked up an interesting endorsement in her contest against Karol Collymore. Smith today announced she's been endorsed by county Sheriff Dan Staton, who easily beat out corrections Sgt. Mohammad Ra'oof in Tuesday's primary. Staton won the election to finish the rest of former ...   More

News A Multnomah County grand jury has found no criminal liability in the Portland police's fatal shooting of Keaton Dupree Otis. The May 12 shooting death of the 25-year-old Otis during a traffic stop in the Lloyd District was the third fatal shooting by Portland police this year There have been no criminal indictments in any of those shootings, which has been the case involving every grand jury ...   More

News The Multnomah County Board of Commissioners this morning unanimously approved a $392 million general-fund budget that gives District Attorney Mike Schrunk greater flexibility in setting priorities for his office. The dust-up over Schrunk's budget has been the big county story in a year when the county had to cut $5.4 million from its general-fund budget, the 10th straight year of cuts. County ...   More

News WW has obtained the divorce petition (PDF) filed Monday by the father of missing 7-year-old Kyron Horman. Kaine Horman cited "irreconcilable differences" in filing for divorce from his wife of three years, Terri Moulton Horman. Two facts emerge in the eight pages of documents filed in Multnomah County Circuit Court. First: The petition says Kaine Horman moved out of the couple's house ...   More

News The Multnomah County Charter Review Committee will present recommendations [PDF] to the county commission tomorrow on a series of measures they suggest putting on the November ballot. Such committees sometimes handle mundane technical fixes, but tomorrow's recommendations — which follow a series of 13 public meetings held since September 2009 — include a proposals for number of high-profile ...   More

News If you're a breast-feeding mom who hungers to break a record, read this: Local moms will try to break the record for most women breast-feeding at one time this Friday, Aug. 6. The event, coined The Big Latch On, comes at the end of World Breastfeeding Week and is sponsored in part by the Multnomah County's Women Infants and Children program. The program will host the record attempt at ...   More