Author

Lucille McNamara

Lucille McNamara is a Daily Tidings reporter with 27 years of journalism experience, covering Oregon public safety, crime and courts, plus statewide policy and community impact stories including housing, education, health, and immigration. She previously worked at The Star.
Contact: [email protected]

Environment

NSF Starts Removing Oregon Coast Research Buoys After Trump Cuts Ocean Monitoring Funding

Lucille McNamara Jun 16, 2026

With scientists scheduled to start dismantling the first research buoy of a sprawling ocean monitoring system off the Oregon coast today, state Senator Jeff Merkley is spearheading a bipartisan initiative demanding the National Science…

Education

Southern Oregon University Plans Major Reset After Enrollment Drops 22% in a Decade

Lucille McNamara Jun 16, 2026

ASHLAND, Ore. — Cash-strapped Southern Oregon University (SOU) released a Vitality Plan yesterday that provides a roadmap for financial stability and an innovative vision to allow the university to thrive. Higher Education…

News

Portland Petition Would Use Clean Energy Fund Money to Add Nearly 400 Police Officers

Lucille McNamara Jun 14, 2026

PORTLAND, Ore. — Without raising taxes, Portland residents are asked to support an initiative that will plow an additional $50 million into improving policing and safety standards. If Successful the Measure Will Go to the Ballot…

Politics & Elections

Oregon Is Trying to Block Trump in Court From Accessing Unique Mail-In Ballot Information

Lucille McNamara Jun 14, 2026

Oregon is in the midst of a legal wrangle to prevent President Donald Trump from enforcing a ruling calling on states to submit the names, addresses, and unique ballot information of voters who receive mail-in ballots. The…

Crime & Courts

Portland Homicide Detectives Seek Suspect After Portsmouth Shooting Victim Is Identified

Lucille McNamara Jun 13, 2026

PORTLAND, Ore. — The individual shot and killed in the Portsmouth Neighborhood on Thursday afternoon has been identified, but the shooter or shooters have yet to be arrested. Thirty-four-year-old Tyron Butler died shortly after the…

News

Southern Oregon Heat Advisory Begins Sunday as Triple-Digit Temperatures Hit Medford, Ashland and…

Lucille McNamara Jun 13, 2026

The arrival of El Niño in the US is bringing temperatures expected to soar into triple digits across Southern Oregon. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has confirmed that El Niño conditions are present, and the…

Crime & Courts

Oregon-Idaho Meth Ring Case Sends Two Ontario Traffickers to Prison for 10 Years

Lucille McNamara Jun 12, 2026

Two Oregon drug traffickers were each sentenced to 10 years in prison yesterday for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in the eastern sections of the state. Maleah Rochelle Benavidez (31) and Daniel Ryan Carrion (38), both of…

Crime & Courts

Oregon COVID Relief Fraud Case Involved False Tax Documents and $3 Million in Credits

Lucille McNamara Jun 12, 2026

A 55-year-old Sherwood man, who pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud the United States of millions of dollars, is facing five years behind bars and a quarter-million-dollar fine. According to the Oregon District U.S. Attorney’s…

Crime & Courts

Oregon Man Sentenced After Counterfeit Fentanyl Pills Caused 67-Year-Old Woman’s Death

Lucille McNamara Jun 11, 2026

An Oregon man was sentenced to six years and eight months in prison for causing the death of a 67-year-old woman from Otis with counterfeit fentanyl pills. Passing sentence yesterday, Lincoln County Circuit Court Judge Sheryl Bachart…

Crime & Courts

Jacksonville Business Owner Pleads Guilty to Tax Evasion and Fraud in $1.2 Million IRS Case

Lucille McNamara Jun 10, 2026

JACSKON COUNTY, Ore. — A Jacksonville man pleaded guilty yesterday to tax evasion and bank fraud and agreed to pay more than $1 million in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Joel Matthew Caswell (31) pleaded guilty in…

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