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]

Education

Oregon Rolls Out New School Rating System, But ODE May Be Too Short-Staffed To Make Them Work

Lucille McNamara Dec 14, 2025

The Oregon State Board of Education (OSBE) has begun the process of implementing Senate Bill 141 to create a new education accountability system. The OSBE has approved a set of rules introducing statewide metrics that all 197 school…

Crime & Courts

Medford Police Arrest 19 Year Old After December 5 Shooting Investigation Expands

Lucille McNamara Dec 13, 2025

MEDFORD, Ore. — Nineteen-year-old Audrik Darling of Medford has been arrested in connection with a shooting on December 5 and a kidnapping, assault, and unlawful use of a weapon on October 11, 2025. In a news release, the Medford Police…

Oregon May Be Sitting on One of the World’s Biggest Lithium Deposits but Who Really Benefits if It…

Lucille McNamara Dec 13, 2025

A massive deposit of lithium, which could overtake the giant South American ‘Lithium Triangle,’ has been identified in Malheur County, Oregon. Tidings Data Snapshot Identified lithium resources : share of world total…

News

Oregon’s Longest-Serving Lawmaker Faces Expanded Ethics Probe Over Side Jobs and Salary Increase

Lucille McNamara Dec 12, 2025

Oregon’s longest serving lawmaker, Rep. Greg Smith (R-Heppner), faces an expanded ethics probe over side jobs and a grant to substantially raise his salary. The Oregon Government Ethics Commission earlier this week voted unanimously to…

News

New SNAP Work Rules Could Cut Food Aid for 37,000 Oregonians as Exemptions Shrink

Lucille McNamara Dec 12, 2025

The SNAP rule waivers, which were ended by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), will immediately affect 37,000 Oregonians, a figure expected to increase over time. Hard-hit by the new laws are Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents…

Oregon Job Numbers Reveal Unemployment Was Climbing All Along After Shutdown Left Economists Blind

Lucille McNamara Dec 11, 2025

The federal government shutdown left economists flying blind about unemployment in Oregon, but newly released figures from the Oregon Department of Employment show the picture was worsening all along. Preliminary August data pegged…

Crime & Courts

Gresham Brothers Accused of Using Man’s Own Gun to Kill Him in Gas Station Fight Caught on…

Lucille McNamara Dec 11, 2025

GRESHAM, Ore. — Surveillance footage of a fatal shooting at an Arco gas station in Gresham at 1 a.m. on Sunday has led to the arrest of two brothers who were arraigned on Monday for second-degree murder. The East County Major Crimes Team…

Crime & Courts

Medford Neighbor Hears Breaking Glass Confronts Suspect and Helps Stop a Burglary in Progress

Lucille McNamara Dec 10, 2025

MEDFORD, Ore. — Thanks to a watchful Medford neighbor, a burglary in progress was abruptly halted when a suspect fled the scene on foot after being confronted by a neighbor. The Medford Police Department reports that the incident…

Oregon Leaders Promise a Business Climate Reset but Offer Few Concrete Plans

Lucille McNamara Dec 10, 2025

Oregon leaders say they want to reset the state’s business climate, but the path forward remains uncertain. As lawmakers prepare for the February session, calls for clearer economic direction have grown louder amid slowing population…

Crime & Courts

Oregon Man Changes His Plea to Guilty Mid-Hearing and Gets More Than Six Years in Prison

Lucille McNamara Dec 10, 2025

JACKSON COUNTY, Ore. — Forty-year-old Christopher Michael Jenkins, who, without coercion, changed his plea to guilty halfway through his hearing, was sentenced to 76 months in an Oregon Department of Corrections prison. Jenkins appeared…

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