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]

Crime & Courts

Oregon Woman Lived the High Life on Embezzled Money From Her Medford Employer for Years

Lucille McNamara Dec 18, 2025

MEDFORD, Ore. — A 53-year-old Oregon woman lived the high life, traveling, visiting casinos and restaurants, and renting exotic cars, with the hundreds of thousands of dollars she embezzled from her employer. Notja Michelle Brower has…

News

Man Arrested in Salem Arson That Trapped Residents and Sent Several Jumping From a Second Story…

Lucille McNamara Dec 17, 2025

SALEM, Ore. — A man has been arrested weeks after a two-alarm fire at a four-story apartment complex in West Salem endangered dozens of residents and injured three pets. Tidings Insight A two alarm fire means the first crews requested…

Oregon Rolls Out Free Birth Control for OHP Members but Limited Pharmacy Access Threatens the…

Lucille McNamara Dec 17, 2025

Birth control and emergency contraception are now available free of cost and without prescription from Oregon pharmacies to members of the Oregon Health Plan (OHP/Medicaid). However, while this initiative attempts to make contraception…

Crime & Courts

Home Invasion in Keizer Leads to Attempted Murder Charges Against Three Young Eugene Suspects

Lucille McNamara Dec 16, 2025

LANE COUNTY, Ore. — Two young men and a teenage female have been arrested by Keizer Police Department detectives after a targeted home-invasion attack and robbery in the area of McGee Court NE on October 24. All Three are…

News

Oregon Cities Halt AI License Plate Reader Program After System Reactivates Cameras Without…

Lucille McNamara Dec 16, 2025

Flaws in the Automatic License Plate Reader (ALPR) system, installed in Eugene, could result in Oregon lawmakers introducing tighter controls over the AI system. Lawmakers heard from a work group, consisting of law enforcement agencies…

News

Oregon’s Overdose Deaths Climb to One of the Highest Rates in America Despite Nearly 1 Billion Spent…

Lucille McNamara Dec 15, 2025

Oregon’s drug use problem continues to claim lives, despite millions of dollars spent by the state government to curb death by opioid overdose. The state government spent more than $980.7 million on publicly funded substance use services…

News

Oregon Watchdog Saves Residents More Than 5 Million Dollars as Insurance Complaints Surge in 2025

Lucille McNamara Dec 15, 2025

The insurance industry dominated consumer complaints investigated by the Oregon government watchdog agency, the Division of Financial Regulation (DFR), which saved Oregonians $5,658,813 in the first nine months of 2025. Tidings Data…

Crime & Courts

High Speed Chase From Newport to Lincoln City Ends When Spike Strips Stop Oregon Suspect

Lucille McNamara Dec 14, 2025

A high-speed car chase, which eventually involved multiple law enforcement agencies, ended when the suspect’s vehicle came to a halt after driving over spike strips near SE 51 Street in Lincoln City. The incident occurred on December 11…

Crime & Courts

Portland Man Shot at Two Officers and Could Spend 30 Years in Prison

Lucille McNamara Dec 14, 2025

PORTLAND, Ore. — A sentence of 20 years handed down earlier this week to a man who shot at two Portland Police officers sends a strong message that this type of crime will not be tolerated in Multnomah County, says Senior Deputy District…

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…

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