Rick Bella
The Oregonian
Portland, OR, United States
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Past articles by Rick:
Canby High's acclaimed dance team coach under fire; parents group wants her gone
Jennifer Chaffee, who led her team to a state title, is accused of making light of a dancer's disability while tolerating online bullying of team members. → Read More
Housing, donations still needed for apartment dwellers evacuated after landslides
City officials are working with Clackamas County Social Services to help move people from a temporary Red Cross shelter at Oregon City High School to more permanent quarters. The shelter is scheduled to close Sunday. → Read More
Investigators looking for cause of 3-alarm fire at The Resort at the Mountain in Welches
No serious injuries were reported. Three guests complained of minor smoke inhalation, but declined medical treatment. One person slipped on the ice that blanketed a nearby parking lot. → Read More
Girl accidentally shot in face by uncle expected to survive
Sgt. Nathan Thompson, Clackamas County Sheriff's Office spokesman said the girl suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the shooting and was continuing to recover at OHSU Hospital. → Read More
Donations accepted for apartment dwellers forced to evacuate because of landslides
Sgt. Matthew Paschall, Oregon City Police Department spokesman, said city officials are "humbled by the outpouring of community support" for residents displaced from the Berryhill Park and Forest Edge apartments. → Read More
Emergency declaration issued for apartment complexes threatened by landslides
Meanwhile, officials are keeping a close eye on two apartment complexes in Newell Creek Canyon where residents have been ordered to evacuate after steep, rain-soaked slopes began shifting Saturday. → Read More
Police arrest suspect in package-stealing Grinch case; suspected accomplice to turn self in
Meanwhile, his suspected accomplice has agreed to surrender to police after Christmas. → Read More
Firefighters saw through fallen tree's debris to free woman trapped in her home
The woman was not injured. Meanwhile, power remains out to the neighborhood and traffic will be blocked until crews can repair nearby power lines. → Read More
Willamette, Clackamas rivers off-limits after overflows of raw sewage
The alerts also warn against contact with Milwaukie's Kellogg Lake. Warning signs have been posted at the areas contaminated by untreated sewage. → Read More
Molalla police play Santa's Helpers, handing out $100 bills from anonymous donors
It isn't often that police pull up behind a driver, turn on their flashing lights and stop a vehicle to deliver good news. → Read More
Police looking for package-stealing Grinches
Clackamas County sheriff's deputies are looking for a pair of Grinches who stole Christmas caramel corn of an Oregon City-area porch. → Read More
Lake Oswego school bus crashes; students not injured
Meanwhile, McVey Avenue has been temporarily closed to all traffic between Southwest Laurel and Oak streets while police and firefighters clear the crash scene. → Read More
Company names West Linn safest city in metro area, third-safest in Oregon
SafeWise analyzed crime-reporting data from the FBI, then issued a list that ranks Oregon's least crime-plagued cities. → Read More
West Linn police arrest six in interstate 'theft ring'
Six Seattle-area suspects – five adults and 15-year-old girl -- have been arrested, accused of using stolen credit card information to buy more than $26,000 in gift cards. → Read More
Tualatin River still flooding Tualatin, West Linn, though water level is dropping
The National Weather Service forecast for Monday calls for ¼-inch of rain, followed by clearing on Tuesday, before rain returns on Wednesday. Forecasters expect the Tualatin River to drop below the "minor flood" stage by Wednesday. → Read More
Lightning blows out windows on West Linn home after hitting nearby tree
The tree, a tall Douglas fir, now bears a fresh scar down its trunk – something like one swipe from a giant potato peeler. The interior of the house was strewn with broken glass and bits of wood. A large Asian vase was broken by the strike. → Read More
Estacada-area residents still on evacuation alert while Clackamas River drops
Since then, however, National Weather Service forecasters have revised their predictions and now say the Clackamas River may barely reach flood stage or not flood at all. → Read More
More than 26,000 customers still without power; crews making progress
PGE officials said the outage figures, sprawling across seven counties, represent progress from the 30,000 customers reported in the dark earlier Wednesday. → Read More
High water shuts down Amtrak service between Portland and Vancouver
Vernae Graham, an Amtrak spokeswoman, said the BNSF Railway Co. has closed its tracks north of Portland's Union Station until the water recedes. The move halts both freight traffic and Amtrak, which uses the tracks. → Read More
High water in Johnson Creek forces closure of Clackamas County work-release facility
The facility, off Southeast McBrod Avenue, was flooded Monday. Although water receded Tuesday, officials evacuated the buildings in anticipation of another storm surge overnight. → Read More