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]

News

Oregon Families Lose SNAP Benefits to $160,000 Scam and Are Told They Can’t Be Reimbursed

Lucille McNamara Dec 19, 2025

Oregon families who fell prey to scammers who stole more than $160,000 from SNAP recipients have been dealt a double blow – first the loss of their food benefits, and now they have been told that their loss cannot be reimbursed. …

News

Federal Funding Freeze Threatens Oregon’s New EV Charging Network as State Joins Lawsuit to Force…

Lucille McNamara Dec 18, 2025

Oregon’s collaboration with neighboring California and Washington to build $102 million electric and hydrogen charging stations along key freight corridors is jeopardized by the Trump administration’s decision to freeze the funding. …

News

Oregon Declares Level 3 Emergency as Atmospheric River Brings Flooding Threats and Knocks Out Power…

Lucille McNamara Dec 18, 2025

A Level 3 State of Emergency has been declared in Oregon, as an incoming atmospheric river is expected to bring heavy rainfall and potential flooding, especially in the western parts of the state, which are at an increased risk of…

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…

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