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

Eugene Wood-Treatment Plant Becomes One of Oregon’s Most Toxic Chemical Leak Sites

Lucille McNamara Jul 8, 2025

The J.H. Baxter chemical wood treating plant in Eugene, which released hazardous substances into the soil and groundwater during decades of operations, has been added to the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL). Poses a…

Oregon Begins Major Transportation Layoffs as Road Funding Bill Falls Through

Lucille McNamara Jul 8, 2025

The first 483 of an estimated 700 Oregon Department of Transportation ODOT) employees were retrenched yesterday following the legislature’s failure to pass a funding package to maintain and upgrade a dilapidated road and bridge network…

News

Medford Builds the Region’s Largest Pickleball Complex in a $1.8 Million Sports Expansion

Lucille McNamara Jul 7, 2025

MEDFORD, Ore. — As the game of pickleball gains in popularity throughout the U.S., the City of Medford will be home to 19 state-of-the-art lighted pickleball courts expected to attract national and regional tournaments. As part of an…

News

Oregon’s Hottest New Career Is Where AI Meets Clean Energy

Lucille McNamara Jul 7, 2025

Renewable Energy Analysts is the top AI career identified by Oregon Managers, a professional organization for local government managers in Oregon, following a survey of 3,003 decision-makers. The organization notes that while most public…

Business

These Oregon Small Towns Are the First to Reveal Financial Strain Before the State’s Economy Shifts

Lucille McNamara Jul 6, 2025

While Wall Street watches global markets as an indicator of economic stress, businesses on the main streets of small, local communities watch grocery bills and gas pump prices. They are the precursors of financial change. To uncover the…

News

Construction Starts Tomorrow to Restore Portland’s Riot-Damaged Elk Sculpture and Historic Fountain

Lucille McNamara Jul 6, 2025

PORTLAND, Ore. — Crews begin work tomorrow (Monday) on reinstating Portland’s iconic elk, badly damaged during the 2020 riots, to its platform in downtown’s Southwest Main Street. The city workforce will return the sculpture and an…

News

Oregon Judge Dismisses Privacy Lawsuit Over Student Tracking in Beaverton Schools

Lucille McNamara Jul 5, 2025

The father of a 13-year-old student at Mountain View Middle School in Beaverton failed to obtain a temporary restraining order to halt the school's use of digital hall passes. Jeffrey Myers appeared in U.S. District Court in Portland on…

Crime & Courts

Medford Park Shooting Leaves Suspect Hospitalized as Sheriff’s Office Takes Over Case

Lucille McNamara Jul 5, 2025

MEDFORD, Ore. — The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office has taken over the investigation of an officer-involved shooting at Hawthorne Park in Medford on Friday. The officers involved in the incident were not injured. However, a suspect was…

Oregon Named One of the Riskiest States in America for Financial Cybercrime

Lucille McNamara Jul 5, 2025

Oregon is one of five states ranked as the riskiest for financial cybercrime, according to Cloudwards, an online platform that provides information, reviews, and comparisons of cloud-based technologies. Oregon ranks…

Crime & Courts

Oregon Foster Home Operator Admits Stealing Medicaid Funds While Neglecting Disabled Residents

Lucille McNamara Jul 4, 2025

MARION COUNTY, Ore. — Brian Woodring, the former operator of an adult foster home for individuals with developmental disabilities, has admitted guilt in Marion County Circuit Court to several felony offenses, including criminal mistreatment…

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