The Oregonian has tapped former Bulletin editorial page editor Erik Lukens to replace Bob Caldwell as the Oregonian’s editorial page director.

The paper announced the move in a blog post Wednesday afternoon and said Lukens will start in June.

Lukens has been with the Bulletin since 1998, primarily as the editorial page editor, more recently he has served as the paper’s city editor, a position that has seen a cast of characters rotate through over the past five years. It was widely speculated that Lukens was in line to take over when the paper’s editor in chief John Costa steps aside.

Lukens walks into another paper where the editorial board is widely known to sit well to the right of its news coverage. The move appears to cement publisher T. Christian Anderson’s commitment to that conservative approach, despite the liberal bent of the paper’s primary audience in the Portland metro area.

A pair of animal rights groups are offering a $2,500 reward for information in a wolf killing case in Union County near La Grande, Oregon, which happens to be the epicenter of Oregon’s wolf recovery and ground zero for the heated debate over the future of wolves in Oregon.

The nearly 100 pound animal was discovered by a property owner on his land near Cove, Oregon about 30 miles east of La Grande and has subsequently been determined to have been unlawfully killed. The exact cause of death has not been released.

Now the Humane Society of the United States and the Humane Society Wildlife Fund are offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case. While genetic tests are still pending to confirm that the animal is a legally protected wolf, investigators have already dubbed the killing a wildlife crime which carries a potential one-year jail sentence and a fine up to $6,500.

Personally, we’d like to see a little more robust reward from wildlife advocates, something that could entice an enlightened friend, neighbor or family member to break the silence. We're dealing with the “Shoot, shovel, shut-up” crowd and, if nothing else,  we’d love to see how well the "shoot-shovel" mantra goes over in a state or federal courtroom.

A 64–year-old La Pine man faces seven counts of sexual abuse involving a minor for his alleged relationship with an underage girl.

Police arrested Kendall Jourdan on April 19 after a “lengthy” investigation into his relationship with a juvenile in the La Pine area. Jourdan has been charged with six counts of sexual abuse in the second degree and one count of encouraging sex abuse. Jourdan remains jailed in Bend on $50,000 bail.

According to police, there may be additional victims from previous years. Anyone with information about Jourdan’s case is asked to contact the Deschutes County Sheriff’ Office, 541-388-6655

A controversial logging project along the McKenzie River faces a potential lawsuit from a trio of Oregon-based environmental groups.

The so-called Goose project on the Willamette National Forest will adversely impact endangered species habitat and unnecessarily targets old growth trees along the McKenize River in addition to expanding logging operations into the Lookout Mountain area, a potential wilderness, according to Doug Heiken of Oregon Wild, which joined Cascadia Wildlands and the Western Environmental Law Center in opposition to the 2,100-acre logging project near the small community of McKenzie Bridge.

More than 5,000 people have signed a petition opposing the project since it was publicized recently, largely because of neighbors who rallied against the project, which they say was kept under wraps by the Forest Service and only scrutinized after the 45-day comment period had lapsed.

The Forest Service has since acknowledged that its notification process, which included a notice in the local paper, Eugene Register Guard and mailers to roughly 70 property owners could have been more robust. Or as McKenzie River District Ranger put it, “We dropped the ball.” The Forest Service said it has since made adjustments to the project to address the public's concerns.

Opponents including Oregon Wild say the Forest Service had a option that put more focus on restoration but opted for a more aggressive approach that shoehorns old growth logging into the plan, despite public objections. 

That wasn’t necessarily the gist of the Times Seattle bureau chief William Yardley’s feature story on Bend’s booming beer business, but he did use the “B” word to describe bend’s craft brewing and he wasn’t talking about the creamy foam head. The article was the second in just a few weeks in the Times that spotlights the local beer boom. Yardley, who covers the Pacific Northwest for the Gray Lady, focuses on the economic impact of Bend’s brewing industry at a time when Bend’s other economic engines, including construction and high tech, have sputtered. The article includes references to Bend's beer-related ventures, including, of course, the cycle pub, the silipint, and the Ale Trail. The combination of which probably isn't the foundation of an economic recovery for the region. However, beer is a bright spot, according to Yardley who points out Deschutes Brewery's 400 plus jobs in the state.

Yardley correctly notes that the influx of well-off retires has largely dried up, or greatly diminished since the boom years. However, Bend still retains many of the attributes including climate and recreation that it had before and during the halcyon days. Yardley quotes State Economist Carolyn Eagan who observes that, “What we did for so long was take advantage of the land we have… Well, you can’t export land, but you can export beer,” Eagan told Yardley.

But is there a ceiling for this booming industry? Yardley seems to dismiss the notion. We hope he’s right, but we’re stockpiling pints and 22 oz labels from all the start-ups as commemorative items just in case the Times fails to forecast another Bend bust.

Apparently the kidnapping suspect who held is ex-girlfriend at knife point during hostage negotiations with OSP at a Crescent Lake cabin is not only crazy, he’s also luckier than a rabbit’s foot.

According an OSP news release, Alberto Quiroz Martinez received a “non-lethal” wound to the head when he burst out of the cabin where he had been holed up for hours while police tried unsuccessfully to negotiate a surrender. Police said Martinez was using his hostage as a shield when a 35-year-old OSP sniper shot Martinez in the head, allowing his hostage to escape and police to take the suspect into custody.

Whaaa?

How do you get shot in the head by a police sniper and live. It’s not like the guy was aiming for his leg.

According to police, Martinez was taken to a Bend hospital and treated for a “superficial head wound” before being transported to the Deschutes County jail on a parole violation. We suspect that’s the least of his worries at this point.  

State police snipers shot and captured the suspect in a kidnapping case after a multi-hour standoff at Crescent Lake, freeing his hostage in the process. According to Oregon State Police, Alberto Quiroz Martinez was shot and wounded after he came out of a Crescent Lake Cabin with his hostage Melody Kaye Mickel as a “human shield.” Martinez was immediately taken into custody and transported to an undisclosed hospital while Mickel, who escaped uninjured was removed from the scene by police.

Martinez is alleged to have abducted Mickel, who is described as his former girlfriend, from a Rite-Aid store in Hermiston last Thursday where she worked.

Police were led to the Crescent cabin based on a tip about a vehicle linked to the crime.

The Republican primary campaign for Senate District 54 is entering its final stretch as incumbent and former Bend city councilor Chris Telfer tries to off a well-funded challenge from local Republican heavyweight and former House Majority Leader Tim Knopp.

While Knopp has pledged to keep the discussion on policy issues including taxes and economic growth, his supporters aren’t playing by the same rules. Oregon Right to Life opened up the ground offensive recently with a mailer that features a picture of a fetus and the claim that "only one candidate will stand up for her right to live."  (Telfer is pro-choice, but has downplayed the issue)

Like several of Knopp’s own campaign materials, the mailer (below)  attacks Telfer for failing to support issues that came before the legislature when Knopp served, but Telfer had yet to be elected. In this case, a parental notification intiative that was defeated by voters in 2006 (The proposed law would have required girls over the age of 15 to get a parents approval before seeking an abortion.)