Fatal Two-Vehicle Crash Claims Life of GP Resident, OSP, ODOT Responded
Oregon State Police responded to a fatal two-vehicle crash on Highway 97 near milepost 236 in Klamath County March 17th at 7:49 p.m. The preliminary investigation indicated a red Dodge Ram pulling a trailer, operated by Sue Anne Evans, 76, of Grants Pass, was traveling northbound on Highway 97 near Chiloquin when it crossed into the southbound lane for an unknown reason. The Dodge Ram collided head-on with a southbound gray Ford F550 towing a trailer and forklift, operated by Chad Everett Hayes, 44, of Walla Walla, Washington. Evans was pronounced deceased at the scene, and Hayes had reported minor injuries. He was subsequently transported to an area hospital. The highway was impacted for approximately six hours during the on-scene investigation. OSP was assisted by the Oregon Department of Transportation.
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Oregon Nurses Association Leader Files Wage Theft Lawsuit
On March 18th, an Oregon Nurses Association (ONA) member leader filed a class action lawsuit against Asante for wage theft and violating Oregon law. According to a release, Asante is accused of multiple illegal accounting practices including manipulating workers’ timecards, making unauthorized wage deductions, time rounding, refusing to pay workers’ earned differentials, refusing to pay missed meals and breaks, and failure to pay workers’ wages on time. Nurses are suing to stop Asante’s alleged illegal accounting practices, recover lost wages owed to healthcare workers, and ensure a fair and accurate accounting of all workers’ hours and pay. Class counsel estimates 6,000 hourly workers have been victims of Asante’s wage theft since 2020, including nearly 5,000 current employees. Plaintiffs estimate Asante owes workers $500,000 in unpaid wages. Asante is facing an additional $2 million in statutory penalties and damages plus interest and court costs. The ONA represents more than 1450 registered nurses and technical workers at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center in Medford.
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IMET, JCSO Assist in Stopping Money Laundering Scheme
The owner and operator of Tienda Santa Maria II LLC has been charged with money laundering. This comes after Jose Alonso Paramo Arguello, 45, used his money service businesses to launder narcotics trafficking proceeds and structure financial transactions to avoid suspicion of law enforcement. A citizen of Mexico and unlawfully residing in the United States, he has been charged by criminal complaint with money laundering. According to court documents, Arguello is the owner and operator of the Phoenix business, along with two others, Tienda Santa Maria in Medford, and Paramos Barber Shop in Central Point. Arguello uses his three businesses to transfer narcotics trafficking proceeds to Mexico by breaking down transactions into smaller amounts and using fake names and addresses for the money senders to conceal the true nature and source of the funds. From January 2, 2024, through December 3, 2025, Arguello’s three money service businesses transferred more than $13 million in wire transfers of $500 or more to Mexico, an amount often indicative of narcotics trafficking. Of that, over $7 million was sent to locations in Mexico associated with narcotics trafficking. The Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) provided an informant with cash to attempt to wire money to Mexico.
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