Today’s Weather: High — 54, rain; Low — 45
Springfield men arrested for stealing beer
Four young men were arrested late Thursday night after allegedly threatening to assault a supermarket security officer after the officer had caught the men stealing beer from the Safeway on Main St.
The officer alerted police while running after the four suspects. Police responded to the area and arrested all four of the men. The suspects were charged with second-degree robbery, according to The Register-Guard.
Woman hit by van dies later in hospital
A woman was hit by a van at the intersection of West 18th Avenue and Chambers Street Thursday morning that potentially lead to her death.
The van’s driver was “exceptionally cooperative” with investigators and was not charged with any crime, according to The Register-Guard.
The woman was sent to Sacred Heart Medical Center at River­Bend in Springfield, where she died. Investigators could not for certain determine whether the woman’s death was a direct result of the incident.
Man arrested less than one hour after release
The Lane County Jail closed 35 additional beds due to budget cuts on Nov. 29, which lead to the early release of 31 inmates.
Despite his early release, 33-year-old Christopher Weaver was re-arrested, accused of attempting to rob a bank just 15 blocks from the jail, according to KMTR.
Weaver is now on federal hold, a precaution that will make him ineligible for release.
Wanted arson suspect surrenders
A wanted arsonist, who had been hiding in Canada, turned herself in at the Canadian border in Blaine, Washington.
Rebecca Jeanette Rubin, 39, was part of the Earth Liberation Front, known as The Family, based in Eugene, and is wanted on charges of setting fires at a Vail ski resort in Colorado, at a timber company office in Medford and at federal wild-horse corrals in Eastern Oregon and Northern California, according to The Register-Guard.
Officials have said that the Earth Liberation Front is responsible for 20 arsons and up to $40 million in damages.
Rubin is to appear in federal court in Seattle then will be sent to Oregon for trial.
New business opens downtown with an intriguing business idea
The Barn Light, a new business in the downtown area, has been open for about a week serving coffee and alcohol; however, while both options are available all day, the two don’t always have to go together.
The business owners came up with the concept years ago while working at a similar shop in Kansas.
The business is one of many new shops in the downtown area hoping to change the atmosphere in the area, according to KEZI.