Teen girls stage fight in escape try

Eight teenage girls staged a fake fight and then assaulted three men in a bold escape attempt early Sunday at the Oak Creek Youth Correctional Facility in Albany, Ore.

Perrin Damon, a spokeswoman for the Oregon Youth Authority, said the members of an overnight security watch were treated at a hospital and released. One victim, who had a head injury, needed “32 staples to stitch him up,” Damon said.

The incident began when the girls, who live in dormitories, staged a fight to draw the attention of security. The girls, between 13 and 17, ambushed those who responded, clubbing them with homemade weapons, Damon said.

The escape ended at the central recreation yard, where the girls were thwarted by high fences. After initially refusing to return to their cells, the girls relented when more police arrived, Damon said.

BOISE

More doctors seeking treatment

At least 27 Idaho doctors and physician assistants are currently seeking long-term treatment for addictions, mental illnesses and other problems, according to the Idaho Board of Medicine.

These caregivers being treated in the Physician Recovery Network make up what people in the field say is a growing number of professionals whose job is to care for others but who are struggling themselves, often as a result of pressure from insurers, the government and even demanding patients.

“I think the stress may be an added factor,” Dr. Steven Marano, an Idaho Falls neurosurgeon and state Board of Medicine chairman, told the Idaho Statesman.

Across Idaho, there are about 4,000 doctors, or about 1,000 more than a decade ago.

In the last 20 years, 104 medical professionals whose cases were reported to the board have sought treatment for substance abuse, mental illness or other problems, the Board of Medicine said recently.

The board’s recently released statistics show the No. 1 drug of abuse is alcohol, which was abused by 49 of the doctors who have entered treatment. Hydrocodone, a narcotic painkiller that goes by brand names including Lortab and Vicodin, is a distant second, with 10 doctors entering treatment because of it.

EUGENE

County to target disposable bags

When it comes down to a choice of paper or plastic bags at the grocery store, Lane County commissioners want another option.

The commissioners are considering a crackdown on the use of disposable paper and plastic bags, two supermarket staples that are hard on the environment.

Earlier this month, the commission staff reported on ways to discourage the use of plastic or paper bags at groceries, pharmacies and other retailers.

Sarah Grimm, a county waste reduction specialist, said a ban or charging customers could reduce the number of bags, and providing ways to recycle them could ease the impact on the environment.

More than a dozen West Coast communities have imposed bans on plastic bags or are pursuing them.

Locally, the Eugene-based Market of Choice grocery chain, plus the Trader Joe’s chain, have eliminated the use of plastic bags, and Eugene is looking at the feasibility of a ban, fee or other regulation on disposable bags.

But Lane County is still studying whether to target plastic or paper bags, or both.

Portland

Treaty may affect hydropower

Future power production in the Northwest may depend partly on whether Canada and the United States agree to extend the Columbia River Treaty.

The 1964 treaty with Canada authorized construction of three large dams in British Columbia to protect against regional flooding and boost electricity generation.

Last week in Portland, the Bonneville Power Administration briefed the Northwest Power and Conservation Council on the first phase of an international review of the treaty.

The initial phase includes technical studies about possible power and flood control dam operations after 2024 with and without the treaty.

The treaty has no expiration date, but either country can request that it be terminated after 2024, 60 years after its ratification.

Helena

Agency seeks frog surrender

Call it a frog recall.

The Montana wildlife agency has been asking that people with frogs acquired through kits called Grow-a-Frog give up those animals. The Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks says tadpoles in the kits become African clawed frogs, a species prohibited in Montana. Officials say African clawed frogs are not native to the state, and if released, they could harm Montana’s natural environment.

This fall the department sent a letter to 65 Grow-a-Frog customers, asking them to euthanize their frogs or send them back to the supplier. The department said cooperation has been good.

Grow-a-Frog is part of Florida-based Three Rivers Mail Order Corp. The company said it only recently learned of the ban and has stopped selling the kits to Montana customers.