Northwest News: Is Occupy Portland's downtown encampment coming to an end?; epic storm lashes Alaska

The Oregonian front page for Nov. 10, 2011.Good morning, Northwest News readers. You're here to find out what's making headlines around the Pacific Northwest, right? Well, let's get down to business.

But first we'll review the rules of the road, so to speak. This daily news roundup comes courtesy of Oregonian staffers who scan regional news websites to bring you news we think you'll find interesting. We post snippets from the stories in italics and we always provide a link to the original story so you can check it out for yourself.

Time for some news.

We start with a look at the future of Occupy Portland. This morning's Oregonian reports that city officials are losing their patience with the downtown encampments. City Hall and business leaders are ready for Occupy Portland to pack up and leave Lownsdale and Chapman squares, reports staff writer Anne Saker.

Portland police even have a plan to clear out the parks once they get the go-ahead from City Hall.

Official Portland's patience has run out with the camp, which has shifted from political statement to open-air, acute-care facility for many homeless, mentally ill or drug-addicted men and women who have flocked to the squares for the free food, shelter and community. Crime has gone up around the area, and overtime for the police bureau hit $316,000 Wednesday.

Adams and Police Chief Mike Reese scheduled a news conference for 10 a.m. Thursday to discuss the city's next step.

The Bureau of Developmental Services sent seven citations about the squares to the Parks & Recreation Bureau, which cares for the spaces. The citations direct the parks bureau to stop the camping, remove human and other waste, cease the use of an electrical conduit as an overhead support for tarpaulins, remove all structures, cut off the generator and shut down noise-making machinery between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.
Now for news out of our chilly neighbor to the north. Alaska is getting walloped by a historic storm. We're talking hurricane-force winds and flooding. The Anchorage Daily News reports that the storm's prompted evacuations but so far, no one's been hurt.

There were reports of buildings damaged, roads under water and major beach erosion, and authorities emphasized Wednesday night that the worst hadn't necessarily passed, with water still rising in some communities and warnings still in effect through this morning.

In Nome, the largest city in the path of the storm, peak water levels arrived at about 6 p.m. and began a slow decline, the National Weather Service said.

Check out more news with a Northwest focus here:

Stories from today's edition of The Oregonian.

More of our headline picks from Northwest news sources. -- The Oregonian

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