A Message From Attorney General John Kroger
Dear Friends,
Recently, I completed my first six months in office as Oregon's Attorney General. These first six months have been very active, working to fight crime, protect the environment, and stick up for Oregon consumers. To keep you up to date,we have put together a brief six-month progress report that summarizes some of our accomplishments.
I am very proud of all the work that we do at the Oregon Department of Justice. Our attorneys, investigators, paralegals, case workers, and support staff work very hard every day to protect the public interest and make Oregon a safer, healthier, more productive state.
Thanks for keeping in touch with us. Many of the things we achieved in this first six months would have been impossible without help and support from friends like you. If you have thoughts, advice, or suggestions, please let us know.
Sincerely,
John R. Kroger
Recent News
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
Providence Health System – Oregon, an Oregon nonprofit corporation, intends to affiliate with Willamette Falls Hospital and Willamette Falls Hospital Foundation. To ensure that the interests of the public are protected, Oregon law requires the parties to receive written approval from the Attorney General before the transaction is finalized.
Prior to deciding whether the transaction should be approved, Attorney General John Kroger is offering the public an opportunity to comment on the proposed affiliation. A public hearing has been scheduled for the following date and location:
Thursday, August 20th at 5:30pm
Willamette Falls Hospital Community Health Education Center
519 15th Street
Oregon City, Oregon 97045
For more information, please check the Department's website at www.doj.state.or.us. Written comments will also be accepted until August 28, 2009. Please direct any such comments or requests for additional information to:
Kirk Harvey
Charitable Activities Section
Oregon Department of Justice
1515 SW Fifth Ave., Suite 410
Portland, OR 97201
(971) 673-1880
kirk.harvey@state.or.us
Map to Willamette Falls Hospital Community Health Education Center (pdf)
Oregon law applicable to the transfer of hospital assets can be found in ORS 65.800 - 65.815. The link for all of ORS chapter 65 is available here.
Oregon AG settlement blocks e-cigarette sales - Forbes.com
PORTLAND, Ore. -- Oregon banned the sale of electronic cigarettes at a pair of travel store chains on Thursday in a move the state attorney general's office says makes the state the first to ban the products.
The ban on the "Njoy" brand electronic cigarette - part of an agreement that halts a civil lawsuit brought by the attorney general's office - prohibits sales until the brand is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or until a court rules whether the FDA has the authority to regulate them.
The ban comes just a week after federal health officials said they found cancer-causing ingredients in electronic cigarettes, including a key ingredient in antifreeze.
Electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, are battery operated devices that contain a heating element and a replaceable plastic cartridge with liquid ingredients that are vaporized and inhaled like smoke.
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Read ArticleLocal authorities investigating major drug ring - The Register-Guard
Investigators in Lane County are tracking several people allegedly involved in a major drug ring that's being dismantled by police at both ends of the Willamette Valley.
The case — dubbed "Operation Corridor Express" — "is the largest state drug trafficking and racketeering investigation in recent history," Oregon Attorney General John Kroger said Friday.
State officials said the case focuses on a Mexican drug cartel centered in Washington County and the west suburbs of Portland.
The group allegedly supplied drugs between Vancouver, Wash., and Eugene.
Read ArticleOregon Attorney General announces $655,000 grant to fight Internet sex predators - OregonLive.com
Oregon Attorney General John Kroger announced today a $655,000 federal stimulus grant will help fight online sex predators.
The Recovery Act grant will fund the state justice department's Internet Crimes Against Child unit, which investigates and prosecutes predators who use the internet to target children for sexual exploitation.
"This grant will help us protect children from exploitation," said Attorney General Kroger. "We will use this money to investigate, prosecute and convict sexual predators in Oregon."
Budget cuts had threatened to end the program, which has resulted in 108 convictions since 2005, Kroger said.
Read ArticleFederal grant will help combat violence against women - OregonLive.com
The first Oregon stimulus grant for law enforcement will help combat violent crimes against women.
Oregon Attorney General John Kroger announced Thursday that the Oregon Department of Justice has been awarded a $1.9 million grant from the federal Office on Violence Against Women.
The purpose of the grant is to help fund nonprofit programs so they can hire or retain victim-services workers to help fight domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking. Money will also go to law enforcement agencies and courts to fund criminal prosecution for those who commit crimes against women.
Read ArticleAttorney General John Kroger announced today that mortgage lending giant Countrywide Financial Corporation will pay $1 million to Oregon to settle potential legal claims resulting from Countrywide's involvement in the national mortgage fraud scandal. Countrywide also agreed to stop offering certain controversial mortgage products and services, including some risky subprime and "low documentation" loans.
In a major development, Countrywide further agreed to modify the interest rates and loan terms for approximately 4600 Oregon families who obtained non-traditional mortgages from Countrywide. Countrywide, once the nation's largest mortgage lender, estimates the total economic relief to Oregon borrowers at more than $90 million.
"This settlement holds Countywide accountable for the immense damage they caused to thousands of Oregon workers and homeowners. It will also help thousands of Oregonians stay in their homes during these tough economic times," Attorney General John Kroger said.
Under the settlement, Countrywide agreed to contact eligible Oregon Countrywide mortgage holders. Countrywide mortgage holders who think they might be eligible for relief pursuant to the agreement can call the Oregon Department of Justice Consumer Protection Hotline at 1-877-877-9392 or online at http://www.doj.state.or.us.
- AVC (pdf)
KROGER'S FIRST 100 DAYS - Think Out Loud, OPB
Oregon got a new attorney general this year for the first time since 1996, and John Kroger's early tenure has been pretty busy. Over the past, well, 113 days to be exact, he has worked to pass a bill to curb illegal debt collection practices, taken a stand against a proposed LNG terminal on the Columbia River and filed suit against the financial managers of the state's college savings plan. A few weeks after taking office, Kroger took on the high-profile investigation of Portland Mayor Sam Adams's conduct in his relationship with Beau Breedlove. And last week, the new attorney general announced his latest effort: a new environmental crimes reporting system and a proposal for a dedicated environmental crimes unit in the Department of Justice.
Read ArticleA DEBT-DEFYING ACT - The Register-Guard
Eugene automotive worker Jack Claman's outrage about a Eugene bill collector's $109.55 fee was so great that it overcame his embarrassment about having a delinquent debt.
Demanding a fee just to use a credit card when settling the debt was kicking a guy when he was down, Claman said. So he filed complaints everywhere he could think of - including the Better Business Bureau and the Department of Justice.
"I'm not real proud of the fact that I got taken to collection," he said, "but don't prey on the people who have been taken to collections, and that's what this company is doing. They're preying on people who owe money and who are stressed."
Read ArticleOREGON'S ATTORNEY GENERAL HITS THE GROUND RUNNING - OPB News
Only one person in Oregon got more votes than Barack Obama in last November's election.
That would be Democrat John Kroger, who after a bruising primary battle, breezed to an easy general election victory to become Oregon Attorney General.
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