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Good morning, Northwest.
Two Longview teens accused of sexual assault against some of their high school basketball teammates pleaded not guilty yesterday.
OPB’s Troy Brynelson starts today’s newsletter with coverage of the case that has rattled the community in Southwest Washington.
In other news, Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon joined OPB’s “Think Out Loud” yesterday to denounce the attacks on Iran led by the U.S. and Israel.
Here’s your First Look at Wednesday’s news.
—Bradley W. Parks
The Cowlitz County Youth Services Center in Longview, Wash., on March 3, 2026.
Saskia Hatvany / OPB
Longview teens plead not guilty to charges related to sexual assault
Two Longview teens facing a range of allegations that they sexually assaulted some of their high school basketball teammates pleaded not guilty to criminal charges yesterday morning.
The pair, ages 16 and 17, sat quietly in a cramped courtroom at Cowlitz County Youth Services during a brief arraignment before Superior Court Judge Gary Bashor.
Longview School District parents have been incensed by the scandal and raised questions about how school officials handled it at a Feb. 27 district meeting. Some parents called for firings and accused officials of downplaying the allegations. (Troy Brynelson)
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FILE - Daryn Herzberg stands in front of the federal courthouse in Portland, Ore., on Oct. 2, 2025.
Saskia Hatvany / OPB
3 things to know this morning
- A Marine veteran who was tackled by a federal officer during protests at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Portland filed an excessive force lawsuit yesterday. (Troy Brynelson)
- Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon is one of the many congressional Democrats denouncing President Trump’s military attack on Iran as unconstitutional. He spoke with “Think Out Loud” yesterday. (Allison Frost)
- A rural tract of land north of Hillsboro that’s been considered for expanding the city’s urban growth boundary will remain untouched – for now. (Alejandro Figueroa)
FILE - Sen. Bruce Starr, R-Dundee, on Senate floor in Salem, Ore., Aug. 29, 2025. Starr is one of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit against Secretary of State Tobias Read.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
Headlines from around the Northwest
- Democrats’ bill altering Oregon gas tax vote is illegal, lawsuit claims (Dirk VanderHart)
- Lawmakers weigh $15 million lifeline for Southern Oregon University (Jane Vaughan)
- Oregon on track to cover $1.1 million in DEQ cyberattack costs (April Ehrlich)
- US Sen. Ron Wyden asks Trump administration about wildfire preparedness (April Ehrlich)
- Oregon falls to No. 11 Illinois 80-54 as dismal regular season winds down (Steve Stein)
Listen in on OPB’s daily conversation
“Think Out Loud” airs at noon and 8 p.m. weekdays on OPB Radio, opb.org and the OPB News app. Today’s planned topics (subject to change):
- Iranian in Portland shares perspective on ongoing conflict in Iran
- Lakayana Yotoma Drury’s ‘503’ collection of essays, photos, poems is a kind of ‘love letter’ to Portland
Linus Pauling, Oregon’s world-renowned scientist and peace advocate
Last week, Oregonians marked Linus Pauling Day, which honors the two-time Nobel-winning chemist from Portland.
Scientist and humanitarian Pauling made revolutionary discoveries in chemistry, physics, molecular biology and medicine, then used his international fame and popularity to promote world peace.
Today, we dive deeper into Pauling’s history with this “Oregon Experience” documentary originally aired in 2011. (Nadine Jelsing)
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