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Good morning, Northwest.
A judge ordered federal agents to limit use of tear gas and other crowd control weapons on nonviolent demonstrators outside the ICE building in Portland.
It’s one of a couple cases attempting to rein in officers’ use of chemical munitions. OPB’s Conrad Wilson sums up the judge’s decision to start today’s newsletter.
In other news, voters in the West Linn-Wilsonville School District are trying to recall the entire school board.
Here’s your First Look at Tuesday’s news.
—Bradley W. Parks
FILE - Protesters try to escape the area and get tear gas out of their eyes in the blocks surrounding the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Portland, Ore., on Jan. 31, 2026.
Eli Imadali / OPB
Federal judge limits crowd control devices at Portland ICE building
A federal judge in Oregon ruled yesterday that he would continue to strictly limit federal law enforcement’s use of tear gas and other crowd control weapons on protesters outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Portland.
“Indeed, a democracy is only as strong as its tolerance for dissent,” U.S. District Court Judge Michael Simon wrote.
The order blocks the use of crowd control devices unless the person targeted poses an imminent threat of harm to officers or others. Simon also said officers should be identifiable from “a reasonable distance.” (Conrad Wilson)
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FILE - People walk through Portland State University's downtown campus on Feb. 4, 2025. The university announced Monday the university will pursue retrenchment.
Saskia Hatvany / OPB
3 things to know this morning
- Winter weather advisories are in effect through tomorrow afternoon along the Cascades in Washington and northern Oregon. Travel through the Cascade passes may be more difficult. (OPB staff)
- Education bills on immigration, attendance and some emergency money moved forward during Oregon’s legislative session, but big school funding questions remain unanswered. (Tiffany Camhi and Elizabeth Miller)
- Portland State University has announced it plans to pursue retrenchment, a formal process to downsize the university. Nearly two dozen academic departments could be cut or reduced. (Tiffany Camhi)
The Leach Botanical Garden in Portland, Ore., is a 17-acre park with tens of thousands of plants and trees.
Photo courtesy of Tamra Tiemeyer | Leach Botanical Garden
Headlines from around the Northwest
- After school closure vote, West Linn-Wilsonville school board faces recall (Holly Bartholomew)
- Leach Botanical Garden meets short-term fundraising goal (April Ehrlich)
- Oregon State beats Loyola Marymount 73-67, advancing to WCC women’s title game against Gonzaga (Associated Press)
- Oregon State never leads, drops WCC semifinal to top-seeded Gonzaga 65-56 (Mark Anderson)
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):
- Nike is shifting manufacturing to low-wage areas of Indonesia, new reporting finds
- Protections for foster children expanded by Oregon lawmakers
Is Celilo Falls still intact?
Celilo Falls has been at the center of an emotional controversy in the Pacific Northwest for decades.
On March 10, 1957, the falls disappeared when the Columbia River was dammed, but some tribal members believe the government blew it up first.
This “Oregon Field Guide” story, first broadcast in 2008, looks into imaging done at Celilo to see what remained of the historic fishing, trade and cultural site. (Vince Patton)
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