Last modified: Tuesday, March 4, 2008 12:50 PM PST

News Digest

OREGON - State takes steps to offer sexual assault victims contraception

PORTLAND (AP) — State health officials have taken the next steps to make sure female victims of sexual assault in Oregon are offered emergency contraception.

The 2007 Legislature passed a law that would require hospitals to inform sexual assault victims of the option of emergency contraception. On Monday, the state filed administrative rules that set explicit regulatory guidelines to ensure hospitals implement the law.

Two earthquakes registered off Oregon coast

PORTLAND (AP) — Two back-to-back earthquakes struck about 200 miles off the Oregon coastal town of Bandon. The National Earthquake Information Center said there was no damage and no threat of a tsunami. Don Blakeman of the center in Golden, Colo., said preliminary measurements put the magnitudes at about 5.1 and 4.9 and said the quakes hit at 6:44 a.m. and 6:49 a.m. Monday.

Weyerhaeuser

permanently closing Junction City facility

PORTLAND (AP) —Weyerhaeuser Co. is permanently closing a Junction City veneer products facility because of weak demand in the slowed housing market.

The company said Monday the facility would close immediately and affect 56 workers.

Idaho

Meeting abbreviated so ID lawmakers could catch private planes

BOISE (AP) —Republicans on the House Health and Welfare Committee cut short debate on an abortion bill last week because members didn’t want to miss two private planes waiting at the Boise Airport to shuttle them across the state for a partisan rally. A Learjet 45 owned by Frank VanderSloot, majority owner of Idaho Falls-based health care products company Melaleuca Inc., and a separate turboprop plane owned by Allen Ball, a Melaleuca co-owner, on Thursday afternoon flew 10 GOP lawmakers from Boise to Idaho Falls for Lincoln Day, a traditional Republican event, before returning them late Thursday. See story page A2