Republican group apology — The Multnomah County Republican Party has apologized for publicizing a gun raffle in honor of Martin Luther King, Abraham Lincoln and the U.S. Constitution. The Oregonian reports the Republicans said they were sorry if anyone was hurt by the wording of the press release announcing the raffle. The party said it would try to communicate more clearly in the future and learn from the experience. The raffle had been announced around the time of a February dinner honoring King and Lincoln, both of whom were killed by assassins using guns.

Memorial for child who died of flu — Ronan Burgess loved chocolate chip pancakes but he did not want to finish his vegetables and would try to sneak them to his pet dogs. The 5-year-old Eugene boy who died of the flu was remembered at a wake Sunday in Eugene as a happy, active boy who had clever ways to bend the rules. The Register-Guard reports the boy who died Dec. 30 at a Portland hospital is the only known child to have died of the flu this season in Oregon. At least eight adults in the state also have died of the flu.

Shocking lessons at Martin Luther King Jr. Day event — The audience at a Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration in Beaverton gasped when they heard about Oregon’s history of black exclusion laws. The Rev. William Sinkford of the First Unitarian Church of Portland spoke Sunday at Southminster Presbyterian Church. The Oregonian reports Sinkford said the laws passed by the Territorial Legislature starting in 1844 are one reason Oregon is one of the whitest states in the country. According to Census data, 88 percent of Oregon residents identify themselves as white, compared with 78 percent nationally. Sinkford says the exclusion laws were passed to keep black people out of Oregon in an attempt to avoid the controversy surrounding slavery. The audience gasped when he said blacks who refused to leave were to receive whippings twice a year.

Springfield safety gear — The Springfield City Council has approved spending more than $300,000 on new radios and breathing gear for Springfield Fire and Life Safety as it prepares for the merger with the Eugene Fire Department. The Register-Guard reports the purchase will make sure that firefighters in both departments are using the same equipment. The merger began in 2010 and will be complete in July when Eugene and Springfield firefighters will start working shifts at fire stations in both cities.