Couple pushes for medicinal psychedelic — An Oregon couple is pushing to legalize and regulate the therapeutic use of psilocybin — a psychoactive compound found in so-called “magic” mushrooms — as an effective treatment for people suffering from cancer-related anxiety, depression and addiction. Tom and Sheri Eckert are working with Oregon Legislative Counsel attorneys on the language of a potential statewide ballot initiative they’re hoping to put before voters in 2020. They’ve also launched a statewide tour to publicly discuss the plan with various groups. The Eckerts’ plan would allow adults to participate in a series of sessions at a state-licensed “psilocybin service center” with a trained and registered “facilitator.” The Eckerts expect the ballot title process will be completed by July, when they expect to begin gathering the tens of thousands of valid signatures needed to qualify the measure for the ballot in 2020.

Woodburn man facing robbery charges — Police say a man jailed earlier this month faces new charges for robbery and leaving a suspicious device at a money exchange business in downtown Woodburn last month. Woodburn Police said Sunday that Patrick Thomas, 35, was charged Friday with robbery, possessing a destructive device and other charges. He has been in custody since March 7 on unrelated charges. He is in the Marion County jail with bail set at $127,000. Woodburn Police previously said that a man wearing a white ski mask and yellow reflective vest robbed La Caseta De Tarjeta store on Feb. 22. The man dropped a suspicious device and fled. The Oregon State Police used a robot to make sure the device was safe.

Partially treated sewage released into river — Officials say about 1.3 million gallons of partially treated sewage went into the Willamette River after an equipment failure at the city of Monmouth’s wastewater treatment facility. The city of about 10,000 people located near Salem waited five days to notify the public. The sewage spill began March 16 and ended the next day. City’s wastewater operations manager Mark Landau says water samples at two locations downstream of the sewer outfall shows E. coli levels below the amount allowed by the city’s permit. Landau said the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality asked the city to wait to tell the public until E. coli bacteria tests results came back. He says tests results came back late Tuesday. He wasn’t sure why the information wasn’t released until Thursday. State officials say Monmouth should have notified the public March 18 without waiting for the state to tell them.

Studded tires get extension to April 15 — Officials in Oregon and Washington have extended how long motorists can keep studded tires on their vehicles several weeks due to expected wintery weather. The transportation departments in each state say motorists can keep the studded tires on to April 15. The normal deadline is March 31. Laws in each state allow the extension of the deadline based on weather conditions. Officials set limits due to the damage studded tires cause to roadways. The Oregon Department of Transportation says they cause about $8.5 million in damage to state highways each year. Drivers in Washington state face a $136 fine for using studded tires past the deadline.