Valerie Hurst

Local & Regional Judge fines TriMet, tells them to hand over documents (Video)

By Valerie Hurst KATU News and KATU.com Staff Published: May 21, 2013 at 7:21 AM PDT Last Updated: May 21, 2013 at 8:50 AM PDT

A federal judge has fined TriMet, saying the agency isn't playing ball with a lawsuit filed against it.

Life & Style P-Town Eats: The wood coasters, coffee bean connection (Video)

By Valerie Hurst KATU News Published: May 20, 2013 at 10:36 PM PDT Last Updated: May 20, 2013 at 10:39 PM PDT

What do wood coasters and coffee beans have in common? Chris Howells of Happy Valley makes both and found a more interesting connection. KATU's Valerie Hurst shows us how he's wasting less and cashing in.

Local & Regional No prom for students who skipped school to protest (Photo Gallery) (Video)

By Valerie Hurst KATU News and KATU.com Staff Published: May 3, 2013 at 1:42 PM PDT Last Updated: May 3, 2013 at 2:11 PM PDT

Some local high school kids won't be going to their prom this weekend because they skipped class all day to protest the district's latest proposed budget cuts.

Local & Regional Woman found dead in SE Portland home was murdered, police say (Photo Gallery)

By Valerie Hurst KATU News and KATU.com Staff Published: May 1, 2013 at 6:28 AM PDT Last Updated: May 2, 2013 at 6:09 AM PDT

A 33-year-old woman was murdered in Southeast Portland and investigators are working to figure out what happened to her.

Local & Regional Police: 5-year-old's claim that a man was in her room 'unfounded'

By Valerie Hurst KATU News and KATU.com Staff Published: Apr 30, 2013 at 8:28 AM PDT Last Updated: Apr 30, 2013 at 9:12 AM PDT

Police in Washougal say they now have no reason to believe that a man broke into a child's bedroom early Tuesday morning.

Local & Regional PSU student says man grabbed her, took her phone (Video)

By Valerie Hurst KATU News and KATU.com Staff Published: Apr 29, 2013 at 6:40 AM PDT Last Updated: Apr 29, 2013 at 4:18 PM PDT

Students at Portland State University are on alert again after campus police say a woman was grabbed and robbed inside one of the college's buildings.

Home Classmates, teachers and parents learn of 9-year-old's tragic death (Video)

By Valerie Hurst KATU News Published: Apr 15, 2013 at 5:58 PM PDT Last Updated: Apr 15, 2013 at 5:58 PM PDT

Shayla Shonneker was a 4th grader at John Wetton Elementary School in Gladstone. Most of the students, teachers and parents found out about her death Monday morning.

Life & Style P-Town Eats: These grads never hungry for work (Video)

By Valerie Hurst KATU News Published: Apr 12, 2013 at 10:20 PM PDT Last Updated: Apr 12, 2013 at 10:20 PM PDT

We often talk about how difficult it is for people to find jobs, especially our young people just getting out of school. A high school program at the Clark County Skills Center says its graduating students are never hungry for work.

Life & Style P-Town Eats: Seniors meet, greet and can eat for free (Video)

By Valerie Hurst KATU News Published: Apr 9, 2013 at 8:42 PM PDT Last Updated: Apr 26, 2013 at 1:54 PM PDT

Free lunches for seniors are part of a program called "Meals on Wheels People." The program is running successfully because of outside donors. There are 35 locations in Multnomah, Washington and Clark counties.

Local & Regional TriMet starts tearing down building, discovers a hidden rail car (Photo Gallery)

By Valerie Hurst KATU News Published: Mar 28, 2013 at 1:24 PM PDT Last Updated: Apr 26, 2013 at 1:31 PM PDT

TriMet construction crews stumbled onto a piece of history when they got ready to tear down a building to make way for the new Portland-to-Milwaukie light rail.

Life & Style 40% of moms starting babies on solid foods too soon, study says (Video)

By Valerie Hurst KATU News Published: Mar 25, 2013 at 9:46 PM PDT Last Updated: Mar 25, 2013 at 9:46 PM PDT

More than half the women who said they started their baby on solids earlier than the recommended age of four months said their health care provider gave them the go-ahead. The study recommends waiting until your baby is six months old. Click the "Play Video" button to watch this story.

Life & Style P-Town Eats: Donuts for Grownups (Video)

By Valerie Hurst KATU News Published: Mar 23, 2013 at 12:28 AM PDT Last Updated: Mar 23, 2013 at 12:28 AM PDT

You can scarf it down or eat it with a knife and fork! A new downtown Portland donut shop, Blue Star Donuts, says it caters to a clientele that's totally different from other popular spots in town. Click on the "Play Video" button to watch this story.

Content Adam Sappington's in-studio appearance (Video)

By Valerie Hurst KATU News Published: Mar 15, 2013 at 11:55 PM PDT Last Updated: Mar 15, 2013 at 11:55 PM PDT

Adam Sappington's in-studio appearance

Local & Regional Could a cell phone really trigger an explosion on Hwy 43? (Photo Gallery) (Video)

By Valerie Hurst KATU News and KATU.com Staff Published: Mar 13, 2013 at 7:23 AM PDT Last Updated: Apr 26, 2013 at 1:31 PM PDT

Crews working on the Sellwood Bridge project will begin blasting rocks Wednesday night and that might jolt some folks who live nearby.

Life & Style P-Town Eats: Chef to teach classes to take control of diabetes (Video)

By Valerie Hurst KATU News Published: Mar 12, 2013 at 9:37 PM PDT Last Updated: Mar 12, 2013 at 9:37 PM PDT

Ken Gordon of Kenny and Zuke's Delicatessen says through healthy eating and moderate exercise he put his diagnosis into remission.

Local & Regional Man badly injured in knife fight outside NE Portland tavern (Photo Gallery) (Video)

By Valerie Hurst KATU News and KATU.com Staff Published: Mar 8, 2013 at 8:03 AM PDT Last Updated: Apr 26, 2013 at 1:50 PM PDT

A man was critically wounded in a knife fight early Friday morning.

Local & Regional 'HEY!' Woman spots break-in, gets good look at burglary suspect (Video)

By Valerie Hurst and KATU.com Staff Published: Feb 27, 2013 at 9:30 AM PDT Last Updated: Apr 26, 2013 at 1:54 PM PDT

Time went by and the suspect emerged from her home before police arrived. "I said, 'I have to do something,' so I walked out with the baby and I said 'HEY!'" Juliann Peterson recalled. That did the trick.

Local & Regional Wash. military mom up for award for 'Secret' blog (Photo Gallery)

By Valerie Hurst and KATU.com Staff Published: Feb 15, 2013 at 3:25 PM PDT Last Updated: Feb 15, 2013 at 3:25 PM PDT

The nomination comes for work Lori Volkman did while her husband spent a year and a half overseas on active duty. The award is given by Armed Forces Insurance, which began the program in 2008, according to their website.

Local & Regional Past the Tipping Point: Standing for respect: Students tell stories of bullying, suicide (Video)

By Valerie Hurst KATU News and KATU.com Staff Published: Jan 31, 2013 at 7:07 PM PDT Last Updated: Apr 26, 2013 at 1:16 PM PDT

Young students, some not even teenagers yet, stood before their peers Thursday at Gordon Russell Middle School and talked about bullying and suicide.

Family Matters 'Eating healthy doesn't have to mean punishment' (Photo Gallery) (Video)

By Valerie Hurst KATU News and KATU.com Staff Published: Jan 30, 2013 at 11:29 AM PDT Last Updated: Feb 1, 2013 at 12:00 PM PDT

Even when we are exercising and trying to eat healthy, the drive-through beckons us.

Politics Summer youth program loses money under Hales budget cuts (Video)

By Valerie Hurst KATU News and KATU.com Staff Published: Jan 24, 2013 at 7:33 PM PDT Last Updated: Jan 24, 2013 at 7:33 PM PDT

In an effort to balance the city's budget Mayor Charlie Hales is taking a big chunk out of funding for youth employment and internships.

Home Smiles and hugs abound as folks reunite with loved ones at the airport (Video)

By Valerie Hurst KATU News Published: Dec 21, 2012 at 5:51 PM PDT Last Updated: Dec 21, 2012 at 5:51 PM PDT

People have waited for this holiday weekend to finally see loved ones and friends after weeks, months or even years of being apartment. We stopped by the airport Friday morning to capture some of the joyful reunions.

Home Flying out to see family for Christmas? Don't wrap your gifts (Video)

By Valerie Hurst KATU News Published: Dec 20, 2012 at 6:20 PM PDT Last Updated: Dec 20, 2012 at 7:27 PM PDT

Airport security will open a gift if their scanners can't make out what the item is so your safest bet is to leave it unwrapped

Local & Regional Privacy please, there's a baby elephant on the way (Photo Gallery) (Video)

By Valerie Hurst and Shannon L. Cheesman, KATU News Published: Nov 27, 2012 at 1:25 PM PDT Last Updated: Nov 27, 2012 at 6:49 PM PDT

Veterinarians at the Oregon Zoo are making the final preparations for the arrival of the newest baby elephant - and that includes giving the expectant mother a little privacy.

Home Bound to make you smile: Kids mystified by the turkey cooking process (Video)

By Valerie Hurst KATU News Published: Nov 23, 2012 at 4:25 PM PDT Last Updated: Nov 23, 2012 at 4:26 PM PDT