Morning Lookout: Jury deliberates in Eugene police shooting civil trial; Merkley talks tariffs

Talk to me about mashed potatoes.

What are your secrets? Do you follow a recipe or wing it? Cream or milk or half-and-half? Yukon golds or russets? Potato masher or hand mixer? Please send me your tips for foolproof mashed potatoes.

Now onto the news…

Jaime Adame was at the courthouse yesterday to hear closing arguments in a civil case stemming from a fatal Eugene police shooting. The jury resumes deliberations today.

Tyson Alger has a story on Oregon men’s basketball guard Takai Simpkins. He and his twin brother, Tajuan, are spending Thanksgiving apart — and thriving on opposite coasts.

Roughly one in four Oregonians plans to travel more than 50 miles from home during the holiday, the AAA says. The good news is that gas prices in Oregon are down a bit.

U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley toured Eugene bike-trailer company Burley yesterday and heard about how the Trump administration’s tariffs are snarling its long-range planning efforts and cutting into its bottom line.

In case you missed these stories published Monday…
• Caught in ICE confusion, Newport crabbers prepare for season without rescue helicopter near
• Phil Knight donates $3 million to Republican legislative PAC
• On the USC win, Air Sadiq and the stability that defines Lanning’s Oregon

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Jury begins deliberations in police wrongful death lawsuit

By Jaime Adame

In closing arguments, an attorney for the estate of Eliborio Rodrigues Jr. said that what began as a jaywalking stop ended with a fatal police shooting because of choices the officer, Samuel Tykol, made. An attorney representing Tykol said Rodrigues physically resisted the officer and assaulted him, leading to the shooting.

Mirror image: Oregon’s Takai Simpkins and his twin are leading from opposite sides of the country

By Tyson Alger

With Takai and his twin brother, Tajuan, spending Thanksgiving apart — and thriving on opposite coasts — Oregon’s new scoring spark is learning what it means to stand on his own.