City/Region Digest.

Byline: The Register-Guard

LOCAL

No death penalty to be sought in case

Prosecutors will not seek the death penalty for aggravated murder charges against the husband and son of murder victim Barbara Ann Hardegger.

Gary Joseph Hardegger, 48, and his son, 17-year-old Brian Joseph Hardegger, are in maximum-security cells at the Lane County Jail awaiting trial. The boy's trial is scheduled for June 11. The father's trial is scheduled for Aug. 6.

Hardegger's body was found in September, and authorities determined that she had been buried alive. Under Oregon law, each man faces a potential sentence of life without possibility of parole or life in prison with a minimum term of 30 years if convicted of aggravated murder.

Lane County Deputy District Attorney Bob Lane said the decision was made in accordance with the district attorney's policy, under which a complete background investigation is done before the decision is made. Prosecutors then consider the likelihood that a jury would make findings under Oregon's death penalty statute that would lead to a death sentence, Lane said.

REGIONAL

Boy made up story about kidnapping

COTTAGE GROVE - An 11-year-old elementary school student who reported that a man tried to kidnap him from a bus stop last week made up the story, a Lane County sheriff's sergeant said Friday.

The boy told the Latham School principal that a man grabbed him and dragged him into the bushes before a passing blue pickup truck scared the man off, Sgt. Matt Keetle said.

The story was a fabrication and no kidnapping had been attempted, Keetle said. The boy will not face charges for making a false report, but he will be disciplined by the school.

School officials are planning a work program that would require the boy to work around the school for the same number of hours that investigators worked the case, Keetle said.

Principal Chris Parra declined to talk about the boy's discipline but said it was appropriate for the offense.

Lewis & Clark fest director resigns

PORTLAND - The executive director of Oregon's Lewis & Clark bicentennial celebration has resigned amid criticism that his group has planned little for the event and squandered its funding on office expenses and salaries.

Ted Kaye resigned after running the nonprofit organization for two years. The group's job is to plan Oregon's share of events for the 2003-06 nationwide celebration of the Corps of Discovery.

Julie Curtis, the assistant director of the Oregon Tourism Commission, will serve as the interim executive director.