BURNS, Ore. (AP) – The latest on armed protesters who have taken over a federal building at an Oregon wildlife refuge (all times local):
11:54 a.m.
The remote high desert of eastern Oregon is the latest flashpoint for anti-government sentiment as armed protesters occupied a national wildlife refuge to object to a prison sentence for local ranchers for burning federal land.
Ammon Bundy – the son of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, who was involved in a 2014 standoff with the government over grazing rights – is among the people at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. It was unclear exactly how many people were taking part in the protests.
Ammon Bundy posted a video on Facebook asking for others to join him.
Militia members came to Burns last month, a small town about 280 miles southeast of Portland, Oregon. They were upset over the looming prison sentences for local ranchers Dwight and Steven Hammond. They went to the wildlife refuge Saturday evening following a rally in Burns to support the ranchers.