海角大神

As extreme heat and wildfires again test the western U.S., including the country鈥檚 northwest corner 鈥� where Portland hit 聽on Saturday, then broke it Sunday with 112 degrees F. 鈥� Oregon Gov. Kate Brown has cleared a path for redemption.

She moved last week to of 41 men and women who helped fight last year鈥檚 blazes, which burned more than a million acres in her state and took some 4,000 homes. There are terms of eligibility, including good conduct while incarcerated and a plan for housing after release. The candidates are assessed to ensure low community risk.

The personal risks taken by those on the front lines of wildfire containment are, of course, towering. Professional 鈥渉ot shots鈥� are of what has become a seasonal war.

For help, some states have long reached into prisons. California, which has more than 40 , has stirred controversy for decades with pay that amounts to just dollars a day. The acquired skills haven鈥檛 been easily transferable to life on the outside, either 鈥� though a track to professional firefighting did get passed by Gov. Gavin Newsom last September. (Colorado, too, is pushing .)听

In Oregon, where the first releases under Governor Brown鈥檚 plan could come next month, trial by wildfire has led to a kind of compensatory justice, and a chance to redefine people who鈥檝e made mistakes as valued participants, too, in an effort to help.聽

鈥淭he governor recognizes that these adults in custody served our state in a time of crisis,鈥� a spokeswoman said, 鈥渁nd she believes they should be rewarded and acknowledged鈥� for that.