Ranchers whose case sparked standoff may get grazing rights

By ANDREW SELSKY Associated Press
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — The federal government has proposed awarding grazing allotments to an Oregon ranching family whose members were convicted of arson in a court battle that triggered the takeover of a federal wildlife refuge by right-wing extremists. The Dec. 31 action by the Bureau of Land Management in favor of Hammond Ranches angered environmental groups. Steven Hammond, co-owner of the ranch, and his father, Dwight, were convicted of arson for setting fire to range land and sent to prison for mandatory five-year sentences. President Donald Trump pardoned the Hammonds in 2018, allowing them to be freed from federal prison.