Judge to Lake Oswego: Lake within city is a public resource

LAKE OSWEGO, Ore. (AP) — A judge has ruled that a lake at the heart of the affluent Portland suburb of Lake Oswego is a public resource. The city southwest of Portland banned the public from the nearly 3-mile-long Oswego Lake in 2012 but a kayaker and swimmer sued. The plaintiffs argued that the lake was public under a state law and had effectively been illegally privatized for wealthy, lakefront homeowners. The ruling doesn’t mean the public will immediately be able to use Oswego Lake. A second trial will determine if the city can limit public access at its swim parks due to liability concerns.