2B ❚ WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2018 ❚ APPEAL TRIBUNE Famed local pup shines in Gig Harbor Oregon to consider new whistleblower protection Justin Much Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK One famed Mt. Angel dachshund joined his sister recently by gaining some notoriety of his own. Meatloaf, who was in the litter of Mt. Angel BB (Beautiful Baby), became an AKC champion on Jan. 14 during the Gig Harbor Kennel Club Show. Meatloaf and Mt. Angel BB were both born during the Oktoberfest Wie- ner Dog Races on Sept. 18, 2016, to owner Jacque Keller-McCormick, a dachshund breeder from rural Mt. An- gel/Brooks area. The latter dog was adopted by Thornton, Pa. broker Deb- bie Kiotis and became a show-dog un- der the tutelage of professional dog handler Margery Good. Meatloaf was taken in by Michelle Kutzler, an Oregon State University veterinarian and Greater Portland Dachshund Club member who also happened to deliver both pups that day in Mt. Angel. Mt. Angel BB was celebrated last year for becoming a champion dog- show dachshund before her first birth- day. Kutzler notified us in January that Meatloaf joined the ranks at Gig Har- bor. Literally born during the 2016 Mt. Angel wiener dog races, Mt. Angel BB (beautiful baby) went on to become a champion dog-show dachshund before her first birthday. Recently, her brother Meatloaf, became an AKC champion on Jan. 14 during the Gig Harbor Kennel Club Show. SPECIAL TO THE APPEAL TRIBUNE An Oregon Department of Transportation weigh station along the I-5 in October. An ODOT employee settled a lawsuit with the state after he says he was fired for pointing out problems. MOLLY J. SMITH/STATESMAN JOURNAL Tracy Loew Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK Senate Republican Leader Jackie Winters has introduced a bill to expand whistleblower protections in Oregon. The Salem lawmaker said she was moved to draft the legislation after reading a November story in the States- man Journal about former Oregon De- partment of Transportation employee Gerritt Law. Law, a technician in the Motor Carri- er Division, repeatedly informed his su- periors about problems he found after taking the job in 2013. He ended up get- ting fired. Among his concerns: Employees lacked safety training and were asked to work in dangerous conditions. Equipment costing thousands of dol- lars was purchased without compati- bility testing, and later found to not work. Contracts were being split so the dollar amounts stayed below open-bid- ding requirements. And contractors were overbilling for work. Law’s complaints eventually trig- gered multiple investigations that con- firmed most of his concerns. But they also led to his firing. The state settled Law’s retaliation lawsuit in May 2017 for $95,000. Winters said the report made her think about how important it is to en- sure that public employees are free to bring forth concerns without fear of re- taliation. Oregon law already prohibits public and private employers from retaliating against employees who report in good faith information the employee be- lieves is a violation of a state or federal law or regulation. That could include sexual harassment, failure to provide required breaks, or unfair trade prac- tices. Oregon’s public-sector whistleblow- er law also protects public employees from retaliation for disclosing any in- formation the employee reasonably be- lieves is evidence of mismanagement, gross misuse or waste or public re- sources or funds, abuse of authority, or a substantial and specific danger to public health or safety. Winters' bill, HB 1599, allows state- employee whistleblowers to remain anonymous, and sets up a complaint reporting procedure. It requires the Oregon Department of Justice to establish a mandatory, uni- form whistleblowing training program for all supervisors and employees, and produce a manual describing whistle- blowing rules and employee rights. And it directs the state Bureau of La- bor and Industries to study whistle- blowing activities in Oregon and pro- duce a report and recommendations. “We know there isn’t any real sys- tematic way of training. We don’t have a manual put together that says, ‘Here state employees, here are your rights’,” Winters said. The bill will be considered during the 35-day legislative session that begins Feb. 5. Winters praised Law, saying she hopes he knows his efforts were not in vain. “He wanted to make sure, not only that we weren’t wasting dollars, but that what we were doing was within the rules and regulations that we promul- gate," Winters said. "When you have a good employee, I believe that employee should be encouraged, not discour- aged." “I’m sure there was a lot of risk that he took,” she said. “I want others to know they can do that without feeling what he felt.” tloew@statesmanjournal.com, 503- 399-6779 or follow at Twitter.com/Tra- cy_Loew We do this for you. There is a dedication at work at the Statesman Journal. To uncover the truth. To tell the real story. To give you the facts, clearly and completely. And what we do has never been more important. Here and now, our award-winning journalists deliver unbiased stories that impact our home. From city council and school board decisions to the debates on Capitol Hill and how the outcomes there affect us here. The awards we’ve earned recognize hard work and genuine storytelling with integrity throughout the USA TODAY NETWORK. And we do it for you. 50 states. 112 local news teams. ONE NETWORK. Kennedy's Kalyssa Kleinschmit grimaces after failing to get the ball before it went out of bounds against Regis on Jan. 31. BILL POEHLER/STATESMAN JOURNAL Title Continued from Page 1B member of Kennedy’s starting five – Carley, Kleinschmit, Arritola, Molly Jae- ger and Kaylin Cantu – is the team’s leading scorer. There have been nights a reserve, sophomore Ibeth Gomez, has been the leading scorer. This Trojans have become impossi- ble for opposing coaches to game plan against. “Our goal, as well, was to develop a big, deep bench because (the state tour- nament in) Pendleton is three days of hard basketball and you see a lot of teams, they play awesome on the first day and then slowly start going down- hill because they run out of gas because they only have five players or six play- ers,” Kerry Hall said. “We said we have to have more than five players who could play. We did that with (the 2016 team), and we have de- veloped that again.” bpoehler@StatesmanJournal.com or Twitter.com/bpoehler LOW COST CREMATION & BURIAL Simple Cremation $595 NO Hidden Costs Introduce yourself to what we do. As low as 99¢ per week for the first 12 months, billed monthly. * CALL 1-800-452-2511 VISIT StatesmanJournal.com/PPB *Offer expires 3/31/2018. Certain restrictions apply. For complete details, call or visit website. Price per week is based on a full access subscription including Sunday and Wednesday print delivery at $4.30 per month for the first 12 months. EAST5211 P-PB TUALATIN SALEM 8970 SW Tualatin Sherwood Rd 412 Lancaster Drive NE (503) 885-7800 (503) 581-6265 PORTLAND TIGARD 832 NE Broadway 12995 SW Pacifi c Hwy (503) 783-3393 (503) 783-6869 EASTSIDE MILWAUKIE 1433 SE 122nd Ave 17064 SE McLoughlin Blvd (503) 783-6865 (503) 653-7076 Privately owned cremation facility. A Family Owned Oregon Business. OR-SAL0008013-05 www.ANewTradition.com