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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 21, 2019)
STATE 6A — THE OBSERVER MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2019 O regOn in B rief From wire reports Trial to begin in $1.4B forestry management lawsuit ALBANY — A trial in a $1.4 billion breach-of- contract lawsuit brought against the state of Oregon over forestry management is scheduled to begin Thursday. The Albany Democrat- Herald reported Linn County and 150 other counties and taxing districts sued four years ago, claiming the state has not managed forests for the most long-term, sustain- able income as required in a decades-old contract. A management plan en- acted by the Oregon Board of Forestry in 2001 was based on a definition of greatest forest value that includes factors such as recreation, wildlife enhancement and water quality. The plaintiffs say their share of forestry revenues have decrease by $35 million per year. The state claims it has an obligation to amend forest management when those changes affect the environ- ment and wildlife. Leaking pipe in Northeast Portland releases sewage PORTLAND — A sewer pipe in Northeast Portland leaked an estimated 1,000 gallons of untreated sewer water into an embankment. The Oregonian/Oregon- Live reported the Portland Bureau of Environmental Services plugged the leak Saturday near I-84 and Northeast 21st Avenue. The 1,000 gallons is a rough estimate. Bureau spokeswoman Diane Dulken says crews believe the pipe has seeped for some time and it’s impos- sible to determine the exact volume. A complaint of a foul odor prompted a search. The bureau oversees 2,500 miles of sewer and stormwa- ter pipe. Dulken says a third of the city’s sewer pipes are 80 years old or older. Video shows coach disarming, embracing Oregon student PORTLAND — Authori- ties have released a video that shows part of a former Oregon football star’s suc- cessful effort to disarm a stu- dent who brought a shotgun to a Portland high school. The video released Friday by the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office shows Keanon Lowe and the student emerge from a classroom and into a hallway at Parkrose High School with Lowe in possession of the shotgun. Lowe recalled lunging at the armed student on May 17 as other students ran screaming out a back door. The video shows Lowe hand the gun to a teacher and then wrap the student in a hug. Lowe works as a coach and security guard at the school. The suspect, 19-year- old Angel Granados-Diaz, pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm in a public build- ing. Parents guilty of starving 5-year-old daughter to death BEND — A jury has convicted a Redmond couple of starving their 5-year-old adopted daughter to death. The Bulletin reported by unanimous jury verdicts Fri- day after a weekslong trial, Sacora Horn-Garcia and Estevan Garcia were found guilty of murder by abuse and criminal mistreatment. Garcia and Horn-Garcia were charged for the death of Maliyha Hope Garcia. She weighed 24 pounds at the time of her death. They both faced two counts each of first-degree criminal mistreatment under the theory they intentionally withheld food and medical care. Instead of murder, the jury could have opted to convict the couple of manslaughter. Maliyha was adopted by the couple shortly after the girl was born and tested posi- tive for methamphetamines. In-N-Out Burger starts hiring in Keizer KEIZER — The wait is almost over. In-N-Out Burger fans are serious, and so those who live within striking distance of Keizer no doubt are ready for the California-based chain to open its restaurant in the small town near Salem. An opening date hasn’t been announced — indeed, construction on the build- ing is still going on. But they must be getting close, because the chain has started hiring for the Keizer restaurant. In-N-Out Burger has locations in Grants Pass and Medford. The Keizer eatery will be the closest to the Portland metro area. In 2015, when the first Oregon In-N-Out Burger place opened, company president Lynsi Snyder let Oregonians know that the chain’s beloved burgers soon would be widely available in the Beaver State. Lost Pacific Crest Trail hiker rescued in snowstorm SALEM — Searchers in the Oregon mountains have saved a hiker who got lost while hiking the Pacific Crest Trail in a snowstorm. Robert Campbell, who is 50 and originally from the Philadelphia area, was found wet, cold and ex- hausted Friday in the only shelter he could find — a pit toilet in a closed camp- ground. Campbell credited the Marion County Sheriff’s Office with saving his life, saying he could not have made it through another night. Heavy snow was forecast through Saturday evening in the Cascade Range. Bobcat that entered school euthanized, another released SALEM — A young bobcat that entered a private school in Eugene with students still in the building has been euthanized while a second young bobcat found outside the school has been released into the wild. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife says the bobcat captured outside Oak Hill School earlier this week was released Friday on federal, forested land in Lane County. Officials say blood tests and X-rays on the 6-month- old male found it was healthy. Laurie Isola/Oregon Public Broadcasting Washington Park and Zoo Railway is a star attraction for adults and children alike. The State Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation Friday recommended that the railway be nominated for the National Register of Historic Places, though with a revision first. Zoo railway to be recommended for National Historic Register By Meerah Powell Oregon Public Broadcasting PORTLAND — The Oregon Zoo Railway is one step closer to being rec- ognized nationally as a piece of history. The State Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation Friday recom- mended that the railway be nominated for the National Register of Historic Places, though with a revision first. The committee said the railway’s nomination report, written by Portland researcher Melissa Darby, must be re- vised to more accurately reflect a “period of significance” in the railway’s history. The currently proposed period spans the year the railway was built, 1958, until the end of the baby boom era in 1964. “The committee felt that the end date of the period of significance, 1964, should more accurately associate with a major event related to the signifi- cance of the zoo train,” Robert Olguin with the State Historic Preservation Office said. “National Register guidance explains that period of significance is the length of time when a property was associated with important events, activities, or persons, or attained the characteristics which qualify it for the National Register listing,” he said. Once the revision is made, the nomination will be forwarded to the National Park Service to consider whether to list it as a historical site. If accepted, the historical listing would include the full 2-mile route of the zoo train through the Oregon Zoo and Washington Park, which was cut short in 2013 due to landslides. Since then, the train has been run- ning a 6-minute trip only through zoo grounds, and community members have been trying to gather support to restore the full route. According to the State Historic Pres- ervation Office, some benefits of listing a property in the National Register include a federal tax program that can save property owners 20% of the cost of rehabilitating their income-producing property. Owners of listed properties can also apply for “Preserving Oregon” grants, in which the State Historic Preserva- tion Office will award historic proper- ties up to $20,000 for rehabilitation work. Candidates square off in debate ■ ■ Secretary of State candidates debate public trust, election integrity By Brenna Visser EO Media Group BEND — Protecting the integrity of voting and democracy as a whole in the 2020 election were the major themes in the debate among the four Democratic candidates for Oregon secre- tary of state Sunday. State Rep. Jennifer Wil- liamson, D-Portland, joined state Sen. Mark Hass, D- Beaverton, and Ryan Wruck, of Salem, at the Sunriver Resort during The 10th Bi- ennial Oregon Summit this weekend. Terrebonne resi- dent Jamie McLeod-Skinner, who ran and lost the race for the 2nd Congressional Dis- trict to Rep. Greg Walden, R-Hood River, last year, also joined the debate. Whoever claims the nomination will then run in the November 2020 elec- tion to replace Secretary of State Bev Clarno, who was appointed after Republican Dennis Richardson died of brain cancer earlier this year. Clarno has said she will not seek reelection. Much of the debate focused on what candidates would do to improve voter accessibility and keep elec- tions trustworthy in a time when election tampering by foreign governments is a Ryan Brennecke/EO Media Group Mark Hass, right, answers a question from the panel as Jennifer Williamson, Jamie McLeod-Skinner and Ryan Wruck listen as the secretary of state candidates debate during the Oregon Summit at Sunriver Resort on Sunday. growing concern. “2020 is going to be all about protecting and secur- ing our democracy, and our ability to participate in it is very important,” McLeod- Skinner said. McLeod-Skinner, Hass and Williamson found com- mon ground in supporting tactics like same-day regis- tration, changing postmark deadlines to make sure rural votes get counted and having more election mate- rials in several languages to make voting more inclusive. “Not having restrictions does not mean you have ac- cess,” Williamson said. But Wruck, a 28-year-old office manager, said easier registration could come with modernizing and simplify- ing the voter registration website. For Wruck, having more people vote in an election is a crucial part of keeping the system honest. “The design of a website can mean the difference between voters and nonvot- ers,” Wruck said. McLeod-Skinner said if she were elected she would appoint an election secu- rity officer to “think like a hacker” and protect state elections from foreign influ- ence. Hass said that while paper, mail-in ballots makes Oregon less susceptible than other states to attacks, he would advocate to have the best technology available to protect the state’s database of voters. Williamson said mak- ing sure the state election process is safeguarded is a priority because people trusting the system is cru- cial to making it work. “We need all Oregonians to believe it’s the safest system possible. Because if they don’t believe it … they’re not going to vote,” she said. “(President) Trump and his actions have called into question our democratic system and process, and he’s abusing this power to keep people away from voting … and that’s part of the problem.” How ballot initiatives are written and reviewed was also folded into the conver- sation about public trust. A decision from the secre- tary of state’s elections divi- sion to reject the initiatives to tighten forestry laws be- cause they related to more than one subject has raised the ire of environmentalists and, for Hass, has called the initiative review process into question.
