2A — THE OBSERVER
SaTuRday, apRil 18, 2020
STATE
Daily
Planner
TODAY
Today is Saturday, April
18, the 109th day of 2020.
There are 257 days left in
the year.
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT
On April 18, 1978, the
Senate approved the Pana-
ma Canal Treaty, providing
for the complete turnover
of control of the waterway
to Panama on the last day
of 1999.
ON THIS DATE
In 1775, Paul Revere
began his famous ride from
Charlestown to Lexington,
Massachusetts, warning
colonists that British Regular
troops were approaching.
In 1906, a devastating
earthquake struck San Fran-
cisco, followed by raging
fires; estimates of the final
death toll range between
3,000 and 6,000.
In 1910, suffragists
showed up at the U.S.
Capitol with half a million
signatures demanding that
women be given the right
to vote.
In 1995, quarterback Joe
Montana retired from pro-
fessional football.
LOTTERY
Megabucks: $3.0 million
2-5-7-26-41-45
Mega Millions: $159 million
29-47-65-69-70-7 x4
Powerball: $24 million
10-12-33-36-41—PB-2 x3
Win for Life: April 15
31-32-44-50
Pick 4: April 16
• 1 p.m.: 9-9-7-6; 4 p.m.: 2-7-4-4
• 7 p.m.: 9-7-4-0; 10 p.m.: 6-1-7-1
Pick 4: April 15
• 1 p.m.: 2-2-6-1
• 4 p.m.: 8-5-1-9
• 7 p.m.: 3-3-1-8
• 10 p.m.: 5-0-5-3
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TODAY’S QUOTE
“There is no shame in not
knowing; the shame lies in
not finding out.”
— Russian proverb
Oregon unemployed hits record numbers
By Dick Hughes
For The Oregon Capital Bureau
SALEM — Record num-
bers of Oregonians have
lost their jobs during the
coronavirus pandemic but
the pace is slowing, the
state Employment Depart-
ment reported Thursday.
About 53,800 people ini-
tially filed for unemploy-
ment last week, compared
with a total of 243,000
during the previous three
weeks. The biggest pro-
portion of claims is from
people who were employed
in the leisure and hospitality
sector, including hotels and
restaurants.
“But all sectors are
seeing record numbers right
now,” Anna Johnson, senior
economic analyst, said in a
video posted Thursday.
Large-scale public health
measures aimed at slowing
the spread of COVID-19
began during the week
of March 15. From then
through April 4, 58% of
unemployment claims were
filed by workers with a high
school education or less.
“This is likely a reflec-
tion of the industries that
have been hardest hit, such
as leisure and hospitality,
construction, retail and
manufacturing,” regional
economist Damon Runberg
wrote on Thursday.
He added that workers
ages 25 to 34 were partic-
ularly hard hit, accounting
for 30% of the job-
less claims during that
period despite making up
only 23% of the work-
force. About 23% of 35- to
44-year-olds filed claims.
Lincoln and Clatsop
counties both lost more than
10% of the local workforce
to layoffs during those three
weeks. Other significant
workforce losses included
roughly 8% in Deschutes
County; about 7% in Union,
Coos, Crook and Tillamook
counties; and around 6% in
Multnomah, Lane, Jackson
and Douglas counties.
The state paid out
$97 million in unemploy-
ment benefits last week.
However, many people have
not been able to receive
payments due to the agen-
cy’s lack of staff and out-
dated technology.
Despite quadrupling
the claims-handling staff,
the department answered
only 801 of the 2,206 calls
received on Wednesday,
and the average wait time
was about two hours.
Communications Man-
ager Gail Krumenauer said
additional staff are still
being hired. With record
unemployment up through
early March, the agency
had a small staff handling
claims. It has gone from
106 personnel then to 450
now, with a goal of 800.
“It’s hard to overstate
what an incredible change
this has been in almost no
time for Oregonians and for
the department,” she said.
Computer systems are
being reprogrammed to
handle the federal Pandemic
Unemployment Assis-
tance program, which will
allow many self-employed,
contract or gig workers to
receive unemployment ben-
efits for the first time.
But she said it will take
4,000 of hours to reprogram
computers to eliminate
the one-week wait before
people are eligible for bene-
fits. Because the reprogram-
ming will take staff away
from existing work, the
department is focusing first
on getting the most money
to the most people.
“The agency has priori-
tized doing what we can to
get the most benefits to the
most affected workers, the
fastest,” she said. “We’ve
already seen the total bene-
fits paid went from $25 mil-
lion in one week to about
$100 million in the next.
That’s real money right now
in people’s pockets, so that’s
been our first priority.”
OLCC suspends Oregon bar’s license for coronavirus violations
Liquor stores
generate record
level of sales
J
By Jim Ryan
The Oregonian/OreognLive
CAVE JUNCTION —
The Oregon Liquor Con-
trol Commission suspended
the license of a southern
Oregon bar that violated
restrictions for stemming
the spread of coronavirus.
Cave Junction’s
Sportsman Tavern is the
first Oregon establish-
ment to have its license
suspended for allegedly
defying an executive order
that, among other mandates,
bans on-premise consump-
tion of food or drink.
The OLCC handed
down the suspension April
10, the day after a com-
mission inspector checked
out an email tip from a
“concerned citizen” who
noticed activity at the
bar, according to agency
spokesman Mark Pettinger.
The inspector saw
people going in and out of
the building, Pettinger said.
The inspector went inside,
Pettinger said, and there
were drinks at the bar.
Owner Kim Sanders
told The Associated Press
the bar hasn’t been open,
he wasn’t trying to violate
Gov. Kate Brown’s exec-
utive order and he plans
to challenge the license
suspension.
“We are law-abiding cit-
izens,” he told the Asso-
ciated Press, noting when
the inspector arrived, his
employees were done for
the day, sitting apart and
having pizza and a drink.
“I’m trying to go by this
(order) and I dearly, dearly
care about people. I would
never try to do anything
that would hurt anybody.”
The Oregon Liquor Con-
trol Commission has inves-
tigated 59 complaints of
establishments allegedly
violating Gov. Kate Brown’s
executive order since March
15, Pettinger said.
In nearly all cases, the
establishments were closed
or serving food-to-go when
inspectors arrived, Pet-
tinger said.
The Oregon Liquor
Control Commission also
reported liquor stores sold
close to $66 million in dis-
tilled spirits in March, an
almost 20% increase in
sales compared to March
2019, and a new March
sales record. December
2019 is the all-time monthly
sales record for liquor at
$75.85 million.
“The upsurge in
sales from agent-op-
erated liquor stores is
attributed to changes in
consumer behavior due to
the Covid-19 pandemic,”
according to the press
release from the commis-
sion. “Specifically, liquor
consumption has shifted
from sit-down bars and
restaurants to consumers
purchasing distilled spirts
by-the-bottle for at home
consumption.”
March liquor sales fig-
ures show the shift from
bar and restaurant licensees
to consumers. Licensee
sales were $6.4 million in
2020 compared to more
than $13.7 million in March
2019, a drop of 53%. In
comparison, consumer
liquor sales increased from
$41.2 million in March 2019
to $59.5 million last month,
a 44 percent increase.
OLCC liquor stores
also have issued more than
$500,000 in refunds to 94
bars and restaurants for
returned liquor. The value
of unsold product at liquor
stores increased from $67.5
million to $78.6 million.
“These numbers may
be alarming to those con-
cerned about alcohol depen-
dency, but it reflects the
shift in consumption, not an
increase in consumption,”
according to Steve Marks,
OLCC executive director.
———
Observer staff contrib-
uted to this article.
2014 through February
2018, The Oregonian/Ore-
gonLive reported. The con-
struction companies were
involved in real estate proj-
ects in the Portland area,
the complaint says.
Lopez-Diaz is charged
with one count of con-
spiring to commit tax eva-
sion and two counts of
filing false tax returns. He’s
scheduled to make his first
court appearance on April
21.
manufacturing facility were
hazardous on two occasions.
The state environmental
regulators also cited Selmet
without fines for 12 viola-
tions of hazardous waste,
used oil and universal waste
management regulations.
Other violations included
transporting totes of waste
fixer solution, weighing
more than 25,000 pounds
in one instance, to a dis-
posal site in Washington as
a non-hazardous material,
state officials said. Selmet
also failed to designate
the waste as hazardous on
its manifest, according to
officials.
State officials noted
Selmet has expanded pro-
duction and the facility foot-
print since the agency’s last
inspection in 2016 but also
decreased resources to the
environmental health and
safety department.
The state agency has
labeled the company a
“significant noncom-
plier,” because it report-
edly has “not completed
all the requested corrective
actions” based on a pre-en-
forcement notice filed with
the company in September..
— Associated Press and
Observer staff
News Briefs
State extends
studded tire
deadline to May 15
SALEM — Oregon
drivers will not be required
to remove studded tires
until 11:59 p.m. Friday, May
15. The Oregon Department
of Transportation on Friday
announced the extension
Friday.
Oregon law allows
studded tires from
November 1 through March
31. But the Oregon Depart-
ment of Transportation
initially extended that to
May 1. The department in
a press release explained it
moved the deadline again in
response to the continuing
public health emergency of
COVID-19.
ODOT also encour-
aged drivers to remove
their studded tires removed
before May 15 if that is pos-
sible while maintaining
social distancing.
Expired Oregon ID
gets OK
PORTLAND — The
Oregon Liquor Control
Commission will allow
alcohol and marijuana
licensees to accept Oregon
driver licenses or identifi-
cation cards that expired
on or after March 8, 2020,
as an acceptable form of
identification.
This liquor commis-
sion in a news release
stated the decision aligns
with the Oregon Depart-
ment of Motor Vehicles and
law enforcement position,
as the DMV closed offices
because of the COVID-19
public health crisis pre-
venting individuals from
renewing their driver’s
license or ID cards.
This temporary excep-
tion only applies to Oregon
driver licenses and identi-
fication cards, according
to the statement, and the
exception will remain in
place while the Gov. Kate
Brown’s executive order
remains in effect for resi-
dents to avoid unnecessary
travel.
The Oregon DMV in
March asked law enforce-
ment to exercise discretion
in enforcing violations due
to expired credentials.
The Oregon State Police,
Oregon State Sheriff’s
Association and the Oregon
Association of Chiefs of
Police agreed to support
this “grace period” for sus-
pending enforcement of
expired credential viola-
tions, including expired
driver’s licenses and identi-
fication cards.
Program, which has now
run dry. We have a respon-
sibility to help Americans
get back to work and our
new way of life.”
Walden is completing 22
years as the representative
of Oregon’s 2nd Congres-
sional District, opting not to
seek reelection. He touted
the task force as a positive
way to bring Democrats
and Republicans together
to find common ground and
meaningful solutions.
County Major Crimes Team
in conducting an investiga-
tion, with the Oregon State
Police assigned as the lead
investigating agency. Stare
police are asking anyone
with information regarding
the fire to call 1-800-442-
2068 or *OSP and reference
case No. SP20099760 —
detective Brian Jewell.
Greg Walden takes
seat on White House
Economic Task Force
Police investigating
fatal fire in Douglas
County
WASHINGTON —
President Donald Trump
appointed Oregon U.S. Rep.
Greg Walden to serve on
the White House Economic
Task Force. The bipar-
tisan, bicameral group will
advise the White House on
reopening the economy.
“We had a very good
conversation with the pres-
ident, vice president and
his team,” according to a
statement from Walden,
a Republican from Hood
River. “From my stand-
point, our next step in
shoring up the economy is
simple: replenish funds in
the Paycheck Protection
REEDSPORT — The
Oregon State Police is
leading an investigation
into a Reedsport fire that
had one fatality. The fire
occured Sunday, April
12, at a Reedsport home.
The town’s fire and police
departments responded.
When officers arrived, they
were notified an individual
was inside the home.
Officers entered the resi-
dence and found Joseph Lee
Shoemaker, 68, who was
dead. The other residents
were able to escape.
The Reedsport Police
Department requested the
assistance of the Douglas
PORTLAND — A
38-year-old Beaverton man
is accused of evading more
than $65 million in employ-
ment and income taxes by
paying Portland-area con-
struction workers and sub-
contractors in cash.
Victor Hugo Lopez-Diaz
and conspirators cashed
about $185 million in pay-
roll checks at check-cashing
businesses and paid workers
in cash, while filing false
corporation, payroll and
individual tax returns,
Assistant U.S. Attorneys
Seth Uram and Gavin
Bruce said in a Tuesday
complaint filed in U.S. Dis-
trict Court in Portland.
The alleged tax evasion
scheme continued from
Man charged with
participating in
$65M tax evasion
scheme
ALBANY — The
Oregon Department of
Environmental Quality
has fined a manufacturer
of parts for the aerospace
industry near Albany more
than $70,000 for citations
related to its mishandling of
hazardous waste materials.
A Selmet company
spokesman did not return
an email seeking com-
ment, The Albany Demo-
crat-Herald reported.
The DEQ in a letter
stated it penalized Selmet
penalized for failing to
determine if waste gener-
ated at the titanium parts
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