144TH YEAR, NO. 31
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WEEKEND EDITION // FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2016
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Insider: Culture, blunders doomed Cover Oregon
Debacle wasted
$300 million
By NICK BUDNICK
Capital Bureau
Tom Walsh
Take a week off, wade through
thousands of pages of court fi l-
ings in Oregon’s long-running
court battle with software giant
Oracle, and you still won’t have
the real story of how Cover Ore-
gon failed and wasted more
than $300 million, according to
Tom Walsh, a longtime technol-
ogy specialist and veteran of the
project.
Hundreds of thousands if not
millions of words have been writ-
ten about Cover Oregon in the
two years since the state proj-
ect to enroll Oregonians in the
federal Affordable Care Act
imploded. However, an insider’s
account has never been published
until now. Other top consultants
and former managers have rou-
tinely declined to comment, often
citing the pending litigation.
But Walsh is ready to speak another debacle when the state
out because of continued public launches its next big-ticket, tax-
confusion around Cover Oregon. payer-funded IT projects.
underway); farther aield were more
“I don’t think Oregon knows
“I think people should under-
stand why it failed,” Walsh says that it (has) a problem,” Walsh
matter of factly, given how many says.
Hint: it has to do with
people worked so hard on the
ambitious project, and how much management.
was spent.
See INSIDER, Page 8A
He’d also like to prevent
ASTORIA REGATTA
US won’t
reclassify
pot, OKs
research
Move rebuffs growing
support across country
By ALICIA A. CALDWELL
Associated Press
Knappa’s princess wins the crown as festival opens
By ELI STILLMAN
The Daily Astorian
A
s the Astoria Regatta
crown was placed
on Aubrey McMah-
an’s head Thursday evening,
her fi rst act as queen was to
declare the 122nd Regatta Fes-
tival open.
McMahan was one of
four princesses in the Regatta
court leading up to the coro-
nation ceremony at the Lib-
erty Theater. Alongside her
were Kristen Travers and Vic-
toria Holcom, of Astoria, and
Brenna Borup of Warrenton .
They were scored by on per-
sonal presentation and public
speaking by a panel of judges
to decide who would wear the
queen’s crown for 2016. “It
See CROWN, Page 10A
WASHINGTON — The Obama admin-
istration has decided marijuana will remain
on the list of most dangerous drugs, fully
rebuffi ng growing support across the coun-
try for broad legalization, but said it will
allow more research into its medical uses.
The decision to expand research into
marijuana’s medical potential could pave
the way for the drug to be moved to a lesser
category. Heroin, peyote and marijuana,
among others, are considered Schedule I
drugs because they have no medical appli-
cation; cocaine and opiates, for example,
have medical uses and, while still illegal for
recreational use, are designated Schedule II
drugs.
The Drug Enforcement Administra-
tion said the agency’s decision came after
a lengthy review and consultation with the
Health and Human Services Department,
which said marijuana “has a high potential
for abuse” and “no accepted medical use.”
The decision means that pot will remain
illegal for any purpose under federal law,
despite laws in 25 states and District of
Columbia that have legalized pot for either
medicinal or recreational use.
Advocates for change
Danny Miller/The Daily Astorian
TOP: Aubrey McMahan from Knappa High School reacts as her name is
called as queen during the 2016 Regatta Queen’s Coronation on Thurs-
day at the Liberty Theater . ABOVE: McMahan is crowned the 2016 Re-
gatta Queen .
Advocates have long pushed for the fed-
eral government to follow suit.
“If the scientifi c understanding about
marijuana changes — and it could change
— then the decision could change,”
DEA acting administrator Chuck Rosen-
berg wrote in a letter to the governors of
Rhode Island and Washington, who sought
the review of marijuana’s classifi cation
in 2011. “But we will remain tethered to
science, as we must, and as the statute
demands. It certainly would be odd to rely
on science when it suits us and ignore it
otherwise.”
Rosenberg said designating marijuana a
Schedule I drug does not necessarily mean
it is as dangerous as other drugs.
See POT, Page 10A
Will Donald Trump energize the Latino vote?
This story is part of Divided
America, AP’s ongoing explo-
ration of the economic, social
and political divisions in
American society.
By SERGIO BUSTOS and
NICHOLAS RICCARDI
Associated Press
LAS VEGAS — It’s a par-
adox in American politics:
Many Hispanic families have
an immense personal stake
in what happens on Election
Day, but despite numbers that
should mean political power,
Hispanics often can’t vote,
aren’t registered to vote, or sit
it out.
Enter Donald Trump,
sonal than Donald Trump
talking about deporting 11 mil-
lion immigrants.”
and the question that could
make or break the election in
key states. By infl aming the
anti-immigrant sentiments of
white, working-class men,
has the Republican nominee
jolted awake another group —
27.3 million eligible Hispanic
voters?
“A lot of times you hear this
rap about how politics doesn’t
affect their life,” says Yvanna
Cancela, political director of
Las Vegas’ largely immigrant
Culinary Union. “But that
changes when it’s personal,
and there’s nothing more per-
Largest ethnic group
Hispanics now represent
the nation’s largest ethnic
community with some 55 mil-
lion people. More than one-
third of them are U.S.-born,
and the others immigrants who
are citizens, legal residents or
here illegally. Most trace their
familial roots to Mexico, one
of Trump’s favorite targets.
A cornerstone of Trump’s
platform is building a wall
along the Southwest border
— and forcing Mexico to pay
See TRUMP, Page 10A
AP Photo/John Locher
Fabiola Vejar, right, registers Stephanie Cardenas to vote
in front of a Latino supermarket in Las Vegas. Shielded
from deportation under an Obama administration pro-
gram that protects those brought to the country illegally
as children, Vejar, 18, cannot vote.