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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2016
Nelson: Judge was born and raised in Astoria, plans to stay
Continued from Page 1A
decision by the Clatsop County
Board of Commissioners to
deny the pipeline company’s
land use permit. The Oregon
Court of Appeals upheld Nel-
son’s decision, effectively end-
ing the project.
Nelson became a district
court judge in 1993 (the state
of Oregon merged the separate
district and circuit courts in
1998). He didn’t at first realize
the full weight of the responsi-
bilities of that job, he said, but
he is grateful to the public for
electing him.
Good and bad
He said he will miss the
complicated cases, “digging
into it and trying to sort out
the issues.” He will miss Hov-
den, who has been his judi-
cial assistant for 21 years and
who has been, he said, “a great
person to work with.” But, he
said, “I know a lot of things
I’m not going to miss.”
He won’t miss the cases
where one side has a lawyer
and the other doesn’t. He won’t
miss the lack of jail space that
meant he could order someone
to jail in the morning and see
them walk free by lunchtime.
Being a judge is a demand-
ing job — mentally, emotion-
ally and physically —with
long hours of sitting, listen-
ing, sifting through arguments,
wondering what the results of
a decision might be, becoming
familiar with the many ways
people deceive and damage
each other.
Nearly every day, unless
the rain was blowing side-
ways, Nelson walked up the
hills of Astoria during his
lunch break. It was a way to
keep stress at bay.
“It didn’t work,” he said.
Last summer, Nelson suf-
fered a major heart attack.
Though he recovered and went
back to work, he decided to
retire at the end of his term
instead of seeking re-election.
It was something he and his
wife had been discussing any-
way, he said.
‘Tremendous respect’
“I’ve always thought of
Judge Nelson as someone who
is very thoughtful about what
he’s doing on the bench and
who works very hard to do
what’s right under the confines
of the law,” said Astoria attor-
ney Mary Ann Murk, who has
represented clients in Nelson’s
courtroom since 1999. “It’s
kind of odd to think of him
leaving … It’s very odd.”
For Hovden, Judge Nel-
son’s courtroom represents a
huge chunk of her career.
The relationship between a
judge and his judicial assistant
requires a high degree of trust,
she said. “We always worked
well together.”
Holden will work with
incoming judge Dawn McIn-
tosh beginning in January.
“I have tremendous respect
for him,” said District Attor-
ney Josh Marquis of Nelson.
“I don’t always agree with
him, but I think he’s extraordi-
narily fair.”
Chief Deputy District
Attorney Ron Brown agreed,
calling Nelson “one of the fair-
est judges” he has ever seen.
He remembered an old poster
of a fishermen Nelson used to
have with the motto “Work is
our joy” printed on it.
“I really do believe he
finds joy in his work,” Brown
said.
Nelson was born and raised
in Astoria and doesn’t plan on
leaving once he’s retired. He
plans, he says, to fish.
WORLD IN BRIEF
set clear terms of reference for any future negotiations with Israel.
Some 70 nations are expected to attend, although Israel and the
Palestinians will not be participating.
Associated Press
Putin says Russia won’t expel
US diplomats in hacking flap
MOSCOW — President Vladimir Putin castigated the United
States today for imposing sanctions and expelling Russian diplo-
mats amid allegations of Russian meddling in the American presi-
dential election, but said no U.S. diplomats will be ousted in repri-
sal for President Barack Obama’s moves in the wake of hacking
attacks.
In a burgeoning controversy surrounding complaints from
the Obama administration about a cyberattack against America’s
political system, the White House on Thursday unleashed a string
of sanctions and coupled them with an order that 35 Russians be
expelled.
Putin, however, said on Friday that Moscow would not eject
American diplomats in response to what he described as “provo-
cation aimed at further undermining Russian-American relations”
less than a month before Donald Trump is to take over the White
House.
The decision came as a surprise; tit-for-tat expulsions are com-
mon diplomatic practice and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had
suggested hours before Putin’s announcement that Russia would
oust 31 American diplomats.
“The Russian diplomats returning home will spend the New
Year holidays with their relatives and dear ones,” Putin said in a
statement published on the Kremlin website. “We will not create
problems for U.S. diplomats. We will not expel anybody.”
He added: “Moreover, I am inviting all children of U.S. diplo-
mats accredited in Russia to the New Year and Christmas parties
at the Kremlin.”
Putin appeared to aim at playing a long game and at making a
barbed reminder that Obama is a lame duck.
Did Debbie Reynolds die
of broken-heart syndrome?
Dying of a broken heart is real.
When Debbie Reynolds passed away this week, her son said
the stress of his sister Carrie Fisher’s death the day before was too
much for his mother to take.
The emotional distress of losing a loved one can trigger bro-
ken-heart syndrome, a recognized medical condition that dispro-
portionately affects women and can be fatal.
“A ‘broken heart’ really is an event where the heart ceases
to function normally and is prone to heart rhythm abnormal-
ities,” said Dr. Mark Creager, director of the Dartmouth-Hitch-
cock Heart and Vascular Center in New Hampshire and past pres-
ident of the American Heart Association. “That term is used to
explain a very real phenomenon that does occur in patients who
have been exposed to sudden emotional stress or extremely dev-
astating circumstances.”
Known medically as stress-induced cardiomyopathy or takot-
subo syndrome, it can strike anyone, even those in good health
with no previous heart problems.
Reynolds, who suffered two strokes in 2015 but recovered,
was taken by ambulance to a hospital the day after Fisher died.
“She said, ‘I want to be with Carrie,”’ Reynolds’ son, Todd
Fisher, told The Associated Press. “And then she was gone.”
No cause of death has been disclosed for either woman.
Broken-heart syndrome is when a surge of stress hormones,
such as adrenaline and cortisol, cause arteries to seize, limiting
blood flow to the heart. The experience — and diagnosis — is
often confused with heart attack, Creager said.
New Oregon secretary of state
names ousted execs to top posts
PORTLAND— Oregon’s Secretary of State-elect Dennis
Richardson, who will be sworn in today, has named an ousted
elections official and a former state manager tied to a multimil-
lion-dollar scandal to top administrative positions.
The Oregonian reports Richardson has appointed Leslie Cum-
mings as deputy secretary of state. Cummings managed tech-se-
curity for the Oregon Employment Department until 2013, when
Benefits of Indian cash overhaul
elusive as deadline passes
AP Photo/Chris Pizzello
Debbie Reynolds, left, and Carrie Fisher arrive at the
Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards in Los Angeles
in 2011. Reynolds, star of the 1952 classic “Singin’ in the
Rain” died Wednesday.
she resigned after being caught up in accusations of nepotism and
wasting millions in public funds.
For elections director, Richardson selected Steve Trout, who
held the position from 2009 to 2013 under then-Secretary of State
Kate Brown. Trout left after Brown faced criticism for giving can-
didates short notice that the date of their election would change —
a responsibility of the elections director.
Trout said Brown, who is now governor, asked him to
resign but said it had nothing to do with the election scheduling
entanglement.
Syria’s cease-fire holding despite
minor violations, clashes
BEIRUT — A nationwide Syrian cease-fire brokered by Rus-
sia and Turkey that went into effect at midnight was holding today
despite minor violations, marking a potential breakthrough in a
conflict that has been shredding high-level peace initiatives for
over five years.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights
reported clashes early today between troops and rebels in the cen-
tral province of Hama and near the capital, Damascus, but said
there have been no reports of civilian casualties since the truce
began.
Opposition activist Mazen al-Shami, who is based in the
Damascus suburb of Douma, said minor clashes nearby left one
rebel wounded. Activist Ahmad al-Masalmeh, in the southern
Daraa province, said government forces had opened fire on reb-
el-held areas.
Several past attempts at halting the fighting have failed. As
with previous agreements, the current cease-fire excludes both the
al-Qaida-affiliated Fatah al-Sham Front, which fights alongside
other rebel factions, and the Islamic State group.
With clock ticking, Palestinians
pin hopes on Paris summit
RAMALLAH, West Bank — After a pair of diplomatic vic-
tories, the Palestinians are now setting their sights on a Mideast
peace conference in France next month in a bid to rally support
as they prepare for the uncertainty of the Trump administration.
The Palestinians are hopeful that a strong international endorse-
ment in Paris will insulate them from what they fear will be a close
alliance between President-elect Donald Trump and Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
With their hopes for gaining independence in a deep freeze,
the Palestinians had a rare week of optimism. First, the U.S.
allowed the U.N. Security Council to adopt Resolution 2334,
which declared Israeli settlements on occupied lands illegal. Then,
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry delivered a farewell speech
that harshly criticized Israeli settlements, saying Israel’s contin-
ued construction was imperiling hopes for a peace agreement and
endangering the country’s democracy.
Palestinian officials say they are now counting on the French-
hosted Mideast peace conference to build on the momentum and
Was Alexa a witness to murder?
Prosecutors seek Amazon Echo data
By JILL BLEED
Associated Press
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. —
Authorities investigating the
death of an Arkansas man
whose body was found in a hot
tub want to expand the probe to
include a new kind of evidence:
any comments overheard by the
suspect’s Amazon Echo smart
speaker.
Amazon said it objects to
“overbroad” requests as a mat-
ter of practice, but prosecutors
insist their idea is rooted in a
legal precedent that’s “as old as
Methuselah.”
The issue has emerged
in the slaying of Victor Col-
lins, who was found floating
face-up last year in the hot tub
at a friend’s home in Benton-
ville, about 150 miles north-
west of Little Rock. The friend,
James Andrew Bates, was later
charged with murder.
Prosecutors have asked the
court to force Amazon to pro-
vide data from the Echo that
could reveal more clues about
the night of Nov. 22, 2015,
when Collins was apparently
strangled and drowned.
Benton County Prosecut-
ing Attorney Nathan Smith said
Wednesday that he has no idea
if the device recorded anything
related to the death. But looking
for clues is simply “a question
of law enforcement doing their
due diligence.”
Like any investigation, “law
enforcement has an obligation
to try to obtain evidence of the
crime,” Smith said.
The device is a cylin-
der-shaped speaker with inter-
net-connected
microphones
that debuted in late 2014. Sim-
ilar to other gadgets, it listens
for a user’s voice and responds
to commands — to play music,
read the morning headlines or
add an upcoming event to a cal-
endar, for instance. The Echo
can speak back to the user in a
female voice known as “Alexa.”
Search warrant
The search warrant, signed
by a judge in August, requests
all “audio recordings, tran-
scribed records, text records
and other data” from Bates’
Echo speaker.
So far, authorities have
obtained only basic subscriber
and account information. Smith
said Wednesday that his office
has had discussions with Ama-
zon, but that the bulk of the
request remains unfulfilled.
The prosecution’s request
was first reported this week
by The Information, a news
site that covers the technology
industry.
NEW DELHI — Fifty days ago, India yanked most of its cur-
rency from circulation without warning, jolting the economy and
leaving most citizens scrambling for cash. As the deadline for
exchanging the devalued 500- and 1,000-rupee notes for new ones
hits today, many Indians are still stuck waiting in long bank lines.
Empty ATMs and ever-changing rules are preventing peo-
ple from withdrawing money, and many small, cash-reliant busi-
nesses from cinemas to neighborhood grocery stores are suffering
huge losses or going under.
Despite those problems, Prime Minister Narendra Modi says
his Nov. 8 demonetization decree has succeeded in uncovering
tax evasion and cracking down on graft. The Indian government is
urging patience, insisting it’s playing a long game that will eventu-
ally modernize Indian society and benefit the poor.
So far, despite the widespread inconvenience and costs, most
of the country’s 1.25 billion citizens appear to be taking Modi’s
word for it.
Cosby, a year later: Will he seek
deal or prepare for trial?
NORRISTOWN, Pa. — Bill Cosby is starting 2017 in a legal
dragnet that has only tightened around him since his stunning
arrest a year ago.
Cosby was charged with aggravated sexual assault on Dec.
30, 2015, just days before the 12-year statute of limitations would
have run out over a 2004 encounter at his estate near Philadelphia.
A year later, it’s increasingly unlikely that he can avoid a fel-
ony trial slated for June. The judge has denied nearly each defense
motion as the two sides fight over Cosby’s deposition, other accus-
ers and the decade-long delay in filing charges.
“It doesn’t sound like the prosecutors are inclined to give him
a deal that will matter,” said Loyola Law School professor Laurie
Levenson, who is not involved in the case. “It’s an elderly man,
and any (jail sentence) is probably, in his mind, worth fighting.”
A recent tabloid news report suggested a plea could be in the
works, but Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele’s
spokeswoman calls the report unfounded. Still, some celebrity
lawyers don’t rule it out.
Serena wins at love again; says
‘yes’ to engagement in poem
Court and spark: Serena Williams is tying the knot.
The tennis great announced her engagement to Alexis Ohanian
on Thursday, posting a poem on Reddit that she accepted the pro-
posal of the social news website’s co-founder.
Williams’ agent, Jill Smoller, confirmed the engagement in an
email to The Associated Press.
Ohanian wrote on his Facebook page, “She said yes.”
Late fee? No prob: Check covers
library books 40 years later
ROCKVILLE, Md. — A library lover who found two books
more than four decades overdue at a vacation cabin in Canada is
making a donation to cover the late fees — at the 1970s-era rate
of a nickel a day.
The Minnesota man and his family gave the Maryland library
a check for about $1,550 to cover the fees.
Jon Kramer, of Minneapolis, says he was searching through
his deceased parents’ library last month at their cabin on an island
in Ontario when he found a camping book and a cookbook that
had been checked out from a Montgomery County library in the
1970s.
Kramer remembered family library trips fondly and sent a
$1,552.30 donation. He says he’s keeping the books but is willing
to continue paying late fees in the future.
Public Meeting
Columbia River System
Operations
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Reclamation and Bonneville Power
Administration invite the public to help identify issues that the agencies will analyze in
the Columbia River System Operations Environmental Impact Statement. The agencies
will use this EIS to assess the eff ects and update their approach to operations of 14
federal dams and related facilities in the interior Columbia River basin.
The agencies welcome your comments, suggestions and information to help inform
the scope of issues, potential eff ects and range of alternatives evaluated in the EIS.
Monday, January 9, 2017
4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
The Loft at the Red Building
20 Basin Street
Astoria, Oregon
For more information about the Columbia River System Operations EIS, please visit
this website: http://www.crso.info
Information is also available by calling 800-290-5033.