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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (April 7, 2017)
6A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, APRIL 7, 2017 WORLD IN BRIEF ate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said on the Sen- ate fl oor ahead of the vote. “It will make the cooling saucer of the Senate considerably hotter, and I believe it will make the Supreme Court a more partisan place.” Associated Press US strike on Syria is widely praised, but angers Russia BEIRUT — World leaders rallied around the United States after it launched a missile strike early today on a Syrian air base in response to this week’s chemical attack, while Russia con- demned the move as “aggression” and suspended crucial coor- dination with Washington in Syria’s congested skies. The overnight missile attack, which marked the fi rst time the U.S. has directly targeted Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces, was condemned by his allies in Russia and Iran but welcomed by the Syrian opposition and its supporters, who expressed hope it signaled a turning point in the devastating six-year-old civil war. The bombing represents Trump’s most dramatic military order since taking offi ce and thrusts the U.S. administration deeper into the complex Syrian confl ict. The Obama adminis- tration threatened to attack Assad’s forces after previous chem- ical attacks, but never followed through. About 60 U.S. Tomahawk missiles hit the Shayrat air base, a small installation with two runways, where aircraft often take off to bomb targets in northern and central Syria. The U.S. mis- siles hit at 3:45 a.m. today and targeted the base’s airstrips, han- gars, control tower and ammunition areas, U.S. offi cials said. They were fi red from two warships in the Mediterranean Sea, in retaliation for Tuesday’s deadly chemical attack, which offi cials said used chlorine mixed with a nerve agent, possibly sarin. Assad’s offi ce called the U.S. missile strike “reckless” and “irresponsible.” The Syrian military said at least seven people were killed and nine wounded. The Britain-based Syrian Obser- vatory for Human Rights, an opposition monitor said the seven included a general and three soldiers. The Kremlin said President Vladimir Putin believes the U.S. strike is an “aggression against a sovereign state in violation of international law.” Senate confi rms Trump pick Gorsuch to Supreme Court Judge Neil Gorsuch WASHINGTON — The Senate con- fi rmed Neil Gorsuch to become the new- est associate justice on the Supreme Court today, elevating Donald Trump’s nominee following a corrosive partisan confronta- tion that could have lasting impacts for the Pace of US hiring tumbles, yet jobless rate hits 10-year low Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Robert S. Price/U.S. Navy The USS Ross (DDG 71) fires a tomahawk land attack mis- sile today from the Mediterranean Sea. The United States blasted a Syrian air base with a barrage of cruise mis- siles in fiery retaliation for this week’s gruesome chemical weapons attack against civilians. Senate and the court. Vice President Mike Pence was presiding as the Senate voted 54-45 in favor of Gorsuch, a 49-year-old veteran of the 10th U.S. Circuit of Appeals in Denver whose rulings make him an intellec- tual heir to the late Justice Antonin Scalia, whose seat he will fi ll. Gorsuch won support from 51 of the chambers’ Republicans as well as three moderate Democrats up for re-election in states Trump won last fall: Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Heidi Heit- kamp of North Dakota and Joe Donnelly of Indiana. GOP Sen. Johnny Isakson of Georgia did not vote. Oregon Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, both Democrats, voted no. The outcome was a major win for Trump, his biggest con- gressional victory to date, as well as for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who kept Scalia’s seat open after the justice’s death in February 2016. McConnell refused to hold hearings for President Barack Obama’s nominee. After he is sworn in, Gorsuch will restore the court’s conser- vative voting majority that existed before Scalia’s death. Republicans exulted in the victory. “He’s an exceptional choice,” McConnell said. Democrats denounced the GOP’s use of what both sides dubbed the “nuclear option” to put Gorsuch on the court, call- ing it an epic power grab that would further corrode politics in Congress, the courts and the United States. Many Republicans bemoaned reaching that point, too, but they blamed Democrats for pushing them to it. “I believe it will make this body a more partisan place,” Sen- WASHINGTON — The U.S. jobs report for March report delivered a mixed message today as hiring fell to its slowest pace in nearly a year. Yet at the same time, the unemployment rate fell to its lowest level in nearly a decade. Employers added just 98,000 jobs last month, the Labor Department said. It was barely half the previous month’s gain and a potential sign of weakening growth. Yet most economists down- played the drop, attributing much of it to a snowstorm that hit the Midwest and Northeast just as the government was compiling its hiring data. The unemployment rate dropped to 4.5 percent, the lowest since May 2007, from 4.7 percent in February. The unusually low jobless rate suggested a much healthier picture. Most economists had expected a drop-off in hiring in March after robust gains in both January and February, but the drop was worse than projected. Yet many analysts said the tepid fi gure was likely just a blip. “It’s very premature to conclude that there’s been an interrup- tion of what has been fantastic momentum in the labor market,” said Carl Tannenbaum, chief economist at Northern Trust. Demand booming on college campuses for creative writing NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Some credit the rise of social media. Others attribute it to a fl ourishing culture of self-expression. What- ever the reason, colleges across the United States are seeing a boom in demand for courses on creative writing. Colleges are adding writing programs to accommodate inter- est in what has become the rarest of fi elds in the humanities — a sector that is growing, rather than losing students to science and technology. The number of schools offering bachelor’s degrees in creative writing has risen from three in 1975 to 733 today, according to the Association of Writers & Writing Programs, an industry group based at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. So what will these students do after graduating? “Most of them are aware that this probably is not going to be their career. At least, I hope they’re aware,” said David Galef, director of the creative writing program at Montclair State Uni- versity in New Jersey. “They’re interested in doing something they feel is creative.” Justice: It costs $94.55 a day to keep an inmate in state prison Continued from Page 1A — so any probation violation comes back before the judge, increasing the chances proba- tion could be revoked. “So the stakes are going to be quite high for you, do you understand that?” Judge Matyas asked. Ehrlund, a father who was in a long-term relationship, said he had tried treatment for drinking before but would now take it more seriously. “I learned my lesson,” he told the court. “I decided to drink to take care of a prob- lem. I realized that, obviously, that’s not the way to do it.” Justice reinvestment Oregon, alarmed by the high cost of prison, has embraced justice reinvest- ment, a national drive to con- tain prison spending and reduce recidivism. The state has relaxed sen- tences for drug and property crimes and provided grants to counties to supervise more felons locally. The hope is to slow the growth of the prison population and interrupt the behavioral patterns that trigger new crimes. Clatsop County is among the top fi ve in prison use for drug and property crimes since the justice reinvestment initia- tive began in 2013, and judges, prosecutors and probation offi cers are examining what changes — if any — should be made to improve sentencing orders and probation. Ehrlund is the kind of felon justice reinvestment has the potential to intercept. But a close look at his case, based on court records and police reports, shows the discord between theory and real life. Bad choices felons make on probation often give police, prosecutors and judges few alternatives, frustrating the larger policy goals of criminal justice reform. Downward departure Clatsop County’s relatively high prison use for drug and property crimes is tied to the signifi cant number of down- ward departure sentences like the one Ehrlund accepted. The prosecutor’s offer let- ter to Ehrlund’s attorney explained the trade-offs. Ehr- lund was facing more than nine years in prison for theft if he went to trial and was con- victed. If he pleaded guilty, prosecutors would agree to fi ve years because he had no prior convictions for theft and the state wanted restitution for the $20,500 in unemployment benefi ts. The fi ve-year sentence would not be imposed if Ehr- lund paid back the money, refrained from drinking and obeyed the law while on probation. While Ehrlund had to serve time in the county jail for the DUII, he avoided going to prison for theft, a deal that, on paper, looks like a bargain. But some defense attorneys and probation offi cers are con- cerned that downward depar- ture sentences can set fel- ons up for failure, especially if they have drug or alcohol problems. Since the District Attorney’s Offi ce has a pol- icy of no structured sanctions in downward departure agree- ments, probation offi cers are unable to manage felons who screw up by sending them to county jail or rehab, possibly staving off something worse. Probation violations come back before the court, where long prison sentences are a judge’s order away. Catch a ride The Warrenton Police Department knew Ehrlund had his driver’s license revoked. They also knew he would drive his burgundy Hummer in the early mornings to the Fred Meyer parking lot in Warren- ton, where he would catch a ride to work. On a morning last July, a Warrenton Police offi cer was waiting when Ehrlund pulled into the parking lot. He was arrested for felony driving with a revoked license, but since the county jail was full, he was cited and released. Ehrlund, according to the police report, told the offi cer his partner would pick him up after work. Prosecutors moved to revoke Ehrlund’s probation, but before the court could weigh the new felony, he made ‘Those prison beds are pretty valuable. We need them. And there are people that deserve to be there. I don’t think he’s (Ehrlund) one of them.’ Lt. Kristen Hanthorn leader of the Sheriff’s Office Parole and Probation Division another, more serious, mistake. Iredale Inn On an afternoon in Decem- ber, a Warrenton Police offi cer and a Clatsop County Sheriff’s Offi ce deputy found Ehrlund in the parking lot behind the Iredale Inn in Warrenton. He was on his cellphone, leaning over the tailgate of his silver Dodge pickup, and he smelled of alcohol. Ehrlund had been refused service at Rod’s Bar and Grill because he was drunk, accord- ing to the deputy’s report, and a witness had followed him on foot and watched him drive over to the Iredale Inn, where he was also refused service. The Warrenton Police offi - cer was only going to arrest Ehrlund for felony driving with a revoked license, since the offi cer had not seen Ehr- lund drive. But the sheriff’s deputy insisted on pursuing a felony drunken driving charge, aware that it might send Ehr- lund to prison. Ehrlund was given a breath test for alcohol when he was taken to the county jail by the Warrenton offi cer. On advice from a prosecutor, the sheriff’s deputy told jail staff he did not want to know the result. The sheriff’s deputy spoke with witnesses from the bars and had Ehrlund perform sobriety Pick of the Week Joanne Grey and White American Short Hair Adult Female This kitty is a survivor and knows how to appreciate the goodness and grace notes in life. Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber Contact: John Anderson • 360-269-2500 70 months When Ehrlund came back before Judge Matyas for a fi nal time in February — a year after accepting the downward departure agreement on his theft convictions — his fate was already decided. The 39-year-old admit- ted he violated probation and pleaded guilty to felony driv- ing with a revoked license and felony drunken driv- ing. He received 60 months — fi ve years — in prison on the downward departure for theft and another 10 months in prison for the new convictions. Matyas said Ehrlund would be eligible for an alternative incarceration program, which provides intense treatment in prison in exchange for early release. The judge also recom- mended that Ehrlund be eval- uated for drug and alcohol treatment when he gets out on parole. “Sounds like you’ll be there long enough that you actually may be able to get into some programs that should help you when you get out,” Matyas said. Volunteer W A NTED N orth w es t H a rdw oods • Lon gview , W A tests at the jail, which he failed. The deputy then had Ehrlund take another breath test. He blew a 0.18, more than twice the legal limit for driving. (More on http://Petfi nder.com/ ) Sponsored By C LATSOP C OUNTY A NIMAL S HELTER 1315 SE 19 th Street, Warrenton • 861 - PETS www.dogsncats.org Noon to 4pm, Tues-Sat $94.55 a day Lt. Kristen Hanthorn, who leads the Sheriff’s Offi ce Parole and Probation Division, said that had probation offi cers been able to use structured sanctions with Ehrlund, they might have been able to step in after he was caught driving with a revoked license in July and change his path. The new felony could have been enough for Ehrlund to get his probation revoked by the court, but it was also possible that a judge would recognize he was driving to get to work and give him another chance. According to a probation report, Ehrlund had enrolled in outpatient treatment last May for his drinking and attended a court-ordered victim impact panel over the summer meant to show the risks of drunken driving. He had also com- pleted the 100 hours of com- munity service that had been ordered. Ehrlund quit his job as an operator at J.M. Browning, where he had worked for sev- eral years, for work closer to home to lessen the pressure to drive, his probation offi cer said. Even with the new drunken driving charge in December, the probation offi ce had rec- ommended county jail, not prison. They also wanted to get Ehrlund into inpatient treat- ment for alcohol abuse. The state Department of Corrections says it costs $94.55 a day to keep an inmate in prison, or nearly $35,000 a year. Ehrlund, who is appeal- ing his sentence, is at San- tiam Correctional Institution in Salem. As of now, his earliest release date is in March 2021. “Those prison beds are pretty valuable,” Hanthorn said. “We need them. And there are people that deserve to be there. “I don’t think he’s one of them.” ‘Defendant-by- defendant’ District Attorney Josh Marquis is critical of justice reinvestment’s data-driven approach to reform, which he sees as another Salem fad that will fade away in a few years. He has dismissed the state’s incentives to counties to reduce prison use for drug and property crimes as a “negative bounty system.” Over the past few weeks, Marquis and his staff have reviewed more than a dozen downward departure cases identifi ed by the probation offi ce — including Ehrlund’s — and the district attorney said his prosecutors would not have done anything differently. Ehrlund stole unem- ployment insurance bene- fi ts from the state and racked up multiple DUIIs in Clatsop County and Pacifi c County, Washington. “It’s defendant-by-defen- dant, crime-by-crime, vic- tim-by-victim,” Marquis said. “You could have a theft of unemployment of the same magnitude, but take away all those DUIIs, and maybe have a completely different attitude. “Maybe say, give that per- son a couple more shots before we revoke them.” The district attorney believes Ehrlund belongs in prison. “I think he belongs in prison for the DUIIs alone.” Experienced caregivers for senior homecare We’re Hiring! Long Beach, WA 360-892-4442 www.visitingangels.com Flower • Concentrates Edibles • Beverages Paraphernalia Ilwaco • 133 Howerton Way freedommarket420.com Open 8am - 8pm Check out our Blazing deals! Stay tuned for 420 Daily Specials! WARNING: This product has intoxicating effects and may be habit forming. There may be health risks associated with the consumption of this product. 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