Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (March 9, 2018)
3A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, MARCH 9, 2018 Tax bill produces political dilemma for Gov. Brown Republican rival urges veto By JEFF MAPES Oregon Public Broadcasting A tax bill affecting tens of thousands of small businesses in Oregon is posing a political dilemma for Gov. Kate Brown. “We’re taking a very hard look at the bill,” Brown told reporters after the Legislature adjourned. “We’re looking at the implications for Oregon’s small businesses and Oregon’s economy.” The governor, who is run- ning for re-election, will make enemies no matter what she does. Many of her fellow Democrats and advocates for education and other public ser- vices are pushing her to sign the bill. But critics of the bill say she could anger hundreds of thousands of small-busi- ness owners in the state if she doesn’t veto the measure. Brown also faces the pos- sibility that the tax bill could be referred to the Novem- ber ballot. That would force her to defend what is techni- cally a tax hike during the fall campaign. “I understand the posi- tion she is in,” said state Sen- ate Finance Chairman Mark Hass, D-Beaverton, who played a major role in craft- ing the bill. “She is running for governor.” Democrats pushed SB 1528 through the Legisla- ture in response to the federal tax-cut legislation signed by President Donald Trump last year. In its own income-tax code, Oregon automatically adopts many federal defini- tions of income. And one of the biggest impacts of the ‘This (bill) is producing a considerable amount of revenue for the state and it’s going to come from somewhere, and it is from small businesses.’ Anthony Smith National Federation of Independent Business new federal law is that it would deliver an automatic tax cut for many of the more than 400,000 business own- ers who pay personal income taxes on their profits. That would cost Ore- gon more than $200 mil- lion a year in lost income. Groups ranging from public employee unions to Children First for Oregon pushed for the state bill’s passage. But small business groups launched their own lobbying effort, saying it was unfair and burdensome for Oregon to take away the state tax cut embedded in the federal law. Anthony Smith, Oregon state director for the National Federation of Independent Business, said state finan- cial projections show the fed- eral tax cut bill will eventu- ally make more money for the state — even without taking away the new break for small businesses. “This (bill) is producing a considerable amount of reve- nue for the state and it’s going to come from somewhere,” he said, “and it is from small businesses.” Bend Rep. Knute Bue- hler, the leading candidate for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, also made it clear he’s ready to make the mea- sure a campaign issue. He sent out a press release titled: “Gov. Brown Should Veto Mom & Pop Tax Hike.” Rep. Julie Parrish, R-West Linn, also fought the bill during the legislative session. She is being warily eyed by Democrats. That’s because she led the campaign to refer hospital and insurance taxes on Medicaid to a statewide vote in January. Voters upheld the taxes, but Parrish showed she’s capable of collecting the 59,000 signa- tures needed to put an issue on the ballot. Parrish said she hasn’t ruled out launching a referendum if Brown signs the business tax bill, although she said it would be more difficult because she would face a tighter time frame for collecting signatures. Still, Parrish added, “I think it’s politically savvy for the governor to be taking a pause on this one” because small-business owners tend to vote in large percentages. Hass, the Senate finance chairman, said the threat of a referendum is always high when it comes to tax legisla- tion. However, he added, “I don’t think we should let fear guide good policy.” Brown has until mid-April to take action on the bill. Signa- tures for a referral would have to be collected by early June. Oregon health officials warn people not Tillamook man reaches plea deal to take kratom due to salmonella risk in child sex case By KRISTIAN FODEN- VENCIL Oregon Public Broadcasting Oregon health officials are warning people not to use the herbal supplement kratom after testing found salmonella in numerous samples. The warning comes after two Oregonians fell ill from taking the product. One per- son was hospitalized, but both have now recovered. Epidemiologists at the Public Health Division of the Oregon Health Author- ity said the cases in Washing- ton and Malheur counties are linked to a national outbreak that’s sickened 48 people in 30 states. State epidemiologists, along with representatives of Washington County Pub- lic Health and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, obtained kratom capsules and powders from Torched Illu- Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian Testing found salmonella in numerous samples of kratom. sions at its two locations in Beaverton and Tigard. The state said the samples were tested by a private labo- ratory and a total of 15 sam- ples tested positive for salmo- nella bacteria. The strains the state found in the kratom did not match the national outbreak strain. “What this tells us is that multiple strains of salmonella — not just the strain impli- cated in the national outbreak — are popping up in kratom products,” said Oregon state epidemiologist Dr. Katrina Hedberg. Advocates of the herbal supplement say it can be used for pain relief and to treat opi- ate addiction. People who believe they’ve gotten sick from consuming kratom should contact a health care provider. “We don’t yet know the ultimate source of all the con- taminated kratom. Because of this, we recommend people not consume kratom in any form and throw it away,” she said. Washington state issued a similar warning last week after three people fell ill. Each year, 400 to 500 cases of infection from salmonella are reported in Oregon. Most people infected with the bacte- ria develop diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps a few days after exposure. By JACK HEFFERNAN The Daily Astorian A Tillamook man who allegedly paid for sex with a teenage boy has agreed to serve 30 days in jail and two years of probation. Neil Alexander Dowell, 29, allegedly paid for sex with the 16-year-old boy in August after communicat- ing with him online. Dowell pleaded no contest Wednes- day to second-degree online sexual corruption and pur- chasing sex with a minor and was released from jail. He originally faced charges of luring a minor and two counts of prostitution before the agreement with the Clatsop County District Attorney’s Office. Dowell also was found guilty in February of first-de- gree forg- ery and driv- ing under the influence of intoxi- cants after reaching a Neil plea deal in a separate Alexander Dowell case. He was arrested in July after passing fake $20 bills twice at Burger King on Marine Drive. Police later executed a search warrant and found more counterfeit money and a small amount of heroin in his car. Judge Cindee Matyas sentenced him to 12 days in jail, three years of proba- tion and ordered him to pay a $1,495 fine. Dowell is scheduled to be sentenced in May for the sex crimes. Female firefighter to lead Forest Service amid scandal By MATTHEW BROWN Associated Press BILLINGS, Mont. — A female wildland firefighter has been tapped by the Trump administration to steady the U.S. Forest Service as it reels from allegations of sexual mis- conduct and struggles to change its male-dominated culture. Vickie Christensen was appointed interim chief of the 35,000-employee agency late Thursday. The move came roughly 24 hours after former Chief Tony Tooke abruptly retired following revela- tions of an investigation into alleged relationships with subordinates. Christiansen has been with the Forest Service for seven years and became a deputy chief in 2016. Before joining the federal government she’d worked in forestry for 30 years at the state level, in Arizona and Washington state. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said she was tasked with two goals: improv- ing the agency’s response to sexual misconduct while effectively managing more than 300,000 square miles of forests and grasslands in 43 states and Puerto Rico. The agency’s widespread problems mirror recent mis- conduct scandals within the nation’s other major pub- lic lands agency, the Interior Department. Tooke’s departure came just days after PBS NewsHour reported he was under investi- gation following relationships with subordinates prior to his appointment last August. The events renewed calls from Congress to more aggres- sively address long-standing and rampant problems of sex- ual harassment, bullying and in some cases rape. WANTED Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber Northwest Hardwoods • Longview, WA Contact: John Anderson • 360-269-2500 4.5 % APR* OUTRUNNING POVERTY Peninsula Poverty Response • Cape D Sprint Triathlon MAY 19 • ILWACO, WA Come Celebrate 80 2 Ole Brownsmead Boys’ B-Day Fibre Family Member Kelly Short, Hammond, OR Dale Fish & Carl Paronen March 11 th - 1 to 4 PM Svensen Senior Center Please Adopt a Pet! NICO 10 year old male Labrador Retriever Blend There are no bad days when you come home to this sweet dog See more on Petfi nder.com CLATSOP COUNTY ANIMAL SHELTER • 861-PETS 1315 SE 19th St. • Warrenton | Tues-Sat 12-4pm www.dogsncats.org THIS SPACE SPONSORED BY BAY BREEZE BOARDING www.tlcfcu.org • 866.901.3521 85 W. Marine Dr. Astoria • 2315 N. Roosevelt Dr. Seaside *Annual Percentage Rate effective 1/1/18 and subject to change. Ten year old vehicle or newer, 120 month term at this rate. Register Today at: active.com/ilwaco-wa/triathlon/races/cape-d-sprint-triathlon-2018 A DIVISION OF CREDIT UNION