Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 19, 2019)
DailyAstorian.com // TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2019 146TH YEAR, NO. 166 ONE DOLLAR Oregon fights Trump’s order One of 16 states to contest national emergency By FRANCESCA PARIS National Public Radio Oregon is one of 16 states behind a lawsuit in federal court against President Donald Trump’s declaration of a national emergency, calling the president’s deci- sion to use executive power to fund a bor- der wall unconstitutional. The complaint filed Monday in the U.S. Dis- trict Court for the North- ern District of California seeks to bar the adminis- tration from using emer- gency powers to divert money from other pro- grams to a wall on the Donald Trump U.S.-Mexico border, marking the start of a legal battle anticipated by both the presi- dent and his opponents. The lawsuit, spearheaded by Califor- nia Attorney General Xavier Becerra, says that the Constitution gives Congress alone the power to control spending, not the president. Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosen- blum said in a statement that the national emergency is for an improper political purpose. See Oregon, Page A5 Photos by Brenna Visser/The Daily Astorian Janice and Larry Zagata look at one of the go-bags they give their guests at the Ocean Inn. Manzanita hotel stocks every room with go-bags Thinking of guests in a natural disaster By BRENNA VISSER The Daily Astorian Lawmaker wants to lower the voting age Legislation would allow 16-year-olds to vote By LAUREN DAKE Oregon Public Broadcasting There is an effort underway in Salem to change Oregon’s legal voting age from 18 to 16 years old. Portland-based Democratic state Sen. Shemia Fagan introduced a measure Monday to make Oregon the first state in the nation to do so. “It’s time to lower the voting age in Oregon and to give our young people a chance to participate in the ballot, about their decisions that affect their homes, their clean air, their future, their schools and as we’ve seen, their very lives,” Fagan said. The state senator pointed to the young activists who became engaged after the M ANZANITA — Janice Zagata hopes her guests feel a little safer. Earlier this year, the owner of the Ocean Inn in Manzanita stocked each room with go-bags for guests to take in a tsunami. The waterfront hotel appears to be the first in the region to do so, said Linda Cook, the go-bag coordinator for the Emergency Volunteer Corps of Nehalem Bay. “We can’t even say how excited we are,” she said. Zagata became interested in go-bags after attending an emer- gency preparedness meeting a few years ago. She started to ques- tion what her role was in protecting guests who could be staying with her during a natural disaster. “That’s always been a weight on my shoulders,” she said. Zagata and her husband, Larry, started talking about what they could do to better prepare guests. After con- versations with Cook and Tonquin Trading, an outdoor supply store that sells prepackaged go-bags, the cou- ple decided to purchase go-bags for each of their 10 rooms. The Ocean Inn appears to be the first hotel in the region to supply guests with go-bags. Bags are filled with emergency supplies like blankets, water pack- ets, food bars, light sticks, a basic first-aid kit and a map that details evacuation routes out of the tsunami inundation zone. At $100 apiece, the move cost a little over $1,000. Zagata recognizes the finan- cial reality of stocking rooms with go-bags is different for large hotels in comparison to her smaller inn, but said it’s too important not to consider. “It’s a chunk of change, but in the big picture, if it can save a life, it’s worth it,” she said. Getting the hospitality indus- try involved with emergency pre- paredness has been a goal for local and state emergency managers for years. A few years ago, Manzanita required hotels and vacation rentals to provide evacuation maps in guest rooms to give people unfamiliar with the area a better chance at getting to safer ground. See Go-bags, Page A5 ‘IT’S A CHUNK OF CHANGE, BUT IN THE BIG PICTURE, IF IT CAN SAVE A LIFE, IT’S WORTH IT.’ Janice Zagata | owner of the Ocean Inn in Manzanita See Voting age, Page A5 Marquis joins animal advocacy group Former prosecutor named legal affairs director By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian Josh Marquis, the former Clat- sop County district attorney, has been hired as the director of legal affairs for Animal Wellness Action. Marquis will help coordinate efforts by the national advocacy group to modernize state and federal laws against animal cruelty and pro- mote enforcement. He began taking an interest in prosecuting animal cruelty cases during his first job as a deputy district attorney in Lane County in 1981. who hoarded as many as 117 “I got made fun of,” Mar- quis said. “I was called the dogs, two cats and a rooster dog deputy, because I thought in a school bus in Knappa. these cases ought to be taken After the case, Marquis seriously.” joined other lawyers, politi- cians and activists to lobby Marquis, a self-described for legislation that would cat person, had animals as Josh upgrade a number of ani- a child but did not own any mal cruelty charges from Marquis between 14 and 39, he said, misdemeanors to felonies. because he didn’t feel he had a permanent home. But shortly after In 1995, the state adopted what is being named district attorney in Clat- often referred to as the “Kittles Bill,” sop County in 1994, he went to a res- becoming the 12th state in the coun- cue shelter in Eugene and adopted try — now one of 46 — to add felony two kittens he said would be his com- provisions. panions for 20 years. “Josh Marquis has a unique During his time as the county’s top mix of skills as a trial lawyer and a prosecutor, Marquis tried numerous fierce public advocate, bringing spe- animal cruelty cases. One of his first cial skills to the task of fortifying the was against Vikki Kittles, a woman legal framework against animal cru- elty,” Marty Irby, executive director of Animal Wellness Action, said in a news release. “Marquis’ 35 years of commitment to fighting animal abuse and neglect will help create partner- ships that cross traditional political and professional divides.” Marquis has served on the govern- ing board of the Animal Legal Defense Fund and co-chaired the media rela- tions committee for the National Dis- trict Attorneys Association. Oregon has made many strides in animal cruelty laws, Marquis said. He’s hoping in his new position to move the needle nationally in terms of protection. “(Animals are) more than a mere possession, and people need to take that more seriously,” he said.