The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current, February 08, 2020, Image 7

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The daily Astorian., February 08, 2020, Page 7, Image 7

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Newspaper Page TextA7 THE ASTORIAN • SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2020 Bill aims to stop jail from taking detainees Regional jail in The Dalles By ANDREW SELSKY Associated Press SALEM — A jail serv- ing four counties in Ore- gon has been holding immigrants detained by federal authorities, leading to frequent protests outside the facility. Now, in Oregon’s deeply divided Legisla- ture — with Republicans threatening a walkout over a bill to address global warming — a Democrat and a Republican have come together to spon- sor legislation that would force the Northern Ore- gon Regional Correctional Facility to stop contracting with federal immigration ofﬁ cials to lock up immi- grant detainees. To make up for lost revenue, the state would pay the facility, known as NORCOR, located 80 miles east of Portland, $1.6 million for a two-year period. Rep. Daniel Bonham and Rep. Anna Williams have different motives, but worked on the bill together to achieve a common goal. For Bonham, a Repub- lican from the town of The Dalles, located along the Columbia River where the jail is located, his concern was that lawsuits against the prison could force it to give up its contract with Immigration and Cus- toms Enforcement, putting the counties in a ﬁ nancial bind. “I had a conversa- tion here in this build- ing with leadership about what could the state do, the state could step up with funds,” Bonham said at the Capitol. For Williams, a Dem- ocrat from Hood River, a town some 20 miles downriver from Bonham’s home, she believes the jail’s acceptance of detain- ees from ICE violates Oregon’s sanctuary state policy. A county judge last year ruled it doesn’t, because NORCOR resources aren’t being used to detect or arrest people. Oregon, in 1987, became America’s ﬁ rst sanctuary state when it prohibited state and local law enforcement from using public resources to arrest or detain people whose only crime is being in the country illegally. The ICE detainees usu- ally are overﬂ ow from the agency’s detention center in Tacoma, Washington. They are supposed to be at NORCOR only tempo- rarily, but some have been locked up for long peri- ods, including one for 13 of the last 15 months, Bon- ham said. He worries that could lead to a court put- ting an end to the contract which provides about 10% of the jail’s operating bud- get, with no alternative to make up the difference. For Bonham, sanctuary state isn’t an issue with the bill. However, represent- ing an agricultural region that is dependent on immi- grants, he said the federal government should estab- lish a policy that allows workers to come and go freely, after being vetted. “We’ve got a federal- ized weaponized border that says you can’t come in or out, but we need that workforce,” Bon- ham said. “Especially in Wasco County, our cherry orchards do not func- tion without that migrant workforce.” Rights groups have denounced conditions in NORCOR. The Ameri- can Civil Liberties Union of Oregon said in 2017, the year that several ICE detainees held a hun- ger strike, that the food is composed mainly of bread with little nutritional value and detainees must buy their own socks, which NORCOR denied. The Gorge ICE Resistance, a coalition of groups in the Columbia River Gorge, has staged frequent pro- tests outside the jail. Williams and Bonham knew each other outside the Legislature — Bonham goes to a church around the corner from Williams’ house and she did social work in his hometown — and that helped them work together on the proposed legislation, said Williams, who was elected to the Oregon House in 2018. “You have to develop the relationship to be able to trust each other enough to say, ‘I’m going to sup- port this bill because of my policy priorities and you’re going to do it because of your policy priorities that don’t overlap, but here’s where we can work together,’” Williams . The bill is also a way to underscore with the Leg- islature that many rural counties with a low tax base are struggling to fund jails and other facilities, Williams said. They are “making these completely dubious con- tracts in order to ﬁ ll the budget,” Williams said. “And that’s something, I think, that is the state Leg- islature’s responsibility to be aware of and be respon- sive to.” Both lawmakers recog- nize the bill is not apt to pass the Legislature during this 2020 35-day short ses- sion, because of concerns about where additional funds would come from in two years, and because it might set a precedent for other counties to seek state funding for jails. But Williams said their collaboration, in ﬁ nd- ing common ground even though policy priorities may differ, can be a model for a divided Legislature. “That’s the kind of stuff I think we really need to be focusing on,” she said. SEVENDAY FORECAST FOR ASTORIA TODAY SUNDAY MONDAY Trump unleashes impeachment fury in acquittal ‘celebration’ By JILL COLVIN, JONATHAN LEMIRE and ZEKE MILLER Associated Press WASHINGTON — Exulting in his impeachment acquittal, a deﬁ ant Presi- dent Donald Trump took a scorched-earth victory lap Thursday, unleashing his fury against those who tried to remove him from ofﬁ ce and pointing ahead to his reelection campaign. Triumphantly waving newspaper front pages that declared him “ACQUIT- TED,” Trump denounced the impeachment proceed- ings as a “disgrace” and por- trayed himself as a victim of political foes he labeled “scum,” “sleaze bags” and “crooked” people. Hours earlier, he unleashed broad- sides that stunned the crowd at an annual bipartisan prayer breakfast. “It was evil, it was cor- rupt, it was dirty cops,” Trump declared in a packed White House East Room, where he was surrounded by several hundred of his most loyal supporters. “This should never ever happen to another president, ever.” He conceded nothing in regard to charges that he improperly withheld a White House meeting and U.S. military aid in an effort to pressure Ukraine to investigate Democratic rival Joe Biden and other political matters. “We went through hell, unfairly,” he insisted. “Did nothing wrong.” His comments were a clear sign that, post-im- peachment, Trump is emboldened like never before as he barrels ahead in his reelection ﬁ ght with a united Republican Party behind him. And his remarks stood in stark contrast to the apology offered by Presi- dent Bill Clinton when he faced the American people in the aftermath of his own impeachment acquittal in 1999. In a brief Rose Garden address, Clinton was som- ber: “I want to say again to the American people how profoundly sorry I am for what I said and did to trigger these events and the great burden they have imposed on the Congress and on the American people.” The only contrition Trump offered was to his own family, apologizing “for having them go through a phony, rotten deal.” Trump had plenty else to say, however. Venting for more than an hour, he ticked off names of the “vicious and mean” people he felt had wronged him: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Intel- ligence Committee Chair- man Adam Schiff and for- mer FBI Director James Comey. And he reveled in the verdict handed down by the GOP-controlled Senate Wednesday, saluting one- by-one in Oscar acceptance speech-fashion the “war- TUESDAY WEDNESDAY Evan Vucci/AP Photo President Donald Trump speaks in the East Room of the White House on Thursday. ‘IT WAS EVIL, IT WAS CORRUPT, IT WAS DIRTY COPS. THIS SHOULD NEVER EVER HAPPEN TO ANOTHER PRESIDENT, EVER.’ President Donald Trump rior” GOP lawmakers who had backed him both in the Capitol and on television. “Now we have that gor- geous word. I never thought it would sound so good,” Trump said. “It’s called ‘total acquittal.’” One person unmentioned: Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, whose involvement with Ukraine helped drive Trump’s push for investigations that led to his becoming just the third president in U.S, history to be impeached by the House. Trump’s remarks, deliv- ered with the aid of scrib- bled notes but no tele- prompter, served as a dramatic contrast to his State of the Union address earlier this week. Standing before Congress Tuesday night, Trump hewed closely to his script and offered an optimistic message to the country with no mention of impeachment. This time, his remarks were rambling and replete with profane language, comedic interludes and plenty of tangents and asides. He ribbed Ohio Rep. James Jordan, a college wrestling champion, for rarely wear- ing a suit jacket, saying, “He’s obviously very proud of his body.” And he deliv- ered a dramatic reading of text messages between two of his favorite targets, for- mer FBI agent Peter Strzok and lawyer Lisa Page, who NE NEW LOCATION W 50 34 Occasional rain Mostly sunny 50 36 49 36 Partly sunny A shower in places RS • Tax Preparation • E-file • Tax Planning • Business Services - Bookkeeping & Payroll • Tax Audit Support & Services • Free 2nd Look Review • Peace of Mind • Enrolled Agent Audit Representation • DLTC 26932 & OBTP B15100 & B14489 COME BY, CALL, OR MAKE AN APPOINTMENT TODAY. 3003 HWY 101 SEASIDE/GEARHART 503.717.5206 FRIDAY 1092 Marine Drive Astoria 503.325.1166 REGIONAL FORECAST Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows. 48 37 Cloudy Showers possible Aberdeen Olympia 48/33 48/37 Wenatchee Tacoma Moses Lake Astoria through Thursday Tonight’s Sky: Hydra, the water snake, is so big that it takes more than seven hours for the whole snake to rise. Astoria / Port Docks Temperatures High/low ................................ 51/49 Normal high/low .................. 51/37 Record high .................. 65 in 1954 Record low .................... 20 in 2014 Precipitation Thursday ................................. 0.53” Month to date ........................ 4.10” Normal month to date ......... 1.61” Year to date .......................... 22.24” Normal year to date ........... 11.81” Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2020 Source: Jim Todd, OMSI Sunrise today .................. 7:30 a.m. Sunset tonight ............... 5:30 p.m. Moonrise today ............. 4:56 p.m. Moonset today ............... 7:27 a.m. Last New High (ft.) Time Low (ft.) 12:56 a.m. 7.5 6:22 a.m. 3.1 12:03 p.m. 9.4 7:17 p.m. -1.1 Cape Disappointment 12:32 a.m. 7.4 5:27 a.m. 3.4 11:39 a.m. 9.5 6:20 p.m. -1.3 Hammond SUN AND MOON Full Time First 12:43 a.m. 7.6 5:50 a.m. 3.1 11:50 a.m. 9.7 6:40 p.m. -1.4 Warrenton 12:51 a.m. 7.9 6:06 a.m. 3.2 11:58 a.m. 9.8 7:01 p.m. -1.0 Knappa 1:33 a.m. 7.8 7:23 a.m. 2.7 12:40 p.m. 9.6 8:18 p.m. -0.9 Depoe Bay Feb 8 Feb 15 Feb 23 Mar 2 10:52 a.m. 9.8 4:56 a.m. 3.4 none 5:51 p.m. -1.5 City Atlanta Boston Chicago Dallas Denver Honolulu Houston Los Angeles Miami New York City Phoenix San Francisco Wash., DC Sun. Hi/Lo/W 53/35/pc 34/19/s 35/24/sf 61/53/s 48/20/pc 77/65/pc 73/59/sh 69/52/s 76/67/pc 40/30/s 72/48/s 59/46/s 47/34/pc 61/48/pc 36/33/s 36/25/sn 71/41/c 25/10/c 77/62/s 76/64/sh 62/48/r 79/70/pc 42/36/c 74/54/pc 62/48/s 51/43/pc Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow fl urries, sn-snow, i-ice. 42/23 Pullman Yakima 51/26 47/31 40/27 53/23 Longview Kennewick Walla Walla 47/30 Lewiston 54/28 47/32 47/31 Hermiston The Dalles 51/29 Enterprise Pendleton 35/25 45/29 50/30 La Grande 37/28 48/32 NATIONAL CITIES Today Hi/Lo/W Spokane 47/28 48/31 Salem TODAY'S TIDES P We offer Tax Identity Shield ® A Tool to help you better protect yourself from tax identity theft. 48/33 Portland 49/34 UNDER THE SKY HI Our preparers are Licensed with the Oregon Board of Tax Practitioners. We Provide Year Round: Astoria ALMANAC R 3003 HWY 101 503.717.5206 49 36 Some sun DE OW SEASIDE/GEARHART THURSDAY 50 36 UN NE Seattle 48 33 played a role in the special counsel’s investigation of Russian interference to help Trump in the 2016 election. “This is really not a press conference. It’s not a speech. It’s not anything,” Trump remarked at one point. “It’s a celebration.” He declared that the Republican Party had never been more uniﬁ ed and pre- dicted momentum from the acquittal would carry him to reelection this November. But he also predicted that he may have to fend off another impeachment chal- lenge, perhaps for something as trivial as jaywalking. “We’ll probably have to do it again because these people have gone stone-cold crazy,” the president said. On Friday, Lt. Col. Alex- ander Vindman, the deco- rated soldier and national security aide who played a central role in the Dem- ocrats’ impeachment case against Trump, was escorted out of the White House complex, according to his lawyer, who said he was asked to leave in retaliation for “telling the truth.” Corvallis 48/32 Albany 47/32 John Day Eugene Bend 48/32 41/24 36/28 Ontario 48/28 Caldwell Burns 38/21 44/27 Medford 47/29 Klamath Falls 39/21 City Baker City Brookings Ilwaco Newberg Newport Today Hi/Lo/W 40/25/sf 50/38/sh 47/35/r 48/32/r 48/35/r Sun. Hi/Lo/W 40/18/pc 57/43/s 49/35/s 50/30/pc 50/36/s City North Bend Roseburg Seaside Springfi eld Vancouver Today Hi/Lo/W 48/36/sh 47/32/sh 47/33/r 47/32/r 47/34/r Sun. Hi/Lo/W 53/37/s 51/32/pc 50/33/s 50/28/pc 50/31/pc