A2
THE ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, JUNE 7, 2022
IN BRIEF
Driver hits Seaside patrol car
on Highway 101
FISHERMEN PRIDE
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Seniors
threw their graduation caps at
the end of the ceremony.
SEASIDE — A driver was arrested on Sunday after
running his Hyundai Tucson into the back of a Seaside
police offi cer’s parked patrol car along U.S. Highway 101.
The offi cer had parked south of Beerman Creek Lane
to perform a traffi c stop on a driver of a Toyota Camry.
After the Hyundai Tucson struck it, the patrol car
collided with the Camry.
The Hyundai Tucson ended up on its side. Seaside
Fire & Rescue removed the driver, who was arrested
for driving under the infl uence of intoxicants. His
name was not immediately released.
No one was injured, police said.
— The Astorian
Seniors in Astoria High School’s
Class of 2022 wait to enter
their graduation ceremony on
Saturday at CMH Field.
Astoria High School principal
Lynn Jackson spoke at the
graduation ceremony.
One senior had a message on his
graduation cap: ‘Game over.’
Photos by Lydia Ely/The Astorian
DEATHS
June 6, 2022
In JOHNSON,
Brief
Arthur
Richman, 89, of Astoria,
died in Astoria. Caldwell’s
Luce-Layton Mortuary of
Astoria is in charge of the
arrangements.
June 5, 2022
BYRD, Bruce Tyler,
58, of Gearhart, died
in Gearhart. Caldwell’s
Luce-Layton Mortuary of
Astoria is in charge of the
arrangements.
June 1, 2022
GASCOIGNE, Derek,
61, of Seaside, died in
Seaside. Hughes-Ransom
Mortuary is in charge of
the arrangements.
MEMORIAL
Saturday, June 11
Memorial
NICHOLS, Rodney “Rod” — Memorial celebration
from 2 to 4 p.m., Bob Chisholm Community Center, 1225
Avenue A in Seaside. In lieu of fl owers, contributions may
be made to the North Coast Food Web (northcoastfoodweb.
org) or Columbia Senior Diners (astoriaseniorcenter.org).
CORRECTION
Incorrect neighborhood — The Uppertown home
Correction:
June
7, Har-
of Theodosia Woods received
a Dr. Edward
vey Historic Preservation Award. The neighborhood
was incorrectly described as Alderbrook in a Week-
2022
end Break story on May 14 and a photo caption with a
Writer’s Notebook feature on June 4.
ON THE RECORD
Sexual abuse
assault,
second-degree
On
the
June
• Joshua
Robert Record:
Men- criminal mischief
and four
denhall, 37, of Astoria, was counts of recklessly endan-
indicted
on May 27 for gering another person.
6,
2022
fi rst-degree sexual abuse.
The crimes are alleged to
Assault
• Asuemu Fuimaono,
50, of Covington, Wash-
ington, was arrested on
Sunday at 17th Street and
Marine Drive in Astoria
for fourth-degree assault
constituting
domestic
violence.
Burglary
• Shauna Marie Cox, 23,
of Seaside, was indicted
on Thursday for fi rst-de-
gree burglary, third-de-
gree assault and third-de-
gree theft. The crimes are
alleged to have occurred
in May.
DUII
• Drew Alan Bying-
ton, 49, of Klamath Falls,
was indicted on Thursday
for driving under the infl u-
ence of intoxicants, reck-
less driving, second-de-
gree assault, fourth-degree
have occurred in Clatsop
County in July.
• Ross Tadlock Henry,
45, of White Salmon,
Washington, was arrested
on Thursday near the inter-
section of U.S. Highway
101 and Turley Lane for
DUII, reckless driving and
refusing to take a Breatha-
lyzer test.
• Jacob Allen Riley, 21
of Astoria, was arrested on
Thursday at Youngs River
Road and Tucker Creek
Lane in Astoria for DUII.
He allegedly drove onto
someone’s property.
• Chandler Ray Emken,
24, of Astoria, was arrested
on May 26 on Wireless
Road in Astoria for DUII,
reckless driving, an open
container violation and
refusing to take a Breatha-
lyzer test.
PUBLIC MEETINGS
TUESDAY
Seaside Community Center Commission, 10 a.m., Bob
Chisholm Community Center, 1225 Avenue A.
Seaside Library Board, 4:30 p.m, 1131 Broadway.
Clatsop Care Health District Board, 5 p.m., 947 Olney Ave.
Clatsop County Fair Board, 5:30 p.m., Clatsop County Fair &
Expo Center, 92937 Walluski Loop.
Cannon Beach City Council, 6 p.m., City Hall, 163 E. Gower Ave.
Seaside Planning Commission, 6 p.m., City Hall, 989 Broadway.
WEDNESDAY
Clatsop Soil and Water Conservation District Board,
10 a.m., 2001 Marine Drive, Room 231.
Cannon Beach City Council, 6 p.m., work session, City Hall,
163 E. Gower Ave.
Warrenton-Hammond School District Board, 6 p.m., War-
renton High School library, 1700 S. Main Ave.
Astoria School District Board, 7 p.m., (electronic meeting).
Knappa School District Board, 7 p.m., Knappa High School
library, 41535 Old U.S. Highway 30.
THURSDAY
Seaside Civic and Convention Center Commission, 5 p.m.,
415 First Ave.
PUBLIC MEETINGS
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Lawmakers release money for
legal defense, mental health
By PETER WONG
Oregon Capital Bureau
State l awmakers have
released $100 million to fund
the legal defense of criminal
defendants and more than
$150 million to boost reim-
bursement to providers of
behavioral health services
for low-income Oregonians.
There were some dissent-
ers on Friday’s votes by the
Emergency Board, the 20
lawmakers who decide bud-
get issues between sessions
of the Legislature.
Lawmakers had already
withheld $100 million from
the two-year budget of the
Public Defense Services
Commission, which over-
sees a network that provides
legal defense statewide.
Legal defense has been hin-
dered by court closures
stemming from the corona-
virus pandemic, the resulting
backlog of cases and inade-
quate reimbursement for
lawyers working such cases.
A shortage of lawyers
has led some defendants in
Multnomah and Washington
counties to go unrepresented
— and some low-level crim-
inal cases dismissed in Mult-
nomah County.
A high-level work group
involving all three branches
of government is focused
on the problems of indi-
gent defense, which the state
assumed when trial courts
were transferred from the
counties in 1983. Public
defense is a separate offi ce
within the judicial branch.
“It’s not good,” state Sen-
ate President Peter Courtney,
a Democrat from Salem and
a lawyer who sits on the task
force, said during the Emer-
gency Board meeting.
“It’s
not
important
whether the judiciary is
at fault, the governor is at
fault, or we are at fault. We
are dealing with the right
to counsel, which is as fun-
damental a constitutional
right as we have. Everybody
agrees with that.”
A 1963 decision by the
U.S. Supreme Court requires
states to provide lawyers for
criminal defendants who
cannot aff ord representation
themselves.
Withholding part of an
agency budget is an unusual
but not unprecedented move
by lawmakers, who can del-
egate the Emergency Board
to release money once their
concerns are resolved.
I do not agree with them on
this.
“We are going to be
pounding on this for a long
time to come.”
According to Stephen
Singer, the executive direc-
tor of the Offi ce of Public
Defense Services, the new
contracts for legal defense
will
represent
overall
increases between 1% and
10%. Reimbursement rates
in some instances, however,
will increase sharply.
“We’re giving a 30%
increase in fees for this
agency,” Sen. Fred Girod,
A SHORTAGE OF LAWYERS HAS
LED SOME DEFENDANTS IN
MULTNOMAH AND WASHINGTON
COUNTIES TO GO UNREPRESENTED
— AND SOME LOW-LEVEL
CRIMINAL CASES DISMISSED
IN MULTNOMAH COUNTY.
Full amount released
The original recommen-
dation from the Legisla-
tive Fiscal Offi ce, which
does the staff work for the
Emergency Board, was for
release of $63.2 million,
and the rest to be considered
at the next meeting in Sep-
tember. But a subcommittee
recommended the release
of the full $100 million to
account for other expenses
not foreseen in the agency
budget.
“I am not willing to wait
until September,” Courtney
said. “I am not going to sec-
ond-guess those on the front
lines on this. I respect our
Legislative Fiscal Offi ce, but
R-Lyons, said. “So every-
one within government … is
going to say we have a short-
age of people who want to
participate and we’re going
to have to up our fees.”
But Sen. Elizabeth Steiner
Hayward, D-Beaverton, said
the money will help put pub-
lic defenders more on a par
with prosecutors .
Even with the release of
the money, she said, “they
are still well below district
attorneys. This is not gen-
erous remuneration by any
means.”
Girod was joined in oppo-
sition by Republican Sen .
Lynn Findley, of Vale, Sen.
Tim Knopp, of Bend, and
Rep. E. Werner Reschke, of
Klamath Falls. But Republi-
can Rep . Vikki Breese-Iver-
son, of Prineville, Rep. Greg
Smith, of Heppner, and Rep.
Duane Stark, of Grants Pass,
voted with all six Democratic
senators and six Democratic
representatives to approve
the release.
Smith, echoing Court-
ney, said lawmakers had no
choice because of the consti-
tutional requirement.
Mental health money
Lawmakers also approved
the release of $42.5 million
already approved from the
tax-supported general fund
and $112 million in federal
funds to boost reimburse-
ment for providers of behav-
ioral health services under
the Oregon Health Plan.
T he health plan provides
state-supported health insur-
ance to 1.4 million Orego-
nians, about a third of the
state’s population. Under
Medicaid, the federal gov-
ernment shares health insur-
ance costs with states for
low-income people.
Girod also raised a sim-
ilar objection to increased
rates — which average 30%
— but Stark said some rates
are unchanged and some go
beyond the average.
On this vote, only Reschke
joined Girod in opposi-
tion. All the other Republi-
cans joined all Democrats to
approve it; Sen. Bill Hansell,
R-Athena, was absent.
Smith said the increase
would help the state secure
more providers of behavioral
health services, which are in
short supply.
“We can do better for our
most vulnerable citizens,” he
said.
The Oregon Capital
Bureau is a collaboration
between EO Media Group
and Pamplin Media Group.