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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 3, 2016)
Page 10 The Skanner February 3, 2016 News BEND, Ore. (AP) — Oregon lawmak- ers will have a chance to reconsider the merits of recording grand jury pro- ceedings as the legislative session gets underway in February. Last year, a bill that would require courts to electronically record such proceedings stalled amid passionate debate. A similar measure has been in- troduced this year, but with some key changes, reported The Bend Bulletin. A grand jury reviews evidence and decides whether there’s probable cause to bring criminal charges against a suspect in a felony case. The process in- volves witnesses answering questions from prosecutors and is not open to the public, the defendant or defense attor- neys. Oregon is one of the few states that doesn’t record grand jury proceedings electronically. Instead, one grand juror takes handwritten notes on the hear- ing. The defense bar says recording the presentation of evidence and testimo- ny would be a check on prosecutorial power. But many of the state’s prosecutors have expressed opposition to the bill. PHOTO BY M.O. STEVENS COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS (PUBLIC DOMAIN) Oregon Lawmakers Will Again Consider Recording Grand Juries The Oregon legislature (shown here in 2009) will hear a bill requiring grand juries to be recorded. They say it would be an unnecessary burden and could endanger witnesses and victims. The handwritten notes are consid- ered a record of the district attorney’s office and not released to any other party. Under the new proposal, the electronic recording would be a record of the court and could be distributed to prosecutors and defense attorneys if the grand jury hands down and indict- ment. The updated proposal would allow district attorneys to request a pro- tective order to conceal information about a victim, witness or criminal in- formant. It would also let certain peo- ple, like children and people with intel- ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS CITY OF ATHENA, OREGON - WATER SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS - CITY WELL NO. 5 - 2016 City of Athena, Oregon 302 East Currant Street / P.O. Box 686 Athena, Oregon 97813 The City of Athena, Oregon, invites Bids for the construction of Water System Im- provements - City Well No. 5 - 2016. The well work consists of drilling, casing, sealing, developing, and testing a new basalt groundwater supply well. The well is estimated to be approximately 1,600 feet deep. The project is located in north- west Athena, adjacent to City ball fields on property owned by the City. Sealed Bids for the described Project will be received by the City of Athena, Oregon, at City Hall, located at 302 East Currant Street, Athena, Oregon 97813, until 2 p.m., local time, February 25, 2016, at which time the Bids received will be publicly opened and read. The time for substantial completion shall be one hun- dred twenty (120) calendar days. The Contract is subject to the applicable provisions of ORS 279C.800 through ORS 279C.870, the Oregon Prevailing Wage Law. This Project is being funded in part through USDA Rural Development. Bid security shall be furnished in accor- dance with the Instructions to Bidders. The Issuing Office for the Bidding Docu- ments is: Anderson Perry & Associates, Inc., Brad D. Baird, P.E., 1901 N. Fir Street, La Grande, Oregon, 541-963- 8309, bbaird@andersonperry.com. Pro- spective Bidders may examine the Bid- ding Documents at the Issuing Office on Mondays through Fridays between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. lectual disabilities, give a statement to a grand jury through a police officer. The Oregon Criminal Defense Law- yers Association supports the bill but is wary about that provisions, said lob- byist Gail Meyer. She said it’s not ideal for testimony to be filtered through an- other person, although it is usually al- lowed in other states that record grand juries. Meyer says recording grand juries would let the accused know what claims witnesses are making against them, and the defense bar argues that recording would bring some oversight to a secret process. Oregon District Attorneys Associ- ation lobbyist Kevin Neely, however, says prosecutors are already legally required to share evidence that could benefit defendants. “The district attorneys association believes that this is a solution in search of a problem,” said Neely, who argues that the provision would be costly and not improve public safety. “There’s very little evidence that there is grand jury abuse in Oregon.” He said the group is opposed to the provisions outline in the bill but not necessarily opposed to recording grand juries. Bidding Documents are available at http://www.andersonperry.com under the Bid Docs link. The digital Bidding Documents may be downloaded for a non-refundable payment of $25.00 by inputting QuestCDN eBidDoc Number 4193158 on the website. Assistance with free QuestCDN membership registration, document downloading, and working with the digital Project information may be obtained at QuestCDN.com, at 952- 233-1632, or via e-mail at info@quest- cdn.com. The Contract Documents will be available for download after February 1, 2016. No paper sets will be provided for bidding purposes. Bidding Documents may also be exam- ined at the following locations: City of Athena City Hall, 302 East Cur- rant Street, Athena, Oregon Anderson Perry & Associates, Inc., 1901 N. Fir Street, La Grande, Oregon Anderson Perry & Associates, Inc., 214 E. Birch Street, Walla Walla, Washington. The Owner is an equal opportunity em- ployer. Minority and women-owned busi- nesses are encouraged to bid. Minority and women-owned businesses request- ing Contract Documents should indicate they are a minority firm at the time they request Contract Documents so they may be listed on the Planholders List as a minority. A pre-bid conference will be held at 2:00 p.m. local time on February 18, 2016, at the City of Athena City Hall, 302 East Currant Street, Athena, Oregon 97813. Bidders are highly encouraged to attend. Owner: City of Athena, Oregon By: Nancy Parker Title: City Recorder Date: February 3, 2015 2-3-16 We honor the many accomplishments of African Americans It is our primary goal as a labor union to better the lives of all people work- ing in the building trades through ad- vocacy, civil demonstration, and the long-held belief that workers deserve a "family wage" - fair pay for an honest day's work. A family wage, and the bene- fits that go with it, not only strengthens families, but also allows our communities to be- come stronger, more cohe- sive, and more responsive to their citizens' needs. Our family wage agenda re- flects our commitment to peo- ple working in the building trades, and to workers every- where. In this small way, we are doing our part to help peo- ple achieve the American Dream. This dream that work- ers can hold dear regardless of race, color, national origin, gender, creed, or religious be- liefs. The Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters Representing more than 5.000 construction workers in Oregon State. Do you want to know more about becoming a Union carpenter?
