Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 30, 2016)
Page 8A NATION East Oregonian HOMELESS: HUD’s de¿nition doesn’t encompass couch surfers Continued from 1A the Salvation Army. Flyers hung around town had urged anyone who was homeless to come to the Salvation Army in Pendleton for lunch and an anonymous survey. When Richards and Bowman arrived, they ¿nally got to asN their questions. One-by-one, men and women sat down for short interviews, then looNed through a selection of giveaways such as lip balm, socNs, water bottles, granola bars, hats and other items. 0ichelle +ensley shucNed off a heavy coat, gloves and hat before sitting down with Bowman. “Are you currently home- less"´ Bowman asNed. The 47-year-old nodded. “Where are you staying tonight?” “I live in a tent by the Columbia River,” Hensley said. She told Bowman she was laid off from her job and camps near Umatilla with her dog — a Rottweiler/Shar Pei cross. Before the layoff, she said, “I always had a really nice house.” Down the table a ways, Richards interviewed a couple who answered her questions with sad and serious expres- sions on their young faces. Richards, who helped organize the count and is a case manager for CAPECO’s Moving Forward Program, said HUD’s de¿nition of homeless is narrow. “People considered Staff photo by Kathy Aney Owen McLaughlin, who has struggled with homeless- ness for years, stuffs a new pair of socks into his back- pack he was given Wednesday after he participated in the annual Point In Time Homeless Count conducted by the Community Action Program of East Central Or- egon and other agencies. homeless live in emergency shelters. They camp or sleep outside,” she said. “They sleep in vehicles or motels. They stay in places not meant for human habitation such as garages and sheds.” The de¿nition doesn’t encompass couch surfers or others who temporarily bunN with others. CAPECO, however, collects that infor- mation for its own purposes. “There are people who are truly homeless who don’t meet the HUD de¿nition,” Richards said. For all this data collection, Richards said they are really only getting a glimpse of the problem. This Nind of surveying obviously is not an exact science. Past counts revealed a Àuctuating number of homeless in the county — 235 in 2011, 195 in 2012, 171 in 2013, 239 in 2014 and 86 in 2015. The drop in 2015 had more to do with HUD clarifying its de¿nition, she said, and the fact that the count occurred on a day that was unseasonably warm. The county’s warming stations were closed. This year, both warming stations opened despite warmer temperatures to attract more homeless for the count with the promise of a dinner. At the Salvation Army, Sally Susser said she’s not homeless now, but was without a home for eight years. Susser said she’s seen more homeless this year. “Some of them are sitting at the library, some are in restaurants and some are walNing the streets,” Susser said. “They sleep by the river. They sleep curled up behind buildings and in the woods.” Warren May said he currently lives in someone’s garage. He said many home- less just stay off the radar. “They hunNer down,” he said. “They are lonely.” Some have mental illness. A man who said he had PTSD is angry about his life. When a Salvation Army worNer advised him where he could get a shower voucher, he spoNe in frustrated tones saying he has already used his quota. When she offered to pray with him, he lashed out. “If there was a god, would I be freezing every night?” he snapped. “Would my feet be blacN?” Those Ninds of sentiments are dif¿cult for Richards and Bowman to hear since CAPECO’s programs help some, but not all. Accurate data could help maNe the picture clearer. “We’re not just looNing for information,” she said. “We really do care.” Richards said she will have preliminary numbers from this count in mid-February. The state will release formal numbers later in the year. ——— Contact Kathy Aney at kaney@eastoregonian.com or call 541-966-0810. BRIEFLY U.S. declares 22 Hilary Clinton emails ‘top secret’ WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration con¿rmed for the ¿rst time Friday that Hillary Clinton’s home server contained closely guarded government secrets, censoring 22 emails that contained material requiring one of the highest levels of classi¿cation. The revelation comes three days before Clinton competes in the Iowa presidential caucuses. State Department of¿cials also said the agency’s Diplomatic Security and Intelligence and Research bureaus are investigating if any of the information was classi¿ed at the time of transmission, going to the heart of Clinton’s defense of her email practices. The department will release its next batch of emails from her time as secretary of state later Friday. But The Associated Press learned seven email chains are being withheld in full for containing “top secret” information. The 37 pages include messages a Ney intelligence of¿cial recently said concerned “special access programs” —highly restricted, classi¿ed material that could point to con¿dential sources or clandestine programs liNe drone striNes. “The documents are being upgraded at the request of the intelligence community because they contain a category of top secret information,” State Department spoNesman John Kirby told the AP, calling the withholding of documents in full “not unusual.” That means they won’t be published online with others being released, even with blacNed-out boxes. 1 of 3 fugitive inmates arrested SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — Police arrested one of three violent fugitive inmates on Friday after he told a woman in the same city where the jailbreaN occurred a weeN ago that he wanted to surrender, authorities said. The other two men remained at large. Bac Duong, 43, was taNen into custody in Santa Ana, where the trio made their brazen escape on Jan. 22 from the maximum security facility, Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens said. Lee Tran, an owner of Auto Electric Rebuilders, said Duong came into the shop looNing for Tran’s sister, Theresa, and told her that he wanted to turn himself in. Tran says his sister called 911 and Duong went outside to smoNe a cigarette and wait for police to arrive. He says his sister’s boyfriend Nnows Duong and that marshals had come by to speaN with her earlier this weeN because she might have visited Duong in jail. Facebook sets stricter policy on ¿UHDUPVVDOHV SAN FRANCISCO (AP) FacebooN says it’s cracNing down on online gun sales, with a new policy that bars private individuals from advertising or selling ¿rearms on the world’s largest social networN. Licensed gun retailers can still advertise their businesses on FacebooN, but they aren’t allowed to accept orders or transact sales on the site. The new policy announced Friday drew praise from a gun-control group that says it has been urging FacebooN to prohibit sales. Everytown for Gun Safety, which started with bacNing from former New <orN Mayor Michael Bloomberg, says it found cases where felons who should not have been allowed to legally buy guns were able to buy one 37 TH ANNUAL HERMISTON SPORTS BOOSTERS STEAK FEED & AUCTION Saturday, March 5th • 5:30pm Auction starts at 7:00pm Hermiston Community Center FOR TABLE RESERVATIONS, $ 40 per pers call Paul 541-567-5215 or formore info., call Joe 541-571-4478 on Everyone 21 years & over welcome. All proceeds will assist Hermiston High School boys and girl athletic programs. This ad generously donated by COLUMBIA BANK a proud community supporter HERMISTONSPORTSBOOSTERS . COM from unlicensed sellers on FacebooN. Treasure hunter disappears searching for $2 million in gold ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — An antiquities dealer who inspired tens of thousands to search the RocNy Mountains for $2 million in hidden treasure now leads an increasingly desperate mission to ¿nd one of his fans. Forrest Fenn has been Àying out in chartered helicopters or planes, searching remote stretches of the upper Rio Grande for any sign of Randy Bilyeu, now missing in the wild for more than three frigid weeNs. Fellow treasure hunters also are searching for Bilyeu, who was last seen on Jan. 5 while trying to solve Fenn’s mystery. “Every time we go out and don’t ¿nd Randy it’s discouraging but we’re not going to give up,” Fenn told The Associated Press. “There are still places out there that I want to looN.” Fenn, an eccentric 85-year-old from Santa Fe, has inspired a cult following since his announcement several years ago that he stashed a small bronze chest containing nearly $2 million in of gold, jewelry and artifacts somewhere in the RocNies. He dropped clues to its whereabouts in a cryptic poem in his self-published memoir, “The Thrill of the Chase.” The hidden treasure has inspired thousands to search in vain through remote corners of New Mexico, Yellowstone National ParN and elsewhere in the mountains. Treasure hunters share their experiences on blogs and brainstorm about the clues. The mystery has been featured by national media, igniting even more interest. Saturday, January 30, 2016 PUC question utilities about renewable power plan By HILLARY BORRUD Capital Bureau SALEM — Oregon’s two largest utilities presented the case for legislation to phase out coal energy for their customers in the state, during a special meeting of the Oregon Public Utility Commission Friday. SNeptical commissioners pressed utility representa- tives to explain whether the bill would effect the opera- tions of their coal plants in other states, and how the companies would maintain a reliable power supply during a major transition to variable sources such as solar and wind. LawmaNers plan to asN the Public Utility Commis- sion to weigh in on the costs and bene¿ts of the bill, which the Legislature will consider during the 35-day session that begins Monday. The ¿rst hearing on the bill is scheduled Tuesday. House Bill 4036, which resulted from negotiations between Paci¿Corp, Portland General Electric and the politically active nonpro¿t Renew Oregon, would require the utilities to use renewable power sources such as wind and solar to serve at least 50 percent of energy demand in Oregon by 2040. That is double the current state mandate of 25 percent renewable energy by 2025. Renew Oregon represents a coalition of environmental groups, renewable energy companies and other busi- nesses. Under the deal negoti- ated with Renew Oregon, Paci¿Corp would stop using coal power for its Oregon customers by 2030 and Portland General Elec- tric would do so by 2035. The environmental groups agreed to drop their efforts to get voters to pass several new renewable energy mandates in November, including an initiative that would eliminate coal power, if lawmaNers and the governor approve House Bill 4036. Oregon’s largest utilities are state-regulated monop- olies, and the Public Utility Commission is the entity that enforces those regulations and sets utility rates. On Friday, the commissioners aired their suspicions the utilities might have inserted provisions into the bill to get around previous commis- sion decisions with which they disagreed. “I guess one of our concerns is we already allow the utilities to maNe proposals as to when costs associated with the (renew- able energy mix standard) can come into rates,” said Susan AcNerman, chair of the commission. AcNerman said part of House Bill 4036 appeared to re-state that. “Just the fact the language seems to say what we already do maNes me suspi- cious, franNly.” The Public Utility Commission already raised concerns about the legisla- tion privately, in emails with staff in Gov. Kate Brown’s of¿ce that were obtained and reported by The Orego- nian. “We (at the public utility commission) have some deep concerns about these negotiations because we thinN they will not be effective in reducing carbon emissions, but they will be expensive to consumers,” AcNerman wrote in a Dec. 15 email to Gov. Kate Brown’s chief of staff Kristen Leonard and energy adviser Ruchi Sadhir. Commissioner John Savage listed similar concerns. “It won’t alter one bit what coal plants run and what are shut down regardless of what folNs say — with or without the bill, what plants are shut down and when will be determined by what happens in other states and for other reasons (e.g. EPA regulation),” Savage wrote in a Dec. 17 email to Sadhir. When asNed by the commis- sion on Friday whether the bill would force Paci¿Corp to shut down coal plants in other states, Scott Bolton, a vice president at the company, said no. AcNerman said that state Sen. Lee Beyer, D-Spring- ¿eld, asNed the commission to prepare an analysis of the measure for lawmaNers. The two utilities released anal- yses earlier this weeN which showed House Bill 4036 would increase the cost of power to customers by roughly 1 percent annually in the lead-up to full imple- mentation. However, the utilities found the renewable energy requirements in the legislation would be $880 million to $960 million less expensive for customers than the ballot measure proposal to eliminate coal, Initiative Petition 63.
