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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 7, 2016)
Page 8A OFF PAGE ONE East Oregonian DEBATE: Thomason proposed passing a general sales tax Continued from 1A secretary of state, Brown was next in the line of succession when Kitzhaber resigned in February 2015 amid an inlu- ence-peddling scandal. The debate was hosted by League of Women Voters Oregon and Oregon Public Broadcasting, and moderated by Think Out Loud host David Miller. Thomason provided a departure from largely partisan talking points by Brown and Pierce. While Brown supports a $3 billion corporate sales tax measure on the November ballot to help fund expansion of the Oregon Health Plan, Pierce said state government could come up with the money for the expansion simply with more eficient operations. Meanwhile, Thomason proposed ditching the corpo- rate tax in favor of passing a general sales tax, with corre- sponding reductions in other kinds of taxes, to help pay for health care and other services. Voters have rejected a sales tax 10 times. Asked why voters would approve a sales tax on an 11th try, Thomason responded: “Because I am asking them.” On affordable housing, Pierce proposed reforming land-use laws to give counties more control over the cost of land and growth of urban growth boundaries. He said local governments also should to relax design standards and fees for affordable house. “Otherwise, we won’t have affordably-built housing,” Pierce said. Brown said expanding urban growth boundaries wouldn’t solve the problem. She cited a $70 million package passed earlier this year that dedicated money to building affordable housing and giving assistance to homeowners to avoid foreclo- sure. Lawmakers also lifted a ban on local jurisdictions requiring affordable units in exchange for certain perks such as tax exemptions. Brown promised to ight for more funding for affordable units and to outlaw no-cause evictions in the 2017 legislative session. Thomason said the $70 million housing package would inance less than 1,000 units. Thousands of more are needed to address the housing shortage. He proposed subsidizing $20 per square foot on the irst 500 square feet of construc- tion on affordable housing with guarantee of rents at $600 to $800 for units. “We can build our way out of this,” while stimulating job growth, he said. Moving on to the state’s low graduation rate, Miller noted that Oregon ranks 32nd in the nation for per-pupil funding levels, according to Governing magazine. “Setting money aside for the time being, what else do you think is wrong with Oregon education?” Miller asked. Thomason suggested giving all high school soph- omores the GED test to give them “a sense of accomplish- ment” and the ability to access jobs and higher education if they leave school without a graduation diploma. Pierce said he would push for more teacher and leadership training and give students tracks to pursue in high school, including voca- tional training and university. Brown touted the Legislature’s investment in early education and STEM (science, technical, engi- neering and math) education and said her new graduation guru Colt Gill — a new position she created – would be coming up with more concrete plans for addressing the problem. Friday, October 7, 2016 ABUSE: Important not to victim-blame Continued from 1A leeing an abusive situation, temporary restraining orders, support groups, one-on-one counseling and classes on everything from life skills to understanding why victims stay with their abusers. Cummings said there is hope and help available for anyone who needs it. “Usually victims have feelings of guilt,” he said. “They think they must have done something to deserve this. But no, you haven’t. Please hear me. You haven’t done anything to deserve this. Someone else’s abusive behaviors are not your fault.” His words were followed by a minute of silence for those who did not receive help in time to save their lives. Sharon Neuvirth of Domestic Violence Services said the agency provides help not only to victims, but “You haven’t done anything to deserve this. Someone else’s abusive behaviors are not your fault.” — Terry Cummings, Hermiston police and ire chaplain also to those who are worried about a friend or family member and don’t know how to help them. “We actually get those calls quite often,” she said. Neuvirth said abusers keep control of their victims in part by cutting them off from their friendships and family relationships, so the most important piece of a survivor’s recovery is having loved ones ready to reconnect with them. “They will need that support system,” she said. She said it is also extremely important not to victim-blame when someone is hit, raped, stalked or other- wise abused. “People tend to focus on, why were they wearing that little black dress or why did they go drinking at a bar,” she said. “These are normal things that people do.” The fault, then, lies with the abuser or rapist who chose to commit a crime against someone else. Neuvirth said the purpose of the events being held around the county this week is to remember those who died at the hands of an abuser, but also to send a message of hope. For those who would like to help Domestic Violence Services, their annual Soup Bowl Supper fundraiser will be Oct. 28 at the Pendleton Convention Center. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., dinner is at 6 p.m. and the silent auction ends at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $25 per person and reservations can be made by calling 541-276-3322. The agency is also running its annual training for crisis hotline volunteers with a range of classes Oct. 31 through Nov. 18 in Pend- leton. For a list of classes visit www.domesticviolenceser- vices-or.org. As for those who need help themselves, Cummings urged everyone on Thursday night to seek it as soon as possible. “If you’re a victim, call,” he said. “If you are a friend of a victim, call.” The Domestic Violence Services 24-hour crisis line is 1-800-833-1161. ——— Contact Jade McDowell at jmcdowell@eastorego- nian.com or 541-564-4536. Great iPhone meets great network. iPhone 7 on U.S. Cellular. ® Switch now to get 7GB of data per line for only $49 a month. Plus, a strong signal in the Middle of Anywhere. TRIAL: Prosecutors allege the conspiracy began two months before the occupation Continued from 1A receiving a $530,000 U.S. Small Business Administra- tion loan, a move to show Bundy isn’t opposed to the federal government when it can help him proit. Bundy said he supports the federal government, but not its management of land within states. Bundy has said he came to Oregon’s high desert to help locals deal with an over- reaching federal government that has abused people’s land rights for decades. The immediate issue was the case of Dwight and Steven Hammond, two ranchers who Bundy felt were unjustly returning to prison on arson convictions. Earlier Thursday, Bundy was questioned by his own attorney and lawyers representing the other six people charged in the alleged conspiracy. One was his brother and co-defendant Ryan Bundy, who’s acting as his own lawyer. “How you doing, brother?” Ammon asked Ryan at the start of the testi- mony. The pair discussed their relationship, from childhood to the start of the occupation. Ammon testiied that the pair spoke by phone in the run up to the occupation, but never discussed the refuge or impeding federal workers. Ryan Bundy did not arrive in southeast Oregon until the morning of the occupation, his brother said. “I know you were not very prepared, didn’t have much of a jacket,” said Ammon Bundy, showing his brother had planned to attend a rally in support of the Hammonds but did not intend an extended stay. Co-defendant Shawna Cox, also acting her own lawyer, briely questioned Bundy. Lawyers for the other four defendants — Kenneth Medenbach, Jeff Banta, Neil Wampler and David Fry — asked questions designed to show they had only brief interactions with Bundy and were not involved in key decisions. Medenbach’s lawyer, Matthew Schindler, asked Bundy how a federal employee was supposed to work when Bundy was using her ofice and sitting in her chair. “I didn’t really think of it,” Bundy said. Answering questions from his own lawyer, Bundy repeated statements from earlier in the week that the group planned to take ownership of the refuge by means of adverse possession, which is a way to gain title to land by occupying it for a period of time. The defense displayed videos that showed Bundy lecturing on the topic at the refuge. Bundy testiied he did not visit the refuge before the occupation and had to use GPS to ind it. The prosecutor returned to that statement during his cross-examination, asking Bundy if he really needed GPS to ind a place in which he intended to stay until 2036. Bundy responded that he expected the government to try to evict him — not arrest him — and the land dispute would be settled in civil court. Prosecutors allege the conspiracy began two months before the occupation, when Bundy and another activist arrived in Harney County and gave Sheriff Dave Ward an ultimatum — protect the Hammonds from returning to federal prison or face extreme civil unrest. Knight reminded Bundy that he told Ward during a Nov. 19 meeting that he wasn’t blufing. Bundy said he couldn’t remember a conversation that happened 11 months ago. “Didn’t we listen to a recording of it two days ago?” Knight asked. “Yeah, bits and pieces,” Bundy said. Early Thursday, Bundy testiied that he moved freely during the occupation, giving law enforcement plenty of chances to arrest him and end the occupation early. He said he traveled to nearby Burns for a haircut and Chinese food, and made three trips to see his wife and six kids in Emmett, Idaho. An entirely new camera system. The brightest, most colorful iPhone display ever. The fastest performance and best battery life in an iPhone. Water and splash resistant. * And stereo speakers. Every bit as powerful as it looks—this is iPhone 7. *iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are splash, water, and dust resistant and were tested under controlled laboratory conditions with a rating of IP67 under IEC standard 60529. 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