NORTHWEST
East Oregonian
Page 2A
Saturday, September 30, 2017
Struggling rural county spends
safety net cash on pro-timber video
groups to push changes in
federal policy that industry
wants. The surprising twist
this time: Federal money paid
for it.
Douglas County, a local
government so broke it closed
all its public libraries earlier
this year, funded Commu-
nities for Healthy Forests to
create the video. And it did
so with federal safety net
money meant to ease rural
Oregon’s dependence on
timber revenue.
Commissioners
have
awarded Communities for
Healthy Forests a total of
$490,000 in federal money
over the last two years,
$250,000 of it to make videos.
Only one has been released.
The Douglas County
commission’s spending raises
questions about a federal
program called Secure Rural
Schools, which has suffered
from a lack of oversight since
it was co-authored in 2000 by
Sen. Ron Wyden, an Oregon
Democrat.
The
program
gives
counties part of what they
once earned from logging
on federal land before
By ROB DAVIS
The Oregonian/OregonLive
The six-minute video
opens to ominous music
and burning trees. After the
flames are out, a narrator
says, forests suffer from
devastating neglect, turning
into a “vast sea of dead,
charred trees” that aren’t
reforested because of a maze
of confusing, contradictory
environmental regulations.
The music brightens as
the answer appears: Salvage
logging. The video concludes
by urging viewers to call their
elected officials “and tell
them these federal lands... are
too valuable to simply walk
away.”
The clip credits a tiny
nonprofit called Communities
for Healthy Forests and went
online in early September, a
day before Oregon Repub-
lican Rep. Greg Walden
introduced a bill to harvest
trees burned this summer in
the Columbia River Gorge.
Timber companies support
the plan.
It’s become routine for
cryptically named interest
endangered species listings
curtailed the harvest. Oregon
has received $3 billion, more
than any other state.
Most of the federal money
goes to roads and schools.
But counties have wider
leeway over a portion known
as Title III, which was funded
at $14.3 million nationally in
2015.
Chris Boice, chairman
of the Douglas County
commission,
said
the
pro-salvage logging video
counted as “education related
to forestry.” That’s a use
that Congress authorized for
money received before 2008.
Boice said the county had
pre-2008 dollars on hand to
pay Communities for Healthy
Forests in 2015 and 2016.
But even back when
education was an allowed
purpose, the law said money
could only be spent on after-
school programs.
The cash the county
awarded Communities for
Healthy Forests instead could
have been used to boost the
county’s wildfire prepared-
ness or pay firefighting costs,
purposes allowed by Title III
BRIEFLY
Cops: Gun
owner stops
knife-wielding
skateboarder
since it was created.
Internal and external
audits have repeatedly found
Title III money misspent over
the last decade and urged
reform. But all the recom-
mended changes haven’t
been adopted.
Wyden,
who
wants
Congress to reauthorize
the program, said counties
should be using the economic
lifeline wisely to meet rural
Oregonians’ essential needs.
In a statement, he said what
The Oregonian/OregonLive
found in Douglas County
would spur him to ensure
counties are held account-
able for their spending if the
program is renewed.
“A single dollar of Title
III payments should not be
wasted rehashing decades-old
debates
and
siphoning
taxpayer money away from
its prescribed purpose of
protecting our communities
from wildfires,” Wyden said.
Douglas County, the heart
of Oregon timber country,
has been one of the biggest
beneficiaries under Title
III, receiving $4.3 million
between 2010 and 2015.
LEBANON (AP) —
Police in Lebanon, Oregon,
say a man pulled a gun on
a skateboarder who was
threatening a driver with a
knife.
Authorities told KPTV
the incident happened
Thursday night, when the
30-year-old skateboarder
—Michael Van Gelder —
got into a confrontation
with a driver.
A witness with a
concealed carry permit
saw what was happening
and drew his weapon. He
ordered the skateboarder to
drop the knife.
Police say the
skateboarder tried to run,
but was stopped by the
driver and the gun owner.
They say the skateboarder
struck the driver, who
sustained a minor injury.
Court records list Van
Gelder as a resident of
Stevenson, Washington. He
was booked into the Linn
County Jail on charges
of assault, menacing,
disorderly conduct and
unlawful use of a weapon.
He had not retained a
lawyer or been appointed
one as of early Friday
afternoon.
ICE targets sanctuary cities, arrests 33 in Northwest
in Oregon ruled detainers
were not a legally sufficient
way to hold someone in
prison. After the ruling,
sheriffs in Oregon and other
states stopped honoring the
requests.
Since then, even sheriffs
sympathetic to ICE’s mission
have asked the agency’s offi-
cers to go before a judge and
get a warrant — something
they’ve not been willing or
able to do.
ICE misreported the
number of people arrested
during this latest sweep in
the Northwest at least two
times, an ICE spokeswoman
confirmed Friday.
The latest figures from
ICE indicate 26 people were
arrested in Washington state,
including in Vancouver,
Seattle, Federal Way, and
Everett. The agency arrested
seven people in Oregon
cities that included Salem,
Portland and Gresham.
By CONRAD WILSON
Oregon Public Broadcasting
U.S. Immigration and
Customs
Enforcement
announced Thursday it
targeted hundreds of people
in sanctuary cities, including
Seattle and Portland, during
a four-day operation called
“Safe City.”
ICE said it targeted
communities that don’t
honor the agency’s detainers
and “where ICE deportation
officers are denied access to
jails and prisons to interview
suspected
immigration
violators.”
A detainer is a request
ICE makes to local jails to
hold people in custody that
it suspects have entered the
country illegally. They allow
ICE to eventually assume
custody of the person and
potentially begin deportation
proceedings.
In 2014, a federal judge
ICE said during the “Safe
City” operation it prioritized
“criminal
convictions,
pending criminal charges,
known gang members and
affiliates, immigration fugi-
tives and those who re-entered
the U.S. after deportation.”
The agency said people
with active DACA status
were “not targeted for
arrest.”
The Trump administra-
tion has criticized sheriffs
who don’t cooperate with
federal detainer requests.
Earlier this month, U.S.
Attorney
General
Jeff
Sessions spoke in Portland
where he criticized law
enforcement leaders and
politicians for directing offi-
cers to refuse detainers.
“The result is that police
are forced to release the
criminal alien back into the
community without regard
to the seriousness of his
crimes or the length of his
rap sheet,” Sessions said.
“They should, according to
law and common sense, be
processed and deported.”
Following his speech,
Sessions met with several
law enforcement officers
from the Portland area.
Multnomah
County
Sheriff Mike Reese said
that Sessions “refused to
acknowledge” the 2014
court ruling against ICE
detainers during the closed
door meeting.
“Sanctuary jurisdictions
that do not honor detainers
or allow us access to jails
and prisons are shielding
criminal aliens from immi-
gration enforcement and
creating a magnet for illegal
immigration,” ICE Acting
Director Tom Homan said in
a statement Thursday.
“As a result, ICE is forced
to dedicate more resources
to conduct at-large arrests in
these communities,” he said.
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East Oregonian (USPS 164-980) is published daily except Sunday, Monday
and Dec. 25, by the EO Media Group, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801.
Periodicals postage paid at Pendleton, OR. Postmaster: send address changes to
East Oregonian, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801.
PORTLAND (AP) —
Portland police arrested
a man accused of using
Craigslist to sell stolen
passes to Disneyland.
Sgt. Chris Burley says a
Portland woman purchased
two three-day passes to the
California attraction, only
to discover at the front gate
that the tickets had been
stolen. The woman and her
daughter had to buy new
passes.
She reported the fraud
Tuesday after arriving
Single copy price:
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TODAY
SUNDAY
Partly sunny,
breezy and cooler
Cool with periods
of sun
64° 47°
61° 41°
MONDAY
TUESDAY
Cool with clouds
and sun
Mostly sunny and
cool
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REGIONAL CITIES
PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
59° 38°
61° 36°
64° 37°
HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
67° 43°
70° 51°
PENDLETON
through 3 p.m. yesterday
TEMPERATURE
HIGH
LOW
76°
72°
93° (1932)
45°
45°
28° (1919)
PRECIPITATION
24 hours ending 3 p.m.
Month to date
Normal month to date
Year to date
Last year to date
Normal year to date
0.00"
0.91"
0.53"
12.28"
8.02"
8.91"
HERMISTON
through 3 p.m. yesterday
TEMPERATURE
HIGH
Yesterday
Normals
Records
LOW
78°
73°
93° (1967)
44°
43°
25° (1985)
PRECIPITATION
24 hours ending 3 p.m.
Month to date
Normal month to date
Year to date
Last year to date
Normal year to date
0.00"
0.36"
0.42"
7.01"
5.44"
6.54"
SUN AND MOON
Sunrise today
Sunset tonight
Moonrise today
Moonset today
Full
Last
Oct 5
Oct 12
New
Oct 19
65° 35°
69° 36°
Seattle
62/51
ALMANAC
Yesterday
Normals
Records
65° 39°
6:52 a.m.
6:37 p.m.
4:13 p.m.
1:14 a.m.
First
Oct 27
Today
WEDNESDAY
Cool with clouds
and sun
Spokane
Wenatchee
61/41
67/45
Tacoma
Moses
63/46
Lake
Pullman
Aberdeen Olympia
Yakima 70/45
59/42
61/51
64/45
70/40
Longview
Kennewick Walla Walla
64/51
66/49 Lewiston
72/49
Astoria
66/48
63/50
Portland
Enterprise
Hermiston
65/51
Pendleton 58/38
The Dalles 70/51
64/47
67/52
La Grande
Salem
59/40
66/49
Albany
Corvallis 66/49
66/46
John Day
59/42
Ontario
Eugene
Bend
70/43
65/46
60/38
Caldwell
Burns
67/43
61/31
Astoria
Baker City
Bend
Brookings
Burns
Enterprise
Eugene
Heppner
Hermiston
John Day
Klamath Falls
La Grande
Meacham
Medford
Newport
North Bend
Ontario
Pasco
Pendleton
Portland
Redmond
Salem
Spokane
Ukiah
Vancouver
Walla Walla
Yakima
Hi
63
62
60
67
61
58
65
62
70
59
63
59
57
69
62
65
70
71
64
65
61
66
61
57
63
66
70
Lo
50
34
38
51
31
38
46
46
51
42
30
40
37
43
49
49
43
48
47
51
35
49
41
38
51
49
40
W
sh
c
pc
pc
pc
c
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
c
c
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
sh
pc
pc
pc
pc
sh
pc
c
NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY
Sun.
Hi
63
55
55
67
52
51
64
59
67
53
57
53
51
64
61
63
61
66
61
64
57
64
56
50
62
61
67
Lo
44
29
30
50
24
34
41
41
43
39
27
35
34
41
45
47
39
41
41
46
28
44
38
34
45
44
39
Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day.
W
sh
sh
c
s
pc
sh
sh
c
pc
c
pc
c
sh
pc
pc
c
c
pc
pc
sh
c
sh
pc
sh
sh
pc
pc
WORLD CITIES
Today
Beijing
Hong Kong
Jerusalem
London
Mexico City
Moscow
Paris
Rome
Seoul
Sydney
Tokyo
Hi
81
89
76
64
70
48
64
74
77
76
73
Lo
60
82
59
57
59
34
53
57
58
53
64
W
pc
sh
s
pc
pc
c
pc
pc
s
pc
pc
Sun.
Hi
80
90
79
66
70
45
61
72
72
72
77
Lo
50
83
62
54
58
34
58
57
58
55
67
W
c
t
s
r
pc
pc
r
sh
r
s
pc
WINDS
Medford
69/43
(in mph)
Klamath Falls
63/30
Boardman
Pendleton
REGIONAL FORECAST
Coastal Oregon: Clouds and sun today with
a shower in spots.
Eastern and Central Oregon: Cooler today
with times of clouds and sun. Partly cloudy
tonight.
Western Washington: A brief shower or
two today.
Eastern Washington: Clouds and sun today.
Partly cloudy tonight; a snow shower in the
mountains.
Cascades: Considerable cloudiness today
with a stray shower.
Northern California: Low clouds followed
by sunshine at the coast today; partly sunny
elsewhere.
Today
Sunday
WSW 8-16
WSW 10-20
W 6-12
W 8-16
UV INDEX TODAY
Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.
1
SALEM (AP) — A new
ad campaign is targeting
Senate President Peter
Courtney for repeatedly
blocking a bill that would
permit Oregon to give
all seven of its electoral
college votes to the winner
of the national popular
vote during presidential
elections.
National Popular Vote
Inc., a California-based
nonprofit, launched the ad
campaign against Courtney
on Thursday, the Statesman
Journal reported.
The National Popular
Vote bill had passed in
the House in 2009, 2013,
2015 and 2017 but was
killed in the Senate by
Courtney, said John Koza,
the nonprofit’s chairman.
The nonprofit is running a
16-second advertisement, a
Facebook page and website
which promises to spread
ads against Courtney on
Google and Facebook as
part of the campaign.
The campaign’s goal
is to inform voters of
Courtney’s record with the
bill, Koza said.
A statement by the
Democratic senator
suggests he has changed
his stance on the bill since
the most recent election
cycle.
Corrections
Copyright © 2017, EO Media Group
Forecast
Ads blast
lawmaker’s
stance on national
popular vote bill
The East Oregonian works hard to be accurate and
sincerely regrets any errors. If you notice a mistake in
the paper, please call 541-966-0818.
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Subscriber services:
For home delivery, vacation stops or delivery concerns: 1-800-522-0255
— Founded Oct. 16, 1875 —
Portland man
accused of selling
stolen Disneyland
passes
home. Police detectives
searched Craigslist and
found more three-day
passes for sale. They
arranged to buy some and
sent an undercover officer
to meet the seller.
Burley said Friday
that 39-year-old Michael
McCrobie of Portland
was arrested shortly after
selling stolen tickets to the
officer. He faces charges of
theft and computer crime.
A preliminary court
hearing is scheduled for
Oct. 12. Court records
don’t list an attorney to
speak on his behalf.
2
4
3
2
1
8 a.m. 10 a.m. Noon 2 p.m. 4 p.m. 6 p.m.
0-2, Low
3-5, Moderate 6-7, High;
8-10, Very High;
11+, Extreme
The higher the AccuWeather.com UV Index™ num-
ber, the greater the need for eye and skin protection.
Forecasts and graphics provided by
AccuWeather, Inc. ©2017
-10s
-0s
showers t-storms
0s
10s
rain
20s
flurries
30s
40s
snow
ice
50s
60s
cold front
70s
80s
90s
100s
warm front stationary front
110s
high
low
National Summary: Downpours will drench Florida as showers dot the Northeast today.
Showers and storms will occur from the central Plains to the central and southern Rockies.
Rain and snow will fall on the Northwest.
Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states)
High 101° in Thermal, Calif.
Low 17° in Bodie State Park, Calif.
NATIONAL CITIES
Today
Albuquerque
Atlanta
Atlantic City
Baltimore
Billings
Birmingham
Boise
Boston
Charleston, SC
Charleston, WV
Chicago
Cleveland
Dallas
Denver
Detroit
El Paso
Fairbanks
Fargo
Honolulu
Houston
Indianapolis
Jacksonville
Kansas City
Las Vegas
Little Rock
Los Angeles
Hi
72
80
69
69
72
83
64
57
82
69
68
65
85
73
65
78
43
66
86
88
71
84
74
92
82
83
Lo
57
58
55
47
44
62
41
47
60
44
49
45
63
49
46
64
33
57
72
67
47
72
56
68
57
63
W
pc
pc
c
pc
pc
pc
sh
r
pc
s
s
s
s
t
s
c
sf
pc
sh
pc
s
r
pc
s
s
s
Sun.
Hi
78
75
67
70
56
80
56
66
76
74
73
73
87
70
68
85
49
66
88
90
74
78
75
91
81
80
Lo
54
59
52
47
39
60
38
50
62
48
57
49
68
42
50
64
34
51
75
72
54
71
62
66
66
63
Today
W
s
pc
s
s
c
pc
c
s
pc
s
s
s
s
t
s
s
c
t
sh
pc
s
t
pc
s
s
pc
Louisville
Memphis
Miami
Milwaukee
Minneapolis
Nashville
New Orleans
New York City
Oklahoma City
Omaha
Philadelphia
Phoenix
Portland, ME
Providence
Raleigh
Rapid City
Reno
Sacramento
St. Louis
Salt Lake City
San Diego
San Francisco
Seattle
Tucson
Washington, DC
Wichita
Hi
74
82
89
65
68
79
89
66
78
73
68
99
61
60
76
76
75
84
75
67
77
73
62
98
70
78
Lo
51
61
79
51
55
52
74
50
57
57
52
72
43
46
49
49
43
57
52
46
65
57
51
66
52
57
W
s
pc
t
s
s
s
s
pc
pc
pc
pc
s
pc
r
s
s
s
s
s
pc
pc
pc
sh
s
pc
pc
Sun.
Hi
78
83
89
69
67
81
84
70
78
74
72
98
69
68
72
65
69
84
77
58
74
75
60
97
72
80
Lo
55
66
80
58
56
55
74
54
62
61
52
71
45
48
51
39
39
55
63
40
65
58
47
63
54
63
Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain,
sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice.
W
s
pc
t
s
sh
pc
pc
s
s
pc
s
s
s
s
s
c
s
s
s
pc
pc
s
sh
s
s
pc