NORTHWEST
East Oregonian
Page 2A
Thursday, November 16, 2017
Kitzhaber apologizes, to be fined $1,000
SALEM (AP) — Former
Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber
apologized Wednesday for
failing to publicly declare a
potential conflict of interest
between his elected position
and his partner’s work
and will pay a $1,000 fine,
capping a scandal that cost
him the governorship.
The settlement is subject
to final approval by the
Oregon Government Ethics
Commission, which meets on
Friday.
“I apologize to Orego-
nians for failing to disclose a
potential conflict of interest,
although the ethical viola-
tions at issue were wholly
unintentional,”
Kitzhaber
said in a statement.
As part of the agreement,
the commission will drop
further investigation into
whether
Cylvia
Hayes
used her relationship as
Kitzhaber’s fiancee to win
contracts for her green-en-
ergy consulting business.
The commission noted it
could have assessed fines of
up to a total of $20,000 for
the known violations, which
included Kitzhaber being
credited frequent flier miles
once when he traveled on
state business.
Trial begins in case of woman
held captive for 44 days
the matter,” the commission
wrote, adding that Kitzhaber
failed to make such public
announcements, for example
through press releases.
The former governor
said Wednesday he had
not perceived a conflict of
interest because Hayes’ work
for non-profit organizations
wasn’t directed at influ-
encing state policy, but to
educate people on issues. He
said he had referred matters
regarding potential conflicts
to general counsel, and
wasn’t advised he needed to
publicly disclose them.
“Having said that, I do
not dispute the conclusion
by the Ethics Commission
that my failure to declare a
potential conflict of interest
violated the letter of law,”
Kitzhaber said Wednesday.
“I accept full responsibility
for this violation and believe
the proposed settlement to be
a fair resolution of the case.”
Secretary of State Kate
Brown, also a Democrat,
assumed Oregon’s highest
office after Kitzhaber resigned
just over a month into his
fourth term. She was elected
last November to complete
his term and is a candidate for
re-election in 2018.
AP Photo/Don Ryan, File
Former Gov. Kitzhaber has agreed with the state’s
ethics commission to pay a $1,000 fine for allegedly
violating ethics codes by failing to publicly declare a
potential conflict of interest and for claiming airline
travel miles for personal use that accumulated while
on official business during his tenure.
After investigating the
matter, the U.S. Department
of Justice said in June that the
couple won’t face criminal
charges. Oregon Attorney
General Ellen Rosenblum
previously announced the
state would not bring charges.
The ethics commission
said there were potential
conflicts of interest when
Kitzhaber’s
duties
as
governor overlapped with
the issues that Hayes’
BRIEFLY
consulting firm, 3E Strate-
gies, was receiving payment
for. 3E Strategies could
have had financial gains
or losses stemming from
Kitzhaber’s policy decisions
and public appearances, the
commission said.
Oregon law “requires
an elected public official to
make a public announcement
of the nature of the potential
conflict of interest prior to
taking any official action on
DALLAS (AP) — An Oregon woman who was held
captive in a West Salem house for more than a month
described the brutal sexual assaults and torture during the
trial for the man charged with perpetrating the acts.
The Statesman Journal reports 48-year-old Ronnie
Lee Jr. stood trial on Tuesday in the Polk County
Courthouse after more than two years of hearings and
motions.
Prosecutors say the 31-year-victim was held for six
weeks by Lee after she visited his residence in an attempt
to get heroin in 2015.
The victim says she was raped, assaulted and
sodomized dozens of times. She was forced to sleep on
the bathroom floor and given very little food.
Lee’s attorney Mark Brownlee disputed the victim’s
account, claiming the context of the events occurred in
the “drug world.”
More Oregon students are
homeless than last year, state says
SALEM (AP) — The number of homeless Oregon
students has increased for a fourth consecutive year.
The state Education Department said Wednesday that
22,541 students were homeless at some point during the
2016-17 academic year — up 5.6 percent from the year
before.
Dona Bolt, the state’s homeless education program
coordinator, says some of the jump is tied to increased
awareness about the importance of reporting homeless
student data. She says a lack of affordable housing is
another factor.
The homeless classification doesn’t necessarily mean
the child is sleeping in a shelter or on the streets. The
tag also applies to students who lack a fixed and regular
nighttime residence, such as those who live in motels or
bounce between the homes of friends and relatives.
Federal rules require school districts to hire a liaison
to help these students get to school and have the supplies
needed to learn.
State senator files sex harassment complaint
Sen. Sara Gelser asks for
expulsion of Sen. Kruse
By CLAIRE WITHYCOMBE
Capital Bureau
SALEM — State Sen. Sara Gelser
Wednesday called for the expulsion of
a fellow senator who she says
for years subjected her to
unwanted touching.
Gelser, D-Corvallis, filed
a detailed formal complaint
against State Sen. Jeff Kruse,
R-Roseburg, a move that
represents a step up from
two separate informal reports
she has made about Kruse’s
behavior since early 2016.
She
also
alleged Kruse
Wednesday that Kruse has
inappropriately touched more than a
dozen other women at the Capitol.
Kruse, contacted by the EO / Pamplin
Capital Bureau while leaving the Senate
Republican Caucus office Wednesday,
declined to comment.
“I’m not going to say anything to
anybody,” Kruse, who has denied
allegations of inappropriate behavior in
previous media interviews, said.
He added that since a formal investi-
gation was ongoing, “we need to let the
process work.”
Gelser’s
complaint,
provided
Wednesday by the Office of Legislative
Counsel, says Kruse repeatedly touched
her in ways that made her feel
uncomfortable.
Gelser and another female
state senator who has not been
identified had previously
made informal complaints
about Kruse’s behavior to
the Legislature’s human
resources and legal teams.
The informal complaint
process is typically confi-
dential. The allegations
emerged publicly, though, in
the past month, as more people who
have experienced sexual harassment
came forward with their experiences
in industries ranging from politics to
entertainment.
Until Wednesday, Gelser had been
reluctant to publicly describe specifi-
cally what she had experienced, saying
she did not feel she had to describe
salacious details to be believed.
In her formal complaint, though,
Gelser, who was elected to the Senate
in 2014 and served in the House of
Representatives prior to that, described
multiple incidents where Kruse had
touched her in ways that made her feel
uncomfortable, going back to 2011.
She also described avoiding meetings
with Kruse, taking the stairs instead of
elevators to avoid him, and not allowing
her staff or interns to meet with him to
protect them from harassment.
Gelser described being “increasingly
reluctant” to meet with Kruse because
he touched her in “ways that made (her)
feel uncomfortable.”
“This included hugs in which he
pressed his full body against mine,
wrapping his arm tightly around me,
kissing my cheek, or whispering in my
ear,” Gelser wrote. “I would step away
from these behaviors but was concerned
that I would offend or embarrass him
by discussing the behavior. I simply
tried to avoid meeting with him unless
absolutely necessary.”
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Copyright © 2017, EO Media Group
FRIDAY
Cloudy with spotty
showers
Mostly cloudy
SATURDAY
Periods of clouds
and sun
SUNDAY
A couple of
morning showers
PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
51° 37°
49° 31°
49° 30°
53° 42°
52° 39°
HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
53° 39°
53° 31°
PENDLETON
through 3 p.m. yesterday
TEMPERATURE
HIGH
LOW
61°
49°
71° (1896)
39°
33°
-6° (1955)
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
Trace
0.57"
0.65"
14.27"
10.69"
10.64"
through 3 p.m. yesterday
LOW
John Day
45/31
Ontario
53/32
Bend
44/30
67°
30°
51°
33°
72° (1995) -12° (1955)
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"
0.35"
0.56"
8.15"
7.62"
7.84"
SUN AND MOON
Sunrise today
Sunset tonight
Moonrise today
Moonset today
New
First
Nov 18
Albany
49/39
Eugene
48/37
TEMPERATURE
Yesterday
Normals
Records
Nov 26
57° 37°
Spokane
Wenatchee
43/32
46/33
Tacoma
Moses
49/36
Lake
Pullman
Aberdeen Olympia
Yakima 49/32
45/33
48/40
47/36
51/29
Longview
Kennewick Walla Walla
48/40
51/38 Lewiston
54/38
Astoria
50/36
50/41
Portland
Enterprise
Hermiston
49/40
Pendleton 45/31
The Dalles 53/39
51/37
50/37
La Grande
Salem
48/33
49/40
Corvallis
49/36
HERMISTON
HIGH
52° 41°
Seattle
48/40
ALMANAC
Yesterday
Normals
Records
51° 28°
Full
6:56 a.m.
4:23 p.m.
4:52 a.m.
3:59 p.m.
Last
Dec 3
Dec 9
Today
MONDAY
A passing
afternoon shower
Burns
42/24
Caldwell
52/34
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
50
48
44
51
42
45
48
50
53
45
43
48
45
49
51
52
53
53
51
49
47
49
43
43
48
51
51
Lo
41
27
30
41
24
31
37
35
39
31
23
33
32
36
41
41
32
37
37
40
29
40
32
30
40
38
29
W
sh
sn
sn
sh
sn
sn
sh
sh
sh
sn
c
sn
sn
r
sh
sh
c
c
sh
sh
c
sh
c
sn
sh
sh
c
Hi
50
45
43
53
40
40
51
48
53
40
43
44
40
49
52
53
49
54
49
50
45
53
42
40
50
49
52
Today
Beijing
Hong Kong
Jerusalem
London
Mexico City
Moscow
Paris
Rome
Seoul
Sydney
Tokyo
Lo
28
75
54
35
46
30
40
46
30
67
45
W
s
c
pc
c
pc
sn
pc
s
s
t
pc
Lo
40
21
22
39
14
23
31
30
31
26
17
27
26
27
39
38
25
32
31
38
21
36
30
23
37
36
29
W
r
pc
pc
c
pc
sn
c
pc
c
pc
pc
sh
c
c
r
c
pc
c
c
c
pc
sh
c
pc
c
c
c
Fri.
Hi
45
81
75
48
74
35
52
63
50
75
55
(in mph)
Klamath Falls
43/23
Boardman
Pendleton
Lo
17
74
55
35
47
32
35
46
24
67
46
W
pc
s
pc
pc
pc
c
pc
s
r
t
pc
REGIONAL FORECAST
Eastern Washington: Cloudy today. A snow
shower in the mountains; a passing shower
near the Idaho border.
Cascades: Snow at times today, accumulat-
ing 1-3 inches; cold. A couple of snow
showers tonight.
Northern California: Showers around
today; snow, accumulating 1-3 inches in the
interior mountains.
Today
Friday
SW 6-12
WSW 6-12
WSW 8-16
WSW 8-16
UV INDEX TODAY
Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.
0
1
1
1
0
NEWS
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COMMERCIAL PRINTING
Production Manager: Mike Jensen
541-215-0824 • mjensen@eastoregonian.com
Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day.
WORLD CITIES
Hi
45
80
74
56
73
39
50
62
42
77
59
Classified & Legal Advertising
1-800-962-2819 or 541-278-2678
classifieds@eastoregonian.com or legals@eastoregonian.com
NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY
Fri.
WINDS
Medford
49/36
Coastal Oregon: Cloudy today with show-
ers; cool across the north. A passing shower
tonight.
Eastern and Central Oregon: Showers
today, but rain and snow showers in central
parts and near the Cascades.
Western Washington: Cloudy today with
showers. A passing shower tonight. A pass-
ing shower tomorrow.
Corrections
The East Oregonian story “Pendleton police shelve
razors to fight cancer” referred to Anson Strong. That is
the name of the campaign to help Anson Fairbank, 2, of
Pendleton. The EO should have made that clear in the story.
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.
REGIONAL CITIES
Forecast
TODAY
SALEM (AP) — A farm in southwestern Idaho is
attempting to grow blueberries on a commercial scale,
making it one of the first producers in the state if the
project proves successful.
The Capital Press reports a major hop grower and a
University of Idaho researcher are coordinating efforts on
figuring out how to make blueberries grow in the region.
Brock and Phillip Obendorf Farms in Parma has
been growing blueberries for a couple of years, but
Phil Obendorf says the yield is not enough to make it
profitable. The problem is with the soil’s level of acidity.
University researcher Essie Fallahi has been looking
into how to alter the soil to support the growth. He’s
exploring ways to make the soil more acidic so the plants
can better absorb micronutrients.
ADVERTISING
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541-966-0806 • ljensen@eastoregonian.com
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Subscriber services:
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— Founded Oct. 16, 1875 —
Idaho farm explores growing
blueberries on commercial level
0
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: Rain will soak part of New England today, and showers will riddle
the interior Northeast. Showers will dampen South Florida and eastern Texas. A storm will
affect the Northwest with rain and mountain snow.
Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states)
High 89° in Kingsville, Texas
Low 1° in West Yellowstone, Mont.
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
71
67
59
57
54
68
51
49
69
48
41
43
73
71
43
78
14
37
84
81
43
74
53
78
62
76
Lo
47
42
39
34
31
39
32
36
42
31
33
31
64
46
27
52
10
27
70
65
29
49
44
63
49
61
W
s
pc
pc
s
c
pc
sh
r
s
pc
pc
r
sh
s
c
s
sn
c
pc
pc
pc
s
pc
pc
c
c
Fri.
Hi
72
66
51
52
40
69
46
46
66
56
44
48
81
63
44
81
13
38
83
83
49
75
65
76
75
71
Lo
40
47
37
34
26
53
27
31
44
40
42
43
64
26
41
54
-11
18
69
68
43
52
41
48
65
56
Today
W
pc
s
s
s
sf
pc
pc
s
s
pc
r
pc
pc
pc
c
s
sn
sf
pc
pc
c
pc
sh
pc
c
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
49
62
83
41
38
57
76
55
60
51
58
86
46
53
65
68
56
61
49
62
76
63
48
88
59
58
Lo
33
45
71
33
33
34
57
38
54
42
38
61
36
34
35
35
29
42
37
47
61
51
40
54
38
51
W
s
pc
c
pc
c
s
s
r
c
pc
pc
s
r
r
s
s
r
sh
s
c
pc
r
c
s
s
pc
Fri.
Hi
57
72
83
45
45
65
78
49
78
62
50
84
42
48
58
44
48
60
58
47
72
62
48
85
53
72
Lo
53
63
71
40
29
56
63
36
47
38
36
59
21
27
39
25
20
35
54
27
57
46
42
54
41
43
Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain,
sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice.
W
sh
c
pc
r
r
pc
pc
s
c
c
s
pc
pc
s
s
c
pc
s
c
sn
c
s
r
pc
s
c