Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (March 6, 2018)
Page 8A OFF PAGE ONE East Oregonian Tuesday, March 6, 2018 WRECK: Traffic stalled for 12 hours Continued from 1A Contributed photo Twenty vehicles were involved in wrecks Saturday on Interstate 84 east of Pendleton, shutting down the westbound for about 12 hours. police, and a semi-trailer lost traction on the icy road and slid into the car. The semi pushed the car into another semi, and a third commercial vehicle tried to avoid the crash but clipped the car. The car had at least two occupants, according to state police, and an ambulance took them to a hospital. The collisions stacked up after that, and multiple agen- cies responded, including the Pendleton Fire Department, Umatilla County Fire District, and the Umatilla Tribal Fire Department. The Oregon Department of Transportation closed I-84 westbound lanes until 8 a.m. Sunday. Many were stuck in traffic for hours, including locals coming back from Baker City where they attended the girls championship basket- ball game between Country Christian and Nixyaawii Community School from the Umatilla Indian Reservation. Some local residents were victims in the crashes. Nixy- aawii Community School on N. Korean dictator, Seoul envoys have ‘openhearted talk’ Sunday posted this message on its Facebook page and website: “Nixyaawii Community School would like to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers. We are still checking with staff, students and community members who were traveling last night and may have been involved in weather related accidents.” The post also stated the school did not want to send out misinformation and “outpouring of support for our school and its community members is very touching.” Nixyaawii school prin- cipal Ryan Heinrich did not immediately return a call Monday. Yellowhawk Tribal Heath Center on the reservation took to Facebook on Monday and announced the cancellation of its learning circle “out of respect for our community.” Yellowhawk instead hosted a “talking circle” starting at 11:30 a.m. for community members. “This will be a time to be together, to listen, and to share our hearts,” Yellow- hawk stated. By FOSTER KLUG Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had an “openhearted talk” in Pyongyang with envoys for South Korean President Moon Jae-in, the North said Tuesday. It’s the first time South Korean officials have met with the young North Korean leader in person since he took power after his dictator father’s death in late 2011 — and the latest sign that the Koreas are trying to mend ties after a year of repeated North Korean weapons tests and threats of nuclear war. North Korea’s state media said Kim expressed his desire to “write a new history of national reuni- fication” during a dinner Monday night that Seoul said lasted about four hours. Given the robust history of bloodshed, threats and animosity on the Korean Peninsula, there is considerable skepticism over whether the Koreas’ apparent warming relations will lead to lasting peace. North Korea, some believe, is trying to use improved ties with the South to weaken U.S.-led international sanctions and pressure, and to provide domestic propaganda fodder for Kim Jong Un. But each new devel- opment also raises the possibility that the rivals can use the momentum from the good feelings created during North Korea’s participation in the South’s Pyeongchang Winter Olympics last month to ease a standoff over North Korea’s nuclear ambitions and restart talks between Pyongyang and Washington. The North Korean report sought to make Kim look statesmanlike as he welcomed the visiting South Koreans, with Kim offering views on “activating the versatile dialogue, contact, cooperation and exchange.” He was also said to have RALLIES: Bills allow DACA recipients in-state tuition Continued from 1A citing research by Everytown for Gun Safety. “Today we are saving lives,” she said. About 300 students, gun safety advocates and survivors gathered around Brown as she signed the bill on the Capitol steps Monday afternoon. They also demonstrated in front of the statehouse to urge Congress to tighten up gun laws and protect students from gun violence. DACA PROTECTIONS While undocumented adults brought to this country as children remain in limbo as the courts and Congress debate their futures, lawmakers in Oregon are taking additional steps to protect crucial parts of their lives. Oregon legislators recently passed two bills to protect the ability of recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) to continue to access in-state tuition at state colleges and universities and to renew their driver’s licenses. “We are not going to jeop- ardize the lives of so many young people in our state,” said Sen. Michael Dembrow, D-Portland. “We confirmed our commitment to them.” Both DACA recipients’ resident tuition and driving privileges were jeopardized by President Trump’s deci- sion to rescind the Obama-era program, effective Monday, March 5. Dembrow announced Monday that he plans legis- Paris Achen/Capital Bureau Sen. Michael Dembrow, D-Portland, speaks to demonstrators Monday at the Oregon Capitol urging passage of the federal Dream Act. lation for 2019 that would expand resident tuition to graduate study (current law applies only to undergrad- uate degrees) and remove barriers from DACA recip- ients obtaining professional licenses in Oregon. Created by executive order in 2012, DACA allows undocumented adults brought to the United States as children to legally work and attend school. Recent court decisions have blocked the termination of the program. As a result, Homeland Security continues to accept renewal applications for the program, but its future remains in question. About 100 people demonstrated in front of the state Capitol on Monday to urge Congress to take action to give the nearly 800,000 DACA recipients in the United States — nearly 11,300 in Oregon — a permanent legal path to live, study and work in the country where they grew up. Scheduled to commemorate the expiration of DACA, the event was organized by Causa, an Oregon immigrant rights advocacy center, and the Oregon DACA Coalition. “We want … to be able to contribute to our communi- ties,” said Portland resident Ricardo Lujan-Valerio, a DACA recipient and recent graduate of Southern Oregon University in Ashland. He now works as legislative director for the Oregon Student Association. “Although we passed great pieces of legislation (this year), this is not the end for this state to be a beacon of hope,” he said. Gov. Brown who spoke at the rally said “Dreamers” — the term often used for DACA recipients — are an “integral part” of Oregon’s community, culture and economy. She vowed to continue fighting back against rollbacks of protections for Dreamers. The state is part of a multi-state lawsuit challenging the termination of DACA. “We are the standard bearers of liberty, justice and civil rights, and Oregon will remain a welcoming place for all that call our state home,” she said. Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP In this Monday photo, provided by the North Korean government on March 6, North Ko- rean leader Kim Jong Un, front right, meets South Korean National Security Director Chung Eui-yong, front left, in Pyongyang, North Korea. given “important instruction to the relevant field to rapidly take practical steps for” a summit with Moon, which the North proposed last month. Moon, a liberal who is keen to engage the North, likely wants to visit Pyong- yang. But he must first broker better ties between the North and Washington, which is Seoul’s top ally and its military protector. The role of a confident leader welcoming visiting, and lower-ranking, officials from the rival South is one Kim clearly relishes. Smiling for cameras, he posed with the South Koreans and presided over what was described as a “co-patriotic and sincere atmosphere.” Many in Seoul and Wash- ington will want to know if, the rhetoric and smiling images notwithstanding, there’s any possibility Kim will negotiate over the North’s breakneck pursuit of an arsenal of nuclear missiles that can viably target the U.S. mainland. The North has repeatedly and bluntly declared it will not give up its nuclear bombs. It also hates the annual U.S.-South Korean military exercises that were postponed because of the Olympics but will likely happen later this spring. Oscar ratings plunge NEW YORK (AP) — Television viewers could barely stifle a yawn for Hollywood’s biggest night, with the Academy Awards plunging to a record-low viewership of 26.5 million people. The Nielsen company said that’s a 20 percent drop from the 33 million who watched the 2017 show, which was also hosted by Jimmy Kimmel. Oscar viewership is often tied to the box office muscle of the big nominees, and best picture winner “The Shape of Water” only grossed $57.4 million in the United States. It’s the first time the Oscars have drawn fewer than 30 million people, in Nielsen records that go back to 1974. The Academy Awards are often the most-watched television program of the year after the Super Bowl, but this year’s Winter Olympics opening ceremony from Pyeongchang reached 27.8 million. SESSION: Cap-and-invest will have to wait; tax deduction elimination could be vetoed Continued from 1A coal power. This time, lawmakers showed restraint as many of them prepared for reelection bids this year. The filing deadline for the May 15 primary is Tuesday, March 6. “Really, the session worked the way it should,” said House Speaker Tina Kotek. “There were emerging issues. We dealt with them, and we did strategic investments for communities that needed some things. We balanced the budget. We also were able to take on some of the bigger issues facing the state.” Republican leaders Rep. Mike McLane of Powell Butte, and Sen. Jackie Winters of Salem said the short session remains “broken.” “Oregonians sent us here to adjust budgets, make minor policy tweaks, and respond to emergencies. Instead, the majority party introduced significant partisan policy changes that were impossible to properly vet in such a short amount of time,” they said in a joint statement. “While thankfully many of these bills failed to make it to the Governor’s desk, it’s hard to escape the reality that the short session is increasingly becoming more about political posturing than good policy making.” HEALTH CARE Lawmakers passed two bills aimed at understanding the high price of prescription drugs and shining light on coordinated care organiza- tions, which provide govern- ment-subsidized health care to indigent Oregonians through the state’s version of Medicaid. House Bill 4005 requires pharmaceutical manufac- turers to disclose reasons for increases in the price of prescription drugs when the increase exceeds 10 percent. House Bill 4018 makes public the meetings of the state’s 15 CCOs and requires the organizations to give at least three months’ notice before ending a contract with the state, an effort to stabilize the health care system. HOUSING Lawmakers boosted revenue to fund affordable housing by raising the real estate document recording fee from $20 to $60. The fee is the state’s only source of revenue dedicated to paying for affordable housing. The increase is projected to generate an additional $60 million every two years BUSINESS TAXES Lawmakers eliminated a federal deduction for busi- nesses on state tax returns. While the state’s income tax code is largely tied to federal code, business owners with “pass-through” income on their personal income taxes will not be allowed to deduct up to 20 percent of their income in 2018. It was unclear Saturday whether the governor plans on vetoing the bill. She raised some concerns during session over the impact it would have on the state’s small businesses. The bill was intended to stem state revenue losses from federal tax reform late last year. The change is expected to result in $244 million in tax dollars in the existing two-year budget than if the state had allowed the deduction. NET NEUTRALITY State lawmakers have no authority to regulate internet companies. However, they can pass laws to use the state’s buying power to encourage certain business practices. In this case, they required that internet providers that contract with government entities in the state abide by the principles of “net neutrality.” That means contractors may not block, slow down or charge more for certain content. CLIMATE CHANGE An ambitious proposal to enact a cap-and-invest program this year moved through the session without legislative action. The program would have charged companies for emitting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and invested the proceeds into projects designed to offset global warming. Kotek and Courtney said they want to pass the legis- lation next year during the Legislature’s five-month-long session. They also announced the creation of a new Joint Legislative Committee on Carbon Reduction. Pet Therapy Day March 13th at 2:00 p.m. McKay Creek Estates invites our community to bring their pets to McKay Creek Estates on Tuesday the 13th and help bring some joy to our residents. Pet must be leashed and not have a history of aggression. Call for more info 541.276.1987 McKay Creek Estates 1601 Southgate Place Pendleton, OR 97801