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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (March 28, 2018)
Page 8A OFF PAGE ONE East Oregonian Kim, Xi show strong ties after N. Korean leader visits China By GILLIAN WONG and KIM TONG-HYUNG Associated Press BEIJING — North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un and his Chinese coun- terpart Xi Jinping sought to portray strong ties between the neighbors and long- time allies despite a recent chill, as both countries on Wednesday confirmed Kim’s secret trip to Beijing this week. China’s official Xinhua News Agency said Kim made the unofficial visit to China from Sunday to Wednesday at Xi’s invita- tion in what was in his first trip to a foreign country since he took power in 2011. Xi held talks with Kim at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing and he and his wife Peng Liyuan hosted a banquet for Kim and his wife Ri Sol Ju, Xinhua said. They also watched an art performance together, the news agency said. Official media reports from both countries sought to portray warm ties between the sides and counter the narrative that relations have chilled recently because of Kim’s development of nuclear weapons and long-range missiles. For China, the visit reminds that Beijing remains one of North Korea’s most important allies and is a player not to be sidelined in denuclear- ization talks. Xi hailed Kim’s visit as embodying the importance with which the North Korean leader regarded ties with China. “We speak highly of this visit,” Xi told Kim, according to Xinhua. Analysts say Kim would have felt a need to consult with his country’s traditional ally ahead of his planned meetings with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and President Donald Trump in the coming weeks. Kim was described by Xinhua as saying that his country wants to transform ties with South Korea into “a relationship of recon- ciliation and cooperation.” The two Koreas are still technically at war because their 1950-53 war ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty. Kim also said that North Korea is willing to hold a summit with the United States, according to Xinhua. North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency published Kim’s personal letter to Xi dated on Wednesday, where he expressed gratitude to the Chinese leadership for showing what he described as “heartwarming hospi- tality” during his “produc- tive” visit. Kim said that the first meeting between the leaders of the two countries will provide a “groundbreaking milestone” in developing mutual relations to “meet the demands of the new era.” Kim also said that he’s satisfied that the leaders confirmed their “unified opinions” on mutual issues. Wednesday, March 28, 2018 Trump floats using military budget to pay for border wall By JILL COLVIN Associated Press WASHINGTON — Still angry about the budget deal he signed last week, President Donald Trump has floated the idea of using the military’s budget to pay for his long-promised border wall with Mexico, despite the fact that such spending would likely require approval from Congress. Trump raised the funding plan with House Speaker Paul Ryan at a meeting at the White House last Wednesday, according to a person familiar with the discussion who spoke on condition of anonymity. And he’s publicly tweeted that building “a great Border Wall” is “all about National Defense,” and called to “Build WALL through M!”, meaning the military. Departments, however, have limited authority to reprogram funds without congressional approval. Pentagon spokesman Chris Sherwood referred all ques- tions on the wall to the White House, where spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders deflected them, saying she was “not going to get into the specifics of that.” Trump threw Washington into a tizzy on Friday when he threatened to veto the AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File President Donald Trump talks with reporters as he re- views border wall prototypes on March 13 in San Diego. omnibus spending bill, in part because it didn’t include the $25 billion he’d tried to secure for the wall in a last- minute bargaining spree. The $1.3 trillion funding package did include $1.6 billion in border wall spending. But much of that money can only be used to repair existing segments, not build new sections. Congress also put restrictions on the types of barriers that can be built. Trump has tried to justify signing the deal by pointing to the boost in funding it provides for the military. But he nonetheless remains frus- trated, according to people familiar with his thinking, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Trump first publicly floated the idea of having the Pentagon pay for the rest of construction in an obscure tweet that left many confused. “Building a great Border Wall, with drugs (poison) and enemy combatants pouring into our Country, is all about National Defense,” he wrote Sunday. “Build WALL through M!” He retweeted his message again Monday night. Some people close to the president have also suggested creating a GoFundMe campaign that Trump could use to raise money from the public to fund construction. The White House did not immediately respond to ques- tions about the idea, and it’s unclear whether it has gained any serious traction. Congress, under the Constitution, has the power to determine federal appro- priations, and the adminis- tration has little authority to shift funding without congressional approval. The Senate Appropriations Committee was not aware of any authority that would allow the Defense Depart- ment to fund the wall without congressional approval, said a GOP aide. Sanders said Tuesday that Trump would work with the White House counsel to make sure any action taken was within his executive authority. And she insisted the “continuation of building the wall is ongoing and we’re going to continue moving forward in that process.” Building the wall was one of Trump’s top campaign promises, and the idea that drew the loudest cheers from supporters at his rallies. Trump also insisted he’d make Mexico pay for the construction. But Mexico has made clear it has no intention of doing so directly. Trump has also proposed making Mexico pay for the wall indirectly through measures such as increasing visa fees, imposing new tariffs and targeting remit- tances. Staff photo by E.J. Harris Defense attorney Kara Davis reads from a list of text messages threatening her client, Tyree Houfmuse, on Tuesday during a pre-trial hearing in Hermiston. HOUFMUSE: Hearing will resume on April 18 Continued from 1A personal safety is being threatened. If bodily harm is imminent, she said, the person is within their rights to use lethal force against someone threatening them. “In the videos, we’ll see officers asking repeatedly, ‘Couldn’t he have just fought Mr. Cragun?’ That’s the opposite of what you have to do. You don’t have to try to beat down someone who’s coming at you in the middle of the night.” She then read text messages from Cragun to his ex-girlfriend, who had been with Houfmuse the night Cragun died. Cragun had been convicted of assaulting the same woman two years ago, and in most cases the East Oregonian does not name domestic violence victims. Davis said the day after he pleaded guilty, Cragun continued to send his ex-girlfriend texts. Davis read some of the texts, in which Cragun made threats against his own life, as well as against the safety of the woman and anyone she was seeing. “If there’s another man in your life, either me or him is going to get hurt,” said one of the texts that Davis read. Other texts made direct threats against Houfmuse’s life. “I think it’s pretty reasonable to assume that Mr. Cragun was intending to hurt Mr. Houfmuse and [Cragun’s ex-girlfriend],” Davis said. Davis said toxicology reports for Cragun had just come back, and Cragun had methamphetamines in his system. She said while the state would point out Houf- muse’s demeanor and the placement of the bullet, he was still within his rights. “If someone says these things to you, and comes after you in this manner, you have the right to defend yourself,” Davis asserted. District Attorney Dan Primus said he would reserve his argument that proof is evident and presumption strong at the next meeting. In Oregon, if the state can convince a judge there is a strong enough presumption a person is guilty of murder, the judge can order them to stay in jail without bail. The hearing will resume on April 18. Several of Cragun’s family members were at the hearing. His sister, Cynthia Bailey, said she hoped the judge would realize only one side of her brother’s actions was being presented. “As far as the text messages read in court, they’ve only seen one side,” she said. “They haven’t even accessed Jimmy (Cragun)’s phone to see the horrible things that were said to him.” Bailey said many people were discussing the rights of the defendant. “What about the rights of the person who can’t defend himself because he was killed?” She asked. “My brother was no saint, but neither was the defen- dant.” Staff photo by E.J. Harris Laramie Boston, with Kirby Nagelhout Construction Co., pulls down old siding at the Rivoli Theater on Tuesday in Pendleton. RIVOLI: ‘Demo is like a chess game’ Continued from 1A York said, about a third of typical lifts, and can roll on tank-like treads through most door frames. The company often runs a three-person crew inside the Rivoli, with two on lifts and a runner on the ground. York said over the next couple of weeks they will tear down the balcony, take out the two storefronts and remove the rest of the floor. “Demo is like a chess game,” York said, “in how to look forward so you don’t put yourself into a corner.” Workers also keep an eye peeled for curious onlookers. Locals want to know what’s happening inside the old building, he said, but they want the public to stay out for safety reasons. Picken said removing the debris is going to take most of the summer. Basement excavation comes next, he said, then insulation of steel and concrete structures. The demolition, excavation and insulation work make up phase one of Rivoli construction. “Our goal timeline to complete the first phase is June 1, 2020,” he said, three years after the phase began. Phase one’s cost estimate is $559,114, Picken said, and the coalition has raised a little more than half of that. Grants from the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, Umatilla County economic development and the Wild- horse Foundation in aggre- gate provided $125,000. “That’s the money we’re spending right now,” Picken said. The theater project began in 2010 with fundraising to buy the building. Picken said getting to this point has meant taking methodical steps, but finally showing the community some progress feels good. The coalition has applied for more grants, and Picken said he also feels good about the likelihood of receiving those awards. As the money rolls in, he said, the project continues to roll along. Tuesday morning one crew member on the lift pried boards from the ceiling. The old pieces crashed into the pile far below, landing with a thud that echoed. York stood next to the wood railing on the edge of the remaining floor and watched the scene from under his white hard hat. Bringing new life to the Rivoli was exciting for Pend- leton, he said, and “would be a fun project to take right through” to the end. ——— Contact Phil Wright at pwright@eastoregonian.com or 541-966-0833. BILLS: 245 Oregon residents died from an opioid overdose in 2016 Continued from 1A Paris Achen/Capital Bureau Gov. Kate Brown signs House Bill 4137 on March 27, 2018, at Lines for Life in Southwest Portland. The legis- lation to help address the opioid epidemic was recom- mended by the governor’s Opioid Epidemic Task Force. who will prescribe an opioid. Woodburn Police Chief Jim Ferraris, who represents the Oregon Association Chiefs of Police on the task force, said doctors should be required to look up a patient in the monitoring program before prescribing an opioid. However, the bill only requires that doctors be registered with the program. “It really should be mandatory use, but this is a first bite of the apple; this is a first step,” Ferraris said. In 2016, 245 Oregon residents died from an opioid overdose, according to the most recent statistics from the Oregon Health Authority. That’s about six per 100,000 residents. House Bill 4137 by Rep. Tawna Sanchez, D-Port- land, sets deadlines for the Alcohol and Drug Policy Commission to develop a framework for a statewide strategic plan for addiction prevention, treatment and recovery by Sept. 15 and to submit the strategic plan to the Legislature.