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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.