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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 6, 2018)
NORTHWEST East Oregonian Page 2A Saturday, October 6, 2018 Brown, Buehler spar in testier second debate By DIRK VANDERHART Oregon Public Broadcasting Meeting Thursday eve- ning for the second of three planned gubernatorial debates, Democratic Gov. Kate Brown and Republi- can state Rep. Knute Bue- hler were more willing to attack each other’s record than when they faced off two nights before. On a wide array of issues, Brown and Buehler set forth at the Medford event to build a narrative about their opponent. As he has since spring, Buehler questioned Brown’s “status-quo” leadership, saying she’s failed the state on important issues like edu- cation, homelessness and overall stewardship of pub- lic dollars. “This is an issue that has to be dealt with,” Bue- hler said of the state’s lag- ging school system, the cen- tral issue of his campaign. “(Brown is) not willing to spend the political capital to tell her biggest support- ers that this problem has to be fixed.” Brown hit back, painting her opponent as a political chameleon whose campaign trail promises on issues like immigration and gun control don’t match his nearly four File photos Rep. Knute Buehler (left) and Gov. Kate Brown squared off in the second of three debates on Thursday in Medford. years in the state Legislature. “I feel like I’m running against two candidates: Rep. Buehler and candidate Bue- hler,” Brown said. Despite the occasional barbs, the debate was cordial — and packed more sub- stance than style points from the two candidates. In an hour, moderators from Med- ford’s KOBI-TV managed to cover issues that included transportation, gun control, natural disasters, drug addic- tion and homelessness. Throughout it all, the one-minute answer for- mat allowed the candidates to largely stick to talking points. But Brown and Bue- hler also took nearly every opportunity to rebut. Missing from the debate was Independent Party can- didate Patrick Starnes, who’d participated two nights earlier. The event’s sponsor declined to include Starnes, saying surveys showed he didn’t meet a threshold of support from 10 percent of voters. When discussion turned to the state’s problematic public pension system, the candidates were asked to rate it as an item of concern on a scale of one to 10. Costs for paying down a $22 bil- lion unfunded liability in the system increasingly eat up money that could otherwise go to other services, such as public education. Brown rated the problem an eight, but attacked Bue- hler’s suggestion that pub- lic employees be required to pay into the system with money that, today, goes into personal retirement accounts. “I don’t think it’s appro- priate that we cut retire- ments of our hardworking Oregonians, like firefight- ers,” Brown said. Buehler, who has pledged meaningful reforms to the system, rated its problems a nine on the scale. “This is an issue that has to be dealt with,” he said. “It’s an issue that, unfortu- nately, Gov. Brown has not led on.” In one of the more tell- ing exchanges of the night, the candidates were asked to name a program they’d cut or shrink to help balance the state’s next budget, which may face a sizable shortfall. Buehler, who’s declined to answer the same question with specifics in the recent past, didn’t hesitate to say he’d cut a clean fuels pro- gram that requires the use of gasoline that emits less car- bon dioxide. Buehler earned enemies in the state’s envi- ronmental community for voting against that program in 2015, but he insisted on Thursday that groups like the Sierra Club oppose sim- ilar programs because of concerns about the environ- mental impacts of ethanol. Brown, on the other hand, refused to single out a pro- gram for budget cuts. “I will work with Repub- licans and Democrats to make sure that we are mak- ing investments in our edu- cation system,” she said when pressed. “I don’t believe you can cut your way to a better education system.” When talk turned to earthquake preparedness, Brown touted the passage of a $5.3 billion revenue pack- age last year for transpor- tation projects statewide, a package Buehler opposed. “I don’t know what he was going to use to fix the Medford viaduct,” Brown said, playing to the South- ern Oregon crowd watching on their televisions. “Maybe Scotch tape.” Buehler explained: “I voted no for the transporta- tion package for some very important reasons. One is it was too small. It wasn’t enough.” As she did on Tuesday, Brown attacked Buehler for voting against two gun con- trol provisions that have become state law: one that allows courts to take guns away from people deemed a threat, and another that expands background checks. Buehler, a gun owner, said he supported “common sense” gun control measures like outlawing bump stocks, creating a three-day waiting period to buy handguns, and increasing the legal age to purchase “assault weapons” to 21. The candidates will meet for their final debate Tues- day in Portland. Forecast for Pendleton Area TODAY SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY Mostly cloudy with a few showers Partly sunny Cool with partial sunshine Clouds and sun, a shower; cooler Cool with periods of sun PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 62° 40° 56° 38° 62° 47° 55° 41° 56° 35° HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 66° 39° 62° 38° 68° 51° 61° 43° OREGON FORECAST 62° 36° ALMANAC Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows. PENDLETON through 3 p.m. yest. HIGH LOW TEMP. Seattle Olympia 62/46 53/32 64/33 Longview Kennewick Walla Walla 58/40 Lewiston 64/44 65/38 Astoria 62/44 Pullman Yakima 66/34 61/37 58/40 Portland Hermiston 65/46 The Dalles 62/38 Salem Corvallis 66/40 Yesterday Normals Records La Grande 51/37 PRECIPITATION John Day Eugene Bend 66/39 52/33 53/35 Ontario 63/42 Caldwell Burns 58° 34° 70° 41° 87° (1958) 25° (2012) 24 hours ending 3 p.m. Month to date Normal month to date Year to date Last year to date Normal year to date Albany 66/41 0.00" Trace 0.09" 5.15" 7.04" 6.65" Today Medford 65/46 SUN AND MOON Klamath Falls Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2018 and exposed himself to her on July 9 during a drunken inci- dent in Sunriver, Oregon. “We allege that he was trying to coerce his vic- tim into a sexual act that she did not want to engage in,” Deschutes County District Attorney John Hummel told the newspaper. Rickerson declined to comment to the newspaper when reached by phone. His lawyer, Casey Baxter, did not immediately return a mes- sage Friday from The Associ- ated Press seeking comment. Rickerson is the state supervisor for the federal agency’s Washington state office in Lacey. A 2015 agency news release announcing his posi- tion noted he would over- see about 115 employees and offices that manage nat- ural resources issues through Washington. Fish and Wildlife spokes- man Gavin Shire in Vir- ginia told the AP the federal agency has taken “appro- priate administrative steps.” Shire declined to elaborate on what those steps were and on Rickerson’s current status, citing personnel matters. In court Thursday in Bend, Circuit Judge Stephen Forte ordered Rickerson to have no contact with the woman. Rickerson was conditionally released. A female Fish and Wild- life employee contacted the federal agency’s inspec- tor general to report that an incident took place when the two stayed in the same rental house in Sunriver over the summer, the newspaper reported. Sun. N 4-8 NW 6-12 Boardman Pendleton 58/33 BEND (AP) — Prosecu- tors in Oregon have charged the head of the Washington state office for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service after he was accused of touching and exposing himself to a female co-worker during a summer conference. Eric Rickerson, 52, faces six counts, including coer- cion, third-degree sex abuse, harassment and indecency in Deschutes County Cir- cuit Court, The Bend Bulletin reported . Coercion is a felony in Oregon punishable by up to five years in prison. The other charges against Rickerson are misdemeanors. Prosecutors allege that Rickerson, who lives in Olympia, Washington, touched the woman’s chest and thigh without her consent WINDS (in mph) 61/41 55/24 0.00" 0.01" 0.16" 6.53" 12.34" 9.10" through 3 p.m. yest. HIGH LOW TEMP. Pendleton 49/35 67/42 24 hours ending 3 p.m. Month to date Normal month to date Year to date Last year to date Normal year to date HERMISTON Enterprise 56/38 63/40 58° 38° 69° 43° 92° (1980) 25° (1916) PRECIPITATION Moses Lake 60/37 Aberdeen 58/34 64/40 Tacoma Yesterday Normals Records Spokane Wenatchee 61/45 Federal administrator accused of touching employee in Oregon SW 4-8 W 4-8 Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today 7:00 a.m. 6:26 p.m. 3:44 a.m. 5:39 p.m. New First Full Last Oct 8 Oct 16 Oct 24 Oct 31 NATIONAL EXTREMES Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states) High 97° in Clarksdale, Miss. Low 11° in Bodie State Park, Calif. NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY Town hall to discuss Special Olympics East Oregonian Britt Oase, Special Olym- pics Oregon’s new CEO, will be on hand to discuss updates with the program. Town hall meetings are being held across the state in the wake of the financial dif- ficulties reported in the late spring. The nonprofit orga- nization canceled several events, training and activi- ties, including the 2018 Sum- mer Games. Oase will share her vision for the future of Special Olympics, as well as work being done in the last three months to build a sus- tainable organization. The local meeting — encompassing Spe- cial Olympics programs in Hermiston-Pendleton, Mil- ton-Freewater, and Baker, Grant and Union counties — is Wednesday, Oct. 10 from 6-8 p.m. at The Salvation Army, 150 S.E. Emigrant Ave., Pendleton. Athletes, their families, coaches and Special Olympics support- ers are encouraged to attend. Special Olympics pro- vides year-round athletic training and sports competi- tions for children and adults with intellectual and devel- opmental disabilities. There is no charge for athletes to participate. For more infor- mation about the Herm- iston-Pendleton program, contact Kristi Smalley at 541-567-1546 or smalleys@ eotnet.net. For more about the state organization or the town hall meeting, contact info@soor. org, 503-248-0600 or visit www.soor.org. Sheriff apologizes for deputies’ comment Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day. -10s -0s 0s showers t-storms 10s rain 20s flurries 30s snow 40s ice 50s cold front — Founded Oct. 16, 1875 — 211 S.E. Byers Ave., Pendleton 541-276-2211 333 E. Main St., Hermiston 541-567-6211 Office hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed major holidays www.eastoregonian.com To subscribe, call 1-800-522-0255 or go online to www.eastoregonian.com and click on ‘Subscribe’ East Oregonian (USPS 164-980) is published daily except Sunday, Monday and postal holidays, 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. Copyright © 2018, EO Media Group 60s 70s 80s 90s 100s warm front stationary front high 110s low PORTLAND (AP) — Clackamas County Sheriff Craig Roberts has criticized “callous comments” that three of his deputies made on cell- phone videos while an inmate was in a padded jail cell and flailing around uncontrollably from a drug overdose. The Oregonian/Oregon- Live reports he said two of the deputies were disciplined Subscriber services: For mail delivery, online access, vacation stops or delivery concerns call 1-800-522-0255 ext. 1 SUBSCRIPTION RATES Local home delivery Savings off cover price EZPay $14.50 41 percent 52 weeks $173.67 41 percent 26 weeks $91.86 38 percent 13 weeks $47.77 36 percent *EZ Pay = one-year rate with a monthly credit or debit card/check charge Single copy price: $1 Tuesday through Friday, $1.50 Saturday Circulation Manager: Bonny Tuller, 541-966-0828 and the third who took the videos resigned. The sher- iff didn’t describe the type of discipline. He also apologized to the inmate’s family in his state- ment, now nearly two years after the encounter. The sheriff released two videos a day after The Ore- gonian/OregonLive made a public records request ADVERTISING Regional Publisher and Revenue Director: Christopher Rush 541-278-2669 • crush@eomediagroup.com Advertising Services: Grace Bubar 541-276-2214 • gbubar@eastoregonian.com Multimedia Consultants: • Kimberly Macias 541-278-2683 • kmacias@eastoregonian.com • Jeanne Jewett 541-564-4531 • jjewett@eastoregonian.com • Dayle Stinson 541-278-2670 • dstinson@eastoregonian.com • Angela Treadwell 541-966-0827 • atreadwell@eastoregonian.com • Audra Workman 541-564-4538 • aworkman@eastoregonian.com for them and wrote about a wrongful death lawsuit filed this week in U.S. Dis- trict Court in Portland by the inmate’s mother and estate. The suit referenced the videos showing inmate Bryan Perry as he was locked in a padded cell at Clackamas County Jail after his proba- tion violation arrest on Nov. 3, 2016. Perry later died. 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