NORTHWEST
East Oregonian
A2
Tuesday, March 19, 2019
Veterans court may be collateral damage in immigration fight
Dozens of specialty
courts in Oregon risk
losing federal funding
By ANDREW SELSKY
Associated Press
EUGENE — Three decades
ago, Lori Ann Bourgeois was
guarding fighter jets at an air
base. After her discharge, she
fell into drug addiction. She
wound up living on the streets
and was arrested for possession of
methamphetamine.
But on a recent day, the former
Air Force Security Police mem-
ber walked into a Veterans Treat-
ment Court after completing a
90-day residential drug treatment
program. Two dozen fellow vets
sitting on the courtroom benches
applauded. A judge handed Bour-
geois a coin marking the occa-
sion, inscribed “Change Atti-
tude, Change Thinking, Change
Behavior.”
The program Bourgeois cred-
its for pulling her out of the “black
hole” of homelessness is among
more than three dozen Oregon
specialty courts caught in a stand-
off between the state and federal
government over immigration
enforcement.
The Trump administration in
2017 threatened to withhold law
enforcement grants from 29 cit-
ies, counties or states it viewed
as having “sanctuary” policies
that limit cooperation with federal
immigration agents. Today, all
those jurisdictions have received
AP Photo/Andrew Selsky, File
In this photo taken March 7, 2019, Lori Ann Bourgeois stands in front of
the courtroom where the Veterans Treatment Court is held at the Lane
County Circuit Court in Eugene.
or been cleared to get the money,
except Oregon, which is battling
for the funds in federal court.
The Veterans Treatment Court
in Eugene and 40 other specialty
courts, including mental health
and civilian drug programs, risk
losing all or part of their budgets,
said Michael Schmidt, executive
director of Oregon’s Criminal Jus-
tice Commission, which adminis-
ters the money.
The commission has managed
to keep the courts funded through
July, Schmidt said. Unless the
Trump administration relents or is
forced by court order to deliver the
money, or the Oregon Legislature
comes up with it, the commission
must make “horrible, tough deci-
sions” about where to make the
cuts, Schmidt said.
Speaking in her office in the
Eugene courthouse, specialty
courts coordinator Danielle Han-
son said if the veterans court bud-
get is cut, the vets would have to
start paying for drug treatment,
and they would be deprived of
housing resources and travel funds
to go to residential treatment facil-
ities as far as 330 miles away.
Some veterans might even be
turned away.
“It would impact the program
substantially,” Hanson said.
Two dozen former servicemen
and women are currently going
through the rigorous program that
lasts a minimum of a year, and
usually up to a year and a half.
They must attend group sessions
three times a week, come to court
at least once a week — presided
over by Judge Valeri Love, who
acts as their commanding officer
— submit to regular urine tests,
and show progress. Graduates can
have convictions cleared and avoid
prison.
“The Veterans Treatment
Court creates a routine and a reg-
imen that many vets can thrive
in. It pulls them out of isolation,”
said Michael Hajarizadeh, who
represents the vets as a public
defender.
Many have post-traumatic
stress, but the common thread is
substance abuse, said Hajariza-
deh, who is an Army veteran of the
Afghanistan war. He said the sup-
port structure and the bond vets
feel for each other make the sys-
tem work.
Bourgeois wore a radiant smile
as she accepted the coin on March
7 and shook Love’s hand. It was
a sharp contrast to when Bour-
geois was arrested in a homeless
camp on Aug. 31, 2017 — her 50th
birthday.
“This is my first time not being
homeless in seven years,” Bour-
BRIEFLY
Forecast for Pendleton Area
TODAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
Mostly sunny
Partly sunny
Mostly sunny
Intervals of clouds
and sunshine
Mostly cloudy and
cooler
55° 33°
59° 37°
PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
61° 40°
54° 36°
62° 42°
HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
58° 33°
62° 39°
65° 41°
60° 37°
65° 45°
OREGON FORECAST
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
73/46
54/35
58/32
Longview
Kennewick Walla Walla
54/37
Lewiston
72/43
55/32
Astoria
69/45
Pullman
Yakima 61/33
73/37
59/34
Portland
Hermiston
69/48
The Dalles 58/33
Salem
Corvallis
71/44
La Grande
Yesterday
Normals
Records
58/32
PRECIPITATION
John Day
Eugene
Bend
71/45
56/32
61/38
Ontario
66/33
Caldwell
Burns
53°
25°
58°
35°
75° (1972) 10° (1965)
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
72/43
Boardman
Pendleton
Medford
75/47
0.00"
0.10"
0.56"
3.49"
2.06"
2.80"
WINDS (in mph)
65/35
58/34
0.00"
0.39"
0.76"
5.24"
3.27"
3.27"
through 3 p.m. yest.
HIGH
LOW
TEMP.
Pendleton 57/29
74/44
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
55/33
58/37
51°
28°
56°
36°
76° (1934) 15° (1965)
PRECIPITATION
Moses
Lake
73/37
Aberdeen
56/33
54/35
Tacoma
Yesterday
Normals
Records
Spokane
Wenatchee
74/49
geois said. “It is a BIG milestone.”
Bourgeois served in the Air
Force Security Police, now called
Security Forces, for four years,
until 1991. A back injury resulted
in dependence on prescription
painkillers, escalating to other
drugs.
In November, the Lane County
Circuit Court entered her into the
veterans court after finding her
guilty of possessing meth. If she
completes the program, the cir-
cuit court will discharge Bour-
geois and dismiss all proceedings
against her. She had faced a year
in jail.
She is on probation and staying
in a house for people recovering
from addiction.
“Without this, I’d still be out on
the streets,” Bourgeois said. “I’m
very grateful to be back and start
again.”
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown and
Attorney General Ellen Rosen-
blum sued President Donald
Trump in November to get $4 mil-
lion in grants from fiscal years 2017
and 2018 restored, saying Oregon
was “unlawfully deprived” of the
funds. The lawsuit accuses Trump
of an “unconstitutional attempt” to
compel Oregon to enforce federal
immigration policies.
“As we have seen, these efforts
have frequently been both inhu-
mane and dangerous,” Rosenblum
said.
Furthermore, the administra-
tion is violating the separation of
powers by invading Congress’
spending authority, the lawsuit
says.
Today
Wed.
NE 4-8
NNE 4-8
NNE 4-8
NNE 4-8
SUN AND MOON
Klamath Falls
63/41
Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2019
Sunrise today
Sunset tonight
Moonrise today
Moonset today
7:01 a.m.
7:06 p.m.
5:37 p.m.
6:40 a.m.
Full
Last
New
First
Mar 20
Mar 27
Apr 5
Apr 12
NATIONAL EXTREMES
Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states)
High 90° in Thermal, Calif. Low -10° in Farson, Wyo.
NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY
Nine arrested in
school basketball
game riot expelled
VANCOUVER, Wash.
(AP) — Officials say nine
students who were arrested
after a riot broke out at
an eighth grade basket-
ball tournament in south-
west Washington have been
expelled from their schools.
Vancouver School Dis-
trict officials said Mon-
day that that the students
arrested were expelled
and that officials were still
investigating others who
may have been involved in
the Friday evening incident.
Officials say two stu-
dents got into a fight in the
stands at Gaiser Middle
School and that security
officers removed them from
the gym. Officials say sev-
eral students followed them
and that more joined and
interfered as the students
were taken outside.
The deputies called for
backup as they were sur-
rounded by 60 to 70 teens
who shouted racial slurs and
death threats at the officers.
Nine students were
arrested on charges includ-
ing trespassing, failing to
disperse, assault, disorderly
conduct and resisting arrest.
White House
proposes big cut in
Hanford spending
RICHLAND,
Wash.
(AP) — The Trump admin-
istration is proposing big
cuts to the cleanup bud-
get for the Hanford Nuclear
Reservation.
The Tri-City Herald
reports the administration
on Monday proposed cut-
ting Hanford’s budget by
$416 million.
Hanford for decades
made plutonium for nuclear
weapons and the site is now
engaged in cleaning up the
resulting highly radioactive
wastes.
Hanford’s annual budget
would drop from $2.5 bil-
lion this year to $2.1 billion
next year under the budget
request submitted to Con-
gress, which sets the budget.
The cut comes as a new
estimate at least triples the
estimated cost of Hanford
cleanup.
A report released in Jan-
uary puts the remaining
cleanup costs for Hanford
at $323 billion under a best
case scenario. At worst it
could be $677 billion.
Man shot,
killed by police
in The Dalles
PORTLAND (AP) —
Police in The Dalles say an
officer fatally shot a 77-year-
old man who was reportedly
shooting a rifle at a neigh-
bor’s house.
KOIN-TV reports the
man killed in the Saturday
incident was identified as
James Young.
Police say arriving offi-
cers saw Young shooting,
and at some point Young
was shot and killed.
No one else was injured
in the incident.
Police say the officer
involved in the shooting has
been placed on paid admin-
istrative leave, which is
standard protocol for offi-
cer-involved shootings.
Police say the shooting is
under investigation.
Oregon House
approves 10-year
ban on ‘fracking’
SALEM (AP) — The
Oregon House approved a
10-year ban on fracking to
explore for oil and natural
gas.
Lawmakers voted 42-12
on Monday to prohibit
the process, which injects
high-pressure liquids into
underground rock to extract
oil and gas. The measure
now goes to the Senate for
consideration.
There are currently no
fracking operations in Ore-
gon. But developers say
there’s potential for coalbed
methane extraction in the
Willamette Valley, which
this bill would also block.
Environmental advocates
say fracking can contami-
nate groundwater and pose
other environmental risks.
The Trump administra-
tion announced last year
that it planned roll back fed-
eral regulations on the pro-
cess, making it easier to
frack on public lands.
New York, Vermont and
Maryland have enacted
fracking bans.
Woman pleads
guilty to shoving
friend off bridge
VANCOUVER, Wash.
(AP) — A woman has
pleaded guilty to pushing
her 16-year-old friend from
a bridge at a popular swim-
ming area near Vancouver.
The Columbian reports
Tay’lor Smith, 19, pleaded
guilty to misdemeanor reck-
less endangerment Monday
in Clark County District
Court.
Prosecutors are recom-
mending no jail time when
Smith is sentenced later this
month.
Smith pushed Jordan
Holgerson off the bridge
Aug. 7 at Moulton Falls
northeast of Vancouver.
Video posted on You-
Tube that went viral shows
Holgerson being pushed.
Holgerson broke six ribs
and punctured her lungs in a
fall of over 50 feet.
In an interview on “Good
Morning America” Smith
said she didn’t consider the
repercussions.
Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day.
-10s
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0s
showers t-storms
10s
rain
20s
flurries
30s
snow
40s
50s
ice
60s
cold front
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