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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 16, 2019)
NORTHWEST East Oregonian A2 Friday, August 16, 2019 McLeod-Skinner says she’ll run for secretary of state in 2020 Central Oregon Democrat launches fundraising campaign has an official website, jamiefororegon.com, to get out word of her campaign. “I’ve had conversations with folks throughout the state,” McLeod-Skinner said. “I’ve received a lot of encouragement. There’s a sense that we need to connect with all the peo- ple in the state, bridge the rural-urban divide. There’s excitement about the idea of a rural Democrat as secre- tary of state.” McLeod-Skinner knows it is unlikely she’ll be the last well-known Democrat to announce a bid for secre- tary of state. “I’ve reached out to some of the people who have expressed an interest in running, just to let them know what I am doing,” McLeod-Skinner said. “I want this to be completely transparent. I have no problem with running in a crowded field. Primaries can be a great opportunity to exchange ideas.” Oregon Republican lead- ers have also said they will make a strong effort to win the secretary of state job in 2020. The 2020 secretary of state’s race is a rare wide- open statewide race. Trea- surer Tobias Read, a Demo- crat, is seeking re-election. By GARY A. WARNER Bend Bulletin SALEM — Jamie McLeod-Skinner, the Ter- rebonne Democrat who lost a 2018 run for Congress, took her first official step toward a bid for secretary of state next year. McLeod-Skinner has formed the Jamie for Ore- gon campaign finance com- mittee and registered it Aug. 9 with the secretary of state. “I do plan on running for secretary of state,” McLeod-Skinner said Tues- day. “I’ll make a formal announcement within a few weeks.” Though candidates can- not officially file for state offices earlier than Sept. 12, there is no time limit on establishing political action committees to raise and spend money. As of Tuesday, no contri- bution or expenditures were listed by McLeod-Skin- ner’s committee. Commit- tees currently have 30 days before they have to report receiving a contribution or campaign expenditure. McLeod-Skinner also Staff photo by Kathy Aney, File Democratic Congressional candidate Jamie McLeod-Skinner during stop at the Pendleton Farmers Market when she was campaigning as a Democrat to take Oregon’s 2nd Congres- sional District House seat from Republican incumbent Rep. Greg Walden in the November 2018 election. So is U.S. Sen. Jeff Merk- ley, D-Ore. Oregon Attor- ney General Ellen Rosen- blum hasn’t said if she will seek a third term but has spent several thousand dol- lars on polling. Only the secretary of state race is guaranteed to be without an incumbent. Dennis Richardson was elected to the office in 2016, becoming Oregon’s only Republican state- wide officeholder. When he died from brain cancer Feb. 26, Gov. Kate Brown by statute was required to Forecast for Pendleton Area TODAY SATURDAY Mostly cloudy Mostly sunny and comfortable 84° 56° 83° 54° 87° 60° 86° 59° SUNDAY MONDAY Nice with plenty of sunshine TUESDAY Mostly sunny and beautiful Plenty of sun PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 86° 59° 87° 55° 93° 58° HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 89° 62° 90° 54° OREGON FORECAST 97° 54° 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 69/60 79/51 87/55 Longview Kennewick Walla Walla 85/60 Lewiston 74/61 89/60 Astoria 69/59 Pullman Yakima 88/62 73/56 87/59 Portland Hermiston 77/62 The Dalles 87/60 Salem Corvallis 79/53 Yesterday Normals Records La Grande 81/50 Bend 83/53 82/47 83/49 Ontario 90/57 Caldwell Burns Boardman Pendleton Medford 89/55 0.00" 0.05" 0.10" 4.61" 5.10" 6.02" WINDS (in mph) 88/54 84/40 Today Sat. WSW 7-14 W 7-14 WSW 7-14 W 7-14 SUN AND MOON Klamath Falls 83/44 Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2019 Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today 5:56 a.m. 8:02 p.m. 9:00 p.m. 6:53 a.m. Last New First Full Aug 23 Aug 30 Sep 5 Sep 13 NATIONAL EXTREMES Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states) High 118° in Palm Springs, Calif. Low 30° in Stanley, Idaho NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY OHA encourages immigrants to find attorneys for new ‘public benefit’ rule By KRISTIAN FODEN-VENCIL Oregon Public Broadcasting SALEM — The Oregon Health Authority is encour- aging immigrants with ques- tions about a new public bene- fit rule to find an attorney. The Trump administra- tion’s rule is expected to make it harder for immigrants who use government benefits to obtain legal residency. But the Oregon Health Authority says it stigmatizes Medicaid and other public assistance programs. The agency wrote to the federal government last year saying health care is not a cash-assistance benefit. “Good health is the founda- tion for thriving, economically independent people, families and communities,” the agency wrote in its comments. “This proposal punishes immi- grants for taking responsibil- ity for their health, the health of their loved ones and their neighbors by seeking health care. It fails to acknowledge that in a growing majority of states (like Oregon), which have expanded Medicaid, a high percentage of Medicaid members work, earn income and support themselves with- out public assistance.” Oregon Health Authority spokeswoman Delia Hernan- dez said the agency is letting immigrants know many pro- grams aren’t included in the federal rule, including Med- Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day. -0s 0s showers t-storms 10s rain 20s flurries 30s snow 40s 50s ice 60s cold front E AST O REGONIAN — 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 EastOregonian.com To subscribe, call 1-800-522-0255 or go online to 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 © 2019, EO Media Group icaid for children under 21 and pregnant women, CHIP (the Children’s Health Insur- ance Program) and WIC (the Women, Infants and Chil- dren supplemental nutrition program). “We really want folks to know what programs are not impacted by this,” Hernandez said. Ken Cuccinelli, the acting director of the U.S. Immigra- tion Service, announced the rule, saying it should save the government money by pri- oritizing immigrants who won’t be reliant on the welfare system. The Cato Institute finds immigrants are less likely to use welfare benefits than native-born Americans. BRIEFLY Oregon Department of Corrections faces $1 million civil rights lawsuit SALEM — A former employee is suing the Oregon Department of Corrections for almost $1 million. The Statesman Journal reported Wednes- day that Gary Sims says the department’s diversity office unlawfully retaliated against him for aiding employees with discrimination complaints. Sims’ lawsuit filed in circuit court Aug. 8 says he stopped working with the department in November 2017 after the agency eliminated his position and failed to offer an alternative job. The lawsuit says he was promoted to diver- sity and inclusion administrator in 2013, but his superiors became less enthusiastic over time and neglected workplace discrimination concerns. The complaint by Sims, who is black, says a superior reprimanded him in 2017 and his office was closed over reported budget concerns. State corrections officials did not respond to the newspaper’s request for comment. Oregon man given 10 years in prison for hatchet attack -10s to move up to the top job. Before Clarno’s nomina- tion, the Oregon Republi- can Party submitted a list of five names to Brown for the position. All had expressed a willingness to serve if appointed, though they would not agree to Brown’s request to stay out of the 2020 race. The list included former Rep. Gene Whis- nant, R-Sunriver; former Rep. Katie Eyre, R-Hills- boro; former Sen. Bill Ken- nemer, R-Oregon City; and former House Speaker Lynn Snodgrass, R-Boring. McLeod-Skinner ran in 2018 for the seat held by U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, R-Hood River. She drove more than 45,000 miles to campaign and raised about $1.3 million. Walden was elected to an 11th term but had his lowest margin of victory in two decades. Brown recently appointed McLeod-Skinner to the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board. McLeod-Skinner said that while she would not repeat the congressional race herself, she was work- ing with Democratic activ- ists to field a strong Dem- ocratic candidate to run against Walden in 2020. “I think we’ll find a phe- nomenal candidate,” she said. PRECIPITATION John Day Eugene 90° 65° 88° 58° 104° (1933) 40° (1937) 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 80/55 0.00" 0.10" 0.19" 9.71" 6.49" 8.14" through 3 p.m. yest. HIGH LOW TEMP. Pendleton 78/45 80/57 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 84/56 80/61 87° 59° 87° 58° 109° (1901) 38° (1910) PRECIPITATION Moses Lake 74/56 Aberdeen 81/57 85/62 Tacoma Yesterday Normals Records Spokane Wenatchee 74/61 name a Republican as his successor. Brown let it be known she was looking for some- one who would not seek the office in 2020. Brown appointed former House Speaker Bev Clarno, of Redmond, on March 31. Clarno says Brown never explicitly asked her to promise not to run but says she will not seek the office in 2020. The list of possible Dem- ocratic candidates includes Rep. Jennifer Williamson, D-Portland, who stepped down as House majority leader in early July, while retaining her seat. In a statement at the time, Williamson said she wanted to serve “the entire state of Oregon.” Williamson could seek the open secretary of state job but has most often been linked over the years to a possible run for attor- ney general. A bid in 2020 could lead to a primary against Rosenblum. Though it is not a state- wide office, Williamson has also been linked with a possible bid for Multnomah County district attorney. The incumbent, Rod Under- hill, is not seeking a third term in 2020. Three candi- dates — Deputy U.S. Attor- ney Ethan Knight, Deputy District Attorney Mariel Mota, and Oregon Criminal Justice Commission Execu- tive Director Mike Schmidt — have already registered campaign finance commit- tees for the race. Rep. Dan Rayfield, D-Corvallis, has also fre- quently been mentioned as a possible candidate for sec- retary of state. On the Republican side, Deputy Secretary of State Richard Vial, a former Republican House member from Hillsboro, could seek 70s 80s 90s 100s warm front stationary front 110s high low PORTLAND — An Oregon man who attacked a stranger with a hatchet has been sen- tenced to 10 years in prison. KOIN-TV reported Wednesday that 34-year-old Eric Saia pleaded guilty to charges related to an October attack on a man who was walking his dog in Portland. The Multnomah County District Attor- ney’s Office says Saia and another person Subscriber services: For mail delivery, online access, vacation stops or delivery concerns call 1-800-522-0255 ext. 1 SUBSCRIPTION RATES EZPay 52 weeks 26 weeks 13 weeks Local home delivery Savings (cover price) $13/month 60 percent $173.67 41 percent $91.86 38 percent $47.77 36 percent *EZ Pay = one-year rate with a monthly credit or debit card/check charge Single copy price: $1.50 Tuesday through Saturday Circulation Dept. 800-781-3214 ADVERTISING Regional Publisher and Revenue Director: • Christopher Rush 541-278-2669 • crush@eomediagroup.com Advertising Services: • Angela Treadwell 541-966-0827 • atreadwell@eastoregonian.com • Grace Bubar 541-276-2214 • gbubar@eastoregonian.com Multimedia Consultants: • Jeanne Jewett 541-564-4531 • jjewett@eastoregonian.com • Audra Workman 541-564-4538 • aworkman@eastoregonian.com Business Office Coordinator • Dayle Stinson 541-278-2670 • dstinson@eastoregonian.com approached the victim on bicycles and told him to “drop your stash.” Authorities say Saia took a hatchet out of his backpack and hit the victim in the head, causing serious trauma that resulted in several surgeries. Deputy District Attorney Eric Collins says in a statement that the sentence is significant but “appropriate given the seriousness” of Saia’s offense. Prosecutors say the other suspect who was not named has been identified by authorities. Sheriff Glenn Palmer announces departure JOHN DAY — The Grant County sheriff announced he plans to resign his position in a few months. Grant County Sheriff Glenn Palmer said he will help the court transition to the next sher- iff. His current term of office terminates at the end of next year, and he would have faced a pri- mary race in May. Palmer did not give a reason why he planned to resign his office in a few months, but he was heard to utter under his breath that he’d had enough, according to the Blue Mountain Eagle. Palmer, who was first elected sheriff in 2000, previously served as a John Day police officer. He won re-election over challenger Richard Gray in November 2012 by 2,236- 1,477. He narrowly defeated Todd McKinley in the November 2016 election by 2,208-2,065. Palmer lives in John Day with his wife, RoseAnn. The couple host an annual Christ- mas dinner for the community. The earliest candidates can file for election next year is Sept. 12. — EO Media Group and Associated Press Classified & Legal Advertising 1-800-962-2819 or 541-278-2678 classifieds@eastoregonian.com or legals@eastoregonian.com NEWS • To submit news tips and press releases: call 541-966-0818 or email news@eastoregonian.com • To submit community events, calendar items and Your EO News: email community@eastoregonian.com or call Tammy Malgesini at 541-564-4539 or Renee Struthers at 541-966-0818. • To submit engagements, weddings and anniversaries: email rstruthers@eastoregonian.com or visit eastoregonian. com/community/announcements • To submit sports or outdoors information or tips: 541-966-0838 • sports@eastoregonian.com Business Office Manager: 541-966-0824 COMMERCIAL PRINTING Production Manager: Mike Jensen 541-215-0824 • mjensen@eastoregonian.com
