Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 22, 2019)
NORTHWEST East Oregonian A2 Thursday, August 22, 2019 Sheriff’s investigation of reporter’s inquiries stokes ire By ANDREW SELSKY Associated Press VALE — Journalists in Oregon and beyond have risen in defense of a small newspaper after a county attorney asked the sheriff to inves- tigate whether its journalists broke the law for trying to get comments from government officials after business hours. Staffers at the Malheur Enter- prise, a weekly newspaper in the remote town of Vale, said they were just doing their job. “We’re not going to be bullied,” said editor Les Zaitz. Malheur County Sheriff Brian Wolfe said Wednesday an inquiry determined no laws had been broken. “As an elected sheriff, we will always respect the constitutional rights of anybody and every- body. We do believe in freedom of the press and free speech that we believe are our rights given by the Constitution of the United States,” Wolfe said. The newspaper had been investi- gating why a car wash did not receive a five-year exemption for local prop- erty taxes that was allegedly prom- ised. Bluebird Express Car Wash built a $4.5 million installation in the town of Ontario after it under- stood it received the exemption, rep- resenting about $335,000. Greg Smith, the director for eco- nomic development for Malheur County, is responsible for determin- ing and negotiating property tax exemptions. Malheur Enterprise Staff photo by E.J. Harris, File Les Zaitz had planned on retiring from The Oregonian in 2016 to his range outside of John Day before he and his wife, Scotta Callister, bought the weekly newspaper The Malheur Enterprise in Vale. reporter Pat Caldwell sought several times to get comment from Smith, who is also a Republican member of the Oregon Legislature. “This is an effort to get accu- rate information,” said Zaitz, a for- mer investigative reporter with The Oregonian newspaper and a two- time Pulitzer Prize finalist. “The public is entitled to that informa- tion — not only entitled to that information, it deserves it.” Smith responded only after the story was published on Aug. 14 with the headline “Malheur County lured company to Ontario with tax break promise, then doesn’t deliver.” In a statement that the news- paper published online, Smith said no “pre-application” for a property tax exemption had been MONDAY Strike looms on the horizon Pleasant with plenty of sun Members of SEIU 503 bargaining team say universities not offering fair contract Forecast for Pendleton Area TODAY FRIDAY SATURDAY Beautiful with clouds and sun Mostly sunny and pleasant 81° 51° 86° 61° SUNDAY Mostly sunny and pleasant Nice with abundant sunshine approved or signed. “Over the last six months, me and my staff have been subjected to endless phone calls, hostile emails at all hours of the day and unwel- come office visits,” Smith asserted. Zaitz said Caldwell sent two emails to Smith during business hours seeking comment. Zaitz said he felt it was his duty to email Smith on Saturday to provide every oppor- PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 86° 58° 83° 53° 83° 56° HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 88° 62° 84° 52° 88° 60° 86° 54° OREGON FORECAST 87° 56° 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 69/53 76/48 83/51 Longview Kennewick Walla Walla 82/58 Lewiston 73/51 85/54 Astoria 68/52 Pullman Yakima 85/54 73/49 83/58 Portland Hermiston 75/55 The Dalles 84/52 Salem Corvallis 77/49 Yesterday Normals Records La Grande 77/46 PRECIPITATION John Day Eugene Bend 78/49 77/46 78/49 Ontario 86/56 Caldwell Burns 88° 69° 87° 56° 101° (1977) 41° (1945) 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 76/50 Boardman Pendleton Medford 86/55 0.00" 0.05" 0.14" 4.61" 5.13" 6.06" WINDS (in mph) 84/54 80/40 0.00" 0.10" 0.29" 9.71" 6.49" 8.24" through 3 p.m. yest. HIGH LOW TEMP. Pendleton 73/44 76/51 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 81/51 80/55 88° 61° 86° 56° 106° (1897) 37° (1904) PRECIPITATION Moses Lake 73/51 Aberdeen 78/55 82/58 Tacoma Yesterday Normals Records Spokane Wenatchee 73/56 Today Fri. SW 6-12 W 7-14 SW 4-8 W 4-8 SUN AND MOON Klamath Falls 80/44 Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2019 Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today 6:04 a.m. 7:52 p.m. 11:22 p.m. 1:04 p.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 116° in Thermal, Calif. Low 31° in Bridgeport, Calif. tunity to comment before the news- paper went to press. Located in a small Old West-style building, the weekly publishes 1,400 copies, with additional paid online subscribers. County Counsel Stephanie Wil- liams asked the sheriff to determine if emails and calls to county eco- nomic development officials consti- tuted a crime. “We looked at harassment, tele- phonic harassment — really neither one comes close in this situation,” Wolfe said. The reactions to the investigation varied widely. One person told Wolfe that if he jailed the journalists, he would deserve to be voted out of office. Another person left a voicemail say- ing the press reports fake news and the sheriff should do whatever he wants with the journalists. The Oregon chapter of the Soci- ety of Professional Journalists issued a statement rebuking county officials for asking the sheriff to investigate. “Journalists doggedly pursue the stories they’re working on to inform the public and their readership of what is important to their commu- nities,” said Amanda Waldroupe, president of Oregon SPJ. Journalists from elsewhere voiced their support. “The Fort Bragg Advo- cate-News and Mendocino Beacon here in California stand with you, Malheur Enterprise. Your public servants ought to grow a hide and get used to those weekend emails,” the newspapers tweeted. NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY By ELIZABETH MILLER Oregon Public Broadcasting PORTLAND — The bargaining team represent- ing thousands of classified staff at Oregon’s seven pub- lic university employees, including Eastern Oregon University, has declared an impasse in contract negoti- ations, inching closer to a strike. Declaring an impasse means management has until Friday to submit a final offer to workers. After that, there’s a 30-day cooling off period. During that period, workers can give notice of a strike. SEIU 503 represents thousands of university staff, including library tech- nicians, office workers and custodial staff. Members of the SEIU 503 bargaining team say the universities are not offer- ing a fair contract. Union concerns range from sal- ary increases to proposals related to layoffs and work- place bullying. As part of negotiations, the union is asking for a 3.5% cost of living adjust- ment for 2020. The uni- versities propose a 1% cost of living increase for next year. SEIU 503 is also con- testing salary increases and the maximum salary a uni- versity employee can earn. According to SEIU, the median salary for classi- fied university employees is $36,136. “What I’m looking at right now are proposals I can’t live with,” said Dar- row Omar, office coordi- nator for Portland State’s women, sexuality, and gen- der studies department. Omar is on leave from the job to work as a SEIU member organizer, telling colleagues what’s going on at the bargaining table. Omar feels nervous about a possible strike, but there are also positive feel- ings out of the tense con- tract process. Omar said colleagues are support- ive of each other amid the disrespect they feel from management. “There’s excitement about it but the excitement comes from the extreme frustration that we are feel- ing,” Omar said. It’s been 24 years since SEIU 503 members went on strike. The bargaining news comes at a time when Ore- gon’s public universities are dealing with new funding from the state and tuition increases. Oregon legislators gave $100 million more to the state’s public universities in a budget bill effective Aug. 9. Three universities received approval from the state’s Higher Education Coordinating Commission to raise tuition above 5%. “Universities are offer- ing their lowest-paid work- ers wage adjustments that don’t come close to match- ing inflation and students increases in tuition,” said PSU IT specialist Rob Full- mer in a SEIU 503 release. The bargaining team said it will not agree to salary increases for specific jobs until management raises the total compensation package for all workers. As Omar continues their second year at PSU, they say management’s pro- posal shows a disinterest in investing in employees. “We’re very much the people that grinds the gears on campus so that universi- ties run so that our students can get service,” said Omar. “What’s happening at the bargaining table is saying we’re not worth what we need to live.” BRIEFLY Brown signs law expanding National Guard tuition assistance for higher education SALEM — Gov. Kate Brown has signed into law a measure allowing members of the Oregon National Guard to receive tuition assis- tance at Oregon Health and Science University and private institutions in addition to com- munity colleges and public higher education institutions. KATU-TV reported House Bill 2817 was passed by the Oregon Legislature and signed into law Tuesday. The benefit will be available for the 2020-21 academic year. The bill expands on a 2018 law that estab- lished tuition assistance to members of the Oregon National Guard to attend public uni- versities and community college. That assis- tance began during the 2018-19 academic year. Both laws require a student to be in “good standing” with a cumulative grade point aver- age of 2.0 or higher. — Associated Press 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 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 70s 80s 90s 100s warm front stationary front 110s high low CORRECTIONS: The East Oregonian works hard to be accurate and sincerely regrets any errors. If you notice a mistake in the paper, please call 541-966-0818. 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 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
