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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 7, 2020)
NORTHWEST East Oregonian A2 Tuesday, January 7, 2020 Merkley expects Iran to respond to killing of general By KYLE SPURR EO Media Group REDMOND — At a town hall meeting Saturday, U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., addressed the potential for war following the assassination of Iranian mil- itary commander Maj. Gen. Qas- sem Soleimani. Merkley expects Iran to respond to the attack since it would be the equivalent of Iran assassinating the U.S. secretary of defense, he said. But Merkley said he is work- ing in Congress to avoid an esca- lation into war. He also reminded the crowd that President Donald Trump does not have the constitu- tional authority to take the country to war, unless he can prove a ter- rorist connection. “We have to try to interrupt the escalation into another major war that will endanger our national security and result in thousands of Americans who will die on battle- fields and cost another trillion dol- lars in funds,” Merkley said. “We have to speak up. We have to do everything we can to stop that.” The Redmond town hall inside the Ridgeview High School audi- torium drew a couple hundred peo- ple who were eager to hear from Merkley on national topics, such as the impeachment of Trump, health care and climate change. Most people in the audience supported Merkley and gave him a standing ovation at the end of the town hall meeting. About 30 Trump sup- porters protested outside the high EO Media Group Photo/Ryan Brennecke U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., answers a question from the crowd during a town hall meeting at Ridgeview High School on Saturday. school before the town hall. The gathering was the first of three scheduled meetings in Cen- tral Oregon on Saturday. Merkley also held town hall meetings at the Madras Performing Arts Center and at Barnes Butte Elementary School in Prineville. Merkley, a Democrat from Port- land, offered his thoughts at the Redmond town hall meeting about the Trump impeachment, which he said aligns with the protections the Founding Fathers established in the Constitution. “The issues that have been raised are very consistent with the founders’ concerns,” Merkley said. “Is there an abuse of power, and is there a solicitation of foreign interference?” Merkley said he shares con- cerns with House Democrats who believe Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is unwill- ing to hold a fair Senate trial Forecast for Pendleton Area TODAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY Cloudy with a stray shower Cooler; afternoon fl urries Mostly cloudy with a shower Spotty showers in the afternoon Cloudy and windy 57° 41° 44° 32° 59° 43° 49° 35° PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 40° 30° 44° 26° 45° 39° HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 46° 32° 48° 27° 46° 40° 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 51/39 44/35 54/35 Longview Kennewick Walla Walla 56/40 Lewiston 51/40 60/44 Astoria 52/41 Pullman Yakima 52/37 51/38 52/40 Portland Hermiston 54/42 The Dalles 59/43 Salem Corvallis 51/40 Yesterday Normals Records La Grande 44/36 Bend 53/42 49/33 51/35 Ontario 45/32 Caldwell Burns 0.00" Trace 0.24" Trace 0.01" 0.24" WINDS (in mph) 48/35 44/30 Sexual abuse at youth correctional facility among highest in the nation By MEERAH POWELL Oregon Public Broadcasting SALEM — Although reports of sexual abuse in juvenile correctional facilities across the nation have declined in past years, Oregon’s correc- tional facility for girls and young women was ranked among the top facilities for having the highest rates of sexual victimiza- tion in 2018, according to a federal report. In the report, 42 girls and young women at Alba- ny’s Oak Creek Youth Correctional Facility were surveyed; 14.3% reported being sexually victimized in 2018. That’s more than twice the national aver- age of 7.1%, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics. The report does not distinguish sexual abuse reports in individual facil- ities made against staff versus those made against other youth. Other Oregon facilities above the national average include St. Mary’s Home for Boys in Beaverton at 11.1% and the Rogue Val- ley Youth Correctional Facility in Grants Pass at 10.3%. All other Oregon juve- nile facilities fell below the national average, with the Eastern Oregon Youth Correction Facility in Burns having the low- est rate of sexual abuse reports at 4.3%. The National Survey of Youth in Custody con- ducted the report and sur- veyed more than 6,000 children and young adults nationally. Nationwide, the over- all rate of sexual victim- ization reported declined from 9.5% in 2012 to 7.1% in 2018. PRECIPITATION John Day Eugene 60° 37° 40° 28° 60° (2020) -8° (1974) 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 51/41 Trace 0.15" 0.35" 0.15" 0.04" 0.35" through 3 p.m. yest. HIGH LOW TEMP. Pendleton 45/32 52/42 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 57/41 54/40 56° 39° 40° 26° 70° (1914) -6° (1942) PRECIPITATION Moses Lake 52/38 Aberdeen 46/35 45/35 Tacoma Yesterday Normals Records Spokane Wenatchee 53/40 regarding impeachment. “To me, that is a violation of our constitutional responsibility,” Merkley said. “And I feel if you can’t take the oath in an honest and clear way to do it impartial justice, then you need to recuse yourself from participation in the trial.” Merkley also discussed climate change in dire terms. “The issue of carbon pollution and how it’s affecting our planet is the biggest challenge human civili- zation has faced,” he said. Merkley said climate change can be felt in the forests, farmland and ocean. In the summer it pro- duces intense wildfires, and in the winter, low snowpack. “We have got to act quickly,” Merkley said. “The only good answer we have is to transition quickly from fossil fuel-based energy to renewable energy.” Three seniors at Ridgeview High School — Naomi Gates, Danika Lundgren and Cody Woods — each asked Merkley questions during the meeting. Gates asked about mental health services, Lundgren asked about college affordability, and Woods asked Merkley what he thinks is his single best contribution to Oregon. Merkley said his best contri- bution was in 2007, when he was a state representative and helped pass the Equality Act that pro- hibited discrimination in Oregon based on sexual orientation and gender identity. “The thing that I think was the biggest deal was the Equality Act so that no more doors were slammed on our LGBTQ commu- nity here in the state of Oregon,” he said. Merkley commended the audi- ence for having a civil conversa- tion with him about the nation’s issues. “Thank you all for being engaged,” he said. “Let’s seize the moment provided in our constitu- tion to put America back on track.” Today Medford 46/37 Wed. SW 6-12 S 6-12 Boardman Pendleton WSW 8-16 WSW 8-16 SUN AND MOON Klamath Falls 45/31 Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2020 Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today 7:35 a.m. 4:27 p.m. 2:00 p.m. 4:24 a.m. Full Last New First Jan 10 Jan 17 Jan 24 Feb 1 NATIONAL EXTREMES Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states) High 84° in Santa Ana, Calif. Low -12° in Waverly, Colo. NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY BRIEFLY Iranian-Americans report problems entering the U.S. from Canada SEATTLE — Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is pressing federal officials for information following reports that Ira- nian-Americans trying to return to the United States from Canada were detained at the border for hours over the weekend. In a statement Sunday, the Wash- ington state chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations said more than 60 Iranians and Iranian-Americans were detained and questioned at the Peace Arch Border Crossing in Blaine, Washington. “Those detained reported that their passports were confiscated and they were questioned about their political views and allegiances,’’ the statement said. But Michael Friel, a spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said reports that Iranian-Americans were detained or refused entry because of their country of origin were not true. “Based on the current threat envi- ronment, CBP is operating with an enhanced posture at its ports of entry to safeguard our national security and pro- tect the American people while simul- taneously protecting the civil rights and liberties of everyone,” Friel said in a statement. Arrests during downtown Seattle protest SEATTLE — Four people were arrested as tensions escalated at a rally by a conservative group in downtown Seattle. KOMO reported that a counter-pro- tester was detained Sunday and arrested for a misdemeanor assault after striking another person with her fist, police said, while three men were arrested for throw- ing gravel and debris at officers. Seattle police also reported that two of their cars were vandalized during the downtown protest. Several counter-protesters came face- to-face with the right-wing Three Per- centers group during two scheduled demonstrations occurring simultane- ously within each other near City Hall. Streets surrounding City Hall were blocked off with Seattle police monitor- ing the rally — 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. 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