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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 29, 2020)
NORTHWEST East Oregonian A2 Wednesday, January 29, 2020 ‘Ezra’s Law’ would stiffen penalties for causing permanent injury By GARRETT ANDREWS EO Media Group BEND — Abusers who cause their victims per- manent physical injuries could serve an automatic 25-year prison term in Oregon under a proposed law announced Monday in Madras. Three victims with severe injuries, their families and supporters crowded into the lobby of the Jefferson County Courthouse to hear District Attorney Steve LeRiche announce “Ezra’s Law.” “I think all of us want to see the narrative change, from a narrative where criminals are put first and victims are forgotten,” he said. “Today, you see three people and their families who have a sentence they can’t look forward to com- pleting. Their sentence is for their entire life.” LeRiche said these cases are rare in his jurisdiction — one about every one to five years — and therefore deserve a rare penalty. “As a society I hope we embrace people who have been offended in crimes and their lives altered in this way, and we put them first, and we take care of them first before anyone else,” he said. EO Media Group Photo/Garrett Andrews Ezra Jerome Thomas, 4, appeared with relatives at the Jefferson County Courthouse on Mon- day to hear District Attorney Steve LeRiche announce a proposed state law named in the boy’s honor. Ezra was severely injured by his mom’s boyfriend, Josue Jair Mendoza-Melo, who was sentenced to 12 years in prison. The bill would work by allowing judges to deter- mine if a permanent injury has resulted from a crime against a person. “Perma- nent physical injury” is defined in the statute as “permanently and signifi- cantly impairing a per- son’s cognitive function, Forecast for Pendleton Area TODAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY A little rain late in the p.m. Cloudy Cloudy and milder Sun, then clouds Chance for a couple of showers 50° 37° 52° 47° 49° 35° 50° 42° PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 64° 49° 65° 33° 42° 21° HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 66° 45° 65° 37° OREGON FORECAST 47° 24° 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 52/42 44/35 46/27 Longview Kennewick Walla Walla 50/38 Lewiston 51/44 49/35 Astoria 52/41 Pullman Yakima 43/31 50/37 49/37 Portland Hermiston 51/44 The Dalles 49/35 Salem Corvallis 51/45 Yesterday Normals Records La Grande 42/34 PRECIPITATION John Day Eugene Bend 53/46 49/36 43/38 Ontario 46/35 Caldwell Burns 57° 38° 44° 29° 61° (1984) -21° (1957) 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 50/46 Boardman Pendleton Medford 51/44 0.02" 0.24" 1.16" 0.24" 1.53" 1.16" WINDS (in mph) 46/36 42/26 0.21" 1.86" 1.28" 1.86" 2.07" 1.28" through 3 p.m. yest. HIGH LOW TEMP. Pendleton 41/31 51/45 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 50/37 48/36 53° 42° 43° 28° 67° (1931) -14° (1957) PRECIPITATION Moses Lake 51/35 Aberdeen 43/32 38/26 Tacoma Yesterday Normals Records Spokane Wenatchee 52/40 Today Thu. SSW 4-8 S 6-12 NNE 3-6 SE 4-8 SUN AND MOON Klamath Falls 43/34 Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2020 Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today 7:21 a.m. 4:56 p.m. 9:56 a.m. 9:55 p.m. First Full Last New Feb 1 Feb 8 Feb 15 Feb 23 vision or hearing or abil- ity to walk, eat, breathe or move the person’s limbs.” If such a determination is made, the assumed sen- High 88° in McAllen, Texas Low -10° in Grand Forks, N.D. NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY By DON JENKINS Capital Press OLYMPIA, Wash. — Tribal treaty rights make salmon akin to a fourth branch of government in Washing- ton, and fish recovery should guide farming near water, and rural and economic develop- ment, according to a bill intro- duced by Democratic state Rep. Debra Lekanoff. Lekanoff said builders, cit- ies and counties should follow federal court decisions that guaranteed Western Wash- ington tribes access to fish and that ordered the state to remove culverts that block spawning grounds. “We are not looking to hin- der growth,” said Lekanoff, who represents portions of Whatcom, Skagit and San Juan counties in Northwest Washington and is also the government affairs direc- tor for the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community. “We’re looking to be able to work with those build- ers, work with those cities and counties, and to do it in a manner that adheres to the Boldt decision and adheres to the culvert decision,” she said. The 1974 Boldt decision awarded treaty tribes 50% of the annual fish harvest. The state is under a federal court order to remove hundreds of fish-impeding culverts. The Boldt decision and cul- vert court order stem from a long-running lawsuit between the state and federal govern- ment over the scope of treaties signed in 1854 and 1855. Lekanoff’s proposal, House Bill 2549, would amend the state’s Growth Management Act and make salmon recovery a priority for local governments. Any harm to fish caused by development would have to be outweighed by fish projects, according to the bill. The standard — called “net ecological benefit” — would go a step beyond require- ments to not hurt fish. The higher standard also would apply to the Voluntary Stew- ardship Program, a conserva- CO leak at vacation rental sends 25 to hospital 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 © 2020, EO Media Group 70s 80s 90s 100s warm front stationary front 110s high low SUBSCRIPTION RATES 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 they had symptoms consistent with carbon monoxide poisoning, fire crews tested the air in the home and found carbon monoxide lev- els that were above normal, Bonilla said. That’s when the other 21 residents were taken to the hospital as well. Officials say 21 of the people staying at the home have since been treated and released. St. Luke’s Hospital spokeswoman Laura Crawford said the other four were trans- ferred to Boise-area hospitals for special- ized treatment in hyperbaric chambers. The chambers use high-flow oxygen to help clean the carbon monoxide from a patient’s system, Crawford said. — Associated Press CORRECTIONS: In the Page A2 story “Women claim first two places at Eagle Cap Extreme,” published Tuesday, Jan. 28, the story misspelled the name of Gabe Dun- ham, the first-place finisher in the 200-mile race. In the Page A5 story “Church Women United meet Jan. 31,” published Friday, Jan. 24, the incorrect date was given for the meeting, which will be held Thursday, Jan. 30. 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 EZPay 52 weeks 26 weeks 13 weeks tion initiative championed by the Washington Farm Bureau and embraced by some coun- ties to help farmers preserve fish and wildlife habitat with- out being regulated off the land. Tribes and environmen- tal groups have endorsed Lekanoff’s bill. The Farm Bureau, Washington State Dairy Federation, the Wash- ington Association of Wheat Growers and the Washington Potato and Onion Association formally opposed the bill at a House environment commit- tee hearing Monday. Farm Bureau Director of Government Relations Tom Davis said the definition of “net ecological benefit” was too vague. “That frankly scares us to death,” he said. The GMA requires local governments to plan for trans- portation, housing and indus- trial development, while curbing urban sprawl and preserving farmland. HB 2549 would add a “salmon and steelhead protection and recovery element.” BRIEFLY DONNELLY, Idaho — Authorities say 25 people were hospitalized for carbon mon- oxide poisoning while staying at a vacation rental home in an Idaho mountain town. Donnelly Rural Fire Protection Chief Juan Bonilla says firefighters were called to the vacation home in Donnelly about 6:30 a.m. Monday, where they found the occupants complaining of headaches and nausea. Two adults and two children were ini- tially taken by ambulance to a hospital in McCall. Once health care workers realized -10s unsuccessful. But LeRiche thinks tweaks and added specifics as well as its bipartisan sponsors, Dan- iel Bonham, R-The Dalles, and Rep. Carla Piluso, D-Gresham, will improve the bill’s chance of success. Oregon’s short legislative session starts Monday. “We’ve got Daniel Bon- ham on our side this time,” LeRiche said to applause. “And maybe more impor- tantly, we got Tina (Jor- genson) and we got Liz (Crouch), and we have Jes- sica, and their story has been heard in Salem. And maybe when they see real people who are affected and hurt, and their lives altered forever, maybe they’ll feel the empathy that all of us feel for them, as well.” Jorgenson is Ezra’s grandmother and guardian, and Crouch is Roy Fast’s grandmother and guardian. Jorgenson and Crouch met on the internet when the bill was being developed, and grew close sharing sto- ries about their grandsons. Fast, now 7, was abused when he was 6 months old and diagnosed with shaken baby syndrome. Crouch said she burst into tears Monday when she finally met her counter- part in person. Washington bill likens salmon to 4th branch of government NATIONAL EXTREMES Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states) tence under the law would be 25 years, and judges could make exceptions for lighter sentences. LeRiche said the law would have likely applied in two cases in the past seven years. Those two victims were in attendance. Jessica Haynes, 29, used a cane to walk to her seat. She recently learned to walk again after an ex-boy- friend shot her in the head in 2013. That man, Thomas Knapp, received a sentence of five years and eight months. “It has affected me so much, and not just me, it’s affected my family so much,” she said. Knapp is scheduled to be released from prison in May 2021. The bill’s namesake, Ezra Jerome Thomas, was also there. His mom and grandmother told The Bulletin his health has improved since he appeared at the sentencing of the man who injured him, Josue Jair Mendoza-Melo. Mendoza-Melo was 21 when a judge assigned him 12 years in prison but with the possibility of getting out a few years early. Last session, a bill simi- lar to Ezra’s Law sponsored by Sen. 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