Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Baker City herald. (Baker City, Or.) 1990-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 27, 2019)
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2019 BAKER CITY HERALD — 3A Merkley: PERS should drop investments in prison firms the investments. Merkley is a main critic in Congress of the Trump adminis- SALEM — The Oregon state em- tration’s immigration policies. ployee pension fund should drop its The Register-Guard newspaper in investments in two prisons companies Eugene noted in a recent editorial that whose facilities have been used to detain in 1987, the state Legislature passed the immigrants, U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley says. Oregon Anti-Apartheid Act, enabling Oregon has $2 million the pension fund to divest from South invested in two prison com- Africa because of its brutal repression of panies, even though Or- majority blacks. egon pioneered statewide “Progress has been slow since then,” sanctuary status. New the newspaper said. York state and California As AP reported last week, Oregon’s recently dropped the same Merkley pension fund also has a $233 million two companies from their investment in Novalpina Capital, a own pension funds. private equity fi rm that with partners “I think it’s way past time for fun- bought a majority share of NSO Group, damental values to be refl ected in our an Israeli spyware company. investment decisions,” Merkley, a Demo- Human rights groups say NSO crat from Oregon, told The Associated Group’s spyware has been used by re- Press late Monday when asked about pressive regimes against human rights By Andrew Selsky Associated Press MARLA’S Continued from Page 1A The shop originally was established in Cavallo’s former BHS classroom to provide clothing and personal care items for students. After outgrowing the space, it was moved to several classrooms in the former North Baker Elementary School Building. Today Marla’s Mall offers clothing, shoes and personal hygiene items for men, wom- en and children, all free of charge, regardless of income. The shop also provides work experience for BHS students and several summer employment positions, the press release stated. Just last month, October 2019, Marla’s Mall had a record number of shoppers — a total of 514. Myers said she had just eight customers the fi rst month she took over operating Marla’s Mall. At this time, Myers said she defenders, journalists and political op- ponents in Mexico, the Middle East and North Africa. Oregon treasury offi cials have said they cannot comment on private equity investments, which go into companies that are not publicly traded on a stock exchange. Oregon State Treasurer Tobias Read’s offi ce has insisted that it can’t drop the prison companies, CoreCivic and Geo Group, because they’re part of an index fund, and only the index provider can determine what’s added or dropped. If Oregon offi cials intervene, the pension fund would incur costs that violate the “paramount objective” of making money, Read’s offi ce said earlier this year. California and New York dropped their investments despite the prison companies being in an index fund. is accepting small donations of clean clothing with neither holes nor stains. Other needs include hygiene items, backpacks, towels, kitchen items, blankets, sleeping bags, jewelry and small appliances. Myers said she keeps items stocked for people with emer- gency needs, such as families displaced by a house fi re. Normally, Marla’s Mall is open from 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Hours are subject to change depending on the school schedule. Updates are posted on the Marla’s Mall Facebook page. During regular hours, shop- pers are allowed to fi ll one large bag per month. Hygiene items are limited to one per family per month. All items are free, but hangers, tables, fans, man- nequins and items marked “display only” are to be left at the store. Counties win timber suit against state, but what happens next? By Mateusz Perkowski Capital Press SALEM — The $1 billion award against the State of Or- egon in a class action lawsuit over its forestry practices will likely be subject to lengthy appeals, but it may also put pressure on the government to consider settlement talks. On Nov. 20, a jury found Oregon’s government liable for breaching contracts with 13 counties and numerous taxing districts by logging an insuffi cient amount of timber from state forests, thereby costing them money. The plaintiffs included Benton, Clackamas, Colum- bia, Coos, Douglas, Josephine, Lane, Lincoln, Linn, Marion, Polk, Tillamook, and Washing- ton counties, and other taxing bodies within those counties and Clatsop County. The counties that pursued the lawsuit originally donated more than 600,000 acres to the State of Oregon in return for timber revenues, but they argued the government violated those contracts by prioritizing environmental and recreational qualities in a 1998 rule change. While the lawsuit was about the state govern- ment’s contractual obliga- tions to these counties, the case hinged on whether the “greatest permanent value” from those forests came from timber production or whether environmental and recre- ational considerations must also be considered. “While we are disappointed in today’s verdict, we believe there are strong arguments to be made on appeal, and we plan to appeal this decision,” said Fred Boss, deputy attor- ney general with the Oregon Department of Justice. The Oregon Department of Forestry believes the best long-term outcome for state’s residents, including the plaintiff counties and taxing districts, is achieved with “bal- anced and science-based pub- lic forest management,” said Liz Dent, chief of the agency’s state forests division. “We are disappointed that the jury did not agree, but we respect their time com- mitment and the disruption to their daily lives as they analyzed complex information and diffi cult legal questions,” Dent said. John DiLorenzo, attorney for the county governments, said the $1 billion award shows that Oregon’s forest managers can’t unilaterally decide how the forests should be managed without consid- ering the state’s contractual obligations to the counties. “I kind of consider this verdict a repudiation of the state’s position that there’s no contract and they don’t need permission from their rural partners when they decide to change our deal,” DiLorenzo said. If the state government decides to challenge the validity of contracts with the counties, or argue that it has “sovereign immunity” that prohibits such lawsuits, the litigation may continue for years before the Oregon Court of Appeals and the Oregon Supreme Court, he said. However, the county plaintiffs will try to convert the jury award into a court judgment as soon as possible, at which point the State of Enjoy your family & friends. Safe travels this Thanksgiving! Oregon may be liable for 9% annual interest if it eventu- ally loses the case — increas- ing the verdict by $90 million a year, he said. “Certainly, they can talk to us about settling the case,” DiLorenzo said. “Settlements can occur at any time.” When asked if a potential settlement would involve a change to Oregon’s state forest policies, DiLorenzo said there’s an “infi nite” number of ways the problem could be ironed out, and may involve the Legislature weighing in on the situation. “I hope our current governor gets interested in resolving this in a way that will help the people in these rural towns,” he said. Charles Boyle, press sec- retary for Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, said the verdict “was not an unexpected fi rst step in what will be a lengthier legal process, and it would be premature at this point to make budget decisions based on the jury’s decision.” Linn County, the lead plaintiff, will soon be discuss- ing the verdict with other plaintiff counties and taxing districts but is appreciative of the jury’s decision, said Roger Nyquist, a Linn County com- missioner. “Going forward, this will create a lot of conversations and I think that’s a good thing,” Nyquist said. The Wild Salmon Center and several other nonprofi t groups tried to intervene in the case as defendants, but a state judge denied the request because the lawsuit dealt with contractual rather than environmental concerns. Ralph Bloemers, an at- torney with the Crag Law Center who represented those groups, said he expects the jury’s verdict will be over- turned on appeal. “Since Oregon acquired these logged over lands in the Great Depression, Orego- nians have invested millions of our tax dollars in fi xing them for everyone’s benefi t,” Bloemers said. “While we all use and enjoy wood products, state law recognizes that our forests also provide us with clean drinking water, fi sh and wildlife.” L OCAL B RIEFING Thanksgiving meals planned • Calvary Baptist Church, at Third and Broadway streets in Baker City, will offer a free turkey dinner on Thanksgiving Day at 3 p.m. • Thanksgiving dinner at the New Bridge Grange, about 3 miles north of Richland, at noon. In addition to a dinner provided by the Grange featuring turkey, ham, potatoes and gravy, everyone is invited to bring a side dish and dessert, and then stay after dinner for games including pinochle, dominoes, Yahtzee, Monopo- ly and other games that participants bring. • NE Oregon Regional Thanksgiving Day Gathering & Potluck at the Churchill School Dancehall, at Broad- way and 16th streets. Everyone is welcome to attend the event, which is planned from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 28. A suggested donation of $3 to $5 per person, to support the Churchill School Art Center, would be appreciated. Al-Anon Support Group forming A local Al-Anon support group will have its fi rst meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 4, from noon to 1 p.m. at the Baker County Library, 2400 Resort St. Al-Anon is a support group for people who are worried about someone who has a drinking problem. The local group will meet Wednesdays at the same time and place. There will not be meetings on Christ- mas Day or New Year’s Day. More information is available by calling 509-420- 0010. Kiwanis Club photos with Santa Dec. 7 The Kiwanis Club of Baker City will have its an- nual photos with Santa event in partnership with the Festival of Trees Family Day on Saturday, Dec. 7, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Baker County Event Center, 2600 East St. Cost is $10 per sitting and includes two 5-by-7 or three 4-by-6 prints. Proceeds help pay for community projects. Oregon Trail Interpretive Center offers free admission for all during December Admission will be free for all visitors to the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center during December. The Center, operated by the BLM, is about 5 miles east of Baker City off Highway 86. The Center will shift to its winter schedule, open Thursday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., start- ing Dec. 2. A ranger-led tour will be offered at 2 p.m. daily to give additional insight into the lives of people who traveled on the Oregon Trail. Pioneer skills will be demonstrated at 11 a.m. on Fridays and Sundays, including candle-dipping, rag doll tying and other pioneer crafts. At any time, youngsters and the young at heart who fulfi ll the Junior Ranger challenge by completing fun activities while exploring the exhibits can take the Wagon Master’s Pledge at the end and receive a prize. Only a few weeks are left to explore “Uncanny Tales along the Oregon Trail” in the Flagstaff Gallery, high- lighting the folklore that sprung up around the pioneer experience, and the role these tales play in the history of the Oregon Trail. This exhibit will close Dec. 20. For a complete schedule of events and activities at the center, call 541-523-1843 or go to oregontrail.blm. gov Huntington Historical Society Bazaar set HUNTINGTON — The Huntington Historical So- ciety’s annual Christmas bazaar and fundraiser is set for Dec. 6 from noon to 5 p.m. and Dec. 7 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Huntington School. There will be bingo games, hand-crafted gifts, baked goods and hot drinks. Santa will also make an appearance. The venue is wheelchair-accessible. More information is available by calling Jenny at 208-407-2701. Imagine The Difference You Can Make DONATE YOUR CAR 1-844-533-9173 FREE TOWING TAX DEDUCTIBLE Help Prevent Blindness Get A Vision Screening Annually Ask About A FREE 3 Day Vacation Voucher To Over 20 Destinations!!! Your Family Deserves The e BEST Technology... Value... TV!... Add High Speed Internet /mo. 190 Channels America’s Top 120 CALL TODAY Save 20%! Subject to availability. Restrictions apply. Internet not provided by DISH and will be billed separately. 1-866-373-9175 Offer ends 11/13/19. Savings with 2 year price guarantee with AT120 starting at $59.99 compared to everyday price. All offers require credit qualification, 2 year commitment with early termination fee and eAutoPay. Prices include Hopper Duo for qualifying customers. Hopper, Hopper w/ Sling or Hopper 3 $5/mo. more. Upfront fees may apply based on credit qualification. Fees apply for additional TVs: Hopper $15/mo., Joey $5/mo., Super Joey $10/mo. Physicians Mutual Insurance Company Call for your FREE Information Kit! Get help paying dental bills and keep more money in your pocket. 1-877-599-0125 www.dental50plus.com/25 2390 Broadway, Baker City 541-523-5223 Coverage not available in all states. Acceptance guaranteed for one insurance policy/certificate of this type. Contact us for complete details about this insurance solicitation. This specific offer is not available in CO, NY; call 1-800-969- 4781 for similar offer. Certificate C250A (ID: C250E; PA: C250Q); Insurance Policy P150 (GA: P150GA; NY: P150NY; OK: P150OK; TN: P150TN). AW19-1037B 6209
