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About The Bulletin. (Bend, OR) 1963-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 13, 2021)
THE BULLETIN • WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13, 2021 A3 TODAY Today is Wednesday, Jan. 13, the 13th day of 2021. There are 352 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: In 1982, an Air Florida 737 crashed into Washington, D.C.‘s 14th Street Bridge and fell into the Potomac River while trying to take off during a snowstorm, kill- ing a total of 78 people, including four motorists on the bridge; four passengers and a flight attendant survived. In 1733, James Oglethorpe and some 120 English colonists arrived at Charleston, South Carolina, while en route to settle in pres- ent-day Georgia. In 1794, President George Wash- ington approved a measure add- ing two stars and two stripes to the American flag, following the admission of Vermont and Ken- tucky to the Union. (The number of stripes was later reduced to the original 13.) In 1898, Emile Zola’s famous defense of Capt. Alfred Dreyfus, “J’accuse,” was published in Paris. In 1941, a new law went into effect granting Puerto Ricans U.S. birthright citizenship. In 1964, Roman Catholic Bishop Karol Wojtyla (the future Pope John Paul II) was appointed Archbishop of Krakow, Poland, by Pope Paul VI. In 1967, the Rolling Stones’ dou- ble-A sided single “Let’s Spend the Night Together” and “Ruby Tuesday” was released in the Unit- ed Kingdom by Decca Records. In 1992, Japan apologized for forcing tens of thousands of Kore- an women to serve as sex slaves for its soldiers during World War II, citing newly uncovered docu- ments that showed the Japanese army had had a role in abducting the so-called “comfort women.” In 2001, an earthquake estimated by the U.S. Geological Survey at magnitude 7.7 struck El Salvador; more than 840 people were killed. In 2005, Major League Baseball adopted a tougher steroid-test- ing program that would suspend first-time offenders for 10 days and randomly test players year- round. In 2010, Haitians piled bodies along the devastated streets of their capital a day after a powerful earthquake, while in Washington, President Barack Obama pledged an all-out rescue and relief effort. R&B singer Teddy Pendergrass died in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, at age 59. In 2018, a false alarm that warned of a ballistic missile headed for Ha- waii sent the islands into a panic, with people abandoning cars on a highway and preparing to flee their homes; officials apologized and said the alert was sent when someone hit the wrong button during a shift change. Ten years ago: A funeral was held in Tucson, Arizona, for 9-year-old Christina Taylor Green, the youngest victim of a mass shooting that also claimed five other lives and critically wounded Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. Five years ago: Defense Sec- retary Ash Carter laid out broad plans to defeat Islamic State mil- itants and retake the group’s key power centers in Iraq and Syria. The Al Jazeera America cable news network said it was shutting down two and a half years after its launch. Three winning tickets split a world-record $1.6 billion Powerball jackpot. One year ago: At a royal fam- ily summit in eastern England, Queen Elizabeth II brokered a deal to secure the future of the mon- archy; it would allow Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, to live part- time in Canada. The Houston As- tros fired manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow after the pair had been suspend- ed by Major League Baseball for a sign-stealing scheme. Joe Burrow threw five touchdown passes and ran for another score, leading top-ranked LSU to a 42-25 win over No. 3 Clemson to capture the national championship. Today’s Birthdays: Actor Frances Sternhagen is 91. TV personality Nick Clooney is 87. Comedian Charlie Brill is 83. Actor Billy Gray is 83. Rock musician Trevor Rabin is 67. Rock musician James Lomenzo (Megadeth) is 62. Actor Kevin Anderson is 61. Actor Julia Louis-Dreyfus is 60. Rock singer Graham “Suggs” McPherson (Madness) is 60. Actor Penelope Ann Miller is 57. Actor Patrick Dempsey is 55. Actor Traci Bingham is 53. V producer-writer Shonda Rhimes is 51. Actor Nicole Eggert is 49. Actor Ross McCall is 45. Actor Michael Pena is 45. Actor Orlando Bloom is 44. Meteorolo- gist Ginger Zee (TV: “Good Morn- ing America”) is 40. Actor Ruth Wilson is 39. Actor Julian Morris is 38. Actor Beau Mirchoff is 32. Actor Liam Hemsworth is 31. NHL center Connor McDavid is 24. — Associated Press LOCAL, STATE & REGION Oregon had most federal domestic terrorism prosecutions nationwide BY MAXINE BERNSTEIN The Oregonian Oregon9s U.S. Attorney9s Office filed the most cases classified as domestic terror- ism in 2020 compared to all other federal districts, accord- ing to a court tracking clear- inghouse run by Syracuse University. Most of the cases stemmed from consecutive nightly pro- tests last summer outside the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse in the wake of George Floyd9s killing by police in Minneapolis. By the end of September, 40 people had been accused of assault on a federal officer and 15 faced the rare charge of civil disorder during pro- tests, according to the U.S. At- torney9s Office. Others were charged with destruction of government property, arson or attempted arson of federal property and violating national defense airspace. The period covered the fed- eral fiscal year that runs from Oct. 1, 2019, through Sept. 30, 2020. Across the country, U.S. at- torney9s offices filed 183 do- mestic terrorism prosecutions 4 the most since such track- ing began 25 years ago. That compares with 90 in fiscal year 2019, 63 in fiscal 2018 and 69 in fiscal 2017. The Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse is a data gathering and research organi- zation at Syracuse University. Cases categorized as domes- tic terrorism include allega- tions of assaulting, resisting or impeding officers or employ- ees, alleged threats against the president, knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds, importing or storing explosives, civil dis- orders and making threatening communications. In late September, Oregon U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams issued a statement, saying his office <is committed to prose- cuting people who impede or assault law enforcement offi- cers, damage federal property, and set fire to buildings. Make no mistake: those who commit violence in the name of protest, will be investigated, arrested, prosecuted, and face prison time.= In stark contrast, the U.S. Attorney9s Office in Seattle re- corded one alleged domestic terrorism-classified prosecu- tion, according to the clearing- house figures. In early July, President Don- ald Trump sent 114 federal of- ficers from the U.S. Marshals Service and U.S. Customs and Border Protection to bolster Federal Protective Service offi- cers in Portland to help secure the federal courthouse. On July 3, some people tried to bar- ricade the front doors of the courthouse and they shattered. The enhanced and aggressive Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP A protester yells after a march to the Mark O. Hatfield United States Courthouse on the night of the election, Nov. 3, in Portland. federal law enforcement re- sponse drew larger crowds of demonstrators who demanded that the extra contingent of federal officers be sent home. On July 29, Oregon9s Gov. Kate Brown announced that state troopers would replace fed- eral officers outside the federal courthouse for two weeks. Domestic terrorism pros- ecutions, as classified by the federal government, far out- numbered the 21 international terrorism cases filed for the fis- cal year. Man accused of firing gun at federal courthouse in Portland He had also been arrested 2 days prior outside the state Capitol on a trespassing charge Associated Press PORTLAND 4 A man was accused of firing a gun at the federal courthouse in Port- land, two days after he was arrested at the state Capitol in Salem in a trespassing case. Cody Melby, of Beaver- creek, pleaded not guilty Monday in federal court in Portland to misdemeanor depredation of government property. On Friday evening, Melby allegedly jumped over a fence at the Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse and fired several rounds at the building with a handgun, according to the federal complaint. A security officer saw him on a video system walking in- side the fenced-in area in front of the courthouse, the federal complaint says. Two security officers went outside where Melby told the officers he had a gun and was arrested. They removed a loaded 9 mm Glock pistol, which had New owner of 300-foot ferry may dock in Oregon BY ROLF BOONE The Olympian (Wash.) The new owner of a former Washington state ferry, which has been docked at the Port of Olympia for nearly three years, said Monday he plans to move the 310-foot vessel in the next 30 days. Bart Lematta of Vancouver, Washington, who was the winning bidder for the ferry late last year, said he is getting insurance and a ves- sel survey before he makes his next move. One possibility is to move the ferry to Oregon, although he declined to name a specific destination. He also added that he needs a dock large enough to accommodate a 300-foot boat. Lematta said he is paying a daily rate to dock the ferry at the port. Lematta said that if the ferry isn9t moved in the next 30 days, he guaranteed it will be gone before the Ready Reserve Fleet ships arrive. The two ships, the Admiral W.M. Callaghan and Cape Or- lando, both of which measure more than 600 feet, are part of the Ready Reserve Fleet, also known as the Ready Reserve Force, which is part of the U.S. Maritime Administration, a di- vision of the U.S. Department of Transportation. The two ships are expected in March . <My financing is secure,= said Lematta. He has invested in electric car maker, Tesla, an electric car company in Van- couver, British Columbia, and he has ties to a family helicop- ter business started by his fa- ther, who later became a noted philanthropist. Lematta said he remains committed to using renewable energy and exploring whether he can power the vessel with it. <It9s central to everything I am,= he said about his interest in renewable energy sources, adding that he believes in sus- tainable jobs and a sustainable environment, wanting to give <future generations something to look forward to.= Lematta paid $290,000 for the ferry at auction, a purchase he still considers one of the <best purchases of my life.= a round in the chamber, from a holster on Melby9s belt, ac- cording to Federal Protective Services agent John Dean. According to an affidavit, Melby said he was there, <Be- cause I am tired of all the (ex- pletive) you guys have to take.= The 39-year-old U.S. Army veteran has a YouTube chan- nel with videos in support of baseless <Stop the Steal= elec- tion rhetoric and other QA- non conspiracy theories, ac- cording to the complaint. According to the U.S. Attor- ney9s Office, authorities at the federal courthouse in Portland found five spent 9 mm bullet casings, three spent bullets, three bullet holes in plywood atop the building9s stone col- umns, along with damage near the building9s main en- trance. Melby told the security of- ficers that he had been firing his gun and had been <in front of the courthouse for 20 min- utes and no one came out, so I fired several times into the ground,= according to the complaint. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Maloney said in court that Melby was on pretrial release for a state charge from last week, when he was accused of trying to get into the closed state Capitol. He was arrested on suspicion of trespassing with a firearm. Melby posted $500 bond in Marion County Circuit Court and was re- leased that day. Maloney said the offense at federal courthouse repre- sented a <serious escalation= since the Salem arrest. The prosecutor said Melby has a mental illness and hasn9t been taking his medication. Court records indicate he has a post traumatic stress disorder. U.S. Magistrate Judge Stacie F. Beckerman ordered Melby to remain in custody pend- ing trial. It wasn9t immediately known if Melby has a lawyer to comment for him. Elaine Thompson/AP file A Washington state ferry passes through a channel in the San Juan islands in view of Mount Baker in 2015. The state operates the largest fleet of ferries in the United States. One of the ferries, out of commission and auctioned off to a private buyer, could make its way to Oregon’s shores soon. Community Education— A Virtual Presentation Scam and Fraud Prevention Join our free virtual workshop to learn about protecting yourself from financial exploitation, computer and phone scams, identity theft, and more! We'll learn about news on current fraud trends, including disaster relief and COVID-19, honing prevention skills, and participate in a Q&A with an expert. Presented by Ellen Klem, JD. January 15 Friday noon-1pm Open to the community at no cost! RSVP through communityevents@partnersbend.org and a Zoom registration will be emailed to you. (541) 382-5882#PartnersBend.org Hospice"|"Home Health"|"Hospice House"|"Transitions"|"Palliative Care | Grief Support