On this day, May 5, 1903, James Beard, US culinary expert, author (Delights & Prejudices), was born in Portland, Ore.
Also on this day, May 5, 1945, A Japanese balloon bomb exploded on Gearhart Mountain in Oregon, killing Mrs. Elsie Mitchell, the pregnant wife of a minister, and five children after they attempted to drag it out the woods in Lakeview, Oregon. The balloon was armed, and exploded soon after they began tampering with it. They became the 1st and only known American civilians to be killed in the continental US during World War II.
Also on this day, May 5, 1945, Bly minister Archie Mitchell, his pregnant wife Elsie, and five children from Mitchell's Sunday school class were on a Saturday morning picnic. Thirteen miles northeast of Bly, or about sixty miles northeast of Klamath Falls, Mitchell parked the car, and Elsie and the children headed to Leonard Creek. Mitchell later remembered: "As I got out of the car to bring the lunch, the others were not far away and called to me they had found something that looked like a balloon. I heard of Japanese balloons so I shouted a warning not to touch it. But just then there was a big explosion. I ran up there--and they were all dead." It was a Japanese balloon bomb. They were 70 feet tall with a 33-foot diameter paper canopy connected to the main device by shroud lines. Balloons inflated with hydrogen followed the jet stream at an altitude of 30,000 feet.
Legislative districts to be reapportioned
Governor Kate Brown has now
called the Oregon Legislature into a special legislative session in order to adopt new congressional and legislative district maps, the next step in the census and
redistricting process.
Redistricting is the once-a-decade process of redrawing United State House of Representatives (Congressional) and Oregon State Senate and State House of Representatives (Legislative) district boundaries to account for changes in population. ​​​
Earlier this year, Republicans in the State Legislature brokered a deal with Speaker of the House, Tina Kotek (D) Portland to suspend the rules requiring legislative bills to be read in full during the session, in exchange for allowing Republicans to have equal representation on the Redistricting Committee. Prior to this deal, Democrats were set to have majority of members directing this effort.
The special session will begin on Monday, September 20 at 8:00 a.m. The Oregon Constitution directs the Legislature to reapportion legislative districts every ten years, following the U.S. Census.
“In Oregon, we believe your vote is your voice, and every voice matters,†said Governor Brown. “This special session is an opportunity for legislators to set aside their differences and ensure Oregon voters have their voices heard at the ballot box. Based on my conversations with legislative leaders, and the ongoing public testimony we are hearing from Oregonians across the state this week, I believe the Legislature is ready to begin the next step of the redistricting process.â€
According to the Oregon Supreme Court’s recent decision in
State ex rel Kotek v. Fagan and
Senate Bill 259 (2021), the deadline for the Legislature to complete redistricting plans for state legislative districts and federal congressional districts is September 27, 2021.
Due to COVID, the statewide redistricting tour planned for September was moved to a virtual format only.
Members of the public were invited to participate in the virtual hearings to provide feedback on the draft maps created by the House and Senate Interim Redistricting Committees. These maps were made available starting on September 3rd.
--Bruce Armstrong| Post Date: 2021-09-10 14:05:43 | Last Update: 2021-09-10 16:35:22 |
