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.
Speaker Kotek plus a COVID exposure means Secretary Fagan could draw the lines
Editor's note: A previous article indicated that it was probable that redistricting would not be completed by the Legislature. This is not conclusive and this article has been edited to reflect that. We apologize for the error
Sources inside the Oregon Capitol have confirmed that the House Republican caucus are considering not supplying the necessary members for a quorum to complete the special session and enact a redistricting plan. The Legislature must complete the plan by Monday or it falls to Secretary of State Shemia Fagan (D-Portland) to create maps for the Congressional, State Senate and State House districts.
The upset is over a broken deal that was made in the 2021 regular session between the Republican caucus and House Speaker Tina Kotek (D-Portland). The agreement was that the Republicans would get an even number of seats and chairs as their Democratic colleagues on the
House Special Committee On Congressional Redistricting in exchange for not forcing the constitutional requirement that each bill be read in its entirety before passage and that Republicans would not walk out on the session.
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Surprisingly, Speaker Kotek restacked the House Redistricting Committee so that it has one Republican and two Democrats, depriving Republicans of their veto leverage on the committee.
Additionally, House Republican insiders have revealed that there has been a COVID-19 exposure to many of the House Republican Members, who, by Legislature COVID-19 personnel rules, are required to quarantine -- regardless of vaccine status or natural immunity from having survived the disease. The quarantine requirement would make it impossible for members to attend the session prior to the Monday deadline.
Speaker Kotek's actions are seen as very risky by most political observers, as she has announced that she will run for Governor in 2022 and has a larger -- and more politically diverse -- constituency than her North Portland District who may take a dim view of this breach of integrity.
--Staff Reports| Post Date: 2021-09-21 12:51:56 | Last Update: 2021-09-21 18:46:07 |
