Celebrated on the anniversary of June 19, 1865, when in the wake of the American Civil War, Major General Gordon Granger ordered the final enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation in Texas.
Preseason maintenance and hazard tree felling in campgrounds hampered
Recent late season storm cycles brought much needed snow to the Deschutes National Forest’s upper elevations and other locations in Oregon.
However, the heavy snowfall has also impacted the ability to conduct annual preseason safety inspections, maintenance and repairs and hazard tree removal within the campgrounds.
Traditionally, a number of campgrounds in the Crane Prairie and Wickiup Reservoir areas open in time to coincide with the start of the annual fishing season.
While fishing season opens Friday, April 22, snow impacts have prevented the campground concessionaire from completing critical hazard tree removal work and maintenance at these facilities.
Campgrounds within these areas are tentatively rescheduled to open April 29, providing favorable weather returns this week. Hazard tree removal, inspections and repairs are conducted for visitor safety.
Much of the Crescent Ranger District remains under snow. Forest Service staff are working to clear snow from the Sunset Cove Boat Ramp and Day Use area in order to provide fishing access to Odell Lake.
For visitors looking for an early season camping trip, the four year-round campgrounds in the Metolius Basin, Allen Springs, Camp Sherman, Pine Rest and Lower Bridge Campgrounds are open on the Sisters Ranger District.
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During the spring and early summer recreation season, the Forest Service reminds visitors that it’s extremely important to “Know Before You Go.â€
This means confirming that your destination is open for use, checking to see if routes of travel are open and reviewing predicted weather forecasts.
Forest Service roads are not plowed or maintained during winter conditions.
You can visit the Deschutes National Forest website to check on the operational status of the recreation sites. For the most recent information on opening dates for the Cascade Lakes Highway and Paulina Lake Road visit Deschutes County’s website.
Check yours and let your friends know to check theirs, too.
The May Election is just around the corner and that means closed primaries. Don’t get caught off guard, check your voter registration on the Secretary of State's website. Make sure to check your party affiliation and address. The deadline to make changes is April 26.
Secretary Fagan is asking voters to "help reduce voter confusion by sharing the closed primaries video on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Youtube, or TikTok. People like you, armed with accurate information from a trusted source, are our best line of defense against false election information."
The Elections Divison has created a new page on their site with straightforward information on voting in Oregon, answers to frequently asked questions and details about how Oregon protects election integrity.
Secretary of State Shemia Fagan has sent out a notice reminding people that "Every year, we hear from voters who are confused about Oregon’s closed primaries. So we made a quick video to help explain things."
At least one way to prevent further crimes is to have potential perpetrators incarcerated
As the COVID outbreak winds down, one part of the wreckage that needs to be cleaned up is the ability of the criminal justice system to effectively address crime. The Oregon Criminal Justice Commission is reporting that on a statewide basis, prison intakes are down for all categories.
While crime rates continue to soar, and riots in Portland have resurfaced, prison intakes have lagged and insiders are publicly asking what impact this has on the continued impact of crime in the state of Oregon. As the population grows and crime increases, at least one way to prevent further crimes is to have potential perpetrators incarcerated.
The commission presents four categories of intakes, all of which declined:
Drug, Property, Driving
Other
Person
Sex
Under Governor Kate Brown and Oregon Department of Corrections Director Colette Peters, prison beds have declined. Several prisons were scheduled to be shut down and in the end, only the facility at Mill Creek was shuttered.
​Mill Creek Correctional Facility was a minimum-security prison located five miles southeast of Salem. The facility was a minimum-security work camp providing labor to the Oregon Department of Corrections, other state and local agencies, and private industries throughout the Willamette Valley. MCCF officially closed on June 30, 2021 as part of Governor Brown's sentencing reform efforts.
The department has custody of adults sentenced to prison for more than 12 months, housing approximately 12,000 adults in 12 state prisons throughout the state. DOC is recognized nationally among correctional agencies for providing individuals with the cognitive, education, and job skills needed to become productive citizens when they transition back to their communities.
The Oregon Constitution was amended in November 1996 to say, "Laws for the punishment of crimes shall be founded on these principles: protection of society, personal responsibility, accountability for one’s actions and reformation."
Bus operators with TriMet will learn from TriMet bus trainers about the differences in operating a 60-foot articulated FX bus compared to our standard 40-foot buses—and doing it safely in a dynamic environment. They’ll be trained on how to operate the front door ramp and other mobility device features, learn how to line up the bus at station areas, and be educated on safe interactions with vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians in the busy Division Street corridor.
Trainers will also instruct operators on other unique features of the articulated bus, which bends in the middle. They’ll learn how to turn corners safely and operate the buses’ three doors for all-door boarding.
You won’t be able to get on the FX buses just yet. Riders need to wait until the new high capacity FX 2-Division service opens in September 2022. Overhead signs on the front of the buses will let people know they’re not picking up riders.
TriMet will have up to four FX training buses traveling along the FX 2-Division route each day. The route runs between Union Station in Downtown Portland and Gresham Central Transit Center. Buses will travel across Tilikum Crossing, Bridge of the People, and along the Division Street corridor, making brief stops at stations to simulate picking up riders. The new buses are longer, but not wider, than our standard buses.
“The on-street training is an exciting milestone in the Division Transit Project that will bring better, more efficient bus service to the corridor,†said TriMet Chief Operating Officer Bonnie Todd. “We do ask people driving, walking and biking around these articulated buses to give our operators some patience and room as they get used to the bigger buses. Please be aware and give them a little more space, like you would around trucks, as our operators learn how to make turns and other maneuvers safely in these longer buses.â€
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TriMet will initially train approximately 180 bus operators for FX 2-Division service, and more over time. Training for the start of FX 2-Division service is expected to last through August 2022 and will become a permanent part of TriMet’s bus operator training curriculum.
Three Branch Workgroup will focus on short-term and long-term solutions
In response to the ongoing shortage of public defenders in the state, leaders of Oregon’s legislative, executive and judicial branches will convene a workgroup to develop short-term and long-term solutions to reform the state’s public defense and public safety systems.
As a new spate of riots erupts in Portland, a Three Branch Workgroup, co-chaired by Senator Floyd Prozanski (D-Eugene) and Representative Paul Evans (D-Monmouth), will analyze management, financial and structural challenges facing the Office of Public Defense Services, and make recommendations for comprehensive reform.
“This is an emergency,†House Speaker Dan Rayfield (D-Corvallis) said. “Oregonians are languishing in jail without access to legal representation, while public defenders have long been underpaid and overworked. The system is broken and lacks the opportunity for effective legislative oversight. This workgroup plan will ensure all three branches of government are working together to make meaningful and long overdue structural reforms so that we can keep our communities safe and ensure that all Oregonians have access to legal representation.â€
In February, legislative leaders allocated $12.8 million to OPDS to increase hiring of criminal defense attorneys to address the growing number of criminal defendants without legal counsel. OPDS, which maintains the statewide public defense system, is housed in the judicial branch and managed by the nine-member Public Defense Services Commission.
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“There’s no denying that Oregon is going through a public defense crisis,†Senate President Peter Courtney (D-Salem) said. “The Legislature delivered important relief last session, but there’s more work to be done. We cannot afford any delays in justice. This is an attempt to take a run at the issue from all sides.â€
One former legislator took another tack, "One way to reduce the workload of public defenders is to reduce crime."
“For far too long, the scales have been tipped against public defenders, making it difficult to ensure a fair and just public defense system,†Governor Kate Brown said. “I share the Chief Justice’s sense of urgency in coming together to collaboratively address both short- and long-term solutions, and I am pleased that this workgroup will take on this issue. Together, we will work to ensure our public defense system is fair, just, and ensures every Oregonian can exercise their constitutional right to legal representation.â€
“I am grateful for the three-branch commitment to find long-lasting solutions to the longstanding challenges faced by our criminal justice system and those who work in and are served by it,†Oregon Supreme Court Chief Justice Martha Walters said. “With the necessary urgency and a concerted, sustained effort, I know that we can strengthen that system and make it more just.â€
Lawsuit threatened over hiring of “underrepresented minoritiesâ€
The Austin, Texas based Project on Fair Representation, a not-for-profit legal defense foundation that believes that racial and ethnic classifications and preferences are unconstitutional, unfair, and harmful, sent a letter warning the Oregon Health & Science University, under president Danny Jacobs, that its new “30-30-30 plan†violates the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution because it creates a racially discriminatory admissions program and imposes an illegal racial quota.
Boyden Gray & Associates, a Washington, DC-based law firm, is providing counsel to POFR and drafted the letter to OHSU, signed by founding partner and former White House counsel C. Boyden Gray.
OHSU’s 30-30-30 plan is an educational, hiring, and admissions program developed “to help the state address the current health care workforce shortage and health care inequities that were exacerbated by COVID-19 and its disproportionate impact on underserved communities.†While POFR recognizes that this is a worthy endeavor, OHSU has also stated, going forward, it will ensure that at least 30% of its learners identify as underrepresented minorities.
As the letter explains, such racial balancing is blatantly unconstitutional. Not only is the plan’s quota system “facially invalid†under binding Supreme Court precedent, but its stated purposes are also improper. According to the OHSU website, the 30-30-30 plan is designed to “allow [OHSU] to train health care providers who better represent the racial and ethnic diversity of Oregonians, and who are prepared to provide high-quality, culturally competent care.â€
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As the letter explains, “The notion that the quality or cultural competence of medical care is somehow dependent on whether the caregiver is the ‘right’ race or not is nothing short of bigotry. There is nothing less inclusive or ‘culturally competent’ than the implication that what matters is a caregiver’s race, rather than his or her ability to listen, learn, and treat others with respect, dignity, and skill.â€
The letter ends with a somber description of the state of affairs at OHSU.
The bottom line is this: the 30-30-30 program will not hold up in court no matter how it is described or defended. And, because OHSU receives federal funding, it could be liable not only for constitutional violations pursuant to 42 U.S.C. Section 1983, but also under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Civil Rights Act of 1866.15 Under the Civil Rights Act of 1866, moreover, individuals at OHSU responsible for enacting and enforcing this racially discriminatory policy can be held personally liable as well.16 Such liability can include both compensatory and punitive damages.17 And unlike employment discrimination cases under Title VII, liability under the Civil Rights Act of 1866 has no cap.
Edward Blum, the president of POFR stated, “The 30-30-30 program will not hold up in court. Quotas that aim to achieve racial percentage outcomes violate our nation’s civil rights laws and the U.S. Constitution.â€
Blum added, “It is our hope that OHSU will end the use of racial classifications and percentage quotas. Legal challenges are very likely, and, as our counsel’s letter notes, individuals at OHSU responsible for enacting and enforcing this racially discriminatory policy may be held personally liable.â€
Jepson is raising three sons, with her wife, Megan
Stacy Jepson has been named as Beaverton’s Interim Police Chief.
She will begin her assignment effective Jun. 6, 2022.
Chief Jepson comes to the city by way of the Eugene Police Department where she has served as their Deputy Chief since April 2019. Before that, she spent 21 years serving the Hillsboro Police Department holding the ranks of police officer, detective, sergeant, lieutenant, and commander of the patrol division.
“With more than 26 years of policing experience, including exceptional leadership within our surrounding communities, we are fortunate to have such a qualified leader joining the city,†said City Manager Jenny Haruyama. “I have every confidence that Chief Jepson’s experience within the region and knowledge of our area will greatly benefit staff and our community.â€
Jepson has a background in working at the regional level and has been on the Tri-Met transit police team.
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Chief Jepson currently lives in Washington County where she is raising her three sons, with her wife, Megan.
“It is an absolute honor and unique responsibility to serve as the Interim Chief of Police for the City of Beaverton,†said Chief Stacy Jepson. “I have spent much of my career policing in this area and working closely with the Beaverton Police Department. They are amongst the finest law enforcement professionals and I couldn’t be more excited to have this opportunity to serve as their next chief. I look forward to joining the city’s leadership team and learning how to best serve the needs of the city, the police department, and the entire Beaverton community.â€
Earlier this year, Beaverton Police Chief Ronda Groshong announced her retirement, effective May 2, 2022. Efforts are currently underway to assess long-term recruitment approaches.
The Beaverton Police Department has a $39 million budget and supports nearly 200 employees. The department logs roughly 90,000 annual calls for service.
A violent group caused significant damage in North Portland, including broken windows, graffiti, and an arson fire at North Precinct.
On Saturday, April 16, 2022 at about 8:00p.m. a group gathered in Peninsula Park, 700 North Rosa Parks Way. About 9:00p.m., members of the group began to march.
Some suspects vandalized a coffee shop in the 6000 block of Northeast Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard, including breaking windows and launching explosive devices at the building.
A bank in the 5700 block of Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard was defaced with graffiti. Another bank, also in the 5700 block of Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, had its windows broken.
Three bus shelters were damaged.
The group made its way to Portland Police North Precinct, where one or more suspects started an arson fire in a dumpster.
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Officers responded and tried to put out the flames with fire extinguishers, but were unsuccessful. Portland Fire and Rescue responded to fully extinguish the flames. Numerous street signs were also scrawled with graffiti.
No arrests were immediately made, but the investigation is continuing. If anyone has information about these crimes, including photos, video, or suspect information, please contact the police.
The cash race is tight. Wait until the ballots come in.
Led by former Houser Republican Leader Christine Drazan (R-Canby) largely on the backs of business lobby interests, Republicans in a crowded Gubernatorial field compete for cash. Of 18 filed candidates, ten have raised over $100,000, including late entrant Lake Oswego Business Consultant and Attorney Bob Tiernan, who has lept into second place ahead of Sandy Mayor Stan Pulliam, self-employed editor and publisher Bridget Barton, West Salem Oncologist Bud Pierce and Southern Oregon technology executive Jessica Gomez.
Drazan has spent more raw dollars than any other candidate. Jessica Gomez has spent the largest proportion of her cash among the leaders.
The fundraising field thins after that. Baker City Mayor Kerry McQuisten and Alsea School District Superintendent Marc Thielman -- both favorites of the generally more conservative GOP base -- lag behind the field in fundraising. Two others have dropped out of the race, Jim Huggins and Reed Christensen, and a few more have no or very little money reported raised in their PACs.
Nearly all -- with the exception of Barton -- have spent over half their cash so far. This shouldn't be surprising in a race this crowded, but whoever wins will have to face the public employee union backed Democrat as well as the well-funded campaign of State Senator Betsy Johnson (D-Scappoose) who is running as an independent, and need not fund a primary challenge. Johnson has reported raising over $6.4 million with just under $6 million in the bank.
The cash spent and cash on hand -- the two combined equals money raised -- doesn't always tell the whole story. For instance, West Salem physician Bud Pierce is expected to self-fund his own campaign and may transfer money in an "as needed" basis. Bill Sizemore certainly has some sources of income that he can tap into.
Campaign cash is very important in a statewide race such as this where a candidate may have a popular message, but inability to communicate with voters may hold them back.
The Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA) Handbook, Executive
Board Policy 40, Gender Identity Participation, developed in
consultation with the Oregon Department of Education is in direct
conflict with Title IX.
OSAA Executive Board may have consulted with
ODE, but there is no public input at their meetings.
These rights conflict
with Title IX, a congressional act passed in 1972 to defend women’s
rights in educational institutions.
Now the Salem-Keizer Public Schools adopted a series of administrative
policies based on Policy 40 that may be coming to other school districts.
It focuses on transgender student rights. The policy addresses: 1) using
the bathroom/locker room of choosing; 2) playing on gendered sports
teams of their choosing; 3) All school libraries to have trans-affirming
literature; 4) Schools will provide students with and assist them in
providing detailed transition plans, and the unsupportive parents will
not be allowed to know; 5) The plan also describes how to respond to
staff that don’t use the right pronouns or support of the student’s
transition plan.
Salem-Keizer adopted the following administrative rules:
FAC-P022 Accessible Facilities for Students and Staff of all Genders
Scope: Students, staff, and district visitors shall be provided
access to gender-specific facilities at school consistent with their
gender identity. Access to private facilities based on privacy,
safety, or other concerns will also be made available to the extent
possible.
INS-A040 Transgender, Nonbinary, and Gender Nonconforming Student
To change the outcome for our trans students, the District must
apply an equity lens to all relevant policies, programs, and
practices so that all trans students in our district are receiving the
same degree of comprehensive care and education of other
Salem-Keizer students.
INS-P038 Protecting Transgender Student Privacy
Scope: This procedure outlines the steps that district staff should
take in order to protect the privacy of a student when they wish
to affirm their identity at school as two-spirit, transgender,
nonbinary, or another gender nonconforming identity.
INS-P039 LGBTQ+ Affirming Education
Scope: This procedure outlines how district staff and teachers,
program associates, and administrators will create an inclusive
and encouraging environment for students of all genders and
sexualities.
">INS-P040 Accessible Athletics for Transgender, Nonbinary, and Gender
Nonconforming Students
Scope: This procedure outlines how athletics will be accessible to
all students, including transgender, nonbinary, and gender
nonconforming students.
The school board is failing to recognize the biological physical
difference between male and female allowing physically developed
males to compete in female competitive sports.
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According to the new rules, every student who participates in OSAA (Oregon School Activities
Association) team athletics will be considered for eligibility on the
team that most aligns with their gender identity, regardless of whether the student has undergone any medical gender-affirming
treatment.
If a school wants to be competitive, over time female students will be
pushed out by a team of more muscular transgender athletes. Where is
the equity they so highly value?
The Salem-Keizer School Board references the OSAA Handbook,
Executive Board Policy 40. Larry Ramirez, Director of Salem-Keizer High
School Education, serves on the OSAA Board. The Salem-Keizer School
Board adopted these policies on February 15, 2022, but there appears
to be no agenda item or public comment recorded to verify that
parents knew these policies were being considered. Salem-Keizer
School Board has not responded.
The Trusted Info 2022 Campaign includes public service announcements
According to Secretary of State Shemia Fagan, "False election information is a growing problem in Oregon and around the country." She has launched a new initiative to -- in her words -- “prebunk†false information by "getting accurate information in front of voters before they are exposed to misinformation."
“Our best tool in the fight against false information is true information,†said Secretary of State Shemia Fagan. “We are committed to reaching Oregon voters early and often so the first thing they hear about Oregon elections is the truth.†Fagan has been under fire for politicizing the office of the Secretary of State and for failing to provide statutorily required voter information in a timely manner following redistricting.
Trusted Info 2022 is part of a national effort led by the National Association of Secretaries of State. In Oregon, the campaign will include:
1. Public service announcements done in partnership with Happylucky, a Portland-based design firm. These include animated videos, radio spots, and graphics for print and social media in the five commonly spoken languages in Oregon.
The first public service announcement on closed primaries has been produced. The second public service announcement on the postmark rule will be available by April 26, the day before ballots are mailed.
2. Updates to Oregonvotes.gov, focusing on providing plain language information on how elections in Oregon work and debunking common myths. This information is included in a new Election Information section on the website.
3. Social media campaign designed to reach voters with accurate information in easy to understand and easy to share formats. You can find follow this campaign on the Election Division’s Facebook and Twitter pages.
Funding for the project was provided by the Legislature as part of an election modernization fund, repurposed in the 2022 legislative session.
Tax day has become more and more ominous over the last decade, thanks to tax increases passed by the Oregon Democrats.
Earlier this week, inflation reached a four-decade high as prices soared 8.5% on top of Oregon’s extremely high cost of living.
Reports show that Americans will pay $5,200 more this year on things they bought last year because of inflation. Yet, in the last few years, Oregon Democrats have passed massive tax increases – introduced dozens more – and continue to increase the state’s spending.
“The dial has moved one way, and it is making Oregon unaffordable for working families and undermining jobs,†said Senate Republican Leader Tim Knopp (R-Bend). “Inflation is compounding the pain of these tax-and-spend strategies. The majority in Salem has continued to scheme up ways to take Oregonians’ money. Democrats are not satisfied. They have their eye on Oregonians’ Kicker refund and their mortgage interest deduction. This avid desire to take Oregonains’ money is not sustainable.â€
In the past few years, Democrats in Salem have pushed through hundreds of millions in new taxes on tobacco, gasoline, health care premiums, small businesses, and a sales tax on businesses operating in Oregon.
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These new taxes, coupled with overreaching regulation, continue to prop up a bloated government bureaucracy that has shown little in the way of results for Oregonians.
Oregon still has one of the worse homelessness problems in the country.
Mental health and addiction treatment are abysmal.
Government-run schools continue to lower standards and fail to teach kids the basics to be ready for the workforce.
If states are the laboratories of democracy, Portland is the petri dish of damaging tax policy. Just in the last decade, Portland has passed new tax after new tax, with little to show for it:
Portland’s $12 million Arts tax
Metro’s near $250 million income tax
Portland’s $60 million climate tax
Multnomah County’s $100 million pre-school tax
“If history is any guide, Portland liberals will attempt to export these expensive policies to the rest of the state,†Knopp said. “Republicans will introduce meaningful tax relief for consideration in the next legislative session – to make Oregon more affordable and to make our businesses more competitive.â€
Under Governor Kate Brown and Oregon Department of Corrections Director Colette Peters, prison beds have declined. Several prisons were scheduled to be shut down and in the end, only the facility at Mill Creek was shuttered.
“This is an emergency,†House Speaker Dan Rayfield (D-Corvallis) said. “Oregonians are languishing in jail without access to legal representation, while public defenders have long been underpaid and overworked. The system is broken and lacks the opportunity for effective legislative oversight. This workgroup plan will ensure all three branches of government are working together to make meaningful and long overdue structural reforms so that we can keep our communities safe and ensure that all Oregonians have access to legal representation.â€
“For far too long, the scales have been tipped against public defenders, making it difficult to ensure a fair and just public defense system,†Governor Kate Brown said. “I share the Chief Justice’s sense of urgency in coming together to collaboratively address both short- and long-term solutions, and I am pleased that this workgroup will take on this issue. Together, we will work to ensure our public defense system is fair, just, and ensures every Oregonian can exercise their constitutional right to legal representation.â€
Drazan has spent more raw dollars than any other candidate. Jessica Gomez has spent the largest proportion of her cash among the leaders.
The cash spent and cash on hand -- the two combined equals money raised -- doesn't always tell the whole story. For instance, West Salem physician Bud Pierce is expected to self-fund his own campaign and may transfer money in an "as needed" basis. Bill Sizemore certainly has some sources of income that he can tap into.
