The Salem Police specialty unit has been involved with the Safe Streets Task Force (SSTF) since the first of the year. The Safe Streets Task Force is part of the FBI’s Safe Streets Violent Crimes Initiative launched in 1992. The FBI's Safe Streets Violent Crime Initiative has successfully aligned FBI Agents, local law enforcement investigators, and federal and state prosecutors with SSTFs to reduce violent gangs, crimes of violence, and the apprehension of violent fugitives.

The Salem SSTF partnered with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon to bring increased focus and resources to address narcotics trafficking and violent crimes in Salem. Since the first of the year, Salem’s SSTF investigations have led to the seizure of nearly 40,000 fentanyl-laced tablets, over 100 pounds of methamphetamine, and 135 firearms.

The SSTF investigation led to the arrest of Phillip Thomas, a Salem resident, and indicted on November 2, by a federal Grand Jury in US District Court on several drug and weapons related charges.

Thomas was arrested on June 29 by the Salem Police Strategic Investigations Unit as part of an extensive investigation of polydrug pills containing fentanyl and other illicit drugs being sold in Salem. The 30-year-old was charged by a federal Grand Jury on five counts:

• Possession of 3,000 polydrug tablets, more commonly known as M30 pills containing fentanyl with intent to distribute.
• Possession of eight ounces of methamphetamine with intent to distribute.
• Possession of three ounces of heroin with intent to distribute.
• Possession of a Glock 23 firearm with an extended magazine with ammunition loaded, a .25 caliber automatic handgun in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime and felon in possession of a firearm.
• He held approximately $164,000 in cash.

Thomas was in the Marion County Jail on outstanding warrants in other related cases when transferred into federal custody November 7. He was detained as both a flight risk and danger to the community pending a jury trial scheduled for December 20.

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The first SSTF was established in April 2021 by an FBI-led task force working with Portland police to combat the increase of shootings. It was a process of negotiations on set boundaries on Portland officers participating as deputized federal officers, but forbidden to do immigration or crowd control enforcement.

The City of Gresham has also partnered with the Safe Street Task Force as local restorative justice and gun violence initiatives.

Along with the increase in crimes is the increase in deaths of young people from counterfeit prescription pills made with fentanyl. Reducing Oregon’s drug crimes, which is at the root of many other crimes, will take voters to realize it was a mistake to decriminalize street drugs.


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2022-11-08 00:41:54

Last Update: 2022-11-08 17:01:59

The Oregon Department of Agriculture, in partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, has confirmed the presence of Phytophthora ramorum (P. ramorum), which causes the disease commonly known as sudden oak death (SOD), at a botanical garden and private residence in Lincoln City, Oregon. ODA has intensively sampled both locations and is developing a mitigation plan based on results.

In early November, ODA and USDA APHIS will conduct a ground-based survey in and around the neighborhood where officials detected P. ramorum. ODA would like to thank nearby residents for cooperating in surveying vegetation in the immediate area. The purpose of the survey is to find out if the invasive pathogen has spread beyond the affected properties and what type of treatment and eradication efforts are needed. ODA and USDA APHIS suspect that the pathogen was introduced into Lincoln City through the planting of infested nursery stock several years ago.

The invasive fungal-like pathogen is most well known as the causal agent of sudden oak death. Since its first detection in northern California in the mid 1990s, P. ramorum has been found to naturally infect over 100 different plant species including multiple high-value ornamental plant species. Such as rhododendron, Pieris spp., cherry laurel and viburnum. On these susceptible ornamental species symptoms include leaf spots, lesions along the twig and/or leaf mid-vein. Multiple plant pathogens cause similar symptoms, so the disease must be confirmed with laboratory testing.

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P. ramorum was first detected in Oregon in wholesale nursery stock in 2003. It has been detected in limited nursery sites since then. In 2001, the pathogen was confirmed for the first time in the forests outside Brookings in Curry County. Federal and state quarantines were established to prevent the spread of this pathogen in soil and infected plant material. To meet quarantine requirements, the ODA continues to monitor and test nursery stock for the presence of P. ramorum in cooperation with USDA annually.

According to the Oregon Department of Agriculture, the public can help slow the spread by buying healthy plants from reputable nurseries and avoiding purchasing plants online. In addition, if you live, work or recreate in the quarantined area of Curry County, do not remove plants from the forest, do not remove soil and stay on established trails and respect any trail closures. Finally, clean and disinfect all equipment, including your vehicle, bikes, and pet paws, with a 10 percent bleach solution.


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2022-11-07 15:11:29

Last Update: 2022-11-07 15:41:29

The Oregon Elections Division announced that Oregon has hit a new milestone of 3 million registered voters. “Oregonians are voters,” Secretary of State Shemia Fagan said. “Over the last 40 years, Republicans and Democrats in Oregon have worked together to build a system that is consistently ranked as the most accessible voting system in America. Just like our beautiful coast and mountain ranges, strong Tribal partnerships, or events like the Pendleton Round-up, voting is something Oregonians take pride in.”

Representative Dan Rayfield (D-Corvallis) sponsored HB 2681, passed in 2021, which changed the retention of inactive voters to remain on active voter rolls from 10 years to no expiration. It required reregistering 525,918 inactive voters putting them back on the active voter rolls. Past voters moving out of state are never cleared from the voter rolls unless they notify the state. States do not cross-check voter registrations even though there is an Interstate Crosscheck Program and the Electronic Registration Information Center, which allows comparison of voter list data, motor vehicle data, change of address data and death records.

HB 2681 required county clerks to mail voter notification to inactive voters with a current address between 60 and 70 days before date of both 2022 primary election and the 2022 general election. Only 17,376 had valid addresses with an estimated cost to counties of $34,752.

Janice Dysinger, Oregonians for Fair Elections, said ORS 247.012 is an underlying issue, which “only requires that the voter give their name, resident address, date of birth and signature to register to vote. It does not require any ID. ORS 247.035-038 does not require any actual physical address to establish a residency. The voter only needs to think of Oregon as their home and that they intend to return here someday. Any landmark can be the person’s address to register. No proof or any type of documentation is required. These are very loose standards,” Dysinger said in testimony. “HB2681 will perpetuate inaccurate addresses for people whom we cannot verify as actual real people. The scenarios are endless on how this could be abused.”

Oregon People’s Vote representatives say their experience canvassing to clean voter rolls has found 20-30 percent anomalies. They are taking declarations and to date they have at least seven that could be turned over to the sheriff for criminal investigation. A crime only takes place when the ballot is voted. They will pursue more declarations after the election to have enough that they can’t deny attention.

Secretary Fagan said Oregon voter registration has been steadily climbing since the state passed an automatic voter registration law, known as the Oregon Motor Vote Law, in 2016. Vote by mail, automatic voter registration and other Oregon-led innovations are why the state was recently ranked as the most accessible state for voting in the country.

A vulnerable part of Oregon’s election system is stealing ballots. Voter fraud ensues with the ability to have access to inactive voters. So being the most accessible state does not necessarily go hand-in-hand with secure elections.


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2022-11-06 06:42:06

Last Update: 2022-11-06 11:54:44

Oregon Democrats are increasing their efforts to rescue themselves from what could be an embarrassing Election Night. Democrats and national special interest groups are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to try and defend three-term incumbent Representative Janelle Bynum (D-Clackamas) in House District 39 in Clackamas County.

Since the May primary, Representative Bynum has reported raising $2,337,783.97 in cash and in-kind contributions. Many of her donations have been from untraceable entities, such as the House Democratic Caucus (Future PAC) and the Democrat Party of Oregon, both of which receive donations and then send them to candidates, such as Bynum. She has also been a recipient of much union money -- especially government employee unions.

Bynum has been a thorn in the side of previous House Democratic Leadership, even challenging then-Speaker Tina Kotek for her Speakership.

According to Republican State Leadership Committee Spokesman Zach Kraft, "The idea Democrats would need to have a 4:1 spending advantage to win a reliably blue district like this would have been inconceivable just a few months ago, and speaks to how much of a failure Democrat control has been for Oregon. Democrats are clearly hoping their last-minute avalanche of cash and 4x spending advantage will allow them to avoid voter backlash over their disastrous agenda."

Largest Bynum Contributors Since May 2022 Primary
Contributor/Payee	Amount
Future PAC, House Builders	$1,157,236
Citizen Action for Political Education (SEIU 503)	$194,523
Democratic Party of Oregon	$187,998
Oregon Education Association-PAC	$51,400
Oregon Education Association	$35,000
Oregon AFSCME Council 75	$30,000
Oregon League of Conservation Voters PAC	$28,445
Defend Oregon's Values	$27,500
Oregon Nurses Political Action Committee	$26,021
Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters	$25,000
Oregon Trial Lawyers Association PAC	$15,666
Local 48 Electricians PAC	$10,000
Oregon Operators Mutual Benefit Corporation	$10,000

Kraft says, “House District 39 is a microcosm for what is happening across Oregon -- voters are rejecting the Democrats’ radical liberal agenda and they are in full-blown panic mode,” said RSLC spokesman Zach Kraft. “Democrats are hoping they can cover up for Janelle Bynum’s soft-on-crime record by ramping up their investments in her candidacy at the 11th hour, just like they are doing in districts all across Oregon. If Democrats don’t defend their majorities after spending millions in a deep-blue state that Biden carried by 16 points in 2020, it will be a failure of epic proportions and show just how much their socialist policies are being rejected.”


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2022-11-03 11:38:18

Last Update: 2022-11-03 11:47:13

In 2012 Oregon voters were convinced to pass Measure 85 and divert the corporate kicker revenue into a fund for K-12 public schools instead of rebating the money to companies. When passed the corporate refunds typically averaged about $120 million every two years. In 2019 the corporate kicker sent $616 million and in 2021 it sent $420 million to K-12 schools. The corporate activity tax, which funds the Student Success Act, added about $2.3 billion for 2021-23 school budget. This translates into about $800 million in direct grants to school districts.

Despite Oregon’s windfall of cash rolling into schools, high school graduation rate is still one of the lowest in the nation, and colleges and universities have suffered a steady decline in enrollment. According to Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC) reported last year that Oregon ranks 34th in the nation in its investment into higher education. Now colleges and universities are crying what about us?

Sen. Rob Wagner (D-Lake Oswego), state Senate majority leader, said regarding the forecast, “Oregon’s economy is still strong. Oregon Senate Democrats’ investments in housing, education and child care are showing results.” Not according to The National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS), a private nonprofit hired at the suggestion of Oregon Governor Kate Brown asking Oregon Community College Association and the Oregon Council of Presidents to undergo a comprehensive study in order to get recommendations for financial stability on how to strengthen the higher education system in the state. The report details options for a pathway in the September 23, 2022, Oregon Higher Education Landscape Study. It boils down to more taxpayer dollars are needed.

NCHEMS’ report begins with a list of demands on the state that will “increase demands on taxpayers in a state where the per capita income is below the national average, where income taxes are the primary source of state revenues, and where there is little appetite for increasing tax rates to pay for needed service.”

NCHEMS’ report ultimately suggests the way to succeed is to increase the number of workers and high-paying jobs. It claims that Oregon lacks in qualified workers, so it points to students needing more affordable access to college, and the state’s taxpayers need to shell out more money to support higher education.

The report suggests that tuition revenues alone will not pay for the investments needed to create a work force. Projections indicate fewer traditional college-age students in the years to come, and recruiting out-of-state students are also discouraging with the number of high school graduates in neighboring states projected to decrease substantially.

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Portland Community College has proposed their own Measure 26-224 requesting voters to approve a $485 million to cover a decrease of 28,000 students in the past five years, and provide more on-line classes.

Oregon colleges have two main paths to grow enrollment: improve high school graduation rates and more successfully funnel those graduates into Oregon colleges, and increase college participation for older adults.

NCHEMS states that the number of younger adults in Oregon, ages 25-34, with a postsecondary degree is well below the national average. The rate at which high school graduates go directly onto college is also among the lowest in the country meaning those entering the workforce are less well educated.

In 2020 Oregon institutions outpaced the national tuition revenue by over $800 per student. State funding has increased by more than 40% in the last 10 years, public funding exceeded the national average by 22 percent. The student’s share spiked over 50 percent overall in 2020. According to HECC data, in the 2020-21 school year, Oregon had the highest average tuition for residents at four-year institutions out of all western states. “There is an argument for ensuring that tuition rates for in-state students are stabilized or reduced and the state backfill any lost revenues to the institutions.”

Many of the points made in the NCHEMS report have been laid out by the HECC in a presentation on postsecondary education and workforce training to the legislature’s Joint Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Education in April 2021. HECC submitted its requested budget for the 2023-25 biennium that includes a funding increase for higher education of more than 35% or roughly $1.4 billion more than the current budget. The requested budget makes public colleges and universities sustainable, requested funding for capital projects, money for financial aid program such as continuing the new Oregon Tribal Student Grant and increasing funding such programs as the Oregon Opportunity Grant and Oregon Promise.

NCHEMS said Oregon higher education institutions can’t rely solely on more state funding to solve its problems. Oregon must work to improve their retention and graduation rates helping students already enrolled needing assistance to make it to graduation. Oregon institutions should encourage enrollment of students who chose work instead of college when they leave high school. There is a need to work with public schools to improve their graduation rates in order to funnel those additional students into higher education.

Oregon legislature passed a requirement for colleges and universities to collaborate to unify courses and develop joint programs making transfers seamless. Even so, little has been done according to the NCHEMS report. The report recommends collaboration would advance student access to programs with cost efficiencies, and cooperation with K-12 school districts would strengthen pathways into higher education for overall educational achievement in Oregon, and “rebalancing the funding responsibilities for higher education in the state so that the students pay a smaller share and the state a larger share.”

NCHEMS concludes that increased investment in higher education could help the state in a number of ways, most importantly funneling more tax-paying residents into high-wage jobs in a state that relies heavily on income tax to support higher education. However, the vision must be advanced from leadership and stakeholders and not perceived as being a vision for higher education.


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2022-11-03 10:33:11

Last Update: 2022-11-03 11:36:15

Last week Oregon was being hailed for another first. News outlets were claiming the arrest of federal government firefighter Rick Snodgrass at a fire on October 19 for conducting their assigned duties was a first. In a prescribed burn of a 300-acre thick underbrush in the Malheur National Forest, the fire jumped a containment line and burned an unintended 18 to 20 acres of adjacent private land.

Grant County Sheriff Todd McKinley told “Wildfire Today” that when the Malheur National Forest’s Star 6 prescribed fire escaped control and spread onto the privately owned Holliday Ranch, the ranch employees were actually out helping them try to catch the fire and prevent it from doing more damage. But at the same time some of them were “highly upset.”

Two sisters from the family-owned Windy Point Cattle Co. confronted the Forest Service's "burn boss," Ricky Snodgrass, on why they were burning and then dialed 911. The Grant County sheriff arrived and placed Snodgrass under arrest for a reckless burn. He was later granted conditional release from custody pending further investigation.

In his interview, Sheriff McKinley said the next step is “getting to the bottom of why they were even burning to begin with and why they chose to burn at that time. You know, there’s a lot more to this. Everybody knew it was a bad burn, should not be happening. Even the fire staff out there, there are fire personnel that were on scene that are afraid to say much because, you know, their jobs. It was not the right time to burn and there may have even been means taken to get that burn done that were outside the scope. That’s kind of where it’s at. You know, it’s a really tenuous situation and more details will come out.”

The recognition of the unintentional burn by the US Forest Service has been one of avoidance. On Twitter they acknowledged the escape but said it was caught within an hour, and failed to mention the arrest. The Forest Service chief and regional director has been supportive of the employees carrying out their official duties as federal employees. However, there is no acknowledgement of the loss to ranchers as a “good neighbor” would.

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Tonna Holliday, one of the sisters, who lost about 20 acres of timber and grassland, illuded to a conflict between private landowners and federal land managers in eastern Oregon has been simmering for years. In Grant County the U.S. government manages around 60 percent of the land. When the first burn started six days prior to leaping the boundaries, she said they spoke with Snodgrass about the burn consuming fences on federal land that they are responsible for maintaining and showed signs of jumping the highway. For her, somebody needed to be accountable.

The Good Neighbor Authority Agreement was first passed in 2016 as a step for Oregon to enter into cooperative agreements with the U.S. Forest Service allowing the state to perform forest management and watershed restoration services on National Forest lands. Jeff Burns, Program Director, said in 2021 that 92-93 percent of all wildfires were on federal lands, which accounts for 60 percent of forested lands in Oregon. Burns reported, since 2016, significant progress had been made in wildfire risk reduction on federal lands through fuels reduction and forest thinning projects. He said, “Any efforts to reduce wildfire risks in Oregon, must involve federal lands in a meaningful way.”

The U.S. Forest Service adopted a plan earlier this year to step up prescribed burns, and aggressively thin forest stands with strategic logging programs. Local conflict with federal land management policies, including logging restrictions, has contributed to a decline in timber production and sawmills. Locals are in agreement with reduction of wildfire risks, but being inflexible to local concerns does not seem to be what the Good Neighbor Authority means by cooperation.


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2022-11-02 14:38:31

Last Update: 2022-11-02 15:03:09

The Oregon Elections Division discovered a software error, which for the past six years has failed to pre-register some 16- and 17-year-olds when they have a qualifying interaction with the DMV. As a result, 7,767 eligible voters in Oregon -- out of 2,976,195 registered voters -- were not given the opportunity to become automatically registered voters for the 2022 election. The issue has impacted voters during the last 3 election cycles.

Oregon Secretary of State Shemia Fagan will direct Oregon's 36 county clerks to issue ballots to voters impacted by this issue. Only eligible voters for the November General Election, who will be 18 or older on November 8, will receive ballots.

“Eligible voters not receiving their ballots in Oregon is unacceptable,” said Secretary of State Shemia Fagan. “As long as I am Oregon’s Secretary of State, I will do everything in my power to ensure that no eligible voters are disenfranchised. My technical staff worked through the weekend to resolve the software error discovered on Friday and I will be conducting a thorough review of our systems to ensure no other errors impact Oregonian’s ability to make their voices heard in our democracy.”

When Oregonians have a qualifying interaction with the DMV, their information is automatically sent to the Oregon Secretary of State’s office where it is used to register them as voters or update their voter registration information. In May of 2016, the software at the Secretary of State’s office that handles this transfer was incorrectly written and, as a result, it has since failed to pre-register 16- and 17-year-olds whose birthdays fall within one month of their DMV interaction. The transfer software is separate from the Oregon Central Voter Registration database.

Impacted persons include 17-year-olds (and 16-year-olds after January 1, 2018 when the pre-registration age was lowered to 16) whose birthdays fall within one month of their interaction with the DMV. This is a total of 7,767 voters who are otherwise eligible to vote in the 2022 election. No other people are impacted.

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The immediate remedy is to issue a ballot to all voters impacted by this error so they can cast a vote in the November election. Secretary Fagan is overseeing her first statewide general election and took decisive action to remedy the problem over the weekend. According to Secretary Fagan, only eligible voters, those who will be 18 or older on November 8, will be issued ballots in this remedy.

The Oregon Elections Division was alerted to the issue by a voter who didn’t receive a ballot. The problem was first discovered late Friday morning, October 28. By that afternoon, the Secretary convened leadership of the Elections and Information Systems Division at the Oregon Secretary of State’s office to determine the number of affected voters. Immediately following the meeting, the Office began taking steps to correct the problem. The President of the Oregon Association of County Clerks was notified Friday evening and Secretary Fagan met with OACC’s executive committee on Saturday morning to lay out the solution and offer support for county clerks.


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2022-10-31 15:26:05

Last Update: 2022-10-31 15:32:15

Years ago, I read a book entitled the “Great Deceit” by Zygmund Dobbs and Archibald Roosevelt. Archibald, was Teddy Roosevelts only surviving son, from the ravages of WW1.

Within the pages of that book was the discussion of the founding of the Federal Reserve and the political nuances necessary to achieve what has become a yoke on the United States neck. The ramification of this event lives with us today. My grandfather lost all of his livelihood, in the collapse of the 1929 depression.

That historical information of the Congressional acceptance of the Federal Reserve came back to me, in the ongoing vigorous National discussion of voter anomalies across this one-of-a-kind Country.

The implications are severe, and Oregon, one of the fifty States involved in reporting, aroused my curiosity. In an article by Judicial Watch, five States including Oregon, had received notice of having anomalies in voter registration records. I had always thought we had a stable election program, so how does this possibly exist?

Turns out, the Federal law requires an agency, The Election Assistance Commission (EAC), to report to Congress every two years in compliance with the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA). To prepare the report, and properly follow the rules, the States are required to report to the EAC, their data to form the report for the NVRA, and the EAC properly publishes the finished report.

Upon simple review of the reports provided by Oregon, the recognition that Oregon was in violation of the National Voter Registration Act came to the forefront.

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Judicial Watch informed Secretary of State Shemia Fagan that fourteen Oregon counties were in violation for not cleaning their voter rolls according to NVRA in a four-year period. These counties reported zero to five removals from the voter rolls. They found eleven other counties with similar violations over the last two years. They write, “It is simply not possible to comply with the NVRA while removing zero or literal handfuls of registrations under that provision. Many tens of thousands of voters must have changed residence without notifying election officials during those years.” The Judicial Watch Attorney Robert D. Popper gave Statutory Notice of Violations and a possible federal lawsuit unless the violations were corrected.

Have they been corrected? Instead, the Secretary of State has doubled down on HB 2681, passed in 2021, to keep people on the voter rolls forever, and making it harder for citizens to make public records requests.

When the State itself reports the anomalies in the Voter Registration Reporting Act report, we as a State should require proper cleansing of the anomalies. Judicial Watch cited 27 counties in Oregon with violations, and say they have not determined what action they will take.

For me and my family, we are in the position that “If my neighbor has a challenge, I as his neighbor also has a challenge”. Remembering the quote: “History is the engine of the future”, the reality of voter Registrations must be investigated, not ignored. Like my grandfather, no one deserves to lose everything, and voting is the one sacrosanct action that should be inviolate. This must be investigated.

Oregonians, regardless of party, deserve the reassurance that their singular action of voting is adjudicated correctly.


--LT Robert K Powell GDO

Retired U.S. Coast Guard

Post Date: 2022-10-31 14:55:20

Last Update: 2022-10-31 15:38:18

A lawsuit filed against Coos County Clerk Diris "Dede" Murphy (D-Coos County) and two of the Commissioners, John Sweet (R-Coos County) and Melissa Cribbins (D-Coos County) has caused further scrutiny over the appointment of Murphy to the position of Coos County Clerk. Though all of these positions are non-partisan, they obviously perform duties that have partisan implications, not the least of which is the Clerk's oversight of elections in Coos County.

The second amended complaint in the lawsuit, filed by Coos County Clerk candidate Diane Rich and Coos County Commissioner candidate Pamela Lewis -- both Republicans -- suggests that the appointment of Murphy as Clerk lacked the necessary transparency under Oregon's public meeting law and other irregularities. According to the complaint:

On March 5th, in Charleston, Oregon – Defendant Murphy stated on video that “they” asked her to run; “they” referring to the Commissioners and/or former County Clerk Debbie Heller. The officials, who are obligated to follow public meetings laws, intentionally and knowingly asked Defendant Murphy to apply for the position of Interim County Clerk so that they could appoint her. Defendant Murphy’s companion who attended the Listening Session with Mrs. Murphy confirmed on video that they asked Defendant Murphy to apply for the position. Further the Commissioners asked and convinced Diris D. Murphy to run for the position. Mrs. Murphy did not apply for the position the first time it was advertised, so at the Commissioners request, the timeline to apply for Interim Clerk was extended, and the position was held open and republished, to allow for Diris D. Murphy’s application for the position to be submitted.

The complaint references alleged violations of Oregon's Open Meetings law:

The decision to appoint and hire Defendant Murphy was a violation of Oregon Public Meetings laws and began the process of election law violations for the May 2022 primary election. Defendant Murphy was in fact appointed and began serving as Interim Coos County Clerk. That decision was null and should have been voided at that time however the sixty day window to file public meetings laws violation passed by. The violation of public meetings laws in appointing an elections clerk, still constitutes on of the many illegal acts that took place relating to the canvassing of the votes in the May 2022 Coos County primary election.

The complaint further alleges that "Prior to Monday, December 13th, Coos County Commissioners privately recruited and then outside of a public meeting decided to appoint a highly partisan individual, who was chair of the Democrat Party, Defendant Murphy to oversee their own election, even asking Mrs. Murphy to resign from her position as Democrat Party Chair for the Coos County Chapter so that she might qualify for the Interim County Clerk position."

According to the Rob Taylor Report Murphy "spent time in the Recording Office, the Elections Office, the Court Clerks, and the Accounting Departments, eventually landing in the Elections Office for 15 years before retiring in July 2017."

She was sworn in as Coos County Clerk on January 4 of this year.


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2022-10-30 16:59:58

Last Update: 2022-10-30 13:01:47

The Oregon Department of Revenue has launched a taxpayer advocate page. Codi Trudell, appointed as Taxpayer Advocate, heads up the new Taxpayer Advocate Office authorized by HB 3373, passed during the 2021 session. Representative Julie Fahey (D-Eugene) sponsored HB 3373 creating the taxpayer advocate office intended to identify issues or barriers to equitable and fair tax collection, work with community partners, provide expediated service to taxpayers whose problems are not resolved through typical channels, research complaints, identify systemic issues, and promote taxpayer issues and concerns.

In the course of assisting taxpayers, the Taxpayer Advocate is given authority to issue orders related to taxpayers experiencing significant hardship due to Oregon's IRS action. Orders issued by the Taxpayer Advocate may require the department to cease action or refrain from additional action based upon a finding of significant hardship by the Advocate. The measure authorizes the director or deputy director to review or rescind an order by the Taxpayer Advocate. Orders issued may require the IRS to cease action or refrain from additional action based on the Advocate's determination of significant hardship.

The Oregon IRS has always provided a Taxpayer Advocate Service to taxpayers as an independent organization within the IRS. It serves as the taxpayer's voice within the IRS. The service helps taxpayers with problems that may not have been resolved through normal IRS channels or in cases where the taxpayer believes the IRS procedure is not working as designed. The new Taxpayer Advocate establishes a similar office for taxpayer resources within Oregon.

HB 3373 appropriated $371,593 General Fund and $200,089 other funds from administrative charges on the tax programs the Department administers. This adds $571,593 for three positions to the bi-annual budget.

Advocates for low-income claim they are afraid of the IRS and don't file tax returns to take advantage of the Earned Income Tax Credit. Over 900,000 Oregonians benefit from the EITC every year with an average of $3,000 new income for them. An increase in EITC filings will increase the burden on taxpayers, known as "re-distribution of wealth."

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The Oregon Taxpayer Advocate office will serve as an independent and confidential resource for Oregon taxpayers. An important part of good government is making sure that laws are as simple, logical and as easy to follow as possible. Has Oregon government done its level best to make sure our laws are workable and understandable?

The Taxpayer Advocate webpage includes contact information. ​


--Ritch Hanneman

Post Date: 2022-10-30 12:21:45

Last Update: 2022-10-30 13:07:21

The Oregon Department of Transportation is proceeding with the Rose Quarter project and has collected extensive feedback

According to the site, "From early July through the Labor Day weekend, the local community participated in the I-5 Rose Quarter Improvement Project Summer Design Survey. Of the 350 participants, 25% identified as African American/Black and African, with nearly half indicating they live in the Albina neighborhood. The community was asked to provide feedback on design elements for highly visible walls and bridges in the project area, including the addition of historical images of the neighborhood, rotating art murals, concrete patterns, street names and decorative lighting."

Prominent within the project is a cover over part of I-5, to restore streets removed when the freeway was first built. According to ODOT's website, "A highway cover is a concrete, steel platform that is placed over a highway, similar to a wide bridge. Multiple designs for the highway cover were evaluated through an Independent Cover Assessment. The Proposed Hybrid 3 Concept was selected, as it will provide the greatest community benefit."

"With proposed Hybrid 3, the total project cost is anticipated to be $1.18 billion to $1.25 billion to accommodate up to 3-story buildings on top of the cover." Critics have pointed out that much of the spending associated with the project does nothing to improve traffic congestion.




--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2022-10-29 06:38:36

Last Update: 2022-10-28 16:19:05

On average, ODOT documents more than 6,000 vehicle collisions with deer and elk each year. The actual number of collisions is likely higher, as many are not reported if there is minimal damage or no human injuries. Vehicle collisions with deer and elk tend to peak in October and November, when migration and breeding (the "rut") puts them on the move, making them more likely to cross roads. Fewer daylight hours and rainy weather also reduce drivers' visibility.

ODFW and ODOT are asking Oregonians to Watch out for Wildlife this time of year and follow these tips:

• Be careful when driving in areas that have special signs indicating the possible presence of wildlife. These signs are posted for a reason.
• Be alert in areas with dense vegetation along the road or while going around curves. Wildlife near the road may not be visible.
• If you see one animal, stay alert. There may be others nearby.
• If you see wildlife on or near the road, slow down and stay in your lane. Many serious crashes are the result of drivers losing control as they swerve to avoid wildlife.
• The same advice applies for smaller wildlife like raccoons; try to stay in your lane and do not swerve for these animals. They are less dangerous to vehicles than big game animals and maintaining control of your vehicle is most important.
• Always wear your seat belt. Even a minor collision could result in serious injuries.

ODFW, ODOT and partner organizations are working to reduce the risk of vehicle-wildlife collisions by building wildlife crossings. The crossings allow wildlife to safely follow their migration patterns over or under a road. Data shows wildlife crossings on Hwy 97 near Sunriver have reduced vehicle-wildlife collisions by nearly 90 percent.

The bipartisan infrastructure bill passed by Congress in 2021 is providing $350 million in competitive grants to the states for wildlife crossings and other mitigation. ODFW, ODOT and other partners will be working to secure grants for projects.

Oregon drivers can also show their support by purchasing a Watch for Wildlife license plate. The revenue generated from license plate sales will benefit projects that help wildlife move within their range and between habitat patches. Originally developed by the Oregon Wildlife Foundation, the license plate is now available at the DMV.

As wildlife-vehicle collisions peak, so does participation in ODFW's roadkill salvage program. Since 2019, salvaging deer or elk struck by a vehicle has been legal in Oregon. Salvagers are required to fill out a free online permit.

Since the program kicked off in January 2019, 5,027 permits have been issued, with most for black-tailed deer in Western Oregon, where there are more drivers.

Salvagers are also required to bring the head and antlers of all salvaged deer and elk to an ODFW office for testing within five days. This is so ODFW can test the animal for Chronic Wasting Disease, a fatal neurological disease that ODFW has been on the lookout for since it first appeared in the late 1960s in Colorado.

The disease has never been detected in Oregon's wildlife. But CWD testing regulations have taken on new urgency after it was detected in several wild deer and elk in northwest Idaho, about 30 miles from Oregon's border, late last year.

Infected animals can spread the disease for several years before showing symptoms (which include loss of balance, drooling, emaciation or wasting and eventual death). Testing apparently healthy deer and elk early in the course of the disease when they are not showing symptoms is the most effective method to catch the disease before an animal has spread the disease across the landscape and to other animals.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

"With the disease now much closer to the state's borders, we just want to remind roadkill salvagers about the mandatory testing requirements." explained ODFW Wildlife Veterinarian Dr. Colin Gillin. "The more animals the state tests, the more certain ODFW can be that the disease is not in the state. If it is detected, ODFW can implement its response plan to contain the spread of the disease.

Test results are expected to take up to a month. If an animal ever tests positive for CWD, a biologist or veterinarian will phone the person who salvaged that animal directly.

Negative test results will be posted for roadkill salvagers to individually check online. To find your result, enter RSP before your permit number (e.g. RSP5001).


--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2022-10-28 15:54:09

Last Update: 2022-10-28 16:16:49