Klamath Basin News, Monday, June 12 – Klamath County Receives Fed Funding for Economic Development; Wolves Attacking Cattle Continue; Oregon Facing Federal Education Funding Shortage Over Political Issues and Walkouts

Oregon GOP Walkout Threatens Billions In School Funds and Stalled Hundreds of Bills

Make no mistake about it, Democrats control the Oregon Legislature and whether Oregon’s students are learning anything or not.  But now, funding for schools hits the spotlight,  along with literacy programs.

It seems obvious that Oregon’s politicians and Governor Tina Kotek better start paying attention to students instead of the teacher’s union.  Statistics don’t lie. Oregon is now a state where 60% of third graders can’t read at grade level. 

And now funding could be jeopardized by the walkouts of some politicians that has stalled hundreds of bills and derailed the Legislature for nearly six weeks.

The standoff is over a bill that would expand access to abortion and gender-affirming health care. GOP lawmakers are willing to scuttle needed education funding to halt these measures which are far from reading, writing and math education. 

Tax revenues have exceeded state economists’ projections, allowing lawmakers to approve a record K-12 budget of $10.2 billion. But the education spending legislation needs a vote from the Senate, which hasn’t been able to conduct business since May 3 because of the GOP boycott, and time is running out, with just two weeks left until the legislative session ends.

“Supporting strong schools and improving student outcomes should be enough to make anyone show up for work,” Democratic state Rep. Courtney Neron, the House Committee on Education chair, said at a recent rally against the walkout. “From early childhood through higher education, our schools and students need us to respond to serious challenges.”

Oregon’s Senate Republican office said in an email that “it is critically important that we make sure education is fully funded.” Republican minority leader Sen. Tim Knopp also said in an email his caucus will return by June 25 to pass “substantially bipartisan” bills and budgets.

The stall is nearing the last day to pass budgets and school districts need a sense of potential funding by early July to begin planning for the next school year.

If lawmakers don’t return soon, Gov. Kotek will need to convene a special session at some point to do the budgets.

As in other states nationwide, reading and math scores plummeted in Oregon following the COVID-19 pandemic according to Democrats, but in actuality it seems Democrat controlled states are failing students with their education for a completing other narrative and agenda.

More stats. About 60% of third graders in Oregon are not proficient in reading or math, according to the latest state assessment results.

In addition to the $10.2 billion K-12 budget, which passed the state House with bipartisan support, the Senate Republican walkout also could derail education bills seeking to shore up pandemic learning losses and tackle the education workforce crisis.

One such bill aims to address shortages of teachers and other school staff, particularly in rural areas, and boost pay for special education teachers. Another would invest $140 million in a new early literacy initiative for children from birth through third grade. The initiative is a centerpiece of Kotek’s agenda.

Education spending in coming years will be especially critical as one-time federal pandemic funds expire, said Jon Valant, director of the Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C.

“We have probably more need for thoughtful, smart, careful policymaking in education than we have in generations. This was a bigger hit for U.S. schools than anything in recent memory,” he said of the pandemic.

“When the resources are potentially there, I think it is extremely important that we use them and use them well,” Valant added. “Because the resources are not there forever.” (SOURCE)

Oregon Secretary of State’s Office employees repeatedly told their former boss, Shemia Fagan, that she was bending – if not breaking – state travel rules by bringing her family along on state-paid business trips.

But Fagan disregarded her staff’s warnings and did it anyway.

That’s according to Cheryl Myers, who became acting secretary of state after Fagan resigned May 8 amid another controversy – that she was allegedly using her public office for personal gain by taking a side job to earn extra cash.

Myers’ statement was in response to an investigation by The Oregonian/OregonLive that found Fagan sought – and in many cases received – thousands of taxpayer dollars in questionable reimbursements from the state for travel expenses both large and small. They ranged from $15 pet fees to hundreds of dollars in state-paid rental cars.

The investigation also found Fagan apparently spent tens of thousands of dollars in campaign funds on airplane tickets for her children, a family weekend in Sunriver and stays at four-star hotels thousands of miles from Oregon, among many other unexplained expenses. It also appears possible that Fagan double-dipped, getting compensated both by the state and her campaign for airfare, lodging and meals.

A federal magistrate has ordered that former Oregon Gov. Kate Brown can be deposed in a class-action lawsuit, specifically regarding her role in how the state responded to the coronavirus pandemic inside its prisons.

It’s the first time a current or former Oregon governor has been ordered to sit for a deposition in a civil case related to policy decisions during their time in office.

The litigation, first filed in April 2020, represents a massive financial liability for the state. The lawsuit covers about 5,000 people who were in custody at one of the state’s prisons and contracted COVID-19. A separate wrongful death class covers the estates of 45 others who were in prison at the time they died from the disease.

In her order released Wednesday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Stacie Beckerman states this is about more than the experience of one person in custody.

“Instead, a certified class of thousands of individuals infected with COVID-19 while in the state’s custody—including the estates of dozens who died—seek to ask Governor Brown questions about her knowledge of and actions regarding the spread of COVID-19 in Oregon’s prisons while she served as Oregon’s governor,” Beckerman writes.

For years, attorneys representing the state successfully argued against deposing Brown. They argued there were less intrusive means to get the same information and Brown was a high-ranking government official, which should protect her from being deposed.

A spokesperson for the Oregon Department of Justice didn’t immediately respond to request for comment following Wednesday’s ruling by the court. They could appeal Beckerman’s decision to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Though Beckerman’s order clearly lays out how her ruling fits within the Ninth Circuit’s own rulings on similar cases.

Oregon, and particularly in Jackson and Josephine Counties, has long been known as a mecca for high-quality marijuana, but that reputation has come with a downside: illegal growers who offer huge amounts of cash to lease or buy land and then leave behind pollution, garbage and a drained water table.

Now, a bill passed by the Oregon Legislature seeks to tackle that by making the landowners themselves responsible for the aftermath. The bill also prohibits the use of rivers or groundwater at the illegal site, as well as criminalizes seizing the identity papers of migrant workers who tend the plants or threatening to report them for deportation.

Under the bill, local governments are authorized to file a claim of lien against property used for illicit marijuana, if the owner doesn’t pay for the cleanup.

A leader of the state’s cannabis and alcohol regulatory agency has said southern Oregon is to marijuana what Bordeaux is to wine. But the state faces challenges on two fronts: The regulated industry has a glut of product that has slashed prices and profit margins, and there has been huge growth in illegal pot farms operating under the guise of growing hemp, which became legal nationally in 2018.

After passing the Senate and House, the House Speaker Dan Rayfield signed the measure Wednesday, over the objections of some Republicans. Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek is expected to sign it next week.

But Sen. Jeff Golden, of Ashland, said property owners should know something is amiss when they are “approached at the beginning of the growing season with requests to lease their property for tens, sometimes hundreds of thousand dollars for a single year.”

Witnesses have described backpacks with thousands of dollars in cash being handed over to landowners and getting numerous offers to buy.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service invites the public to community open houses on potential sea otter recovery efforts in Northern California and Oregon

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) will host 16 public open houses with communities in Northern California and Oregon this June to gather input on the potential reintroduction of sea otters to their historical range. The open houses will provide communities and stakeholders an opportunity to ask questions, share perspectives and speak with Service staff about sea otters and next steps in recovery efforts including the potential reintroduction process – should a proposal move forward.

The southern sea otter, one of three subspecies of sea otter, is listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. As directed by Congress, the Service assessed reintroduction feasibility in 2022. The assessment concluded that reintroduction was biologically feasible and may have significant benefits for a variety of species in the marine ecosystem and expedite the recovery of the threatened southern sea otter.

The assessment also concluded that additional information about how reintroduction would affect stakeholders and local communities was needed before considering the next steps. There is no active proposal to reintroduce sea otters at this time.

The open houses will help the Service gather further information to inform next steps. As the Service considers the possibility of reintroduction, we recognize that community values and issues are critical in this process. Input from the public and key stakeholders, including ocean users, will be a foundational component in establishing next steps including whether or not a potential reintroduction is proposed, as well as ensuring that proposals are crafted in a way that benefits stakeholders and local communities.

The Service aims to be inclusive, thoughtful, and scientifically sound as we consider actions to support sea otters, local communities and ecosystem recovery, now and in the future.

Open houses will be held in the following communities in Oregon and Northern California:

Oregon 

Astoria – June 20, 5:30 PM – 8:00 PM Astoria Elks Lodge #180 453 11th St., Astoria, OR 97103

Garibaldi – June 21, 10:30 AM – 1:00 PM Old Mill RV Resort 210 South 3rd St. Garibaldi, OR 97118

Newport – June 21, 5:30 PM – 8:30 PM Newport Recreation Center, Multipurpose Room 225 SE Avery St., Newport, OR 97365

Florence – June 22, 10:30 AM – 1:00 PM, Lane Community College, Florence Center, Room 103 3149 Oak St., Florence, OR 97439

Coos Bay – June 22 5:30 PM – 8:00 PM, Southern Oregon Community College, Empire Hall, Lakeview Rooms E, F, & G 1988 Newmark Ave., Coos Bay, OR 97420

Port Orford – June 23, 11:00 AM – 1:30 PM, Port Orford Library, Large Conference Room 1421 Oregon St., Port Orford, OR 97465

Gold Beach – June 23, 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM, Curry County Library, Meeting Hall 94341 3rd St., Gold Beach, OR 97444

Brookings – June 24, 10:30 AM – 1:00 PM, Coastal Community Center (located inside Coastal Home, Health, and Hospice) 585 5th St., Brookings, OR 97415

California

Crescent City – June 24, 5:30 PM – 8:00 PM, Del Norte Recreation Department, Gymnasium 1005 H St., Crescent City, CA 95531

Arcata – June 25, 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM, Cal Poly Humboldt, College Creek Complex, Great Hall Community Center Building, Room 260, 1 Rossow St., Arcata, CA 95521

The Service encourages interested stakeholders and publics to drop in any time during the open houses. Full details and open house information are also available online at www.fws.gov/project/exploring-potential-sea-otter-reintroduction.

The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov.

Marion Co. Dist. Attorney’s Office Reports Child Abuser Receives 40 Months in Prison

On May 26, 2023, a Marion County Jury found Lindsey Hines, 36, guilty of misdemeanor Strangulation, two counts of felony Criminal Mistreatment in the First Degree (causing physical injury to a dependent person), and felony Strangulation.  The jury found that these four charges constituted three separate incidents and that three of the charges victimized a child under the age of ten.

Hines represented herself during the three-day jury trial in which the children victims testified. There is no provision under the law that prohibits or restricts a self-represented defendant from cross-examining their victim(s), even children.

On June 6, 2023, Marion County Circuit Court Judge Thomas M. Hart sentenced Lindsey Hines to 40 months in the Oregon Department of Corrections. Hines has a criminal history that includes Assault in the Fourth Degree constituting Domestic Violence. The case was tried by Marion County Deputy District Attorney Katharine Semple.

Staff from the Oregon Coast Aquarium found 25 critically endangered sunflower sea stars in Yaquina Bay

The aquarium says its staff recently went to the bay to look for fish and other creatures when they found one sunflower sea star, then they discovered 24 more.

The aquarium says the largest of the stars was six inches long. They believe it may be the adult that spawned the others, but there’s no way to be certain. Because most of the stars are so young, it may be a good sign of the species recovery.

Fully grown, sunflower sea stars can reach four feet across and have as many as 26 arms. The group included one adult and 24 juveniles. After taking pictures and measuring each one, aquarium staff returned the stars to the seafloor.

Between 2013 and 2017, Sea Star Wasting Syndrome killed 90-percent of the sunflower sea star population and they were surprised to find so many of the sea stars in one location.

Sunflower sea stars start out their lives as free-floating plankton. They’re actually invisible to the human eye. Once they’re fully grown, they can have as many as 26 arms and weigh up to 13 pounds. And they’re fast – they can move up to 10-feet per minute.

The discovery is a big deal because the sunflower sea star’s numbers have gone down significantly in recent years. It’s due in part to an outbreak of what’s known as “sea star wasting syndrome” between 2013 and 2017.  The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) estimates 90% of the population has died because of the disease. If you want to see a sunflower sea star, you can go to the Oregon Coast Aquarium. It’s home to three of them, and the largest is four feet wide.

Shore Acres State Park Holiday Lights timed entry and parking reservations available now

The Friends of Shore Acres sponsors the Nov. 23-Dec. 31 event

Coos Bay, Ore—Timed entry and parking reservations for the Holiday Lights event at Shore Acres State Park are now available online. The event runs Nov. 23-Dec. 31, and parking time slots are available for 4:30 p.m., 5:30 p.m., 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. daily.  A reservation is needed for a vehicle to park at the event and includes entry for everyone inside the car.

“The new entry system launched last year with the support of the Friends of Shore Acres,” says Lee Ricci, park manager for the Sunset Bay Management Unit. “Visitor feedback was overwhelmingly positive, and we’ve worked with the Friends to continue the system this year. Visitors said they appreciated the quick entry into the parking area without waiting in long lines on the road. Plus, the system improved safety for everyone traveling on the Cape Arago Highway, and smoothed out the process overall.”

The Friends of Shore Acres sponsors the annual Holiday Lights, which has delighted visitors since 1987. The event was paused 2020-2021 for visitor safety during the pandemic and resumed in 2022.

The $5 fee for parking and timed entry is the same amount as the normal parking permit price for the park. The fee may be waived if the person making the reservation has one of the following and selects the option during the reservation process:

• 12- or 24-month parking permit;
• special access pass for either the veterans with service-connected disabilities or foster, guardian and adoptive foster parents of Oregon foster children;
• current Oregon State Park camping confirmation that coincides with the date of the event visit;
• or an Oregon Pacific Coast Passport.

Reservations also can be made by calling 800-452-5687. Visitors do not have the option to purchase a parking permit onsite to park.

At entry into the light show, visitors must present a screen shot of the ticket via their smartphone or the printed ticket, as well as the selected pass, permit, or campground confirmation. Park staff asks that visitors have everything ready to show to keep traffic moving.

Although visitors can reserve their timed entry parking spot now, additional time slots will be available later this fall during a seven-day rolling window. Visitors can make reservations on Nov. 16 for visits on Nov. 23, and so on.  The rolling window continues through the end of the event Dec. 31.

“We realize that it’s early for many families to make November and December plans and we want people to have an opportunity for spur-of-the-moment visits,” Ricci adds, “We’re holding half the parking sites for that rolling seven-day window to ensure visitors can reserve closer to the event.”

Visit the Oregon State Parks website for 12 and 24-month parking permit and special access pass information. Oregon Pacific Coast Passport information is available at the US Forest Service website.

Lake Oswego Man Hits $8.2 Million Oregon Megabucks Jackpot

Salem, Ore. –  Ray Jones of Lake Oswego has been playing Oregon’s Game Megabucks for the past 10 years hoping to hit it big. It happened for the 59-year-old in Wednesday’s drawing, when he matched all six numbers to win the $8.2 million jackpot.

Jones didn’t find out he won until Thursday evening, when he scanned his ticket at a local store and had a clerk confirm it was a winner. They told him he needed to go to the Oregon Lottery office to claim it.

“I was darn well hoping it was the jackpot,” Jones said. “I’m kind of stunned. I don’t know if I’m going to retire. I want to travel. I love to see new cultures.”

Jones works in finance for a banking company and said he would still be going to work on Monday. But he will be using the winnings soon to travel to South Africa and likely other destinations, with his recent past adventures including trips to Uruguay and New Zealand. He also wants to support some local charities with the prize.

The winning ticket was purchased at the 7-Eleven store at 11111 Capitol Highway in Portland.

Oregon’s Game Megabucks has some of the most favorable big prize jackpot game odds in the world. The jackpot resets to $1 million after someone wins.

The Oregon Lottery recommends that you sign the back of your ticket to ensure you can claim any prize. In the event of winning a jackpot, players should consult with a trusted financial planner or similar professional to develop a plan for their winnings. Players have a year to claim their prize.

Since the Oregon Lottery began selling tickets on April 25, 1985, it has earned nearly $15 billion for economic development, public education, outdoor school, state parks, veteran services, and watershed enhancements. For more information on the Oregon Lottery visit www.oregonlottery.org.