Weekday Wrap: Oregon’s embattled unemployment system, Clackamas County’s new clerk and cracking down on ‘paper captains’ – Oregon Public Broadcasting
Nearly 3 years into the pandemic, Oregonians continue to battle unemployment system
Early in the pandemic, the Oregon Employment Department faced pushback for not getting impacted Oregonians their money fast enough. Now, the focus has turned to an unknown number of Oregonians who have had to seek legal remedies to access the relief they believe they deserve. They’re suing the state’s employment department or its acting director David Gerstenfeld, or making appeals for various reasons: to finally get unemployment claims paid, to have the money the state wants back after mistakenly paying them forgiven, to clear up unsubstantiated fraud accusations or to get paid the correct amount. (Bill Poehler and Claire Withycombe/Salem Statesman Journal)
Crisis line focuses on helping Native people in Washington
Washington’s Native and Strong Lifeline is the first of its kind in the country. The program launched Thursday and is aimed at serving American Indian and Alaska Native people and is operated by Volunteers of America Western Washington, one of the three 988 crisis centers in the state. Calls will be answered by Native crisis counselors who are tribal members and their descendants, according to a press release. “American Indians suffer from higher rates of suicide and mental health crises stemming from intergenerational trauma caused by aggressive assimilation efforts of the federal government and religious institutions,” said Leonard Forsman, chairman of the Suquamish Tribe. (Nika Bartoo-Smith/The Columbian)
U.S. Coast Guard Sector Columbia River cracks down on ‘paper captains’
Under a federal law called the Jones Act, U.S.-flagged vessels must be under the command of U.S. citizens. A “paper captain” is a term given to an American citizen who is listed as the captain of a U.S.-flagged vessel, when in reality a foreign national masters the boat. Over the past few years, the Coast Guard has made an effort to crack down on these “paper captains” along the coasts of Oregon and Washington. About $60,000 has been collected by Coast Guard Sector Columbia River from Jones Act violators over the past three years. The enforcement chief for the sector in Warrenton said he has made it “my personal mission to zealously enforce these laws.” (Ethan Myers/The Astorian)
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‘It’s not a job; it’s a purpose.’ McMullen eager for Clackamas clerk role
Clackamas County will have a new administrator overseeing elections and public records for the first time in 20 years after Catherine McMullen unseated Sherry Hall in the general election. Hall’s tenure as clerk began in 2003, and made headlines earlier this year when an error in ballot printing for May’s primary caused a several-week delay in vote tallies. McMullen has big plans for the clerk’s office, from improving communication with the public to beginning youth programs and stepping up quality control. McMullen also said she would perform marriage ceremonies, including same-sex marriages, as clerk. Hall stopped marrying Clackamas County couples in 2014 after the state legalized gay marriage. (Holly Bartholomew/West Linn Tidings)
Nearly 800,000 Oregonians will travel for Thanksgiving next week
Despite the highest gas prices ever for the holiday, about 666,000 Oregonians will drive to their Thanksgiving destinations next week, according to AAA of Oregon and Idaho. Gas prices have gone down a bit in recent weeks, but in Oregon, the average price of a gallon is still $4.77. That’s about a dollar more than the national average. Another 111,000 people in Oregon will fly for the holiday weekend.
Bend and Cannon Beach are two of the most popular Oregon destinations for the holiday. At this point, the National Weather Service says both spots will have a chance of rain for most of next week, with high temps staying around 50 degrees. AAA reports the best times to travel next week are late Wednesday night or early Thursday morning. The worst time to travel Wednesday is from noon to 8 p.m. (OPB Staff)
Funding for a community pool in John Day fails for the second time
A bond to build a new pool in John Day failed for its second election cycle in a row. According to unofficial results from the Grant County Clerk’s Office, 78 more people have voted against the bond than for it. The margin is more definitive than in the May election. In that contest, there was an exact tie between no votes and yes votes. Without a one-vote margin of victory, the bond failed. If the ballot measure had passed, the local parks and recreation district would have paired a $4 million bond with a $2 million state grant to build Grant County’s only community pool in John Day. The city demolished the community’s previous pool over the summer following more than 60 years of operation. (Antonio Sierra/OPB)
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