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Show Summary: This week, it’s a roundup of some craziness around Oregon. The continuing boondoggle that is the Elliott Forest. Governor Kate Brown(shirt) seizing power by changing legislation. Using covid to releasing prisoners, closing prisons — and giving one of them to OSU. A prison that just happens to be right on the edge of the Elliott.

Looking for the links mentioned during the show? Click this to jump to the links section.

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Original Air Dates: February 19th & 20th, 2022 | Guests: Dr. Bob Zybach & Chuck Wiese

This week, it’s a roundup of some craziness around Oregon. The continuing boondoggle that is the Elliott Forest as, once again, Oregon tries to divest itself of a billion-dollar asset that, by law, is supposed to generate income for the state school funds. But they’d rather stare at trees. (Literally!)

Be sure to listen to the bloviating answer to Bob Zybach’s question during OSU’s Q&A

And we talk with fan-favorite, Chuck Wiese, to give us his punditry about the emptying of prisons, one of which was given back to the federal government — but now Oregon wants to lease one of them (which just happens to be right on the edge of the Elliott) back from the feds and put those men-who-stare-at-trees in it. WHAT is going on.

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Links & Info

Specifically Mentioned During the Show

• Visit Oregon Natural Resources Industries (ONRI) facebook page for more details about the Rally at the Capitol on Feb 24th, 2022
• Talk about nonsense! Listen to the talking-point-yadda-yadda answer from some dope from OSU in response to Bob Zybach’s question.

Elliott Forest

• Legislative session may finally yield a solution for Oregon’s Elliott State Forest (OPB, Feb 6, 2022)
• Oregon’s Elliott State Forest into a vast, ‘living laboratory (OPB, Nov 20, 2020)

Covid & Prisoner Release

• 1 Prison Has More Than 70% Of Oregon’s Corrections COVID-19 Cases (OPB, May 6 2020)
• Oregon governor considers releasing 400 prisoners because of COVID (via Geller Report)
• State expresses interest in taking over Shutter Creek (The World, Nov 11, 2022)

Emptying the Prisons, Close Them, Spend Money

• Shutter Creek Correctional Facility expected to close down by Dec. 31 (NBC, Nov 21, 2021)
• Curtains for Shutter Creek (KCBY Jul 28, 2021)

Governor Kate Sued over Prisoner Release & Clemency Abuse

• Gov. Kate unlawfully commuting prison sentences (KGW, Jan 21, 2022)
  • Brown announced she was using her clemency powers to let those inmates benefit from Oregon Senate Bill 1008, which passed in 2019 and reforms the juvenile justice system. AG Perlow said, the Governor’s priority is offenders of crimes, many of them violent, and ensuring they have a ‘meaningful opportunity to be released’ before they complete their duly secured criminal sentences,” she said in a statement about the legal petition. “Victims of crime, and all other Oregonians, deserve the enforcement of their rights. It is essential that all Oregonians, including public officials, adhere to the rule of law.
• Oregon governor sued (WA Examiner, Jan 20, 2022)
  • If Gov. Kate Brown’s clemency powers remain unchallenged, it could mean the release of violent offenders, including a man who stabbed his grandmother to death, another who killed a woman with the mental capacity of a 12-year-old and then burned her body beneath a bridge, and a then-17-year-old who shot his older brother three times in the head.
• Lane County DA among group suing Oregon governor (Yahoo News, Jan 19, 2022)

Still More Related Info

• Forest Service allocating $262.7 million to Oregon for wildfire recovery efforts (KTVZ, Feb 9, 2022)
• Oregon has a plan to avoid a repeat. (OPB, Sept 7, 2021)
• Would more logging have averted Oregon’s catastrophic 2020 wildfires (OregonLive, Update, Feb 7, 2021)
• Why Salem’s Mill Creek Correctional Facility will be shuttered by July (Salem Reporter, Jan 21, 2021)
• Oregon State University receives $7.1 million for six more years of long-term forest research (OSU, Dec 14, 2020)
• Legislature funds Oregon State statewide programs (OSU, June 28, 2021)
• Background: Shutter Creek Correctional Institution (Templeton, Nov 25, 2021)
• Court gives Gov. Brown date to respond (KDVR, Jan 31, 2022)*The firm has reached an agreement with the State that no additional felons will be released between Feb. 2nd, and March 2nd, by which point the court plans to rule on the matter.