Recreation danger
Tracking the money
Page A6
Page A2
$1.50
FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2022
VOL. 130, NO. 47
‘Hang up and call us’
Serving the Lower Columbia Region since 1891
PUDs issue phone fraud alert JEREMY C. RUARK jruark@countrymedia.net
Officer-involved shooting Jeremy C. Ruark / The Chief
An officer-involved shooting occurred Thursday morning, March 31 at Grumpy’s Towing, at 53279 Columbia River Highway, in Scappoose, according to a statement from Columbia County’s public information officer. The shooting involved a Columbia County Sheriff’s deputy. “No officers were injured, and the incident is currently under investigation. Traffic along Highway 30 is not impacted,” the statement reads. See more photos and read updates at thechiefnews.com.
Columbia County Public Utility Districts (PUDs) are warning customers of a renewed and threatening telephone scam. “Over the past week we have had several customers alert us that someone is calling them, saying they had 15 minutes to pay the money demanded or their power would be shut off,” Clatskanie PUD’s Sarah Johnson said. “It is very threatening.” Columbia River PUD’s Kyle Boggs said his agency is also taking calls from customers about the phone fraud. “We hear about scam calls going around pretty regularly. In fact, we received a handful of reports just yesterday (Tuesday),” he said. According to Boggs, the scam calls have continued to become more sophisticated. “One customer said she was told by the scammer that she’d be transferred to an automated system where she could punch in her credit card information,” he said. “Scammers also use Caller ID to
Metro Creative Connection
The callers say a customer’s electricity will be shutoff if immediate payment isn’t made.
their advantage. They have spoofed our name, so that when their call appears on a customer’s phone it shows up as Columbia River PUD from a local phone number.” Boggs agrees with Johnson’s description that the current fraud calls are threatening. “Typically, scammers will threaten customers with immediate
disconnection of their power if they don’t make a payment,” he said. “Sometimes they request prepaid credit cards or gift cards, which is something we do not do.” In fact, both PUDs issue letters and work closely with customers
See FRAUD Page A6
Russian invasion ‘a scary moment,’ says Sen. Merkley ZOE GOTTLIEB chronicle2@countrymedia.net
“I am concerned,” Oregon U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley said of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “This is a scary moment because Russia’s protocols talk about escalating to tactical nuclear weapons if it’s needed to reinforce conventional efforts. That means it’s probably a policy option the Russian command and President Putin are talking about, which is very scary.” Merkley made the comment in a one-on-one interview with The Chief Tuesday, March 29, just before conducting a virtual town
hall for Columbia County. Merkley also applauded President Biden for his decision to withhold sending U.S. troops to Russia by drawing a couple (of) “bright lines.” “One is we don’t put soldiers on the ground in Ukraine so that we don’t have American soldiers battling Russian soldiers,” Merkley said. “Second of all, we do not put American aircraft over Ukraine shooting down Russian aircraft. Those (lines), in my estimation, are correct. We think that keeping that line and keeping from getting in direct conflict with Russia makes it quite unlikely that they would escalate in that matter.”
Supreme Court Alongside foreign policy decisions, Merkley said he supports the confirmation of Biden’s nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson, a Washington D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals judge, to serve on the Supreme Court. “Judge Jackson will bring much-needed diversity of lived experience and professional background to the Supreme Court,” Merkley said in a release before The Chief’s interview. “Importantly, she also shares a commitment to defending our founding constitutional values and to ensuring that the law is enforced evenhandedly to
serve all of the people.” “The role of a judge is to apply the law impartially, without driving a partisan or ideological agenda at a time when our nation’s legal system is under assault from special interests seeking to make the rich richer and the powerful more powerful.” In the Chief’s one-on-one, Merkley said, “I think she (Jackson) brings an important perspective as someone who worked as an attorney for those who are accused. We often have attorneys who worked as prosecutors, but the legal system doesn’t approach anything about fairness unless there is both good representation for the accused as well as the prosecution.”
Support for Columbia County While acknowledging his limited knowledge on “local complexities” regarding the NEXT Renewable Fuels plant development at the Port Westward, Merkley said he supports a fast transition to renewable energy. “It’s six or seven times cheaper to run on electricity,” he said. “We really have some advantages to move to electricity both in terms of reducing carbon pollution in the atmosphere driving climate chaos, and in terms of cheaper energy.”
See INVASION Page A6
Oregon 6th in nation for domestic terrorism STAFF REPORT chiefnews@countrymedia.net
Over the past decade, Oregon witnessed the sixth-highest number of domestic violent extremism incidents in the nation, according to a new report issued by Oregon Secretary of State Shemia Fagan and the Oregon Audits Division. “The troubling increase of domestic violent extremism in recent years, both in Oregon and nationwide, indicates a clear risk to Oregonians that requires a strategic, informed response,” Fagan states in a release. The report addresses the risks of domestic terrorism and violent extremist attacks and identifies efforts Oregon state agencies can undertake to thwart such risks. “Oregon must be an inclusive place where everyone is and feels
Obituaries ................. A3 Community Events .. A3 Opinions ................... A4 Clatskanie Grows .... A4 Classified Ads ......... A5 Legals ....................... A5
Contact The Chief Phone: 503-397-0116 Fax: 503-397-4093 chiefnews@countrymedia.net 1805 Columbia Blvd., St. Helens, OR 97051
safe.” Fagan said. “The rise in domestic terrorism is an immediate threat to Oregonians and we cannot simply wait for the next incident to occur. We can and must take immediate steps to prevent individuals at risk from being radicalized and becoming violent.” Auditors found the state lacks some of the tools present in the governance framework of other states. Key findings include: • Oregon is one of only 16 states that does not have any legislation defining or criminalizing domestic terrorism or domestic violent extremism at the state level. Such legislation may provide the state with mechanisms to mitigate future risk. • The Oregon Homeland Security council is set up to govern the challenges, but it can do more to focus on domestic violent extremism by establishing a specific statewide strategy, with measurable outcomes, for countering violent extremism risks. • Identifying individuals at risk of becoming violent is critical to threat management. Current law enforcement and state employee training is limited. Increased opportunities for training statewide may increase effectiveness in identifying potential threats. “Ultimately, Oregonians continue to be at risk from the trauma caused by these incidents,
2022 Columbia County
Courtesy photo
The report addresses the risks of domestic terrorism and violent extremist attacks and identifies efforts Oregon state agencies can undertake to thwart such risks.
which can have lingering effects and may have a greater impact on communities already suffering from the COVID-19 pandemic or racial injustice,” Fagan said. “This continued trauma can impede the ability of individuals and communities to succeed, thrive, and enjoy their economic, social, and
cultural rights.” While today’s report is not technically an audit under government auditing standards, it has undergone the same quality assurance process as an audit from the Oregon Audits Division, according to Fagan. “Issuing an advisory report
Saturday only!
Free Shred Day April 23, 10-1 SPONSORED BY
allowed for a timelier project to recognize the impact on state agencies and other involved entities as other emergency events were being addressed,” Fagan said. Read the full report with this story at thechiefnews.com.
Saturday
Sunday
10am - 5pm
11am - 3pm
April 23 April 24 58892 Saulser Rd., St. Helens, OR 97051 Special Guest!
Shannon Quimby You can still be a vendor!
Call 503-397-0116 for information
PRESENTED BY
The Chronicle The Chief
SPONSORED BY
DIY with
SPEAKERS & DEMOS BY