Page 39 - Bobby Levy News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

SALEM — Members of the House Judiciary Committee dusted off a seldom-used rule this week to force a hearing for Bailey’s Bill. Officially named Senate Bill 649, Bailey’s Bill increases penalties for criminal sexual contact with an underage victim if the offender is the victim’s teacher. Currently, a coach convicted of sexual abuse in the third degree receives harsher penalties than a teacher who commits the exact same crime. The legislation is named for Weston-McEwen High School student Bailey Munck, who testified on March 25 to the Oregon Senate’s judiciary committee...

Lawmakers use rarely-invoked rule to dislodge sex abuse bill that was about to die Updated 5:32 PM; Today 5:18 PM Rep. Janelle Bynum, D-Happy Valley, held up a sexual abuse bill over frustrations about the lack of movement for other criminal sentencing legislation.The Oregonian Facebook Share Nine members of the Oregon House Judiciary Committee have invoked a rarely-used House rule to force a hearing on a bill that would strengthen criminal penalties for teachers convicted of sexual abuse. The lawmakers, both Democrats and Republicans, wrote a letter Wednesday to committee chair Rep. Janel...

UMATILLA — More than six decades after regulators first documented groundwater declines in Umatilla and Morrow counties, the East Project irrigation system was dedicated before a crowd of about two dozen along the Columbia River on Tuesday, May 11. The more than $50 million project aims to provide farmers with river water in lieu of pumping from the ground in an effort to recharge depleted aquifers and allow farmers to grow higher value crops. “It wouldn’t be possible unless there was a lot of people supporting it, and then the benefits are going to be broad,” said Carl St...

A former Umatilla superintendent and city councilor was honored in the Oregon House of Representatives recently. The House voted unanimously to adopt House Concurrent Resolution 13, honoring George I. Fenton, who died in November 2019 at the age of 88. The resolution is headed to the Senate for a vote there. Kristle Wyant, Fenton’s daughter, said it meant a lot to her to hear state legislators praise her father’s life work on the House floor. “It’s nice knowing people held him in such great respect,” she said. The resolution states Fenton “will be forever remembe...

WESTON — Money from the American Rescue Plan could be a game changer for East Umatilla Fire & Rescue, according to Fire Chief David Baty. As money from the federal stimulus package comes to Oregon, state senators are being given $4 million to allocate to a project in their district and state representatives are given $2 million. Baty said Sen. Bill Hansell, R-Athena, and Rep. Bobby Levy, R-Echo, are on board with allocating a portion of their funds to build a new fire station for the district. The money should be enough to build the new station in Weston without going to taxpayers for mo...