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Carson Langford wins double gold at Pan Am Championships See B1

See A3

Wednesday July 03, 2024 | Volume 148, Issue 26

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Complaint alleges congressional candidate withheld financial information Mike Erickson self-funded his three prior unsuccessful campaigns By JULIA SHUMWAY Oregon Capital Chronicle

The head of a campaign finance watchdog group called on the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate Oregon Republican congressional

nominee Mike Erickson, saying his financial disclosure reports are among “the most egregious cases of intentional withholding of information” the group has ever seen. A complaint submitted by End Citizens United President Tiffany Muller alleges that the personal financial disclosure reports Erickson filed as a candidate in 2022 and 2024 don’t provide enough information about more than $100 million in assets, violating federal law and U.S. House ethics rules and preventing

Oregon voters from being able to assess whether his financial interests conflict with the responsibilities he would have as a member of Congress. “Given the scope of the finances in question – which totals at least $105 million – this is one of the most egregious cases of intentional withholding of information we have ever seen,” Muller said in a statement to the Capital Chronicle. “This is not a mere oversight. It’s a brazen and calculated move to keep voters

in the dark, especially considering that he filed these same exact forms accurately in two of his previous runs for office.” Erickson is running against first-term Democratic U.S. Rep. Andrea Salinas in Oregon’s 6th Congressional District, one of the most competitive in the country. This is Erickson’s fourth run for Congress, after losing in 2006, 2008 and 2022. His most recent 2.4-point loss to Salinas was the closest, with a candidate from the Constitution

MIKE ERICKSON

See ERICKSON, page A6

‘Wild Women’ art show juried no more By LANCE MASTERSON For The Itemizer-Observer

Boggin’ down the competition

PHOTO BY DAVID HAYES

Two vehicles compete in the modified mud drags June 29 at Willamina’s annual Mud Drags, Side by Sides and Boggsraces. For results, see page B1.

Mama Gordita’s Kitchen introduces Dallas to family tradition By DAVID HAYES Itemizer-Observer

Hector Zertuche recalls his family has always had a passion for cooking. A lot of his family recipes originate from down south in the Gulf of Mexico. Using signature spices, fruits, plantains, his grandmother showed his mother how to make everything. “When I was kid, when I want to eat, my grandma would come with a huge plate. ‘Grandma! We’re not going to be able to eat that much.’” he recalled telling her. “’You better eat it. I already served it for you.’ We never got to say no.” He ticked off the family staples sopas, gorditas, empanadas, tamales. “My mom’s been selling tamales since I can remember. She’d load up a van with tortas and coffee and

sell at Yamhill County Mushrooms,” Zertuche said. “We still get people from there can’t believe we opened a restaurant.” That would be Mama Gordita’s Kitchen here in Dallas. Named after his mother’s childhood nickname, Zertuche’s family took over former Mi Ranchito Restaurant when chef Eduardo Aguilera got burned out. “I talked to Eduardo, who loved what he was doing,” Zertuche said, “but it took him too much away from his kids.” He’s never been to Dallas before talking to Aguilera. “It was my first time coming PHOTO BY DAVID HAYES around and seeing everything. It The staff of Mama Gordita’s Kitchen are (from left) Victor reminded me of downtown Mac Honerato, Jaquelin Meza, Hector Zertuche, Deyanira Honerato, Natalia Marquez (on phone with customer order), and Valume Honerato. See MAMA, page A8

IN THIS ISSUE Voices Corrections Obituaries Puzzle Solutions Social Public Records Classifieds Puzzles

A4 A4 A6 B2 B2 B3 B6 B7

A River Gallery tradition returns soon to downtown Independence. The Wild Women art show - with this year’s theme, “Celebrating Women!” - runs Friday through July 30. This is the show’s 20th year. Not bad for a show with rather humble beginnings. “I think they wanted to do a show, and they were sitting around chatting and decided (Wild Women) would be a fun show to do,” said Pam Serra-Wenz, abstract painter and gallery partner, on the show’s genesis. “From then, it just took off. Right before COVID, in 2020, we had like 150 people in here, or more. It was packed.” The show is open to all artists, regardless of gender, but each piece, as the theme states, “must celebrate the creative spirit of women,” said Chris Hannegan, portrait painter and partner. “A lot of people have wives, daughters, sisters, cousins. It’s kind of a culmination of all the people in an artist’s life that are female, and the roles they play. If they’re an artist, they’re going to take that and put it into their art piece.” Themes change each year, providing artists with an imaginative spark, if not a framework, from which to create. “We’ve had all kinds of different (themes) in the past. People will just focus on that and then that will become a part of what they’re doing for whatever art piece they bring in,” Serra-Wenz said. Artists begin planning their piece as soon as the theme for the next Wild Women show is announced. Surprises are probable. Given that entries were not juried this year, the show is open to a larger pool of artists. How many take advantage of this opportunity, and what their art looks like, are unknown variables. “It’s always been a very eclectic show. But this year’s show will be especially eclectic because we’re not jurying it,” Hannegan added. “We’ve never tried this before. That’s part of the beauty of it.” See ART, page A8

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