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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2022
VOL. 131, NO. 29 Serving the Lower Columbia Region since 1891
Clatskanie Cultural Center celebrates the season The community is invited to celebrate the season on Saturday, Dec. 3, with free events, beginning at 3 p.m., at the Clatskanie Cultural Center, 75 S. Nehalem Street in Clatskanie. A family-friendly animated holiday movie will be shown at 3 p.m. in the Birkenfeld Theatre inside the Cultural Center. There is no admission fee and free popcorn will be offered to all attending. After the movie, Santa Claus is expected to appear from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. to greet youngsters and hear their Christmas wishes. Adults accompanying the children are encouraged to take pictures. At 5:30 p.m., a Christmas Tree Lighting, with music by the Clats-
kanie Middle/High School choir and jazz band, will take place in the Cultural Center parking lot. The Dec. 3 events are sponsored by the Clatskanie Cultural Center, owned and operated by the Clatskanie Foundation.
Season Celebration 3 p.m. Dec. 3 Family-Friendly holiday movie 4:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m. Santa Visit 5:30 p.m. Tree Lighting
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A community tree lighting is set for 5:30 p.m. Dec. 3 at the Clatskanie Cultural Center.
Metro Creative Connection
Santa is scheduled to visit the community season celebration from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Dec. 3 at the Cultural Center.
Governor pardons 45,000, forgives $14M in pot possession cases STAFF REPORT Country Media, Inc.
Governor Kate Brown has announced a pardon for prior Oregon offenses of simple possession of marijuana. The act that will impact an estimated 45,000 individuals across the state. The pardon will remove 47,144 convictions for possession of a small amount of marijuana from individual records, eliminating barriers for thousands of people seeking employment, housing, and educational opportunities who have otherwise been ineligible, according to a release from Brown’s office. Brown’s pardon order also forgives approximately $14 million in unpaid court fines and fees associated only with the pardoned convictions. As a result, the state will no longer collect those fines and fees, however, it may take a few weeks for the state to update its records and to reach out to collection agencies to waive the fines and fees
included in the Governor’s pardon, according to a release from Brown’s office. State officials anticipate that all records should be updated to clear the remaining balance on the associated case within one month of the Governor’s action.
No one deserves to be forever saddled with the impacts of a conviction for simple possession of marijuana — a crime that is no longer on the books in Oregon. ~ Kate Brown, Oregon Governor
The pardon applies to electronically available Oregon convictions for possession of 1 ounce or less
of marijuana, in pre-2016 cases in which the person was 21 years of age or older, where this was the only charge, and where there were no victims. This pardon does not apply to any other offense related to marijuana or other controlled substances. “No one deserves to be forever saddled with the impacts of a conviction for simple possession of marijuana — a crime that is no longer on the books in Oregon,” Brown said. “Oregonians should never face housing insecurity, employment barriers, and educational obstacles as a result of doing something that is now completely legal, and has been for years. My pardon will remove these hardships. And while Oregonians use marijuana at similar rates, Black and Latina/o/x people have been arrested, prosecuted, and convicted at disproportionate rates. “We are a state, and a nation, of second chances. Today, I am taking steps to right the wrongs of a flawed, inequitable, and outdated criminal justice system in Oregon when it comes to personal mari-
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The pardon applies to electronically available Oregon convictions for possession of 1 ounce or less of marijuana, in pre-2016 cases in which the person was 21 years of age or older, where this was the only charge, and where there were no victims.
juana possession. For the estimated 45,000 individuals who are receiving a pardon for prior state convictions of marijuana possession, this action will help relieve the collateral consequences arising from these
convictions.” Governor Brown’s marijuana pardon order applies only to statelevel convictions of possession of one ounce or less of marijuana in the State of Oregon, in singlecharge cases without a victim in which the individual was 21 years of age or older. “The statewide judicial database that is utilized by the Oregon Judicial Department does not have access to locally-operated city and county municipal or justice court records,” the release states. “If you want to learn more about setting aside court records (i.e. expungement) related to a marijuana possession conviction in a justice or municipal court, then please reach out directly to the respective court.” Following the Governor’s pardon, the Oregon Judicial Department will ensure that all court records associated with these pardoned offenses are sealed, as required by law. Read more with this story at thechiefnews.com.
Captured! Manhunt ends JEREMY C. RUARK Country Media, Inc.
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SNAP is a federal program that provides food assistance to approximately 1 million eligible, low-income families and individuals in Oregon, including many older adults and people with disabilities.
$70M holiday gift for 426,000 Oregon SNAP clients STAFF REPORT Country Media, Inc.
Most Columbia County clients
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Contact The Chief Phone: 503-397-0116 Fax: 503-397-4093 chiefnews@countrymedia.net 1805 Columbia Blvd., St. Helens, OR 97051
and other Oregonians who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits will receive emergency allotments in December. In December, approximately 426,000 SNAP households will receive approximately $70 million in extra food benefits in addition to their regular SNAP benefits. The federal government has approved emergency allotments every month since March 2020. This gives SNAP recipients additional support during the COVID-19 pandemic. These emergency benefits are a temporary support that Oregon can provide because of the federal COVID-19 public health emergency. Because the federal government approved these emergency benefits for December, Oregon will also be able to issue them in January 2023. However, the emergency benefits are expected to end when the federal public health emergency ends. In December, approximately 426,000 SNAP households will receive approximately $70 million in extra food benefits in addition to their regular SNAP benefits. “We know that many rely on these additional emergency food benefits to get enough healthy food
for themselves and their families,” Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS), Self-Sufficiency Programs Interim Director Jana McLellan said. “The holiday season can also bring additional stress and worry for many Oregonians who are still struggling to meet their basic needs and we encourage them to contact our partners at 211, the Oregon Food Bank and their local Community Action Agency for support during this difficult time.” Current SNAP households will receive emergency allotments on Dec. 13. Emergency allotments will be issued Dec. 30 or Jan. 4, 2023 for households who did not receive benefits in the first monthly issuance. SNAP recipients do not have to take any action to receive these supplemental benefits as they will be issued directly on their EBT cards. More information about emergency allotments is available at https://www.oregon.gov/dhs/ASSISTANCE/FOOD-BENEFITS/Pages/ Emergency-Allotments.aspx. Questions about your SNAP benefits should be directed to the
See SNAP Page A2
Court records now reveal the intense moments of the hunt for Kevin James Reynolds, who law enforcement described as an ‘armed and dangerous’ wanted felon. Following several days of an intense manhunt that began in Cowlitz County, moved into Columbia County and ended in Clatsop County, deputies captured Kevin James Reynolds without incident around noon Thursday, Nov. 17. On November 15 Reynolds brandished a gun at several deputies as they approach a house in the Rainier area with a search warrant. He then kidnapped a woman at gunpoint, shot the gun at a passing driver in an attempted carjacking, and fled, according to KATU’s summary of the court records. Reynolds was lodged at the Columbia County Jail in St. Helens as of Tuesday, Nov. 22. He faces several criminal charges including: • Second Degree Kidnapping • Menacing • Reckless Endangering • Unlawful Use of a Weapon • Fugitive from Another State • Carrying Concealed/Possession Firearm • Second Degree Burglary • Attempt to Commit Crime Background The search began Tuesday, Nov. 15, in the Rainier area last week after Cowlitz County notified the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) that Reynolds was possibly in the area of Heath Road and Old Rainier Highway. Reynolds was wanted on multiple criminal charges in Cowlitz County including robbery, assault, vehicle theft and witness intimidation. During the Tuesday manhunt, Columbia County Sheriff Brian Pixley said the Oregon State Police SWAT responded to the location and used distractionary devices, loudspeakers, and drones equipped with Forward Looking InfraRed (FLIR). The search included K9’s
Courtesy from CCSO
Kevin James Reynolds
from St. Helens Police Department and Longview Police Department. “The suspect did fire his gun at a passing car that was hit. The driver was not injured,” Pixley told The Chief. As the search intensified Tuesday, the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office posted a Facebook alert to residents in the area. “Reynolds is considered to be armed and dangerous. Residents in the area are asked to secure their homes and stay inside. If you spot Reynolds, call 9-1-1,” the Facebook post stated. Pixley issued a statement shortly after 11 p.m. Tuesday night, stating that law enforcement had completed a search including buildings, homes, and property west of Rainier in an attempt to locate Reynolds, but he was not found. The search was suspended that night but was resumed Wednesday afternoon, Nov. 16. Search resumed “Someone believed they saw a male subject matching the suspect’s description via a security camera,” Columbia County Sheriff Brian Pixley said. “We covered the area between Apiary Road to Elk Creek Road and from Cannon Road to Highway 30.” The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, the Cowlitz County
See MANHUNT Page A4