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Les Zaitz
@LesZaitz
On a glide path to retirement. No, seriously. A half century is sufficient. Still, Malheur Enterprise and Salem Reporter. And then there's my ranch.
John Day, ORbouldercreekranch.netJoined September 2011
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12.4K Followers

Les Zaitz’s Tweets

Les Zaitz
@LesZaitz
An alum of
@MalheurNews
makes us all proud with this development...Congrats, Mr. C.
Quote Tweet
Joey Cappelletti
@Cappelletti7
After working as a @Report4America corps member for the past six months, today was officially my first day as @AP's full-time state government reporter in Michigan. I'm excited to more permanently join the team and also grateful for all that RFA has done for me.
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Les Zaitz
@LesZaitz
Curious. For you lawyer types, is "I don't recall" pretty standard coaching practice for deposition witnesses when matters are, well, not favorable?
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Les Zaitz
@LesZaitz
Oregon govt official: "It is inappropriate and a breach of journalistic integrity to attempt to correspond with an individual for the purpose of gathering information during non-working hours." Who can counsel me? I've been doing this work email all wrong, apparently.
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Les Zaitz
@LesZaitz
Fighting for rightful public access to government documents can require patience and significant legal costs.
@Oregonian
and
@RCFP
persisted - and got the right outcome for Oregonians. #FOIA #Transparency
Quote Tweet
Mike Rogoway
@rogoway
The Dalles has agreed to disclose how much of the Oregon city’s water Google’s data centers use, abandoning a 13-month legal fight to keep the information secret. twitter.com/OregonianBiz/s…
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Les Zaitz
@LesZaitz
A state agency leader pleads guilty to assaulting a school boy, as reported by
@ardytabrizian
of
@SalemReporter
. State wouldn't confirm the leader's employment status. #orleg #orpol
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Salem Reporter
@SalemReporter
Reginald Richardson pleaded guilty in October to a misdemeanor charge after prosecutors say he shoved a boy against a wall. It’s unclear whether he’s still employed in his governor-appointed role. salemreporter.com/2022/12/12/ore
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Les Zaitz
@LesZaitz
The death of a man in government custody ought to be disclosed immediately, shouldn't it? Not so in Marion County, as
@ardytabrizian
of
@SalemReporter
reports.
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Salem Reporter
@SalemReporter
The Marion County Sheriff's office mad the announcement Wednesday after not responding to emailed questions about 33-year-old William Schulz's death for two days. salemreporter.com/2022/11/30/man
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Les Zaitz
@LesZaitz
In Salem, an effort to recall school board members at
@salemkeizer
falls short despite nearly $20K in funding for signature drive.
@rachelwalexande
of
@SalemReporter
has the latest on school board turmoil.
Quote Tweet
Salem Reporter
@SalemReporter
Organizers said they were about 2,000 signatures short of the target needed for a recall election of Ashley Carson Cottingham, Osvaldo Avila and Karina Gumán Ortiz. Wednesday was the deadline to submit signatures. salemreporter.com/2022/11/23/sal
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Les Zaitz
@LesZaitz
Public records fights can be exhausting, especially when you're working for small outfits and have little legal firepower in your corner. On 3 fronts today, I encounter govt types who don't want their actions questioned. Tough. Wear me down but you get no surrender. #FOIA
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Les Zaitz
@LesZaitz
This is so key: "Coverage of government agencies and elected officials in Washington has dropped significantly, as well.Those changes apparently have been a relief to some officials, but are concerning to the more conscientious."
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Les Zaitz
@LesZaitz
The tiny
@SalemReporter
had remarkable success as donors in just two days chipped in $5,000+ to cover a big public records bill from
@cityofsalem
. The bill likely was meant to discourage access. Not so fast, say the people of Salem. Readers to the rescue! Thanks to all.
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Les Zaitz
@LesZaitz
Clearly, the people of Salem want the truth about city government. In one day, they donated enough to
@SalemReporter
’s Disclosure Fund to cover half a $4,000 records bill. Here’s why the fundraising campaign is needed and how you can help.
salemreporter.com
EDITOR'S COLUMN: We need your help to overcome Salem city secrecy - Salem Reporter
Salem Reporter is launching a fundraising drive, asking readers to help with a $4,000 bill from the city of Salem – for public documents about a never-done city investigation.
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Les Zaitz
@LesZaitz
A scrappy team from one of Oregon's poorest cities pulled it off on Saturday. The Ontario (High School) Tigers won the state 4A soccer championship, beating Phoenix 1-0. These players and coaches deserve all the applause they will get.
@MalheurNews
plans a pretty robust account.
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Les Zaitz
@LesZaitz
You can attend class at this Salem-area high school but feds don't see it as a school. So, no lunch service.
@rachelwalexande
of
@SalemReporter
takes a look. #Wisegovernment #Hungrykids
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Salem Reporter
@SalemReporter
Willamette Career Academy is a public program educating high school students from 12 districts in Marion and Polk counties. But because it’s not technically a school, it can’t get federal money to provide hot lunch for students. salemreporter.com/2022/11/10/an-
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Les Zaitz
@LesZaitz
In Oregon, Democrat Tina Kotek will win the governor's race, according to an analysis by The Oregonian.
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The Oregonian
@Oregonian
The Oregonian calls the Oregon governor's race: Democrat Tina Kotek has won the race for Oregon governor, defeating Republican Christine Drazan. l.oregonlive.com/HKu8Ex
Photo shows newly elected Oregon governor Tina Kotek standing in a green space with trees behind her. Text reads election results 2022, tina kotek is the new governor of oregon
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Les Zaitz
@LesZaitz
The victory celebrations are starting....
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Chris Lehman
@CapitolCurrents
In Springfield tonight, Democrat Val Hoyle declared victory in Oregon’s 4th Congressional District. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Alek Skarlatos says the Republican isn’t ready to concede. Photo by ⁦@klcctiffany⁩ #orpol
Image
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Les Zaitz
@LesZaitz
And in other news, a team of high school soccer players from the border town of Ontario kicked its way into the state 4A championship game on Saturday. Though the election balloting is still open in Oregon, these boys are winners. Ontario 1, North Marion 0 - for the record.
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Les Zaitz
@LesZaitz
This isn't the election days of old - the winner in tight races in Oregon may not be known for days.
@rachelwalexande
explains why and how
@SalemReporter
will be reporting results.
@TrustingNews
#Localjournalism
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Salem Reporter
@SalemReporter
Managing Editor Rachel Alexander explains why we may not know the outcome of some races on Election Night, and how Salem Reporter's team works to deliver accurate, clear information. salemreporter.com/2022/11/07/edi
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Les Zaitz
@LesZaitz
I should know better than to start my week by asking simple ballot postmarking questions of
@USPS
. So far, email ping pong to answer simply: Is first-class mail postmarked the day it is picked up at a home receptacle and a street box? Glad I got that extra hour over the weekend.
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Les Zaitz Retweeted
Business profile picture
Salem Reporter
@SalemReporter
The city of Salem said it would take a full work week to compile records that show a public city statement was true. City officials said last month that they couldn’t find an investigator to look into misconduct allegations against a former deputy chief.
salemreporter.com
City charges thousands for records proving public statement about investigating police official -...
The city of Salem said it would take the equivalent of a full-time person working a full week to compile records that show a public city statement was true. Salem officials said last month that the...
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Les Zaitz
@LesZaitz
Crime stats are notoriously manipulated. In one eastern Oregon city, a police chief said his staff couldn't keep up with calls. Fact check: They were down 25% from a year earlier.
Quote Tweet
Pew Research Center
@pewresearch
In 2021, the most recent year with available data, there were 16.5 violent crimes for every 1,000 Americans ages 12 and older. That was statistically unchanged from the year before, below pre-pandemic levels and far below 1990s rates. pewrsr.ch/3zrzsPR
A line graph showing that federal surveys show no increase in the U.S. violent crime rate since the start of the pandemic
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