Sidenotes 2/10-2/17 | The Source Weekly - Bend, Oregon

Sidenotes 2/10-2/17

A federal grand jury indicted 16 people involved in the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge on the charge of Conspiracy to Impede Officers of the United States on Feb. 3. The indictment states that the occupiers used intimidation tactics and traveled to Harney County in October 2015 to warn the sheriff of "extreme civil unrest if certain demands were not met." Furthermore, when the occupiers took over the Fish and Wildlife building on Jan. 2, they threatened to use violence against anyone behind removal attempts. The indictment also states that the 16 defendants named traveled between Nov. 2016 and Jan. 2016 "to intimidate and coerce the population of Harney County, Oregon, in order to effectuate the goals of the conspiracy."

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The FBI is warning residents of Oregon to be aware of phone scams that claim people owe money or have an unpaid ticket. The phone number used to make calls shows up as an FBI number and people have reported that the caller has threatened to arrest them. The FBI does not call people asking for money, according to a statement. The agency says people should protect their personal information and be aware of how much information is shared with social media sites. To report an Internet crime visit IC3.gov.

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The Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services released figures for Oregonians who used healthcare.gov to sign up for health insurance. According to the statement, 147,000 people have accessed insurance as of Jan. 31, which was the open enrollment deadline. The number has risen by 31 percent since 2015 when 112,000 people signed up. The department reminds Oregonians who are low income that they are eligible for reduced cost or free healthcare through Oregon's Medicaid program, the Oregon Health Care plan. People who qualify for this service can apply at any time during the year. If individuals missed the open enrollment deadline, they may be able to apply for a special enrollment through healthcare.gov.

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