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--> --> Supreme Court OKs redistricting plan By Amalie Young Associated Press Writer SALEM - Marking the final chapter in the 2001 redistricting process, the Oregon Supreme Court on Friday approved a minor change to Secretary of State Bill Bradbury's revised redistricting plan. Bradbury was ordered to fix a problem caused by an apparent federal Census error that wrongly placed a 1,900-inmate federal prison outside the city of Sheridan in Yamhill County. "I am certain the districts that will go into effect are the best possible districts for Oregon," he said. The court had thrown out a dozen other challenges to the plan, saying Bradbury had broad latitude to draw new House and Senate district lines to reflect population changes shown in last year's Census. The new maps, in place as of Saturday, combine two House districts that had included the fast-growing city of Bend. The plan also creates a new House district in Marion County that stretches from north Salem to Woodburn. That district will have a Hispanic population of about 40 percent, the greatest concentration ever of that minority in a legislative district. Republicans, who now control the Legislature by margins of 16-14 in the Senate and 32-28 in the House, argued that the Democratic secretary of state illegally shaped districts to favor his party. Foes of the redistricting plan also claimed Bradbury violated requirements in state law that he avoid splitting counties and that he try to keep "communities of interest" intact. The court rejected the claims. The Sheridan error caused two House districts to deviate from the ideal population size by more than the 1 percent general standard Bradbury had adopted. Bradbury acknowledged the problem but claimed he was bound by Census data. The court disagreed and said he could use other counts, such as those in the prison records, to make a correction. On the Net: Secretary of State: http://www.sos.state.or.us Supreme Court: http://www.ojd.state.or.us Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing