Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/633045
ByKeithRidlerand Rebecca Boone TheAssociatedPress BURNS, OREGON A mem- ber of an armed anti-gov- ernment group who was killed in a traffic stop in Oregon vowed a few weeks ago that he would die be- fore spending his life be- hind bars. LaVoy Finicum, a 55-year-old rancher from Cain Beds, Arizona, died Tuesday after law enforce- ment officers initiated the stop near the Malheur Na- tional Wildlife Refuge in southeastern Oregon. It's unclear what hap- pened in the moments be- fore the shooting, or if Fin- icum or any of the other ac- tivists involved exchanged gunfire with officers. Au- thorities wouldn't say how many shots were fired. Eight occupiers were ar- rested, including group leader Ammon Bundy. Finicum also was a leader of the armed group that took over the refuge Jan. 2 to oppose federal land restrictions and ob- ject to the prison sentences of two local ranchers con- victed of setting fires. He was a prominent presence at the refuge and frequently talked with re- porters. His affable but pas- sionate demeanor made him a popular subject for on-camera interviews. Finicum seemed to have made up his mind about how his role in the occu- pation was likely to end — with his death. Just a few days into the occupation, he came bar- reling to the refuge en- trance in a federal truck. Rifle in hand, Finicum sat in the middle of the driveway, telling the re- porters gathered around him that he learned there was a warrant for his ar- rest and he wanted to make it easy for federal agents to find him. At the time, he said he didn't know what the war- rant charged him with, but he believed agents would try to arrest him soon. "I don't think it really matters. There's enough things they could make a warrant for us, I believe," he said. Finicum said he had neither threatened nor harmed anyone during the occupation. "I have grown up loving the fresh air. I love the el- ements. And this is where I'm going to breathe my last breath," he said. "... I'm not going to spend my last days in a cell. This world is too beautiful to spend it in a cell." He then gave a message to his family: "And kids, if I don't come, you know I love you and I'm proud of every damn one of you." The rancher was media- savvy and tried to popular- ize and monetize his polit- ical beliefs on his website, www.onecowboystandfor- freedom.com. He used the site to sell his book, a 252- page paperback titled "Only by Blood and Suffering," as well as T-shirts, bumper stickers and posters em- blazoned with slogans like "Let Freedom Ring" and "Defend the Constitution Original Intent." He described him- self as a longtime friend of Cliven Bundy, and he participated in the stand- off with federal authori- ties over grazing fees at the elder Bundy's Nevada ranch in 2014. Finicum and his wife, Jeanette, raised dozens of foster children, though social workers removed the kids from the couple's home a few days after the occupation began. TRAFFIC STOP Ra nc he r ki ll ed i n st an do ff vowed to die before going to jail THOMASBOYD—THEOREGONIAN Law enforcement personnel block an access road to the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Wednesday near Burns, Oregon. PAUL SANCYA — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event at the University of Iowa Field House in Iowa City, Iowa. By Steve Peoples and Jill Colvin The Associated Press DES MOINES, IOWA An ex- plosive feud between Don- ald Trump and Fox News Channel is overshadow- ing the final sprint to Io- wa's presidential caucuses, injecting a new sense of chaos into the 2016 Repub- lican contest. On the eve of the final debate before Iowa voters weigh in, Trump refused to back off his decision to boy- cott Thursday's prime-time faceoff. His campaign in- sisted that debate host Fox News crossed a line with a sarcastic statement mock- ing him and continued to criticize moderator Megyn Kelly. In turn, Fox accused Trump's camp of trying to terrorize its employees. "They think they can toy with Mr. Trump," cam- paign manager Corey Le- wandowski said Wednes- day on MSNBC's "Morning Joe." "Mr. Trump doesn't play games." As the public clash in- tensified, Trump's Republi- can competitors hunkered down for a day of private debate preparations filled with uncertainty. Skepti- cal that he would follow through on his boycott, the other campaigns held practice sessions with and without someone playing Trump. Some thought the ab- sence of Trump could make another leading Iowa con- tender, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, a prime target for campaigns eager to spark a last-minute shakeup. Cruz challenged Trump to a separate one-on-one de- bate, a proposal that was dismissed by his opponent. "Even though I beat him in the first six debates, es- pecially the last one, Ted Cruz wants to debate me again. Can we do it in Can- ada?" Trump tweeted, ref- erencing Cruz's birthplace. Some foes saw the shakeup as an opening to rise above the ruckus. "These kinds of theat- rics by Ted Cruz and Don- ald Trump are an enter- taining sideshow, but they have nothing to do with defeating Hillary Clinton," Florida Sen. Marco Rubio said. "We don't have time for these kinds of distrac- tions." Despite the attention, there was little sense that Trump's move would sig- nificantly change the tra- jectory of the Republican contest in Iowa. While the former reality televi- sion star holds a big lead in most national polls, he and Cruz are locked in a tight race here. Debate feud injects fr es h ch ao s in to p ri ma ry POLITICS | NEWS | REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2016 10 A