How long did Miss Oregon live in state? Eligibility questioned
PORTLAND, Ore. - Just days after being crowned Miss Oregon 2012, Rachel Berry appeared on KATU's AM Northwest and said she had lived in the state for about a year.
But the state pageant's executive director Dana Phillips admitted to KATU News that the statement's not true.
Berry moved from California and hasn't been in Oregon for year. Public records show she only got her Oregon driver's license and registered her SUV in Oregon in March.
The potential issue is whether she moved to Oregon too recently to be eligible to hold the title and receive the $10,000 scholarship that comes with it.
According to the rules, the contestant needs to be living in Oregon for at least six months before even the local preliminary competition. She needs to be able to prove that residency with a driver’s license, car registration or other official document.
In Berry's case, Phillips said the pageant winner provided a signed lease for a home she rented in Aloha dated Jan. 1, 2012 – exactly six months before the Seaside statewide event.
But according to the rules, she would have to have been an Oregon resident as far back as October - six months before she won the local preliminary competition in April that sent her to Seaside.
"She was sanctioned by one of my local directors from the Portland Metropolitan area as a legal contestant according to our official contract from the Miss America organization, and then was sanctioned by signing and having notorized the state contract coming into the state level," said Phillips. "And so it's a non-issue with me. I don't understand it."
KATU News found Berry on Thursday outside her workplace. She was very upset and said, "I am a person of integrity and wouldn't do anything to jeopardize that." She also said that she's been told by the pageant not to talk to KATU News.
So far, Phillips has not provided KATU News with the contract Berry signed and the proof she provided of just how long she's legally been an Oregon resident.
and she turned in her crown. Although that is good, thanks for really screwing it up for our State this year. Now go away and how about to California.
It's a beauty contest. Is there anything more vacuous?
This is a non story, it's sounds like you guys are crying over spilled milk. If it really was a big concern to you all, then how come no one said anything when she won her local pageant? I've heard these girls go through alot of training for this kind of stuff, looks like she was underestimated before the state pageant, and if she beat out the other girls, then sounds like their's some sort of bitterness going on. I searched for more pics of her, she's a pretty girl, this pic that Katu has up is an unflattering one, anyhow, all of you that are calling her ugly, can you please post pics of yourselves, your girlfriends, or wives, so we can see if you have any credibility about beauty?
Youre tellin me this is the hottest chick in Oregon? C'mon!
I wonder who "the tip" was?
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Like I said it would be so easy to find she was still in CA up to a certain date. Evena person with limited skills will be able to find this out.
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I dont think this looks good for the pagent
The questions that I would be asking is...
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1) Why did she come up to oregon from California (chapman university) and live with the mother of her California E.D. from chapman university?
2) Did she previously try out unsuccessfully to make it into the Miss California Pagent?
3) Chapman university placed I believe 5 contestants into the Miss CA contest last year and apparently Her ED was known for placing pagent winners. Was this a coordinated effort to move Rachel her because it was believed she could take the pagent?
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I dont like the sounds of this stuff.
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I rather have a true oregonian representing a state and not possibly someone moving into the state because they view the competition as more favorable for them to beat.
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I think Anna may be on to something here. Keep digging. You obviously have them scared or they wouldn't be gagging Rachel at this point. Pagents of late have been called into question when it comes to collusion and fraud. I think he should be easy to find some evidence to prove she was still in California Jan1, 2012Â or after. the pagent will have to eventually answer why they approved their application if according to their own regulations states she should have been her 6 months prioir to the willamette regional. Prove she wasn't a resident in October of 2011 and she doesn't meet qualifications
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The other girls who play by the rules should be outraged and start to be more vocal.
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I can understand runner up no.1 and no.2 will stay quiet right now....
 @Duvie23 because if they say anything, their chances of ever coming back or winning or 0.  They do not dare speak up...the ED can get very vicious and has really struck at people without cause before.  That is why, John, nobody said anything before because their changes at STATE would have been 0. Â
Anyone who says cruel things about Miss Berry clearly has never met her. If you all had, you would never say such heartless things about her. She is truly one of the most compassionate and sweet individuals I have ever had the pleasure of knowing and deserved the title of Miss Oregon more than ANYONE else, HANDS DOWN.
@SamFredricks Sounds like you are biased by being a friend perhaps.....I listen to the facts presented and it clearly looks like she didnt meet the qualifications. That is where I give her the benefit of the doubt and want to switch to the person with the pagent who said she qualified. Learn their motives, or find out if they are just incompetent in their jobs like a lot of people.
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I dont think she sounds like she purposely tried to deceive since the records she gave did not meet the requirements. Her guilt is she didn't read and understand the rules herself. She couldn't approve herself.
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Unless you can prove the lease is false or she wasn't in the state then we may have an issue. Signing a lease does not constitute residency alone. I thnk by state law you are required to obtain an ODL within 30 days of residency in the state and waiting until march either shows she was in violation operating on oregon public roads or that she wasn't actually in the state in January
Rules are as they are....there was a 1st runner up FROM OREGON that has competed 4-5 times that lost because of this unfortunate "slight of hand" by the local and state directors. Â It is about time they have to step up and take responsibility for their actions. Â There has always been rumors of the lack of integrity since the 80's in this program. I feel sorry for Rachel and all the other contestants, and directors, and hope that we will see a resolution soon. Â I think it IS newsworthy because families pay thousands of dollars into an opportunity for their daughters to compete in a FAIR pageant (fair meaning all rules apply to all individuals, not just selected). Â Yes, there is a lot of paperwork but you shouldn't be signing something that you do not have the time to read or understand (kind of like passing legislation that was recently passed!!). Â This is a black mark on the program that they are best to handle swiftly!
@fairandbalanced I'm just curious....can you say who the first runner up you are talking about was? I think I already know who you are talking about and I couldn't agree more that this program is nothing close to fair and balanced. Thank you for putting it so eloquently.
Makes me sad that we couldn't come up with a real Oregonian.
I'm a former Miss Oregon now living in Texas and just heard about this alleged controversy involving our newly crowned Miss Oregon Rachel Berry. Â Seriously, is this really newsworthy? Â I can see taking Joe Paterno's name off of a childcare center at Nike HQ would be newsworthy but this? Â Is this stakes week at KATU? Â I've not had the opportunity to meet Rachel but from everyone I've spoken to, the state of Oregon should be proud to have such a bright, articulate and caring young woman representing them in the Miss America Pageant. Â
 @ladyesquire12 I am guessing by your avatar that you are Lynette Boggs.... funny that you have no problem with people lying about their residence , knowing your history:Â
http://www.8newsnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=6623628
@ladyesquire12 I agree it can be done with some tact, but there are questions that need to be answer or it only hurts the integrity of the organization you once were a part of.
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I would want to make sure we are not encouraging "state jumping" for ladies with impecable credentials such as rachel to find more favorable competitiion.
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I thought this was supposed to be representative of the state? I find 6 months before the regionals a joke. I would like to see native residents, or at least 4 years of residency. Perhaps completing your college work here or your early school years.
Anna Canzano has been a favorite of mine for years on local news.  However, I find it somewhat disheartening that she now seems to be following a disturbing trend at KATU News.  Rather than focusing on real news, KATU seems to be gearing it's content increasingly toward "Ambush" journalism.  With features like "2 on Your Side", "Dirty Dining", "KATU Problem Solvers", and now this "scandalous" revelation that Miss Oregon may have be a Californian in sheep's clothing.  How Shocking!  She should be publicly pilloried and ridden out of town on the Max Train.  Please Anna;  Your credibility as a serious journalist becomes suspect with fluff, assassin stories like this.
 @DMG of Oregon CityÂ
 @DMG of Oregon City I appreciate you comments. For the hundreds of other young woman who competed legitimately for the title of Miss Oregon and for the idea that the Miss America title is supposed to represent integrity, scholarship and ethics, I stand by my pursuit of this story as something worth investigating. Is it Watergate? Certainly not. But I support KATU's On Your Side philosophy of journalism - holding people accountable for their actions, especially if they are public figures or in positions of power.
@AnnaCanzanoKATU @DMG of Oregon City why are Katu folks so rude always deleting comments, I dont even use swear words in em? you put the comment section in but dont want to see comments unless they agree with the katu socialistic views
@AnnaCanzanoKATU @DMG of Oregon City what about Obama he lies everyday, but this liberal news station will never investigate him, too yellow to do that
@DMG of Oregon City I think it is obvious there is a story here and with recent egg on the face of Trump's Miss Universe pagent there is a pattern of integrity issues with pagents.
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As mentioned below Anna is likely told her assignmnents at this point. If you want to blame someone for sensationalised journalism blame her producers and news directors.
DMG; I may be wrong here, but I have a sneaking suspicion that Ms. Canzano covers the stories she is told to cover by her manager.
 @catherine.henry Catherine, we do have story assignments, yes. However, as reporters we are free to pitch our own stories as well. And believe me, if I had an ethical issue with a story I'm assigned to report, I voice that. Loudly. Insistently. Independently. I take my credibility as a journalist very seriously.
Go Anna, youâre my hero! I like the dedication and support you show to our Military folks. I saw you one time, but the Boss said I had to put a clamp on it and I could not say Hi :-(
This young woman is & was an amazing contestant !! I was there she did an awesome job.She showed poise & elegance on stage & is an intelligent lady.For people to pass judgement on her having never read the HUGE pile of paperwork you are asked to sign is not fair .We shouldn't stone her or tar & feather her in public before we have all the facts in place.My daughter did compete with her & she is very deserving of the job. l only hope you nay sayers never have to come up against something like this because as of right now we don't have all the facts in sooooo lets wait for this to happen and give her a chance.IF THIS PROVES TRUEÂ she will step down with the same grace as she stepped in with !!
@kburger How can you explain the obvious issues with her residency her? She only supplied a lease from Jan 1st,2012 and a ODL was received in March 2012? According to rules she needs proof of residency dating back into 2011.
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Doesn't this bother you that the pagent doesn't follow their own regulations?
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I mean based on what she turned in I would say she is not being dishonest. I mean a dishonest person would have at least tried to meet the rules with their claims. Th estating I was here 1 year on AM Northwest is obviously a lie unless she can document more than she did on her registration papers.
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I am also concerned the pagent is being more forthcoming even if it means they are handing documents in her behalf. Seems fishy.
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Also possible motive with whom she was staying with and connection to oregoin being her CA E.D from Chapman Univeristies mom calls into question why she came to oregon and was it only for a chance at the pagent?
The 'comments' section always seem to bring out folks hiding behind their computers with non-constructive criticism. Â It's the equivalent of someone who flips you off in the parking lot of a store, but when you see them inside they run the other away. Â Come on, people, you are better than that. Stick to the issue. Â If she is 'illegal', then there is an issue worth discussion. Â But kicking the girl when she is down with comments about her appearance is more telling of you and the computer mask you hide behind.
@girl I agree...this pagent is not only about beauty, and her credential were impecable.
 @girl She's ugly, I think that is a bad trait for a beauty queen!
 @randomdude You're a troll. Don't even go there with Rachel. You should google the Miss America system before you make a fool of yourself by calling it a beauty pageant.
 @randomdude this woman has the grace and poise to stand in front of people and speak intelligently. Not only that, she cares about her community and the people around her. If that kind of woman is ugly to you, I'm very sorry. She is gorgeous and talented, and there are many people who support her, myself included.
 @missj but lacks integrity if she has lied to get what she wanted, not a Miss Oregon title to promote our state but a Miss title to go to Miss America.
 @randomdude this is a scholarship program. it caters to a woman's well rounded ability to posses scholarship, service, style and success. Rachel possesses these in abundance.
Then you really don't understand, there is so much more to it than BEAUTY, and isn't it like they say, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder"?Â
 @missj Those are excellent traits for any woman to have, but BEAUTY queens should also be externally PRETTY. There are hundreds of women in this state that fill all those requirements, why is this Californian so special?
I would like to see a longer residency requirement. It is just not right that less than a year ago she moves to Oregon wins our pageant and gets the money to go along with the title. This title should go to a true Oregonian!
To everyone bashing our Miss Oregon because of her looks...come on grow -up. The Miss America Organization is about so much more than facial "beauty". It's about brains, poise, physical fitness and talent. The ladies go through a rigorous interview process, they sing, dance, and play their hearts out in front of hundreds of people. Rachel is a beautiful young woman and will represent our state well at the Miss America Pageant. On the flip side I cannot believe that this story is even making the news. I am a pageant fan, but for this to make the 5:00 news means it must have been a slow news day in Portland, there is so much more going on that the general public would like to know about. And the fact that the story came from an anonymous tipster, really makes me wonder....
 @Mrs.Oregon2009 The story did not come from an anonymous tipster... it came from BoJack.org ... he was hot on the trail from the time Rachel was a local contestant. The fact that this woman was able to make it all the way to national level before she was exposed is an embarrassment. I'm sorry this girl pulled the wool over Miss Oregon's eyes... but it should have been caught before she ever ran in a local in Oregon....Â
@Mrs.Oregon2009 oooh stop it! it is not anything short of looks otherwise you would have every sasquatch in dreads winning and I dont see that happening
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How about you Mrs.Oregon2009. How long had you lived in Oregon before winning your title?
Born in Germany, raised in Portland, spent 24 years in the U.S. Army traveling around the World, moved back home to Oregon and won my title. I also competed in Alabama (while in the Army), but the fact of the matter is, my heart was not in it, because that was not "home", but that is just me. Many of our young ladies are NOT from Oregon but are students at our colleges and universities and are eligible to compete. The current Miss Oregon USA is a UO student originally from Arizona.
@Mrs.Oregon2009 Thanks for your service...
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I do think that 6 months before a preliminary pagent is a bit of a joke though. I would like to see longer participation in the state before representing the state.
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I do not believe Rachel was going to college here and one has to question the motive for moving to oregon to compete here versus CA where many of her classmates from Chapman Univ compete
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What is her motive in this state? Continued education? Boyfriend or fiance? Job prospect? Seems reasonable to ask since her situation wasn't like yours or grils going to local colleges.
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The $10,000 scholarship for oregon is a nice prize, but i am sure the national prize for the miss america is much more.Â
 @Mrs.Oregon2009 Doesn't your pageant have allowances for residency because of the military?  I know that others offer that as well. How many times did you compete for Oregon before you won?
Outstanding Mrs.Oregon2009. I too am a Army retire, not from Oregon, but have been here for over a decade. To me, that is long enough to be considered a resident. I do understand a lot of the women are college student implants, but less that a year and winning Miss Oregon, that is just wrong!!
Seriously, is that the best Oregon has for a beauty pageant candidate? The public should hope that she does get disqualified, because I think we CAN do better than that.
@felines99 no, not really, unless your into sasquatch
The Supreme Court ruled that lies about military service and medals won is acceptable under Free Speech protections. Perhaps this falls under the same rule. Won't be long before we cannot trust anything that anyone says to be the truth. That's already the case for most politicians.
Huh? We are going to question and investigate the eligilbility of Miss Oregon but not illegal immigrants? The state of our nation is in shambles folks if this is where our priorities lie
@UO Duck well you wouldn't want us to offend the criminals coming here illegally would you?Â
@UO Duck Well put! I do believe we should do both though. All we have is integrity
Nailed it!!!!!