WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2022 | SILVERTONAPPEAL.COM
PART OF THE USA TODAY NETWORK
‘Happening faster than we thought’
2021 was Oregon’s fifth-hottest year
since 1895, continuing warm trend
Zach Urness
Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
Oregon’s string of hot years con-
tinued in 2021, which finished as the
fifth-warmest in records dating back to
1895.
It was also a dry year — and an excep-
tionally dry summer — although the im-
pact was far worse on the east side than
on the west side, according NOAA data
from weather stations across the state.
Oregon’s statewide average temper-
ature was 49.2 degrees in 2021, which is
2.5 degrees warmer than normal and
adds another recent year to the list of
hottest years on record.
Of the 12 hottest years ever recorded,
eight have been recorded since 2000
and six have come since 2010, as climate
change moves Oregon’s weather closer
to California than Washington.
“What’s most concerning is that this
was a La Nina year, when we’d tradi-
tionally expect colder or at least histori-
cally normal temperatures,” Oregon
state climatologist Larry O’Neill said.
“Instead, we got extreme heat in the
summer. We did have somewhat cooler
weather in the winter, which is why this
year didn’t end up as the hottest.”
A late December drenching allowed
Oregon to make up a lot of ground in
precipitation totals, finishing with a
statewide average of 28.47 inches,
See HEAT, Page 4A
A child runs through the Wall of Water
fountain on the Capitol Mall in late
July. Last year was Oregon’s fifth
warmest. BRIAN HAYES/STATESMAN JOURNAL
Forest Service
to start over on
reopen plans
Timeline of access to Opal Creek,
Breitenbush, Jefferson now
unclear
Zach Urness
Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
Mt. Angel Public House is located at 210 East Charles Street in Mt. Angel. The restaurant and bar opened in
time for Oktoberfest and has since expanded their menu. PHOTOS BY ABIGAIL DOLLINS/STATESMAN JOURNAL
Mt. Angel Public House
officially open
Em Chan Salem Statesman Journal | USA TODAY NETWORK
I
n just eight months, the space across the street from Mt. Angel’s iconic Glockenspiel has
transformed into a modern sports bar: Mt. Angel Public House. The dedicated sports bar had
been ‘soft opened’ for months, but is now open with big plans to become a community spot. h
As the pandemic continues to shake up the economics of running an eatery, owner Brandon
Norbury said he hopes folks in Mt. Angel can enjoy the space as he originally intended: a sports bar
that’s clean, has fresh food, and plenty of space to “really enjoy themselves when they come in.”
Mt. Angel Public House, named aptly for its range
of alcohol, spirits and food offered, had its official
grand opening Dec. 19. They currently have a limited
menu, but feature Smashburgers and a few appetiz-
ers.
Even without the constraints the pandemic has
forced on many businesses, Norbury renovated, fur-
nished and opened his bar against the frustrating
Dre Goyer
and Brandon
Norbury
pose for a
portrait
together at
Mt. Angel
Public House
in Mt. Angel.
See PUBLIC HOUSE, Page 4A
Silverton hospital takes step
towards new emergency room
Bill Poehler
Salem Statesman Journal
USA TODAY NETWORK
The hospital in Silverton is looking to move its emer-
gency room.
Silverton’s city council gave Legacy Silverton Med-
ical Center its first step toward accomplishing that by
approving the rezoning of two properties the hospital
owns on Cherry and West Center streets into a public
overlay district earlier this month.
Legacy Health senior construction manager James
Berekoff said the hospital identified a new emergency
room as a priority four or five years ago as the current
one doesn’t meet current health codes for hospitals.
“We do have plans to not just expand, necessarily,
but relocate our emergency department,” Berekoff
said.
The 101 Cherry Street property is a 16,698-square-
The U.S. Forest Service said it would essentially
start overthe process to reopen around 170,000 acres
burned in the 2020 Labor Day Fires east of Salem and
Eugene after lawsuits halted the plan last fall.
The move throws into question when access will
be restored to places such as Opal Creek, the Breiten-
bush area and the northern Mount Jefferson Wilder-
ness.
A federal judge in November blocked a plan by
Willamette National Forest to log hazard trees along
400 miles of road within the scars of the Beachie
Creek, Lionshead and Holiday Farm fires.
The Forest Service said at the time that the plan
was critical to making roadways safe and reopening
public access to vast swaths of public land burned in
the 2020 Labor Day Fires.
Environmental groups, who brought the lawsuit,
said the federal agency was being too aggressive in
removing trees along roadsides.
Instead of going through the lawsuit process, Wil-
lamette National Forest supervisor Dave Warnack
said he would scrap the old plan and restart the proc-
ess.
“I have decided it is in the best interest of the pub-
lic to limit the continued time and expense associat-
ed with ongoing litigation surrounding this project,”
Warnack said in a statement. “Our work to safely re-
store public access to areas burned in the 2020 Labor
Day fires continues to be top priority.
“Upon withdrawal of this decision, my staff will
conduct another review of the purpose and need of
this project and will consider a new approach to ad-
dressing this important issue. We will re-engage with
community partners and other interested parties to-
ward solutions and opportunities to facilitate safely
reopening fire affected areas.”
The lawsuits were filed by Cascadia Wildlands,
Oregon Wild, Willamette Riverkeeper, and Forest
Service Employees for Environmental Ethics.
“The Forest Service just went way too big, autho-
rizing far more logging than the law allows without
doing an environmental assessment,” Nick Cady, le-
gal director for Cascadia Wildlands, said previously.
“The Forest Service attempted to use the fires as cov-
er to commercially log in scenic areas and on remote
roads, which risked further harm to these sensitive
burned landscapes and undermined confidence in
their ability to manage public lands.”
Other groups said the lawsuit and injunction
would delay reopening access to the public and make
See REOPEN, Page 4A
foot parcel purchased by the hospital in 2010 and is
used for hospital IT functions. It has been zoned for
single-family residential and has a house on the site.
The hospital purchased the 208 West Center Street
property in 1994. It is a 10,845-square-foot area with a
house that was converted from a residence to an of-
fice in June 2006. It is primarily used for staff sleeping
rooms, but also has a staff training room and storage
shed used for facilities.
Also at the Jan. 3 meeting, the council approved
$157,000 for audio visuals at the future civic center
and a contract with Day Wireless for providing ser-
vice there.
The council also re-appointed councilor Jess Miller
to the city’s environmental management committee.
Bill Poehler covers Marion County for the States-
man
Journal.
Contact
him
at
bpoehler@statesmanjournal.com or Twitter.com/
bpoehler
Vol. 141, No. 5
Online at SilvertonAppeal.com
News updates: h Breaking news h Get updates from
the Silverton area
Photos: h Photo galleries
Serving the Silverton
Area Since 1880
A Unique Edition of
the Statesman Journal
QEAJAB-07403y
A crew removes hazardous trees near Highway 22
outside Idanha in March of last year. A plan by the
Forest Service has been scrapped to remove hazard
trees in other areas burned by the Labor Day fires.
BRIAN HAYES/STATESMAN JOURNAL FILE PHOTO