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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 20, 2020)
COFFEE BREAK 8B — THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD MONDAY, JANUARY 20, 2020 Mom regrets her marriage set a poor example for kids Controversial Oregon OREGON AGRICULTURE DEAR ABBY: I married someone who turned out to be very abusive and controlling of me and the kids. I felt powerless to leave with them because of the emotional control, and I had no way to make a living to support them. They are all adults now, and three of them have been in unhealthy relationships. I know their example of a good marriage or a long- term relationship was awful because of how their father treated me. I live with the guilt and pain of that, but be- yond that, seeing three of my four kids in similar abusive relationships is painful. When two of my girls reach out to me when things are not going well, I’m support- ive and I try to be helpful. I guess my ques- tion is, given my example of an unhealthy marriage, will any advice I give them fall on deaf ears? Should I just listen? I don’t feel like anything I say will help. — UNHAPPY MOM IN THE SOUTH DEAR UPHAPPY MOM: Of course you should listen, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t also weigh in on what is happen- ing to them. It could be very helpful if you point out to them that what they witnessed while growing up was not normal -- and explain what IS acceptable behavior in an adult relationship. You might also apologize for not being stronger earlier on, and explain that their father had eroded your self-esteem to such an extent that you were paralyzed. If their experiences mirror your own, point that out, too, and offer them the number of the National Domestic Violence Hotline (800- 799-7233). If you do, it might not only open their eyes, but also give them the escape they need. water proposals resurface comes with it. It’s a time when we just enjoy being family. Our brother’s lady friend, a very nice person, has arrived, uninvited, the last three times we have gotten together. Talk about a party-pooper. We have explained, as gracious- ly as we know how, that these times are very important to us. Our brother has asked her to please allow us this time for family, but she just laughs DEAR and says it’s silly for grown ABBY people to be so needy of each other. (She has six siblings who live close by and with whom she keeps in contact.) We all love each other and are aware that life is truly short and that we are very lucky to still have this close bond when so many families do not. Can you suggest what we can do to make her understand what this time together means to us and that she is the ultimate uninvited guest? — JUST THE SIBS IN LOUISIANA DEAR SIBS: What gall! Your brother’s girlfriend does not have the right to judge your family spending time with one another as “silly.” It’s the height of rudeness. Please point out to him that her behavior is an important red fl ag for him to consider. The next time she drops by uninvited, your brother should put his foot down and not let her intrude. By Mateusz Perkowski Capital Press SALEM — Oregon lawmakers will consider restricting a legal tool that allows farmers to prevent ir- rigation shutdowns, though the proposed bill is less drastic than legislation that failed last year. Under current water law, an enforcement order from Oregon water regulators that halts irrigation can be “automatically stayed” if the affected farmer challenges the action in court. In 2019, critics of the provision argued it’s unfair to senior water rights hold- ers who are unable to stop junior irrigators from using their water during pro- longed litigation. These concerns spurred the introduction of House Bill 3420, which would have eliminated the “auto- matic stay” provision from Oregon water law. However, the proposal failed to gain traction and died in com- mittee. During the 2020 legisla- tive session, Rep. Marty Wilde, D-Eugene, plans to introduce a scaled-back proposal that would weaken the “automatic stay” provi- sion without getting rid of it altogether. Under his legislative concept, which will be con- sidered by the House Water Committee, the junior irriga- tor must specifi cally request that the enforcement action be stayed, rather than hav- ing that occur automatically. Also, the court must fi nd that the farmer is likely to DEAR ABBY: My daughter’s ex-husband allowed his 5-year-old son to sleep with his girlfriend’s 6-year-old daughter during a weekend visit. What do you think of this? — CONCERNED GRANDMOTHER DEAR CONCERNED: Not knowing either child, I hesitate to venture an opinion. Their parents are in a better position to decide something like this, so it may be a subject to raise with them if you haven’t already. DEAR ABBY: My siblings and I have always enjoyed spending quality time together, and every eight to 10 weeks or so we get together for “Siblings Day.” There’s no set schedule or particular date; one of us will call the others and say, “I need some siblings time.” (There are fi ve of us, all over 60.) Sometimes we meet at one of our homes and play board games or cards, or dance in the living room and enjoy the laughter that DEAR READERS: Today we remember the birthday of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., who in 1968 was martyred in the cause of civil rights. In that time of insanity, his was a voice of reason when he eloquently preached, “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.” weather Capital Press fi le photo A linear irrigation system operates in a corn fi eld. Oregon lawmakers are expected to reconsider con- troversial water proposals during the 2020 legislative session. AROUND OREGON AND THE REGION Astoria Longview 44/50 Kennewick 44/49 St. Helens 42/49 33/42 31/41 43/49 42/49 TUE WED THU FRI Mostly cloudy Rain and snow showers Showers in the afternoon Showers around Mostly cloudy 28 42 26 40 29 41 31 42 30 Eugene 1 3 3 43/52 38 33 41 35 39 26 1 3 1 La Grande 36 42 28 Comfort Index™ Enterprise 1 0 34 41 24 Comfort Index™ 3 41 28 3 4 4 1 TEMPERATURES Baker City La Grande Elgin NATION (for the 48 contiguous states) High Saturday Low Saturday High: 87° Low: -29° Wettest: 3.91” 35° 21° 36° 32° 36° 16° PRECIPITATION (inches) Saturday Trace Month to date 0.12 Normal month to date 0.50 Year to date 0.12 Normal year to date 0.50 Trace 0.82 1.03 0.82 1.03 0.04 5.04 1.94 5.04 1.94 HAY INFORMATION TUESDAY Lowest relative humidity Afternoon wind Hours of sunshine Evapotranspiration 60% S at 6 to 12 mph 0.1 0.05 RESERVOIR STORAGE (through midnight Sunday) Phillips Reservoir Unity Reservoir Owyhee Reservoir McKay Reservoir Wallowa Lake Thief Valley Reservoir 23% of capacity 46% of capacity 69% of capacity 21% of capacity 42% of capacity 101% of capacity STREAM FLOWS (through midnight Saturday) Grande Ronde at Troy Thief Valley Reservoir near North Powder Burnt River near Unity Umatilla River near Gibbon Minam River at Minam Powder River near Richland SUN & MOON MON. TUE. 7:25 a.m. 4:42 p.m. 3:40 a.m. 1:12 p.m. 7:24 a.m. 4:43 p.m. 4:48 a.m. 1:54 p.m. MOON PHASES 898 cfs 72 cfs 11 cfs 114 cfs 162 cfs 119 cfs Grants Pass New Jan 24 First Feb 1 Full Feb 8 Last Feb 15 Jordan Valley Paisley 31/40 499 Frenchglen City Astoria Bend Boise Brookings Burns Coos Bay Corvallis Council Elgin Eugene Hermiston Hood River Imnaha John Day Joseph Kennewick Klamath Falls Lakeview Hi/Lo/W 50/44/r 44/32/sn 47/31/sh 50/45/r 40/23/sn 51/45/r 50/43/r 38/29/sn 41/28/sn 52/44/r 43/33/sn 42/35/r 45/27/sn 44/30/r 41/24/sn 41/35/sn 40/27/sn 40/26/sn Hi/Lo/W 51/47/r 44/37/sh 47/36/c 52/47/r 38/26/sh 53/47/r 50/47/sh 36/29/sn 38/33/sh 52/48/sh 45/37/sh 41/38/sh 41/32/sn 41/37/sh 37/30/pc 41/35/sh 41/28/c 39/27/c Klamath Falls Lakeview 32/40 28/40 McDermitt 29/39 RECREATION FORECAST TUESDAY City Lewiston Longview Meacham Medford Newport Olympia Ontario Pasco Pendleton Portland Powers Redmond Roseburg Salem Spokane The Dalles Ukiah Walla Walla VAIL only TUE. WED. Hi/Lo/W 43/31/sn 49/43/r 40/27/c 49/39/r 50/45/r 48/41/r 43/29/sn 42/36/sn 43/33/sn 49/45/r 49/43/r 46/31/sn 53/43/r 50/44/r 39/31/sn 41/33/r 40/26/sn 41/36/sn Hi/Lo/W 42/37/sn 49/48/r 37/31/sh 49/38/c 51/47/r 48/45/sh 45/32/pc 46/36/sh 44/39/sh 50/49/sh 52/48/r 47/37/c 55/47/c 50/48/sh 38/35/c 43/37/sh 38/32/sh 43/37/c ANTHONY LAKES PHILLIPS LAKE Snow, 1-2” A little snow 28 $ 16 39 BROWNLEE RES. Snow, 1-2” Rain/snow showers 35 24 42 EMIGRANT ST. PARK A little p.m. snow Snow, 1-2” 30 16 38 MCKAY RESERVOIR A little p.m. snow Snow and rain 41 24 45 RED BRIDGE ST. PARK P.M. snow showers Rain/snow showers 42 26 42 28 TROUPER Leather-Mate construction only 699 FREE REMOVAL • • • • 1520 ADAMS AVENUE 34 THIEF VALLEY RES. FREE SET-UP HOURS: 26 WALLOWA LAKE $ FREE DELIVERY 31 EAGLE CAP WILD. 599 (541) 963-4144 Toll Free 888-449-2704 24 MT. EMILY REC. GIBSON only 399 Mon. - Fri. 9:30 am-6:30 pm Sat. 9:30 am-5:30 pm Sun. Noon - 4:00 pm 33/47 29/42 30/40 Weather(W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow fl urries, sn-snow, i-ice $ Grand View Arock 33/40 Shown is Tuesday’s weather. Temperatures are Monday night’s lows and Tuesday’s highs. WED. Diamond 35/40 Fields 39/49 TUE. Boise 36/47 33/39 S A V E O N G E N U I N E L A - Z - B O Y R E C L I N E R S $ Juntura 30/41 Silver Lake 33/39 Medford Brookings Pick a Bowl Winner! PINNACLE CHAISE ROCKER RECLINER only Burns 25/40 44/50 45/50 Ontario 32/43 33/38 REGIONAL CITIES Extreme cold froze the Midwest and the East in January 1994. In Detroit, the temperature stayed below zero for 57 straight hours, the second longest period on record. Sunrise Sunset Moonrise Moonset Beaver Marsh Chiloquin Roseburg Lakeview Florence WEATHER HISTORY AGRICULTURAL INFO. 30/38 45/53 44/49 OREGON High: 56° Low: 12° Wettest: 0.55” Brothers 30/36 Roseburg Powers Falfurrias, Texas Clayton Lake, Maine Palacios, Texas Huntington 30/38 34/44 Oakridge 32/38 32/40 Seneca 40/44 45/51 SATURDAY EXTREMES ALMANAC 37/44 Bend Elkton Council 28/42 32/45 Coos Bay Comfort Index takes into account how the weather will feel based on a combination of factors. A rating of 10 feels very comfortable while a rating of 0 feels very uncomfortable. 33/40 27/38 John Day 34/46 Sisters Florence 46/51 Halfway Granite Baker City Redmond 45/51 42 34 Monument 33/44 42/50 Newport 44/50 39 32 36/42 39/42 43/50 Corvallis Enterprise La Grande 32/43 31/44 Idanha Salem TONIGHT 2 Elgin 33/41 34/41 Condon Maupin 2 32/41 Pendleton The Dalles Portland Newberg Lewiston 34/43 Hood River 30/43 TIllamook Comfort Index™ Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2020 Walla Walla 30/41 Vancouver 42/48 45/49 Baker City the earlier bill was criticized as unnecessary by several Oregon agriculture groups. Critics pointed out that OWRD can override the automatic stay when the agency determines it would result in “substantial public harm,” and can pursue civil sanctions against irriga- tors who fi le illegitimate complaints. Another piece of legisla- tion that’s likely to inspire controversy before the House Water Committee would require increased reporting of water usage to OWRD. Right now, entities such a irrigation districts and municipalities must mea- sure and report their water usage, but they represent only about 16% of the water rights in Oregon. Other ir- rigators may be required to measure their usage, but it doesn’t have to be reported to OWRD. prevail on the merits of the case beforehand to block an irrigation shutdown by the Oregon Water Resources Department. Irrigators who challenge enforcement actions in court would also have to post a bond payment or letter of credit, which would com- pensate senior water rights holders for attorney fees and costs if they win. During a Jan. 14 com- mittee hearing, Wilde said the approach would create a “more nuanced system” that would be fair to junior water rights holders with legitimate claims while also discouraging frivolous lawsuits. “The current status of the law is all you have to do is walk into court, in essence, and you get an automatic stay,” he said. Though Wilde’s proposal wasn’t subject to public tes- timony during the hearing, Free Delivery In-Store Credit 70 Store Buying Power Decorating Assistance LaGRANDE, OREGON 97850
