COFFEE BREAK
8B — THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2020
Happily unmarried couple
reaches impasse over kids Flat-earth believer
ROCKET DEATH
dies in rocket crash
In their case, it’s the truth.
DEAR ABBY: My boyfriend and I have
been dating for more than a decade. We’re
DEAR ABBY: I recently received an email
nearly 30 now. We are happy not being
from the grade school-aged son of a close
married, and we both agreed early in our
friend, which included a link requesting
relationship that we would not have kids.
All of a sudden, my boyfriend has decided funding to support his school sports program.
My friend told me to expect such an email.
he wants children. I said maybe in the
I’m not certain how to respond, as I al-
future, but he feels we’re running out of time.
ways encouraged my children
I still don’t want kids, and
to communicate face-to-face
it’s for selfi sh reasons. I enjoy
DEAR
when soliciting funds for their
traveling, having time to
ABBY
school programs, but that was
myself and just the two of us,
years ago, and I realize this
peace and quiet, being able to
is a new era. It just seems so
do what I want when I want
impersonal to ask for money electronically,
without having to worry about kids. Is that
especially when I barely know the young
so wrong? Where do we go from here?
— AT ODDS IN MONTANA man. Are my expectations wrong? How
DEAR AT ODDS: After 10-plus years, “the would you handle this?
— CHECK’S IN THE E-MAIL
future” has arrived. It appears you and your
DEAR CHECK’S IN: Despite how the re-
boyfriend have reached a large fork in the
quest was made, if you want to support the
road. From here you either go your separate
program, do so. If not, then don’t. Personally,
ways or agree to relationship counseling to
I would ignore the email, and if I was asked
see if there may be a way to bridge this gap.
about it, I would politely decline.
DEAR ABBY: For the last 25 years, we
DEAR ABBY: In the past three weeks or
have gone on several weekend getaways
so, a man has placed a fl ower blossom in a
with another couple. They are now suggest-
small cup on the edge of my patio. This has
ing a one-week vacation together. The issue
happened 18 times. The fl owers are, seeming-
is, they constantly either talk to or text their
children while we are with them. They call to ly, from surrounding yards. I live in a golfi ng
tell them the weather, where we’re eating, get community, and many golfers pass by daily.
updates on their various sporting events, etc. Once, he left a golf ball as well.
As I was looking out one day, I saw a man
We also have children and grandchildren,
wearing a red shirt, tan cap and shorts. His
but we wait until we return home to recon-
cap was pulled low, so I couldn’t see his face.
nect and hear about their weekend and tell
He looked to be middle-aged, and he walked
about ours. We love our kids, but we don’t
away quickly. He has never tried to make
need to be constantly connected.
Except for us, this couple’s entire social life contact with me. My partner is not happy
about this, and I’m afraid if he catches the
appears to revolve around their children’s
man in action, he may cause a scene. I don’t
lives, and it is pretty much all they talk
know if I should be fl attered or afraid. Also,
about. We’re not sure we can tolerate this for
the man might be shocked to learn that I’m
an entire week. We don’t want to lose these
friends, but don’t know how to decline a week 85. What to do, Abby?
— SECRETLY ADMIRED IN FLORIDA
of this. Please advise.
DEAR ADMIRED: Here’s what I’d do. I
— VACATION FROM THE VACATION
would accept the compliment, but I would
DEAR VACATION: Constantly texting
and calling in the presence of others is rude. also leave a note on the edge of the patio ad-
dressed to “Secret Admirer.” In it I would say
Because you are hesitant to call them on it,
that I’m 85 years old and, while fl attered,
try this: Unless they know you take week-
I’m not available -- so please stop leaving
long vacations with other friends, tell them
“gifts” on my patio.
you prefer shorter visits with other couples.
weather
The Associated Press
BARSTOW, Calif. — A
California man who said
he wanted to fl y to the edge
of outer space to see if the
world is round has died
after his home-built rocket
blasted off into the desert
sky and plunged back to
earth.
“Mad” Mike Hughes was
killed on Saturday afternoon
after his rocket crashed on
private property near Bar-
stow, California.
Waldo Stakes, a colleague
who was at the rocket
launch, said Hughes, 64, was
killed.
The Science Channel said
on Twitter it had been chron-
icling Hughes’ journey and
that “thoughts & prayers go
out to his family & friends
during this diffi cult time.”
“It was always his dream
to do this launch,” the Twit-
ter message said.
Hughes also was a
limousine driver, who held
the Guinness world record
for “longest limousine
ramp jump,” for jumping
103 feet in a Lincoln Town
Car stretch limousine, at a
speedway in 2002.
A video on TMZ.com
showed the rocket taking off,
with what appears to be a
parachute tearing off during
the launch. The steam-
powered rocket streaks
upward, then takes around
10 seconds to fall straight
back to earth. Shrieks can
be heard as the rocket plows
into the desert.
Freelance journalist
Justin Chapman, who was
Mercedes Blackehart/The Associated Press
“Mad” Mike Hughes rocket takes off, with what ap-
pears to be a parachute tearing off during its launch
near Barstow, Calif., on Saturday. Hughes, a California
man who said he wanted to fl y to the edge of outer
space to see if the world is fl at or round has died after
his home-built rocket blasted off into the desert sky and
plunged back to earth. “Mad” Mike Hughes, 64, was
killed on Saturday after his rocket crashed.
AROUND OREGON AND THE REGION
Astoria
Longview
39/51
Kennewick
40/55
St. Helens
39/57
35/58
Newberg
Condon
35/60
40/58
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
Partly cloudy
Mostly cloudy
Mostly sunny
Times of clouds
and sun
Showers
possible
55 27
57 30
53 28
Eugene
7
7
5
37/59
53 30
53 35
47 28
7
7
5
La Grande
31 48 27
Comfort Index™
Enterprise
7
5
5
28 46 27
Comfort Index™
5
55 35
46 26
8
8
5
5
TEMPERATURES Baker City La Grande Elgin
NATION (for the 48 contiguous states)
High Sunday
Low Sunday
High: 85°
Low: -17°
Wettest: 2.09”
58°
23°
53°
24°
50°
26°
PRECIPITATION (inches)
Sunday
Month to date
Normal month to date
Year to date
Normal year to date
0.01
0.33
0.47
0.61
1.27
0.06
2.97
0.92
4.52
2.55
0.00
8.20
1.91
16.79
5.08
AGRICULTURAL INFO.
HAY INFORMATION WEDNESDAY
Lowest relative humidity
Afternoon wind
Hours of sunshine
Evapotranspiration
45%
S at 4 to 8 mph
8.5
0.05
RESERVOIR STORAGE (through midnight Monday)
Phillips Reservoir
Unity Reservoir
Owyhee Reservoir
McKay Reservoir
Wallowa Lake
Thief Valley Reservoir
26% of capacity
58% of capacity
75% of capacity
74% of capacity
53% of capacity
102% of capacity
STREAM FLOWS (through midnight Sunday)
Grande Ronde at Troy
2400 cfs
Thief Valley Reservoir near North Powder
99 cfs
Burnt River near Unity
25 cfs
Umatilla River near Gibbon
198 cfs
Minam River at Minam
176 cfs
Powder River near Richland
221 cfs
SUN & MOON
Sunrise
Sunset
Moonrise
Moonset
TUE.
WED.
6:39 a.m.
5:33 p.m.
7:57 a.m.
7:43 p.m.
6:37 a.m.
5:34 p.m.
8:18 a.m.
8:44 p.m.
MOON PHASES
First
Mar 2
Full
Mar 9
Last
New
Mar 16
Mar 24
Value at Every Price
Beaver Marsh
38/62
Grants Pass
Brookings
Burns
Juntura
27/53
Silver Lake
Jordan Valley
27/49
Paisley
28/58
Frenchglen
Diamond
28/54
Klamath Falls
24/61
Lakeview
24/58
McDermitt
24/49
RECREATION FORECAST WEDNESDAY
THU.
City
Lewiston
Longview
Meacham
Medford
Newport
Olympia
Ontario
Pasco
Pendleton
Portland
Powers
Redmond
Roseburg
Salem
Spokane
The Dalles
Ukiah
Walla Walla
WED.
THU.
Hi/Lo/W
51/35/sn
55/36/c
47/26/c
65/34/s
52/37/pc
53/34/c
52/25/pc
60/29/pc
57/32/pc
58/35/c
62/39/s
59/23/pc
62/36/s
58/34/pc
46/31/c
60/32/pc
49/25/pc
55/36/pc
Hi/Lo/W
57/36/pc
58/34/s
52/28/s
67/35/s
54/38/s
57/33/pc
56/25/s
61/29/s
58/34/s
61/36/s
68/40/s
64/26/s
63/38/s
59/33/s
50/31/pc
62/32/s
54/27/s
57/36/s
Weather(W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain,
sf-snow fl urries, sn-snow, i-ice
Swivel
Rockers
24/50
24/54
Fields
35/65
Hi/Lo/W Hi/Lo/W
51/35/pc 54/36/s
56/26/pc 61/29/s
49/29/pc 54/32/s
62/45/s 65/45/s
55/23/pc 59/27/s
55/38/s 59/39/s
59/35/pc 59/34/s
41/24/c 46/24/s
48/27/c 53/29/s
59/35/pc 59/34/s
60/32/pc 59/32/s
58/32/pc 61/32/s
49/28/c 55/33/pc
53/26/pc 56/26/s
45/27/c 51/31/s
60/30/pc 59/31/s
61/23/s 64/26/s
58/24/s 61/26/s
Grand View
Arock
27/52
29/57
REGIONAL CITIES
City
Astoria
Bend
Boise
Brookings
Burns
Coos Bay
Corvallis
Council
Elgin
Eugene
Hermiston
Hood River
Imnaha
John Day
Joseph
Kennewick
Klamath Falls
Lakeview
Boise
28/49
Shown is Wednesday’s weather. Temperatures are Tuesday night’s lows and Wednesday’s highs.
WED.
Ontario
25/52
28/57
29/59
Medford
44/62
Huntington
27/49
22/55
41/67
Wonderful
Winter
SALE
27/53
Chiloquin
Hermiston
Lakeview
Meacham
On Feb. 25, 1934, a storm centered in
the Carolinas brought killer tornadoes to
Georgia and Alabama while dumping up
to 9 inches of snow from Richmond, Va.,
to Philadelphia, Pa.
Brothers
26/53
20/41
24/49
30/56
Oakridge
Roseburg
39/62
OREGON
WEATHER HISTORY
30/53
Seneca
38/58
Coos Bay
Zapata, Texas
Boulder, Wyo.
Lyons, Kan.
High: 64°
Low: 18°
Wettest: 0.50”
26/59
Council
24/50
John Day
30/57
Elkton
Powers
24/46
22/46
Bend
SUNDAY EXTREMES
ALMANAC
Sisters
Florence
43/54
Halfway
Granite
Baker City
Redmond
40/52
40/55
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.
28/46
38/59
Newport
38/60
52 31
30/56
38/55
38/58
Corvallis
Enterprise
31/48
Monument
32/58
Idanha
Salem
TONIGHT
5
Elgin
29/48
La Grande
33/53
Maupin
Comfort Index™
34/55
Pendleton
The Dalles
Portland
39/57
Lewiston
35/51
Hood River
34/57
39/54
24 50 24
Forecasts and graphics provided
by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2020
Walla Walla
31/60
Vancouver
40/56
TIllamook
Baker City
the world is round.
“I don’t want to take
anyone else’s word for it,”
he said in the video, posted
on the BBC News website.
“I don’t know if the world is
fl at or round.”
In another video posted
on his YouTube site, Hughes
said he also wanted “to
convince people they can do
things that are extraordi-
nary with their lives.”
“My story really is incred-
ible,” Hughes once told The
Associated Press. “It’s got a
bunch of story lines — the
garage-built thing. I’m an
older guy. It’s out in the
middle of nowhere, plus the
Flat Earth. The problem is it
brings out all the nuts also.”
at the scene, said the rocket
appeared to rub against the
launch apparatus, which
might have caused the mis-
hap with the parachute.
In March 2018, Hughes
propelled himself about
1,875 feet into the air. He
deployed one parachute and
then a second one but still
had a hard landing in the
Mojave Desert in California,
and injured his back.
“This thing wants to
kill you 10 different ways,”
Hughes said after that
launch. “This thing will kill
you in a heartbeat.”
He said in a video that his
goal was to eventually fl y to
the edge of outer space to de-
termine for himself whether
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ANTHONY LAKES
PHILLIPS LAKE
Clearing
Clearing
33
19
47
22
MT. EMILY REC.
BROWNLEE RES.
Mostly cloudy
Partly sunny
39
26
46
26
EAGLE CAP WILD.
EMIGRANT ST. PARK
Clearing
Periods of sun
36
17
45
23
WALLOWA LAKE
MCKAY RESERVOIR
Mostly cloudy
Partly sunny
45
27
56
32
THIEF VALLEY RES.
RED BRIDGE ST. PARK
Clearing
Mostly cloudy
50
24
48
27
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