8B — THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD
TuESDAY, MARCH 16, 2021
COFFEE BREAK
Boyfriend takes charge after couple moves into his house
DEAR ABBY: I have been with
the same man for almost 30 years.
We are not married and have no
children together. He is 15 years
older than I am.
We have been
living in his house
for the past seven
years. I feel more
like a renter than
a partner in this
relationship. I give him money
every month, and we sleep in
separate rooms. He wants to
control everything in his house,
including how to clean, cook
or what we eat. I bite my lip to
avoid starting a confrontation.
He is a lifelong bachelor, while
I have two adult children and a
couple of grandkids. I’m not sure
how much more of this I can take.
I work all day; he doesn’t. I want
to leave, but at the same time,
I care and worry
about him. What
should I do?
DEAR
— DISIL-
LUSIONED IN
ABBY
ILLINOIS
DEAR DISIL-
LUSIONED: Quit biting your
lip. Gather your courage and
start an honest conversation with
your housemate in which you
tell him you have been unhappy
with the status quo for a long
time. Then outline the changes
that would make you happy. If
he isn’t willing to compromise,
married in a couple of weeks. Due
to COVID-19, he and his fiancee
are having to downsize the list
of invitees. This includes asking
those who have already RSVP’d
“yes” and/or have already given
them a wedding gift not to attend.
Should they return the wedding
gifts to those they are disinviting
to the wedding?
— WONDERING IN THE
SOUTH
DEAR WONDERING: Your
son and his fiancee should at least
OFFER to return the gifts. Con-
sidering the reason for the down-
sizing, some of the no-longer-in-
vited guests may tell them to
keep them along with their good
wishes, while others will not.
en’t spoken in more than two
months, and I know she’s upset
with me yet again. Should I
reach out and mend the bond?
Do I use this as a stepping stone
to start moving on? I love her,
but I know it really is a toxic
relationship.
— OFF AGAIN IN NEW
JERSEY
DEAR OFF AGAIN: Please
reread the last sentence of your
letter. Do not bother reaching out
and trying to mend the breach in
your relationship. You cannot fix
what’s wrong with this old friend,
but you can move on. Her silence
is giving you the opportunity.
Take it!
DEAR ABBY: My son is getting
then pack your bags and leave
because you will know the feel-
ings you have for him are not
mutual.
DEAR ABBY: I’ve been
“ friends” with a woman for
25 years. For a time, we were
best friends and did everything
together, but we couldn’t be more
different. It caused many fights
and disagreements over the years.
She has deeply hurt and embar-
rassed me countless times. She
ruined birthdays, damaged other
relationships — even ruined my
bachelorette party. I don’t know
why I still bother with her. I think
because of our deep roots, it’s
hard to let go.
At the moment, we hav-
News of the Weird
‘Nothing but problems’:
Shipwreck tear-down
enters fifth month
656 feet long, was too big to
remove intact. They settled
on a plan to carve the ship
into eight massive chunks,
each weighing up to 4,100
tons.
They straddled the wreck
with a towering crane with
a winch and pulley system
attached to 400 feet of
anchor chain that acts as
a dull sawblade, tearing
through the ship’s hull with
brute force.
Start-to-finish, each indi-
vidual cut was supposed to
take a single day. Taking
into account time needed to
load each severed ship sec-
tion onto a barge and prepare
for the next slice, the multia-
gency command overseeing
the effort predicted the job
would take eight weeks.
It’s turned out to be a lot
harder.
The first cut began Nov.
6 and took three weeks.
Lifting the ship’s bow sec-
tion revealed battered cars
and SUVs in neat, layered
rows on the interior decks.
The second cut started a
month later, on Christmas
Day, and was finished in a
week.
Crews spent the
entire month of February
attempting a third cut
through the ship’s engine
SAVANNAH, Ga. —
When salvage crews began
cutting apart the capsized
Golden Ray, a shipwreck
the size of a 70-story office
building with 4,200 cars
within its cargo decks, in
early November they pre-
dicted the demolition could
be wrapped up by New
Year’s Day.
Four months later, the job
remains far from finished.
Both ends of the cargo
ship have been cut away
and carried off by barges in
a pair of giant chunks. But
roughly three-fourths of the
vessel remains beached on
its side off St. Simons Island
on the Georgia coast, where
the South Korean freighter
overturned soon after
leaving port Sept. 8, 2019.
“It’s been nothing but
problems out here,” said
Andy Jones, a St. Simons
Island resident who heads to
the wreck site in his small
fishing boat most days to
monitor the demolition and
post updates to a YouTube
channel. “It’s a disappoint-
ingly slow pace.”
Salvage experts decided
more than a year ago that
the Golden Ray, measuring
Farrell Lafont of Gallagher Marine Systems via AP
In this Feb. 25, 2021 photo, a towering crane straddles the capsized cargo ship Golden Ray, its interior
decks exposed after the ship’s bow was cut off and hauled away, off the coast of St. Simons Island, Georgia.
The vessel has been beached on its side since it overturned Sept. 8, 2019, soon after leaving port.
room, a section fortified with
thicker steel. After strain on
the cutting apparatus forced
extensive maintenance, the
salvage crew stopped with
the cut only half finished.
They spent days moving
the crane to the other end of
the ship, where they began
cutting a new section May
7 while rethinking plans to
complete the unfinished one.
weather
| Go to AccuWeather.com
when it is going to be done,
we’re doing it as quickly and
as safely as can be done,”
Himes said. “But quick takes
a back seat to safety.”
He said it’s possible the
last chunk of the ship could
head to the scrapyard by
June, the first month of the
Atlantic hurricane season.
Workers have taken steps
to make the cutting more
The ship’s steel has
proven tougher than antici-
pated, slowing the process,
and crews have taken pauses
to perform extra inspec-
tions and maintenance, said
Coast Guard Petty Officer
2nd Class Michael Himes,
a spokesman for the multia-
gency command overseeing
the demolition.
“If people are wondering
AROUND OREGON AND THE REGION
Astoria
Longview
32/53
Kennewick
28/61
St. Helens
29/61
31/61
Condon
31/61
34/61
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
Mainly clear
and cold
Plenty of clouds
A stray shower
Cooler with a
few showers
Showers
possible
64 40
56 30
52 27
Eugene
10
4
4
31/58
63 38
50 31
50 27
10
2
4
La Grande
27 60 40
Comfort Index™
Enterprise
9
4
10
27 55 41
Comfort Index™
6
47 25
44 29
9
2
4
9
TEMPERATURES Baker City La Grande Elgin
NATION (for the 48 contiguous states)
High: 88°
Jacksonville, Fla.
Low: -13°
West Yellowstone, Mont.
Wettest: 3.52”
Columbus, Neb.
63°
22°
61°
23°
59°
24°
PRECIPITATION (inches)
Sunday
Month to date
Normal month to date
Year to date
Normal year to date
0.00
0.13
0.35
1.08
1.73
Trace
0.02
0.64
5.05
3.41
0.00
0.07
1.02
12.00
6.52
33/58
AGRICULTURAL INFO.
HAY INFORMATION WEDNESDAY
Lowest relative humidity
Afternoon wind
Hours of sunshine
Evapotranspiration
35%
SSE at 8 to 16 mph
3.0
0.09
RESERVOIR STORAGE (through midnight Monday)
Phillips Reservoir
Unity Reservoir
Owyhee Reservoir
McKay Reservoir
Wallowa Lake
Thief Valley Reservoir
11% of capacity
54% of capacity
53% of capacity
66% of capacity
46% of capacity
101% of capacity
STREAM FLOWS (through midnight Sunday)
Grande Ronde at Troy
3600 cfs
Thief Valley Reservoir near North Powder 105 cfs
Burnt River near Unity
37 cfs
Umatilla River near Gibbon
519 cfs
Minam River at Minam
239 cfs
Powder River near Richland
212 cfs
A storm on March 16, 1843, dumped
heavy snow from the Mississippi Valley
to New England. Little Rock, Ark., had 10
inches. Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia
each had 10-12 inches.
SUN & MOON
TUE.
Sunrise
Sunset
Moonrise
Moonset
WED.
7:03 a.m. 7:01 a.m.
7:00 p.m. 7:01 p.m.
8:43 a.m. 9:05 a.m.
10:32 p.m. 11:36 p.m.
MOON PHASES
First
Mar 21
Full
Last
Mar 28
Apr 4
New
Apr 11
32/61
Burns
Silver Lake
Jordan Valley
29/54
Frenchglen
Paisley
26/54
22/54
26/52
Diamond
Klamath Falls
Lakeview
22/54
23/52
McDermitt
26/52
Shown is Wednesday’s weather. Temperatures are Tuesday night’s lows and Wednesday’s highs.
RECREATION FORECAST WEDNESDAY
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
Hi/Lo/W
53/40/c
61/42/c
63/45/c
51/44/c
56/35/c
54/39/pc
57/40/pc
51/33/pc
60/37/c
58/40/c
67/40/pc
61/38/c
55/38/pc
55/38/c
54/41/pc
66/34/pc
54/32/c
52/29/c
Hi/Lo/W
52/42/r
58/36/c
70/47/c
49/43/r
58/34/c
50/42/r
51/41/r
58/37/pc
61/38/pc
52/41/r
75/42/pc
64/36/r
59/39/pc
58/34/r
57/33/pc
74/42/pc
49/28/c
51/33/c
29/68
28/61
Fields
31/62
THU.
Grand View
Arock
28/53
27/54
Medford
WED.
Boise
35/63
33/63
Brookings
Juntura
30/59
22/53
Chiloquin
36/51
Ontario
33/66
25/56
25/52
Beaver Marsh
Grants Pass
Huntington
25/49
Brothers
21/48
25/51
35/64
Seneca
28/61
Oakridge
Roseburg
Powers
Rome
Crater Lake
North Bend
WEATHER HISTORY
29/55
30/59
Coos Bay
OREGON
High: 64°
Low: 22°
Wettest: 0.97”
24/62
Council
27/60
John Day
Bend
32/54
High Sunday
Low Sunday
26/56
25/64
Elkton
SUNDAY EXTREMES
ALMANAC
Sisters
Florence
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.
31/59
Baker City
Redmond
33/51
36/52
Halfway
Granite
30/57
Newport
31/62
59 32
29/61
29/58
31/57
Corvallis
Enterprise
27/55
27/60
Monument
27/61
Idanha
Salem
TONIGHT
6
Elgin
26/60
La Grande
30/54
Maupin
Comfort Index™
36/62
Pendleton
The Dalles
Portland
Newberg
30/59
Lewiston
35/61
Hood River
31/66
32/54
27 60 39
Forecasts and graphics provided
by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2021
Walla Walla
28/66
Vancouver
29/60
TIllamook
Baker City
efficient, using torches to
remove strips of the ship’s
hull plating and form a guide
for the cutting chain. They’re
also using a big mechan-
ical claw to pluck cars from
inside the ship to shed
weight before sections are
cut and lifted.
Conservationists worry
the longer the shipwreck
stays in St. Simons Sound,
the greater pollution threat
it poses to the area’s water-
ways, beaches and saltwater
marshes.
The wreck site is sur-
rounded by a mesh bar-
rier intended to contain
debris for cleanup once the
big sections get removed.
Boats equipped with skim-
mers and absorbent booms
stay on standby to mop up
any leaking oil or other
pollutants.
Still, bumpers, tires and
other car parts falling from
the ship have been found on
beaches. Birds have been
found coated in oil. And
though most fuel has been
drained from the ship’s
tanks, there’s concern that
an estimated 44,000 gal-
lons remaining could come
gushing out once the cut-
ting chain severs the ship’s
fuel line.
— The Associated Press
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
61/43/pc
61/35/c
60/39/c
62/41/c
51/41/pc
58/35/c
66/41/pc
63/36/pc
66/49/c
61/43/c
58/40/pc
62/40/c
61/43/c
57/40/c
56/38/pc
61/38/c
60/43/c
62/48/c
Hi/Lo/W
68/46/pc
51/43/r
62/36/pc
57/40/r
49/42/r
52/38/r
70/43/pc
71/42/pc
72/41/pc
54/43/r
50/40/r
60/35/c
54/41/r
50/41/r
62/39/pc
62/38/r
59/36/pc
69/43/pc
Weather(W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain,
sf-snow fl urries, sn-snow, i-ice
ANTHONY LAKES
PHILLIPS LAKE
Cloudy
Mostly cloudy
39
30
57
36
MT. EMILY REC.
BROWNLEE RES.
Cloudy
Becoming cloudy
48
38
55
37
EAGLE CAP WILD.
EMIGRANT ST. PARK
Mostly cloudy
Not as cool
44
33
55
37
WALLOWA LAKE
MCKAY RESERVOIR
Becoming cloudy
Turning cloudy
54
41
66
50
THIEF VALLEY RES.
RED BRIDGE ST. PARK
Breezy in the p.m.
Plenty of clouds
60
39
60
40
Casual Sofa with
Accent Pillows
only
$
749
• Free Delivery
• In-Store Credit
Lay-Z-Boy
Recliner
$
449
6 Pc. Charcoal finished
(Table, 4 chairs and bench)
Dining Set
$
799
HOURS:Mon. - Fri. 9:30 am-6:30 pm
Sat. 9:30 am-5:30 pm Sun. 12 noon-4 pm
(541) 963-4144 • 888-449-2704
• 70 Store Buying Power
• Decorating Assistance
1520 ADAMS AVENUE
La GRANDE, OREGON 97850