COFFEE BREAK
B8 — THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD
TuESDAY, MARCH 1, 2022
Costs quickly adding up for wedding participant
DEAR ABBY: I couldn’t be
happier for my friends who are
embarking on the next chapter
of their lives with their partners,
but I’m becoming increasingly
anxious about their bachelorette
parties. When did the bachelor-
ette party become such a big pro-
duction? While I have attended
my fair share, I think they are
getting increasingly extravagant
and pricey.
I’m trying to prioritize my
own next step in life, which is
buying a home, and it feels like
My first instinct is to say
“No,” but it’s hard to refuse a
bride who is so important to
me. I want to be supportive and
involved during this exciting
time for her. How much is too
much? What is the proper eti-
quette for being in the wedding
party and attending the bachelor-
ette party? Should I have asked
about this before accepting to
be in the bridal party? — ANX-
IOUS ATTENDANT
DEAR ANXIOUS ATTEN-
DANT: Yes, you should have
asked the bride before accepting
her invitation to join the wed-
ding party. And it is not too late
to speak up. Contrary to popular
belief, bachelorette parties and
weddings do not “go together
I’m being “invited” to spend a
significant chunk of my savings
over the course of a few months.
(The weddings themselves will
require significant travel.)
The bachelorette party I’m
most concerned about is for a
wedding in which I have been
asked to be a bridesmaid. For
this reason, I feel obligated to
attend. The cost associated with
the weekend is $2,500 per person
and will total $20,000 for three
days. This equals three months
of rent for me, and I’m finding
it hard to justify this kind of
expense. I get anxious thinking
about the other expenses —
flights, accommodations, gifts
— and time-off requests from
work.
don’t think it’s healthy to wear
something filthy on your head for
two years. — DISGUSTED IN
FLORIDA
DEAR DISGUSTED: You
are correct; it isn’t healthy.
According to the Cleveland
Clinic, moderate exposure to
sunlight increases vitamin D
levels in the body, which is not
only beneficial to good health,
but it also encourages hair
growth. Your husband is doing
himself no favors by constantly
wearing that (dirty) baseball cap,
especially indoors. If he does it
because he’s self-conscious about
his bald spot, there are products
that can minimize it, and effec-
tive surgical options if he would
be willing to spend the money.
like a horse and carriage.” TALK
with your friend. Explain that
all of the costs (travel, outfit and
wedding gift) are more than you
can afford. If you do, she may tell
you it’s enough that you travel to
and participate in the wedding.
However, if she doesn’t, back out
so she can replace you.
DEAR ABBY: My husband,
who is in his 60s, wears a base-
ball cap all day, every day, to
hide a bald spot on the back of
his head. He has worn that same
dirty cap for two years and even
wears it to work. He wears it in
the house and only removes it
when he is sleeping. I have sug-
gested he wash it or replace it,
but he refuses and he makes a
tsk-tsk noise when I tell him I
NEWS OF THE WEIRD
Rash-causing moth spreading due to warming, scientists find
have been identified as
“an insect of both forest
and human health con-
cern” by the Maine Depart-
ment of Health and Human
Services.
The population of the
moths has ebbed and flowed
in the decades since it
first arrived in Maine in
1904. But the outbreak has
been steadily worsening
in Maine in recent years,
and entomologists said last
year was the worst year for
browntail moth infestations
in state history. The bugs
have been growing in both
number and territory, as the
Maine Forest Service said
they’ve spread into northern
and western areas of the
state in the last two years.
The study found early
fall temperatures are a
key determinant of popu-
lation levels the following
year, and that climate
trends “indicate continued
increases in fall tempera-
tures” since the moth’s
resurgence in the state.
It’s another example
of how climate change
can aggravate pest prob-
The Associated Press
PORTLAND, Maine —
A forest pest that bedevils
Maine residents and tour-
ists with hairs that cause
an itchy rash appears to be
spreading due to warming
temperatures, a group of
scientists has found.
The browntail moth is a
scourge in America’s most
forested state, where it defo-
liates trees and causes a
rash in humans that resem-
bles poison ivy. The hairs of
the caterpillars, which have
been the subject of an out-
break in the state for about
seven years, can also cause
respiratory trouble.
The growth and spread
of the moth is tied to
increasingly warm weather,
especially in the fall, the
scientists wrote recently in
the journal Environmental
Entomology. And, unfortu-
nately, climate trends sug-
gest upcoming years could
be even worse, they wrote.
Warmer fall tempera-
tures are especially ben-
eficial to the pesky bugs
because that allows them to
university of Maine/Contributed Photo, File
This 2017 photo by Holland Haverkamp shows a browntail moth
caterpillar in Maine. The caterpillars can cause an itchy rash in
humans, and a new study by University of Maine scientists states that
their spread appears aided by climate change.
get fatter before they hiber-
nate for the winter, said
Eleanor Groden, professor
emerita of entomology at
University of Maine and the
principal investigator on the
study.
“If they come out of
those webs as hearty indi-
viduals, older individuals
maturity wise, then they are
better able to withstand that
period and you get higher
populations,” Groden said.
“And you get defoliation
that spring, and popula-
tions are raising havoc for
anyone who has them in
their yards.”
The browntail moth is
native to Europe and neigh-
boring countries in Asia
and Africa. It was acciden-
tally introduced in Mas-
sachusetts in the late 19th
century and is now found
in coastal Maine and Cape
Cod, Massachusetts. The
caterpillars become active
from April to June and
weather
| Go to AccuWeather.com
lems and jeopardize human
health, said David Wagner,
a professor of ecology and
evolutionary biology at the
University of Connecticut
who was not involved in the
study. Climate change has
already exacerbated prob-
lems with disease-causing
pests such as mosquitoes
and ticks, he said.
“Climate change appears
to be an important driver in
this system,” Wagner said.
“So this outbreak can con-
tinue to increase, and it
could come at great expense
to land owners and great
nuisance for landowners.”
Maine communities have
tried numerous strategies to
try to slow the spread of the
moth, including informing
residents about how to
safely remove their nests.
The Maine Legislature is
considering creating a spe-
cial grant fund to pay for
mitigation measures.
They’re a tough spe-
cies to manage because
they’re spreading fast and
not native to the ecosystem,
Groden said.
“What we are left with
Astoria
Longview
47/50
48/56
51/54
Overcast,
showers around
Cloudy with a
shower
Baker City
La Grande
Condon
48/58
50/55
2
35 49 35
Comfort Index™
3
Salem
0
0
0
49/53
41 35
40 33
41 26
0
0
0
0
1
0
4
TEMPERATURES Baker City La Grande Elgin
NATION (for the 48 contiguous states)
High: 88°
Low: -31°
Wettest: 3.18”
35°
22°
37°
27°
41°
27°
PRECIPITATION (inches)
Sunday
Trace
Month to date
Trace
Normal month to date 0.57
Year to date
0.38
Normal year to date
1.27
Trace
0.58
1.18
1.85
2.85
0.11
1.59
2.26
5.52
5.53
AGRICULTURAL INFO.
HAY INFORMATION WEDNESDAY
Lowest relative humidity
Afternoon wind
Hours of sunshine
Evapotranspiration
50%
S at 6 to 12 mph
0.7
0.06
RESERVOIR STORAGE (through midnight Monday)
Phillips Reservoir
Unity Reservoir
Owyhee Reservoir
McKay Reservoir
Wallowa Lake
Thief Valley Reservoir
3% of capacity
34% of capacity
23% of capacity
43% of capacity
26% of capacity
52% of capacity
STREAM FLOWS (through midnight Sunday)
Grande Ronde at Troy
1330 cfs
Thief Valley Reservoir near North Powder
1 cfs
Burnt River near Unity
7 cfs
Umatilla River near Gibbon
158 cfs
Minam River at Minam
161 cfs
Powder River near Richland
35 cfs
Grants Pass
SUN & MOON
TUE.
WED.
6:31 a.m.
5:39 p.m.
6:31 a.m.
4:33 p.m.
6:29 a.m.
5:41 p.m.
6:58 a.m.
5:50 p.m.
MOON PHASES
New
Mar 2
First
Mar 10
Full
Mar 17
Last
Mar 24
Burns
Brookings
Silver Lake
Jordan Valley
41/64
Paisley
37/62
Frenchglen
44/62
Diamond
Grand View
Arock
44/61
37/59
41/65
Fields
41/65
Klamath Falls
44/56
Lakeview
35/57
33/59
McDermitt
39/64
RECREATION FORECAST WEDNESDAY
REGIONAL CITIES
THU.
City
Hi/Lo/W Hi/Lo/W
Astoria
50/41/r 49/40/sh
Bend
55/37/sh 48/31/sn
Boise
61/40/c 58/38/c
Brookings
53/42/r 51/39/pc
Burns
59/37/c 48/27/sn
Coos Bay
51/41/r 48/39/sh
Corvallis
54/38/r 50/34/c
Council
46/31/c 43/29/r
Elgin
49/34/c 40/33/sn
Eugene
53/41/r 51/37/pc
Hermiston
60/46/c 56/38/sh
Hood River
56/45/r 53/42/c
Imnaha
55/40/c 46/36/sh
John Day
58/38/c 44/29/sn
Joseph
49/36/c 43/32/sn
Kennewick
58/46/r 53/39/sh
Klamath Falls 57/34/r 45/27/sn
Lakeview
59/34/c 46/25/sn
Boise
39/61
Shown is Wednesday’s weather. Temperatures are Tuesday night’s lows and Wednesday’s highs.
WED.
Juntura
38/61
31/60
32/57
Medford
48/53
Ontario
38/56
38/59
50/55
Medford
Rome
Tillamook
On March 1, 1983, the temperature
dropped to 59 in Honolulu while heavy
rain hit California. When the jet stream
dips far south, Hawaii is cool while Cali-
fornia is wet.
Sunrise
Sunset
Moonrise
Moonset
Beaver Marsh
Chiloquin
OREGON
WEATHER HISTORY
37/58
50/53
49/54
Huntington
39/56
Brothers
33/53
Roseburg
33/46
38/49
Seneca
39/55
Oakridge
48/51
Plant City, Fla.
Antero Reservoir, Colo.
Quillayute, Wash.
High: 66°
Low: 14°
Wettest: 0.53”
43/58
45/52
Coos Bay
SUNDAY EXTREMES
High Sunday
Low Sunday
40/53
Council
32/45
John Day
Bend
Elkton
Powers
34/45
34/47
38/55
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.
ALMANAC
Sisters
48/53
34 28
Halfway
Granite
Baker City
Eugene
37 27
Monument
42/54
Redmond
38 21
40 33
39/51
46/50
47/51
48/53
Enterprise
35/49
46/54
Newport
40 25
2
37/49
La Grande
45/52
46/58
Idanha
50/55
Corvallis
42 28
1
39 51 37
Comfort Index™
Enterprise
2
A couple of
snow showers
Elgin
Pendleton
The Dalles
Portland
Newberg
SAT
Chilly with snow Partly sunny and
and rain
chilly
32 45 32
Comfort Index™
FRI
47/53
45/53
50/56
Lewiston
45/53
Hood River
Vancouver
51/55
Forecasts and graphics provided
by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2022
Walla Walla
48/58
Maupin
THU
GRAND RAPIDS,
Mich. — Some bars and
liquor stores think they’ve
found a potent way to
punish Russia for invading
Ukraine: They’re pulling
Russian vodka off their
shelves and promoting
Ukrainian brands instead.
“I woke up yesterday
morning, and I saw that
Russia had invaded
Ukraine. You wonder what
you can do,’’ said Bob
Quay, owner of Bob’s Bar
in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
“The U.S. obviously is put-
ting on sanctions. I thought
I would put on sanctions as
well.’’
So he rid his shelves of
the old Soviet brand Stol-
ichnaya and started pro-
moting Ukraine’s Vektor.
“We have a sign above
it that says: Support
Ukraine.’’
Kennewick
51/53
St. Helens
48/51
WED
Potent protest: Bars
drop Russian vodka,
promote Ukraine’s
AROUND OREGON AND THE REGION
TIllamook
TONIGHT
is how can we mitigate the
localized problem in our
yards and public spaces,”
she said.
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
53/43/sh
53/41/r
51/36/c
56/41/r
51/42/r
52/38/sh
56/39/c
58/44/r
53/42/c
55/43/r
54/40/r
53/36/sh
53/42/r
55/43/r
48/40/r
58/46/r
51/32/c
53/42/sh
Hi/Lo/W
48/42/r
50/41/pc
40/33/sn
51/35/r
49/39/pc
50/37/pc
56/40/c
54/37/c
47/36/sh
50/40/sh
50/41/c
46/27/r
50/40/sh
52/39/c
46/34/sh
58/42/c
42/29/sn
47/38/sh
ANTHONY LAKES
PHILLIPS LAKE
A shower
Cloudy, a shower
33
24
47
35
MT. EMILY REC.
BROWNLEE RES.
Cloudy, a shower
Cloudy
43
31
51
36
EAGLE CAP WILD.
EMIGRANT ST. PARK
A.M. snow showers
Showers around
35
28
46
31
WALLOWA LAKE
MCKAY RESERVOIR
Cloudy, a shower
Cloudy and cooler
49
36
55
41
THIEF VALLEY RES.
RED BRIDGE ST. PARK
Cloudy, a shower
Cloudy, a shower
Weather(W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain,
sf-snow fl urries, sn-snow, i-ice
45
32
51
37
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