2A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, MAY 7, 2018
Busy wildfire season forecast across much of West
By BRAD CARLSON
Capital Press
Don Seabrook/The Wenatchee World
U.S. Forest Service firefighters from Leavenworth cut
brush near houses in northern Wenatchee, Wash., in 2015.
Forecasters say they expect
a busy wildfire season in much
of the West.
The National Interagency
Fire Center’s Predictive Ser-
vices unit said in a May 1
report that it expects warmer-
and
drier-than-average
conditions.
Fire forecasters said they
are concerned about the heavy
2017 growth of brush and
grasses across wildlands, cou-
pled with newly grown grass
that will cure by July across
California, the Great Basin
and Oregon. At the same time
in these areas, higher timbered
elevations are at greater risk
of fire due to a below-average
snowpack.
Basil Newmerzhycky, a
federal meteorologist in Salt
Lake City, said in an interview
he’s concerned about elevated
wildfire prospects for Idaho’s
west central mountains —
generally from McCall west
to the Oregon line — and for
southeastern Oregon.
“Western Idaho is a con-
cern because we are expecting
much warmer, drier conditions
compared to the average sum-
mer,” he said. Snowpack is at
or just below normal there,
and at or above normal to the
east.
Newmerzhycky sees fairly
high fire risk in the Idaho-Ore-
gon-Nevada border region due
to lower precipitation recently.
From October through April,
precipitation was about 70
percent of normal in south-
west Idaho and 50 to 70 per-
cent of normal in southeastern
Oregon.
The report said southeast-
ern Oregon’s warm, dry April
stood out in contrast to cooler,
wetter conditions in much of
the Northwest.
Newmerzhycky said the
risk of big fires jumps in wet-
ter-than-normal years at lower
elevations. Grass and brush
grow profusely, and when they
dry — a quick process, since
they are light — they leave
big, less frequently interrupted
areas of wildfire fuel, he said.
In dry years, grass and
brush often carry into the next
year but do not grow as pro-
fusely, making it more likely
that a fire will hit a fuel-free
patch quickly and burn out, he
said.
Forecasters also expect a
heightened risk of significant
wildland fires across south-
west Idaho, northern Nevada
and northern Utah, the report
said.
Higher elevations in the
Cascade Range, northern
Sierra Nevada and possibly
the northern Rocky Mountains
may see elevated fire potential
should warmer, drier-than-av-
erage conditions develop as
expected, the report said.
Above-normal potential for
large fires is expected east of
the Cascades, and in Oregon’s
southwest corner.
Higher snowpack typically
shortens timberland fire sea-
sons because the bigger plants
on the forest floor take lon-
ger to dry out and become fire
fuel, Newmerzhycky said.
A year into post, Coba is focused on improving state technology
By CLAIRE
WITHYCOMBE
Capital Bureau
ter government leadership and
restore trust in government.
SALEM — Katy Coba
was the very public face of
the department when she was
director of the Oregon Depart-
ment of Agriculture. But as the
state’s chief operating officer,
Coba works behind the scenes
of state government
The Eastern Oregon native
says it’s a bit of a change from
her prior post — the “cus-
tomer” has changed from
farmers, ranchers and consum-
ers of agricultural products to
the enterprise of state govern-
ment itself.
“But the principles and the
way that I operate are very
much the same,” Coba said in
an interview.
Since becoming COO and
director of the Department
of Administrative Services
in October 2016, she’s been
working to foster state agency
leadership and upgrade state
information technology.
Coba’s role involves help-
ing state agencies implement
the policies of the governor, to
communicate with each other,
and finding ways to streamline
state services.
A year and a half later, she’s
the first to say that the state will
have to work hard, especially in
a prosperous economy, to hire
the next generation of public
servants to stave off a wave of
impending retirements.
As of mid-2017, 34 percent
of the state workforce was eli-
gible to retire. Under Coba’s
leadership, the Department of
Administrative Services has
created an online “toolkit”
that state agencies can use to
think through their succession
planning.
But she says that the state
will have to find a way to make
a career in government attrac-
tive to young workers.
“A lot of work needs to be
done there,” Coba said. “A lot
of opportunity for those that
don’t work in government, but
again, how do you convince
them that you can really do cool
things working in state govern-
ment? I don’t think people put
those two words together, ‘state
government,’ and ‘cool.’”
And then there’s another
workforce challenge Coba has
been focused on: leadership.
Next generation
Katy Coba
Gov. John Kitzhaber created
the position of COO in early
2011, part of his effort to make
state government more efficient.
It can partly be described as that
of a “manager’s manager” —
the person in between the gov-
ernor and state agency heads.
Coba estimates that about
75 percent of her time is
spent on COO duties, and the
remaining 25 percent leading
the Department of Administra-
tive Services, which oversees
a broad range of statewide ser-
vices such as procurement and
risk management, and houses
the offices of the state econ-
omist and chief information
officer.
When she was appointed,
Coba made a list of her prior-
ities in the new post: recruit
a younger and more diverse
state workforce; advocate for
accountability and transpar-
ency in state government; fos-
DEATHS
May 5, 2018
ROBINSON, Thomas John, 72, of Sea-
side, died in Seaside. Caldwell’s Funeral &
Cremation Arrangement Center of Seaside is
in charge of the arrangements.
FIVE-DAY FORECAST FOR ASTORIA
TONIGHT
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
62
53
49
ALMANAC
Cloudy with a shower in
the area
Partly sunny
Salem
51/75
Newport
47/59
Coos Bay
48/65
Full
May 21
Source: Jim Todd, OMSI
TOMORROW'S TIDES
Astoria / Port Docks
Time
2:08 a.m.
2:38 p.m.
Low
3.5 ft.
1.2 ft.
Hi
82
59
70
82
82
67
96
52
81
73
83
99
78
86
86
80
90
70
89
73
79
82
68
70
76
Baker
38/82
of Longview, Washington, was
arrested by the Clatsop County
Sheriff’s Office on Old High-
way 30 in Knappa and charged
with DUII.
• At 2:37 a.m. Sunday,
Douglas Evelsizer, 60, of Sea-
side, was arrested by Seaside
police on the 430 block of Hol-
laday Drive and charged with
DUII.
• At 9:09 p.m. Saturday, Ste-
ven Mark Crane, 63, of Forest
Grove, was arrested by Warren-
ton police on the 100 block of
Main Street and charged with
DUII. He allegedly admitted to
using drugs prior to driving.
Assault
• At 1:03 a.m. Sunday, Tra-
vis Lyman Tait, 47, of Asto-
ria, was arrested by the Clat-
sop County Sheriff’s Office
on Lewis and Clark Road and
charged with fourth-degree
assault, menacing and harass-
ment. He allegedly punched
his adult son in the head and
threatened other people at the
residence.
TUESDAY
Clatsop County Planning Commission, 10 a.m.,
Hurdles
Yet other hurdles lie ahead.
The state has had mixed suc-
cess updating legacy technol-
ogy systems. A new statewide
phone system has encountered
hiccups. The state’s human
resources system, which is 30
years old, is also in need of
updating.
Rather than building its
own system, the state is using
software-as-a-service technol-
ogy that the contractor, IBM,
will continually update.
Coba is looking for ways
to streamline state technology,
says Sumption, who chairs a
state government leadership
steering committee on infor-
mation technology.
“She’s focusing in on the
efficiencies of government to
say, ‘Hold on, we don’t need
100 payroll systems or 100
HR systems. We need one, and
we’re not really that unique,’”
Sumption said.
The Capital Bureau is a
collaboration between EO
Media Group and Pamplin
Media Group.
LOTTERIES
Burns
38/83
Klamath Falls
43/79
Lakeview
40/79
Ashland
54/81
REGIONAL CITIES
City
Baker City
Bend
Brookings
Eugene
Ilwaco
Klamath Falls
Medford
Newberg
Newport
North Bend
Hi
77
76
60
72
60
77
83
73
60
61
Today
Lo
38
47
47
48
50
43
54
51
47
49
W
pc
pc
s
pc
pc
s
s
pc
pc
pc
Hi
82
80
60
74
60
79
82
73
59
62
Tues.
Lo
51
48
50
51
53
45
54
53
50
52
W
s
pc
s
c
s
s
pc
pc
pc
pc
s
s
pc
pc
pc
pc
s
pc
pc
pc
s
pc
pc
pc
pc
Tues.
Hi Lo
81 62
62 49
76 58
78 51
78 60
74 50
98 68
63 36
80 71
75 54
83 62
101 76
79 61
85 66
85 71
80 56
90 69
70 54
88 67
75 50
79 61
82 59
67 56
75 54
77 57
W
pc
pc
sh
pc
pc
s
pc
pc
sh
sh
City
Olympia
Pendleton
Portland
Roseburg
Salem
Seaside
Spokane
Springfi eld
Vancouver
Yakima
Hi
73
78
77
77
74
62
70
73
74
84
Today
Lo
49
51
55
52
51
50
51
50
53
51
W
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
Hi
75
84
78
79
75
63
78
75
76
85
Tues.
Lo
51
56
56
55
53
53
55
51
54
57
W
pc
pc
pc
sh
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day.
W
pc
pc
s
s
c
s
pc
c
pc
s
t
s
pc
s
sh
pc
s
pc
pc
s
s
s
pc
pc
s
Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy,
sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow fl urries,
sn-snow, i-ice.
Judge Guy Boyington Building, 857 Commercial St.
Cannon Beach City Council, 5:30 p.m., regular
meeting and work session, City Hall, 163 E. Gower
St.
Warrenton City Commission, 6 p.m., City Hall, 225
S. Main Ave.
Lewis & Clark Fire Department Board, 7 p.m.,
main fire station, 34571 Highway 101 Business.
Ontario
48/87
TOMORROW'S NATIONAL WEATHER
NATIONAL CITIES
Today
Lo
60
46
53
53
58
46
71
35
72
48
61
73
56
60
72
55
68
52
66
51
56
56
53
52
58
La Grande
45/81
Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2018
Tonight's Sky: The moon will be prominent in the
dawn sky, rising at around midnight.
DUII
• At 8:44 p.m. Sunday,
Brandon J. Campuzano Luna,
18, of Seaside, was arrested by
Oregon State Police on U.S.
Highway 101 and Second Ave-
nue in Seaside and charged
with driving under the influ-
ence of intoxicants. Officers
allegedly smelled marijuana
in the car, which contained a
16-year-old passenger, during
a traffic stop.
• At 3:23 p.m. Sunday,
Emily Rachel Castiglione, 33,
MONDAY
Seaside Budget Committee, 6 p.m., City Hall, 989
Broadway.
Astoria City Council, 7 p.m., City Hall, 1095 Duane
St.
Roseburg
52/79
Brookings
48/60
May 29
John Day
48/83
Bend
47/80
Medford
54/82
UNDER THE SKY
High
6.7 ft.
6.9 ft.
Prineville
46/83
Lebanon
50/75
Eugene
48/74
First
Pendleton
51/84
The Dalles
54/87
Portland
55/78
Sunset tonight ........................... 8:31 p.m.
Sunrise Tuesday .......................... 5:52 a.m.
Moonrise today ........................... 2:20 a.m.
Moonset today ......................... 12:05 p.m.
May 15
a statement that Coba “has
become invaluable to my
vision for effective and effi-
cient government services.”
PUBLIC MEETINGS
Tillamook
48/64
SUN AND MOON
City
Atlanta
Boston
Chicago
Denver
Des Moines
Detroit
El Paso
Fairbanks
Honolulu
Indianapolis
Kansas City
Las Vegas
Los Angeles
Memphis
Miami
Nashville
New Orleans
New York
Oklahoma City
Philadelphia
St. Louis
Salt Lake City
San Francisco
Seattle
Washington, DC
A little morning rain, then
a shower
59
46
Shown is tomorrow's weather. Temperatures are tonight's lows and tomorrow's highs.
ASTORIA
49/62
Precipitation
Sunday ............................................. 0.00"
Month to date ................................... 0.02"
Normal month to date ....................... 0.75"
Year to date .................................... 32.72"
Normal year to date ........................ 30.79"
Time
7:34 a.m.
9:32 p.m.
FRIDAY
56
46
REGIONAL WEATHER
Astoria through Sunday.
Temperatures
High/low ....................................... 61°/48°
Normal high/low ........................... 59°/44°
Record high ............................ 80° in 1987
Record low ............................. 31° in 1965
May 7
THURSDAY
58
49
Partly sunny, a shower in
the afternoon
Clear to partly cloudy
New
more training for new agency
directors.
“Katy saw the gap, and said,
we need a new agency direc-
tors’ forum,” Sumption said.
Sumption and state Depart-
ment of Transportation Director
Matt Garrett are both quick to
praise Coba.
“She focuses, I think, her
attention on doing what is right,
what is just, rather than doing
what is politically expedient,”
Garrett said. “I’m a big Katy
Coba fan.”
Garrett describes Coba’s
leadership style as both collab-
orative and consistent.
Sumption says Coba is also
helpful in “navigating” discus-
sions about state agency bud-
gets at the Legislature.
State Sen. Alan DeBoer,
R-Ashland, who sits on legis-
lative committees focused on
information technology and
general government operations,
says he’s “impressed” with her
work so far.
“I can only tell you from
my experience meeting with
her and her testifying in front
of committees, that I’m very
impressed with her,” DeBoer
said. “I think she’ll do a great
job.”
Gov. Kate Brown said in
ON THE RECORD
May 6, 2018
BIRKBY, Jack Lester, 92, of Arch Cape,
died in Arch Cape. Caldwell’s Funeral & Cre-
mation Arrangement Center of Seaside is in
charge of the arrangements.
Last
While critics of the governor
have pointed to turnover among
state agency heads, Coba says
she doesn’t think the amount
of turnover is abnormal, espe-
cially in an era where people
move more frequently between
positions and employers.
“We’re seeing workforce
turnover more often any-
way,” Coba says. “We see that
at the agency director level
for a whole host of different
reasons.”
Not all of those agency direc-
tor departures, of course, were
voluntary, such as the August
departure of Oregon Health
Authority Director Lynne Sax-
ton and, in March, State Librar-
ian MaryKay Dahlgreen.
But most director depar-
tures, Coba says, were retire-
ments and directors moving on
to other jobs.
Coba, who works “in con-
cert” with the governor’s office
to help and evaluate state
agency leaders, says each situ-
ation is different.
“There isn’t a standard pro-
cess we use,” she says. “It is sit-
uation specific.”
Lisa Sumption, direc-
tor of the Oregon Parks and
Recreation Department, says
Coba recognized the need for
OREGON
Sunday’s Pick 4:
1 p.m.: 9-4-5-1
4 p.m.: 6-5-4-6
7 p.m.: 1-2-7-0
10 p.m.: 1-9-3-6
Sunday’s Lucky Lines: 02-07-
09-14-18-21-26-29
Estimated jackpot: $36,000
Saturday’s Pick 4:
1 p.m.: 8913
4 p.m.: 8331
7 p.m.: 8620
10 p.m.: 0612
Saturday’s Lucky Lines: 01-
05-11-13-17-24-28-30
Estimated jackpot: $34,000
Saturday’s Megabucks: 21-
24-26-32-33-35
Estimated jackpot: $5.6 million
Saturday’s Powerball: 14-29-
36-57-61, Powerball: 17
Estimated jackpot: $233
million
Friday’s Pick 4:
1 p.m.: 2508
4 p.m.: 6599
7 p.m.: 5805
10 p.m.: 5358
Friday’s Lucky Lines: 02-06-
09-15-17-23-25-30
Estimated jackpot: $33,000
Friday’s Mega Millions: 4-5-
10-12-18, Mega Ball: 21
Estimated jackpot: $40 million
WASHINGTON
Sunday’s Daily Game: 7-3-2
Sunday’s Keno: 15-16-18-19-
23-26-29-32-34-46-48-49-50-
The Daily Astorian
Established July 1, 1873
(USPS 035-000)
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Sunday’s Match 4: 01-04-13-
20
Saturday’s Daily Game: 4-8-0
Saturday’s Hit 5: 05-14-17-
19-20
Estimated jackpot: $130,000
Saturday’s Keno: 01-06-14-15-
20-24-28-29-33-36-43-51-54-
55-57-58-66-69-70-73
Saturday’s Lotto: 06-07-08-
09-13-47
Estimated jackpot: $1.8 million
Saturday’s Match 4: 10-12-
19-21
Friday’s Daily Game: 0-3-8
Friday’s Keno: 03-05-23-26-
29-33-38-41-42-44-46-47-49-
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