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A10 Hood River News, Saturday, May 9, 2015 P UMPS Continued from Page A1 unfamiliar with the land- scape don’t realize hundreds of miles separate each sta- tion. According to a record of the House’s first reading, HB 3011 strives to address the following issues: ■ Lack of access to fueling stations in much of south- eastern Oregon ■ Impact of limited hours of operation of fueling sta- tions on travelers ■ Potential danger to mo- torists of running out of fuel in remote areas Due to the bill’s population classification of 40,000 and under, it would apply to more than half of Oregon’s coun- ties, including communities along the Columbia River Gorge. According to a 2014 U.S. Census estimate, Hood River County’s population was 22,885 and Wasco Coun- ty’s was 25,515. Owners of local gas sta- T RAINS Continued from Page A1 need to have dialogue and understand each other a lit- tle better,” said Fritz. BACKGROUND Oregon Rep. John Huff- man, R-The Dalles, worked with Rep. Mark Johnson, R- Hood River, to coordinate the visit by UP executives. Huffman felt it was impor- tant to have a conversation about oil shipments to ad- dress concerns expressed by city councilors in The Dalles and Hood River. In January The Dalles passed a resolution urging state officials to pursue greater federal regulations of crude oil shipments. Hood River went even further by calling for a total ban on these transports. “I was very pleased with the turnout of gorge elected officials and community leaders,” said Huf fman about Tuesday’s visit. “They had the opportunity to ask UP managers ques- tions about what they are doing as a company to ad- dress safety concer ns, whether transporting oil or any potentially hazardous material. “I sensed a real desire on UP’s part to be a good part- ner and be available in the future to address concerns that communities may have.” Fritz was accompanied on the “whistle stop tour” by Scott Moore, vice-president of public affairs, Brock Nel- son, director of public af- fairs and Francisco Castillo, director of corporate rela- tions and media. SAFETY ISSUES He said many people don’t know that railroads have 20 times fewer incidents involv- ing hazardous material ship- ments than trucks. And that train accidents, grade crossing collisions and employee injuries have dropped across the nation from 100 per year in 1980 to fewer than 20 in 2014. He expects those numbers to continue declining with UP’s $31 billion expenditure on infrastructure safety mea- sures between 2005 and 2014. He said these continuing investments come out of the company’s bottom line. “As a transportation net- work, we are not tax based, we are privately funded,” said Fritz. “Our whole business is shipping product, serving our customer, and we do our best to ship it safely.” One safety cost has been $2.4 billion to meet a federal mandate for “positive train control.” That method of monitor- ing and controlling freight We Need Homes Qualified Applicants Waiting Monthly • Leases Pet Friendly Oregon • Washington Rent@GorgeRentals.com (541) 387-4080 GorgeRentals.com 610 Oak Street • Hood River Denise McCravey, Owner tions expressed concern re- garding the economic impact of bringing self-service gas stations to Hood River Coun- ty. They voiced an issue that self-service automation could eliminate existing jobs. Florence Akiyama, who owns Nobi’s gas station on Tucker Road in Hood River with her husband, Nobi, said the legislation could hurt local employment. “I don’t see the advantage really … the worst disadvan- tage will be (losing) jobs,” said Akiyama. Nobi’s employs 11 employ- ees, four of whom are full- time, said Akiyama. She said the station is typically open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., with employees working two shifts. The station is closed at night. Butch Gehrig, owner of Gehrig’s Chevron station in Odell, said his station would “keep full service” even if the option of self-service was introduced around the state. “I suppose in a way it would save in my labor cost a bit, but I would rather have people working,” said Gehrig. Gehrig predicted legisla- tion would affect employ- ment statewide but would not change gas prices consid- erably. He said gas prices are similar in Oregon and Wash- ington, even though Wash- ington uses self-service sta- tions. According to GasBud- dy.com, a nationwide gas tracker, Oregon’s average price per gallon as of Friday was $2.99 and Washington’s was $2.97. Paco Salazar, assistant mana g er at Gehrig’s Chevron, said a law allowing self-service stations in Ore- gon could “cut jobs.” However, Salazar said there wouldn’t be much of an impact on Gehrig’s due to its small staff. Including mana g ement, Gehrig’s Chevron runs on the elbow grease of four locals. Salazar said all four workers share duties, including vehicle maintenance and lube, in ad- dition to working as gas at- tendants. trains automatically regu- lates speed and stops the lo- comotive before certain acci- dents can occur that would have been caused by human error. Fritz said lasers and ultra- sound equipment now identi- fies rail imperfections and acoustic vibration tracking on wheels can detect prob- lems with bearings. Between 2010 and 2014, UP’s capital investment in Oregon was more than $520 million for track and rail car safety. Fritz said work continues to replace wooden ties racks with concrete in high traffic corridors. Since 2014, the company has replaced 1.3 million ties and 377 miles of rail in Oregon. “We spend a lot of time and money trying to get maintenance right,” he said. “The regulation does not take into account the disrup- tion the ECP mandate will wreak on railroads — both freight and passenger opera- tions.” Fritz said railroad compa- nies do strongly support new enhanced design standards that require train cars to have thicker shells and other upgrades that will prevent leaks and fires in the event of a derailment. FEDERAL RULES Because of the ongoing ex- penditures in safety mea- sures, including the training of 50,000 first responders since 2004 to deal with an in- cident, Fritz said UP, like other railroads, opposes the mandate for new brakes that was handed down last week by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Federal officials want ECP (Electronically Controlled Pneumatic) brake systems on trains carrying flamma- ble liquids at speeds above 30 miles per hour by the year 2021 and all trains by 2023. Currently, UP uses air brake technology that Fritz said is proven, something that can’t be said for ECP brakes, which have not been widely used. He said the requirement for slower speeds if trains don’t install these brakes will greatly hamper opera- tions. “It’s not a cost effective way to minimize risk,” he said. The Association of Ameri- can Railroads questions how a safety mandate of “such magnitude” could become a regulation when DOT offi- cials have publicly admitted there is negligible simula- tion analysis regarding ECP brakes. “Attention and resources should be allocated to ad- dressing the underlying causes of rail accidents and brakes simply aren’t on that list,” said Edward Hamberg- er, AAR president and chief executive officer. “Unjustified regulations such as this trigger a reallo- cation of investments that will not generate the kind of safety benefits the industry and the public expects. SHIPPING STATS Although crude oil makes up only 1 percent of UP’s total freight revenue, Fritz said additional capital is earned from hauling materi- als for drilling and other op- erations related to fossil fuel extraction. Crude oil shipments com- prise about 2 percent of UP transports in Oregon, be- tween 600-800 carloads each month. In 2014, UP shipped about 141,000 carloads of crude oil in its 23-state networks. “We do not currently move any crude that originates in the Bakken region (North Dakota) through Oregon,” said Fritz. Bakken shale crude oil is considered more explosive than tar sands crude from Canada and shipments are opposed for that reason by environmental groups and some government leaders. UP, which operates on the Oregon side of the Colum- bia, does not ship coal through the Gorge at this time, said Fritz. Oil shipments generate 18 percent of UP’s total freight revenue, with intermodal products, such as building supplies and industrial prod- ucts sharing the top spot at 20 percent. “The beauty of UP is the strength of our franchise and that franchise is very broad — so if one industry is suffering, another is doing well,” he said. Crude is moved through Ore gon on two primary routes: the first follows the I- 5 corridor from California’s northern border north to Washington and the second runs through the Gorge once lines from Spokane, Wash., and Boise, Idaho, meet near Hermiston. ECONOMIC STATS Fritz said UP invested $5 million in 2014 to train emer- gency responders for a poten- tial derailment, another in- vestment that continues. “We have 38 fire depart- ments on our route in Ore- gon and we’ve offered to train each and every one of them,” he said. Hail storm damage still being assessed By KIRBY NEUMANN-REA News editor Wednesday’s surprise hail storm caused some damage in lower Hood River valley orchards, but the extent is still being assessed. “The fruitlets right now are small but a big enough target, and a lot of it depends on how hard it is and how long it hit,” said Craig Mal- lon, fieldman for Duckwall Pooley packing house. Mal- lon said he and other pack- ing house field reps are still assessing the extent of the damage from the stor m, which pelted areas near Hood River with pea-sized ice pellets for nearly five minutes. “Clearly there was some damage. We are still assess- ing it. It takes a few days for it to become apparent,” Mal- lon said. “It’s too early to tell what that’s going to look like at harvest. Field re ps are scrambling to get a handle on it,” said Steve Castagnoli, N ELLIE Continued from Page A5 HRVAC board president and volunteer Suzanne VanOr- man, for which anyone can sign up. The center receives some financial reimburse- ment for recipients who meet income criteria, but even still, it loses money each month, which is why its vol- unteer base is especially im- portant. There are three paid posi- Apr. 18th Jan. 5 pm 1pm 7th or · 6pm Best Western: Red 1419 W Main Ground McMinnville Lion: 2535 St., NE Battle Cumulus Ave May 21 • 1 pm & 6 pm Utah/OR/WA: $80.00 or Oregon only: $45 Best Western Plus Hood River Inn OR / Utah: (Valid in WA) $80 or Oregon only: $45 FirearmTrainingNW.com FirearmTrainingNW@gmail.com 360-921-2071 OSU horticulturist. “The hail can cause fruit damage, by causing marks on the fruit surface, and while some of it can be superficial, if it persists it can cause the quality to be downgraded,” said Castagnoli, who report- ed damage to some fruit groves at the Experiment Station, in the lower valley. “If it actually bruises fruit below the surface that’s a bigger concern,” he said. The other concern is dam- age to the leaves and branch- es, adding to the chance that fire blight bacteria can find entry points in the trees, ac- cording to Mallon, who said orchardists will need to ad- dress fire blight soon. The mid- and upper valley areas were unaffected by hail. “Normally, hail hits us the worst on the west side, but this time we just had hard rain,” said Brian Hukari, who farms on Bar- rett Drive. tions at the center — a full- time cook, a part time custo- dian and a part time admin- istrative assistant. Every- thing else depends on volun- teers. As for serving meals to those in need, VanOrman said that those who are not a part of the Meals on Wheels program are always welcome to come to the center for lunch. Extra food is prepared daily, and the comradery in the dining room is high. “We don’t want people to be lonely. The lunch program here at the center is a very welcoming place, and people enjoy each other’s company,” VanOrman said. “Visiting is extremely important.” Besides Meals on Wheels drivers, the center is cur- rently looking for a kitchen helper (no experience re- quired), thrift store workers, Bingo leaders and reception- ists. There is also one open position on the board. For more infor mation, stop by the center (address in story above) or call 541-386- 2060. point in Glenwood and spent the rest of the day pho- tographing the eruption. “Everyone had their own perspective of the eruption,” he said. “Afterward, I got photos of how the mountain changed when I backpacked across Mt. Adams a week later …” The second big eruption happened that evening, May 25. “I got unique photos,” he said. “I was the only one to photograph that. Thick fog covered the low land of West- ern Washington, and air- planes were all grounded, and no one was on Mt. Adams. I got incredible pho- tos.” Later that summer, he flew again around Mount St. He- lens, taking photos of “a completely transfor med landscape around the moun- L LOYD Continued from Page A1 March 1980, when Mount St. Helens first started to erupt. He flew around the moun- tain in a helicopter that April, taking photos of a landscape that, in just a month, would be completely changed. “I got close ups of the big bulge coming out of the north side, of Spirt Lake cov- ered with ice,” he said. He knew that Mount St. Helens was erupting on May 18 when he saw Mt. Adams disappearing “in a huge dark ash cloud.” His first photos of that day were of Mt. Adams being enveloped; he then tur ned his lens to Mount St. Helens from a high Darryl Lloyd tain, especially on the north side.” The community is invited to come and share their own memories of Mount St. He- lens during the presentation, or just come and enjoy the program. For more infor mation, visit www.msinstitute.org. SPECIAL ADVERTISING 2015 Call today to reserve your space in these Hood River News special sections! 541•386•1234 Ask for Liana, Kirsten, Jody or Chelsea Find the newest member of your family Look for the pet’s name above his photo. You can adopt them from the location listed underneath - right next to their local sponsor. AAD - Adopt-A-Dog • HAL - Home At Last • BMCA - Be Mine Cat Adoption • PFCA - Purrfect Fit Cat Adoptions • CPC - Cascade Pet Camp 541-354-1083 541-296-5189 541-386-3776 541-386-5099 541-354-2267 HUGS FRECKLES LADY BUG LOGAN Adopt-A-Pet Only 1 sponsor space left AAD Call Today! Carol Annala 2495 Cascade Ave, Hood River 541.387.6563 OTIS AAD Happy Tails 70 Acme Rd., White Salmon, WA 509.493.4255 ROSIEBEE AAD AAD The Pilates Studio of Hood River LLC 541.490.0660 Footwise 413 Oak St., Hood River 541.308.0770 BENJI BO www.hoodrivernews.com Hood River News, Wednesday, May 21, 2014 This Memorial Day, we salute the heroes of our Armed Forces, and present, for their courage and dedication to our country. Gone, But On past Memorial Day, we honor the brave servicemen and servicewomen hopes and dreams were cut short in battle. They sacrificed Never to be whose their own lives to protect the lives and freedom of others. Noble, and just, we remember them today and every day in our Forgotten courageous thoughts and prayers. Join us as we honor our heroes. Hood River Nazarene Church CONCEAL CARRY CONCEALED CARRY PERMIT CLASS CLASS PERMIT Oregon Oregon- Utah - (valid 35-states) Washington-Utah Photo by Trisha Walker A VEHICLE splashes through sudden and torrential hail Wednesday afternoon in downtown Hood River. Recognized by the Department of Veteran Affairs. 541.386.1942 541.296.2289 WWW.HeartOfHospice.Org Remember those who gave their lives Jo h n T . T a yl o r , o w n e r In grateful thanks for your faithful service Honor our heroes 2168 Belmont • Hood River 541-386-2604 1139 Tucker Rd. • Hood River (in front of bowling alley) www.hrnaz.org 541-386-3333 Buy Local. Bank Local Wy’East Fire District 4000 Westcliff Dr • Hood River 2500 Cascade Ave • Hood River columbiagorgehotel.com 541-308-1300 2995 Van Horn Dr Hood River • 541-386-2900 302 Columbia St. • Hood River 541-386-3565 Honoring the fallen Windmaster Market SERVING THE GORGE Honor 1465 Barker Rd • Hood River 541-386-3133 508 Cascade Ave Hood River 386-1161 Memorial Day Weekend Sale Radio-controlled vehicles, games and much MORE! Perfect gifts for Dads and Grads! Good Karma Let us not forget but remember 541-386-5566 Downtown Hood River 116 Oak St. • 541-386-5474 The Fitness Store for Gorge Athletes 3450 Cascade Ave. Hood River • 541-386-5676 Remember those who served Store Thrift Thrift We’ve got Best Prices in town! Local Artists Must See! Memorial Day Sale Reserve e ad space by: st T i r s e Downtown Hood River Find our events on Facebook 116 Oak St. • 541-386-5474 May 13 Anything and everything a chap can unload, Is sold on the streets of Good Karma Road... 3140 Cascade Ave, Hood River, OR 97031 (541) 386-1123 (541) 490-3655 Fitness Honor and Respect Honor the Fallen 541-386-4499 1785 Meyer Parkway • Hood River 541-386-3939 Honoring those who served HOODRIVERSUPPLY Equipment 110 4th St. • Hood River •541-386-1223 B e P r o m i s V a lu e 1120 1 1 2 0 Tucker T u c k e r Road R o a d • Hood H o o d River R i v e r Mon-Sat M o n - S a t 10 1 0 a.m. a . m . - 6 p.m. p . m . 1650 Tucker Rd. • Hood River Experience the Art of Glassblowing! Glassometry Studios Ages 5 & up Make your appt call/email curious@glassometry.com open wed-sun 11-5pm Paul Henne’s Radio Shack Standing Tall Forget them not 1101½ Pine St. • Hood River 541-386-2677 1116 12th St. • Hood River Honoring Those Who Serve 541-386-2810 Remember, understand, and honor our veterans Your supply source for the Gorge 101 Oak Street • Hood River 541-386-5787 Semper Fi! Memorial Day Tribute Reserve ad space by: 1460 Tucker Road Hood River 541-386-2733 www.tallmanladders.com 1108 12th St. • Hood River 541-308-3355 Truck • Motorcycle • Snowmobiles Never forgotten Thank You for Your Service 504 Cascade • Hood River 541-386-3444 1203 12th St. • Hood River 541-387-6688 Fun for the whole family! Blow your own glass workshops Working Studio + Sculpture Garden kettle bell - trx bosu ball jump rope foam roller medicine ball yoga mats Downtown Hood River 116 Oak St. • 541-386-5474 SUPERMARKETS A salute to our fallen heroes Thank you May 18 Supporting our soldiers today and everyday Defenders of our freedom 755 Frankton Rd • Hood River 541-386-2929 1945 12th St. • Hood River • 541-386-2757 3831 Eagle Loop • Odell • 541-354-3000 541-387-2633 1-800-386-2555 541-386-2555 1004 Pacific Ave •Hood River Los Hermanos Remember those who served! 541-387-4192 AUTO SERVICES Wy’East Fire District Remembering those that have served before us Honor and Remember In Honor of those who gave their ALL! 3431 Odell Hwy • Odell 541-354-1648 12th & Pacific • Hood River 541-387-4444 3324 Odell Hwy. • Odell 541-354-5880 541-386-1606 For Graduates: 20% off Fine Writing Pens CROSS • SHEAFFER • FISHER 3015 Lower Mill Dr. Hood River 541.354.3015 | Glassometry.com Hood River Stationers Downtown on Oak • 541-386-2344 Dansko Trunk Show Saturday, May 24th • 9am-3pm Join us for a day of Danskos, Discounts and Free gift w/Purchase! USDA Choice Beef T-Bone Steak $5.99 lb., Any size package Foster Farms Chicken Hindquarters 99¢ lb., 3-lb. to 4-lb. avg. weight $5.79, 24-ct., 12 oz. cans, Selected varieties & G a l l e r y o f G a m e s SPRING SUPER SALE Up to 50% off! Come in for these Great Deals! Pepsi or 7-UP Products 107 2nd Street • Hood River A11 Soccer Szeremi’s & Espresso Valiant defenders Honor and Respect Yasui Building 109 First Street, Hood River 541•386•7423 www.sushiokalani.com O p e n 7 n i g h t s a w e e k f o r d i n n e r , s t a r t i n g a t 5 : 0 0 L a t e - N i g h t H a p p y H o u r s t a r t s a t 9 : 0 0 t i l c l o s e Lay’s or Tostitos Chips $1.89, 6-oz. to 12-oz., Selected varieties 1867 12th St. • Hood River 541-386-1119 20% off ALL 101 Oak St. • Hood River Danskos ... 1 Day ONLY! (541) 386-5787
