Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 24, 2015)
Page 6A OFF PAGE ONE East Oregonian BRIDGES: Earthquakes a recent conern HU³<RX¶OOEHUHO\LQJRQKHOLFRSWHUV´ The Oregon Highways Seismic system. The Washington Department of Plus Report issued last October calls Transportation included the eastbound for replacing 138 bridges, and ret- side built in 1955 on its list of 137 UR¿WWLQJ RYHU WKH QH[W \HDUV EULGJHVGHHPHG³VWUXFWXUDOO\GH¿FLHQW´ in four phases. Phase one focuses on in January 2015 based on the condition U.S. Highway 97 on the east side of of the deck, or road bed. the Cascades, Interstate 5 through the WSDOT wasn’t able to provide in- Willamette Valley, and two routes con- formation about planned maintenance necting them. on the Umatilla Bridge before deadline Even without the threat of earth- but ODOT spokesman Tom Strand- quake, 900 of Oregon’s 2,700 bridges berg said as far as he’s aware the next QHHG¿[LQJLQWKHQH[W\HDUVEXWWKH AP file photo VLJQL¿FDQW UHSDLU RQ WKH ERRNV IRU WKH projected cost is $230 million a year, Umatilla Bridge is a deck replacement This Feb. 13, 2013, file photo, shows QHDUO\¿YHWLPHVWKHPLOOLRQDYDLO- for the eastbound bridge in 2017, which the viaduct that carries Interstate 5 able, Brouwer added. Without more wouldn’t do anything to shore up the traffic for more than a half mile over money, by 2035 about 350 will have Bear Creek and city streets in Medford. bridge against seismic activity. weight restrictions. The result has been that while per Paying for road work the usual way, capita state and federal highway funding through increases in the gas tax and 2UHJRQGRHVKDYHDSODQIRUUHWUR¿W- in Oregon was up 16 percent from 2003- DMV fees, has raised strong objections ting hundreds of other bridges that are 2008, it dropped 11 percent from 2008- from Republicans, unless Democrats likely to fail in a major earthquake or are DFFRUGLQJWR¿JXUHVUHYLHZHGE\ drop plans for legislation to combat getting too old to support heavy trucks. The Associated Press. greenhouse gases with a low-carbon fuel It just doesn’t have a way to pay for it ³:H¶UHORRNLQJDWDSUHWW\ELJFOLII´ standard, which has passed the Senate. DOODQGSURVSHFWVIRU¿QGLQJDVROXWLRQ with no serious discussions in sight, Or- That low-carbon fuel standard is likely are dim. egon Rep. Peter DeFazio, top Democrat WRUDLVHJDVSULFHVPDNLQJLWYHU\GLI¿FXOW The federal gas tax hasn’t been raised on the U.S. House Transportation and to ask Oregonians to pay even more to in 21 years, and Oregon’s share has been Infrastructure Committee, said of the UDLVHPRQH\WR¿[URDGVDQGEULGJHVVDLG declining for years. funding picture. Rep. Cliff Bentz, an Ontario Republican. The state gas tax, a major funding Earthquakes were not considered a Meanwhile, another pilot program to source for transportation infrastructure major threat in Oregon until the 1980s, demonstrate the workability of a pay-by- projects, hasn’t generated enough to re- and bridges built before that weren’t the-mile tax applying to high-mileage ve- pair the state’s roads and bridges as cars designed to withstand them. Scientists hicles that don’t pay their share via the gas have gotten better mileage or quit using think the region is due for a massive tax kicks off July 1, with 5,000 volunteers. gas at all, and a new system of charging TXDNHDQGRI¿FLDOVZDQWWRPDNHVDIHW\ An earlier attempt based on GPS trackers motorists by the mile rather than the gal- improvements to get ready. was scrapped over privacy complaints. lon is still in the experimental stage. “Areas of the state will be cut off for ——— Leaders in the Oregon Legislature \HDUVE\KLJKZD\´VDLG2UHJRQ'HSDUW- Contact Jade McDowell at jmcdow- agree something must be done, but there ment of Transportation Assistant Direc- ell@eastoregonian.com or 541-564- is strong disagreement over how. tor for Communications Travis Brouw- 4536. The AP contributed to this story. Continued from 1A Around the state HANDBAGS: Berry would like to try hand at jewelry design ative with the design of the orful cityscapes painted on bags, moving away from the cityscapes and adding fea- them. “I didn’t go to design tures like diagonal zippers VFKRRO´ %HUU\ VDLG ³, ZDV and layers of different kinds self-taught. So we basically of material. ³,W¶V VWLOO DUW´ %HUU\ VDLG OHDUQHGDVZHZHQW´ “It’s just that the art is not as He approached his moth- OLWHUDODVZKHQZH¿UVWVWDUWHG´ er’s friend Marla June in Marla June said she has 2005 about selling his work in her newly opened bou- stocked Poverty Flats hand- tique and she agreed. Later bags faithfully since the early he expanded into “tastemak- days of the label. “He’s such a success sto- HU´ERXWLTXHVLQ3RUWODQGDQG U\´ VKH VDLG ³:KHQ , ¿UVW Seattle, where he caught the opened I was trying to only eye of national retailers. carry jewelry by local artists, Over time he said he “fell so I loved that he was a local LQORYHZLWKWKHIDVKLRQVLGH´ and began getting more cre- GHVLJQHU´ Continued from 1A She said the Poverty Flats line, which uses faux leath- er, sells particularly well to women looking for a fash- ion-forward handbag for under $100. And people like supporting a local who made a name for himself in the wider world. “I’ve cultivated a custom- er base that knows the Rian story and so people come in and say, ‘Do you have any QHZ 3RYHUW\ )ODWV EDJV"¶´ she said. “The story kind of VHOOVWKHEDJV´ Berry’s line has been fea- tured in several magazines ODWHO\PDNLQJ³7RS´OLVWV of must-have totes in Oprah Magazine and InStyle. He said he has recently expanded into scarves and would like to start designing shoes and jewelry, too. Even- tually he wants to add clothing to his repertoire. In the mean- time he will keep expanding the global reach of the label he started in his garage. “I do have these moments when I think of where we started and it is a little bit sur- UHDO´KHVDLG ——— Contact Jade McDowell at jmcdowell@eastorego- nian.com or 541-564-4536. ETHICS: Commission began writing new rules last year Continued from 1A some of Hayes’ paid con- VXOWLQJZRUNRQKLV¿QDQFLDO disclosures, he’s also said he disclosed more than required by state law. +D\HV ZDVQ¶W WKH ¿UVW Kitzhaber adviser to spark concerns about lack of trans- parency and potential con- ÀLFWV RI LQWHUHVW 7KH HWKLFV commission’s interest in the matter actually dates back to early 2014, when the commission investigated whether Patricia McCaig — Kitzhaber’s top adviser on the Columbia River Crossing SURMHFW ² VKRXOG KDYH ¿OHG OREE\LQJ DQG ¿QDQFLDO GLV- closures. McCaig was hired as a consultant on the project, and the ethics commission deter- mined it was unclear whether VWDWHODZUHTXLUHGKHUWR¿OH disclosures. Bersin said in early November this case re- vealed the need to update the law on which governor’s ad- YLVRUV PXVW ¿OH GLVFORVXUHV “McCaig is an example, because people have com- plained she is an adviser in WKH JRYHUQRU¶V RI¿FH´ %HU- sin said. Rebuffed by the .LW]KDEHU¶V RI¿FH %HUVLQ and the ethics commission quietly decided last year to try a different approach: writing new rules on how to interpret state ethics law. The existing state law requires a ORQJOLVWRISXEOLFRI¿FLDOVWR ¿OH VWDWHPHQWV RI HFRQRPLF interest, including chiefs of staff and “any assistant in the *RYHUQRU¶V2I¿FHRWKHUWKDQ personal secretaries and cler- LFDOSHUVRQQHO´ The ethics commission says that might have been adequate when the state law was written four decades ago, but the governor’s ad- visers now include consul- WDQWVDQGVSHFL¿FHPSOR\HHV of other agencies who are ³ERUURZHG´ E\ WKH JRYHU- QRU¶VRI¿FHIRUFHUWDLQSURM- ects. The commission approved the administrative rule at its Jan. 30 meeting, which hap- pened to take place at the same time as Kitzhaber’s press conference to address questions about Hayes’ ac- tivities. Under the new rule, it appears both Hayes and 0F&DLJ ZRXOG KDYH WR ¿OH disclosures. According to the rule, “Any assistant in the Gov- HUQRU¶V RI¿FH PHDQV DQ\ person who assists, advises, supplements or represents the Governor, the Governor’s RI¿FH RU WKH *RYHUQRU¶V DG- ministration pursuant to any agreement, written or other- wise, irrespective of whether the person is compensated for the services or the location the services are performed or SURYLGHG´ — The Capital Bureau is a collaboration between EO Media Group and Pamplin Media Group. THERAPY: Banned in New Jersey, California, Washington D.C. Continued from 1A therapy. Laws banning the practice have passed in New Jersey, California and Wash- ington, D.C., and a dozen other states, including New York and Florida, are push- ing for similar legislation. Under the bill, social workers and licensed medi- cal health care professionals, such as psychologists or psy- chiatrists, would be barred from practicing conversion therapy on children under age 18. Paul Southwick, an attor- ney in Portland, said he has gone through an intensive two-year conversion therapy program with both licensed and nonlicensed profession- als, and part of his treatment included having to watch heterosexual pornography. %XWLQVWHDGRIEHLQJ³FXUHG´ after the program he instead felt increasingly depressed and anxious, he said. “Essentially, conversion therapy offered me a false KRSHEXLOWRQDÀDZHGSUHP- LVH$QG WKH ÀDZHG SUHPLVH was that something was real- ly wrong with me, that I had a sickness. And the false hope ZDV WKDW , FRXOG EH FXUHG´ Southwick said. The American Psycholog- ical Association says there is no evidence that the gay con- version therapy can change a person’s sexual orientation. A task force set up by the group found that it caused distress and anxiety. Samantha Ames, an attor- ney with the National Center for Lesbian Rights, said there have been challenges to New Jersey’s and California’s laws but both were upheld. Wash- ington, D.C.’s bill hasn’t gone into effect yet, she said. Opponents often argue that because therapy takes place through talk, it consti- tutes free speech under the First Amendment, Ames said. Carriers Needed in Pendleton Route 37 SW 32nd & Isaac Ave. Route 58 SW 30th & Isaac Ave. Route 39 SW 24th & Olson Ave. Route 61 NW 7th & Johns Pl. Route 75 NW 5th & Despain The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which includes Oregon, upheld California’s statue in 2013 and ruled the therapy doesn’t violate the free speech rights of licensed counselors and patients seek- ing treatment. Tuesday, February 24, 2015 Ebola drug shows some SromLse LQ ¿rsW WesWs SEATTLE (AP) — An experimental antiviral drug shows some early, encour- aging signs of effectiveness LQLWV¿UVWKXPDQWHVWDJDLQVW Ebola in West Africa, but only if patients get it when WKHLUV\PSWRPV¿UVWDSSHDU A study of the drug, favipiravir , is still in ear- ly stages in West Africa, and too few people have been treated to really know whether the drug helps. Other factors, like better health care, may be making a difference, and there was no comparison group of patients who got no treat- ment or a different drug. 5HVXOWV IRU WKH ¿UVW adults and teens in Guin- ea were released Monday. Among those who got the drug when virus lev- els were still low, survival was 85 percent. That seems better than the roughly 70 percent survival for pa- tients treated in the same clinics two months before the study began, research- ers said at the Retrovirus Conference in Seattle. The drug made no dif- ference for those who got it later. Unfortunately, the me- dian time of symptoms when SDWLHQWVVRXJKWFDUHZDV¿YH days, and the infection often is well established by then. “We have preliminary ev- LGHQFH´WKDWIDYLSLUDYLUPD\ be effective, says a statement by Carlos Moedas, European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation, which helped fund the work. ENERGY: Monthly charge would go up $4 standing to tackle some 2011 and its reserves are challenges that have result- getting uncomfortably low. ed in a steadily declining “We want to collect reliability rate. The average what it costs us to provide HES customer was without SRZHUIRU¿YHKRXUVGXULQJ SRZHU´KHVDLG Rivera is recommending 2014, compared to less than the city approve a rate in- an hour in 2009. Rivera presented a four crease in May and consider year construction plan that a slightly smaller one next includes replacing various year to bring the utility’s problem lines around town, revenue in line with its ex- partnering with UEC to penses. Under the recommend- build a new substation and ed plan, the basic monthly replacing customers’ me- charge would jump from ters with smart meters that $6.50 to $10.50. Residen- can increase response times tial accounts, which make by telling HES as soon as up 52 percent of HES’s the power goes out instead 5,300 customers, would of relying on customers to also see their per kilowatt call. Rivera said in addition hour rate go up 12.4 per- to increasing reliability, a cent. Rates for small com- mercial accounts would new substation would also increase 7.45 percent and address the fact that HES large commercial accounts doesn’t currently have would increase 11.84 per- enough capacity during peak usage months to ser- cent. Rivera said that would vice any new large com- bring a typical 1500 kilo- mercial users that might watt-hours-per-month res- want to locate on the Cook idential customer’s bill up Industrial Site. “We’re actively recruit- to an average of $112 a LQJ SHRSOH´ KH VDLG ³:H month. That’s in compari- need to have a plan in place son with Umatilla Electric so if we do land a large cus- &RRSHUDWLYH¶V3DFL¿F Power’s $198, PGE’s $165 WRPHUZHFDQVHUYHWKHP´ Rivera will hold a public and the state average of informational meeting and $158 a month. Rivera said HES has take questions at city hall been committed to saving on Monday, March 2, from Hermiston residents money 6 to 7 p.m. He said he will and its existence has saved incorporate feedback on the the community an esti- plan into his formal rec- mated $4 million a year in ommendation for the city electricity bills, but “going council to vote on at their 13 years without a rate ad- March 9 meeting. ——— MXVWPHQWMXVWLVQ¶WSUXGHQW´ Contact Jade McDowell He said the utility also at jmcdowell@eastorego- needs to build up its re- VHUYHVWRKDYHWKH¿QDQFLDO nian.com or 541-564-4536. Continued from 1A SENTIMENTAL B a ck J O U R N E Y to th e 4 0 s When: Friday, February 27th • 6-9 pm Where: Hamley’s Slickfork Saloon What: • no-host bar • hors d’oeuvres • silent auction • music by the PHS Jazz Band • dressing up optional but encouraged Cost: $40 pre-registration • $50 at-the-door Tickets: Armchair Books & Heritage Station Museum (541) 276-0012 Presented by: Want the Experience of a Lifetime? Share your heart, talents and time helping terminally ill patients and their families by becoming a volunteer. Route 79 NW 6th & Gilliam Volunteers are Needed for Patient/ F amily Assistance and Office Support. Looking for substitute on call carriers St. Anthony Hospice Volunteer Training Starts March 30, 2015 211 SE Byers Ave., Pendleton 541-276-2211 or 1-800-522-0255 Registration is required. (Deadline is March 23, 2015) Please call: 541-276-4100