Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (March 12, 2015)
Page 2A NORTHWEST East Oregonian Thursday, March 12, 2015 Warm Feb. takes toll on snowpack SEATTLE (AP) — Warm temperatures and a lack of snowfall in February have taken a toll on winter snow- pack in the Cascade Moun- tains and other areas in the West, the U.S. Natural Re- sources Conservation Ser- vice said Wednesday. One-third of monitoring sites in the Cascades and Sierra Nevada reported the lowest snowpack ever mea- sured as of March 1, and some sites don’t even have snow, unusual for this time of year. The March forecast also shows that snowpack in Ne- vada, Utah and Idaho fell far- ther below normal. “Snowpack along the Continental Divide is about normal, but it drops off as you go South and West,” said Cara McCarthy, a hydrolo- gist with the service, a branch of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. “If the weather doesn’t change, we’re look- LQJ DW ORZVWUHDP ÀRZ LQ D lot of areas.” Snow that falls in the mountains during the winter typically melts slowly during spring and summer, provid- ing water for much of the re- gion. A lack of snowpack can OHDGWRGURXJKW/RZÀRZLQJ rivers in the summer also may DIIHFW¿VKZLOGOLIHOLYHVWRFN municipal water supplies and hydropower production. “The snowpack in the BRIEFLY Atkins sworn in as Secretary of State, ZLOO¿QLVKRXW%URZQ¶VWHUP SALEM (AP) — Jeanne Atkins has been sworn in as Oregon’s new secretary of state. *RY.DWH%URZQDGPLQLVWHUHGWKHRDWKRIRI¿FHWR Atkins on Wednesday. Atkins, a Democrat, recently retired as the state director for U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, a post she’d held since 2009. Before that, she was Merkley’s chief of staff when he was speaker of the state House. 6KHZDVIRUPHUO\VWDIIGLUHFWRURIWKH2I¿FHRI)DPLO\ Health in the state Department of Human Services. Atkins says it’s a privilege to have the opportunity “to protect and safeguard some of our deepest values as Oregonians.” Brown was secretary of state until she took over as gov- ernor following John Kitzhaber’s resignation last month. Under state law, she appointed her replacement. *RY%URZQHQGVFRQWUDFWZLWK .LW]KDEHUDGYLVHUEXVLQHVVRZQHU AP Photo/Seattlepi.com, Joshua Trujillo This Feb. 9 photo shows hiker Mike Naiman surveying the closed Snoqualmie Pass ski area in Washington State. Warm temperatures and lack of snowfall in February have taken a toll on winter snowpack in the Cascade Mountains and other areas in the West. A third of monitoring sites in the Cascades and Sierra Nevada reported the lowest snowpack ever measured as of March 1, and some sites didn’t even have snow, unusual for this time of year. Western U.S. is counted on to be an additional reservoir that holds a whole bunch of wa- ter, so that water is released slowly as the snow melts. Westerners count on that snow for spring and summer, for irrigation and other water uses,” McCarthy said. Snow surveyors in many places across the region re- ported seeing little or no snow at sites they visited. In Oregon, for example, about 45 percent of the snow-moni- toring sites are snow-free. Statewide in Washington, the snowpack was 29 percent of a 30-year median as of March 1. The amounts varied widely by region, from a re- cord low 2 percent of normal in the Olympic Mountains to 85 percent of normal in the Methow basin in north-cen- tral Washington. Still, while snowpack has been below normal in Ore- gon and Washington, there has been plenty of rain. Those states have seen near-normal precipitation since fall. Some UHVHUYRLUV KDYH EHQH¿WHG from the rainy winter. In Montana, the lack of snowfall and rain, as well PORTLAND (AP) — Gov. Kate Brown has ended a state contract with former Gov. John Kitzhaber’s forest ad- viser, who collected nearly $400,000 in fees and expenses while also running a consulting business. The Oregonian reported Wednesday that Brown took WKHDFWLRQWKHGD\VKHWRRNRI¿FH)HE Environmentalists and a timber industry leader said they questioned the roles of Tom Tuchmann, but they say they didn’t raise objections publicly for fear of alienating Kitzhaber. When he was an adviser to Kitzhaber, Tuchman also owned a company called U.S. Forest Capital that had ex- SHUWLVHLQ¿QDQFLQJIRUEX\HUVVXFKDVFRQVHUYDWLRQJURXSV to purchase timberlands. as warmer than usual tem- peratures, led to a decrease in snowpack. Statewide, the snowpack is at 91 percent of normal as of March 1. In south Idaho, snowpack range from 22 percent of me- dian in the Owyhee basin to 115 percent in several Snake River headwater drainages in Wyoming. “If February’s dry weath- er continues for one more month, we’ll be writing a different story in the April 1 water supply report,” accord- ing to the Idaho water supply outlook. -DFNVRQ&RXQW\YRWHUVDSSURYHORFDO PDULMXDQDWD[GHVSLWHEDQ MEDFORD (AP) — Voters in Jackson County have approved a local tax on recreational marijuana once it EHFRPHVOHJDOGHVSLWHDVSHFL¿FSURKLELWLRQDJDLQVWORFDO taxes in the state law. The Mail Tribune reports election results Tuesday show the measure winning 64 percent to 36 percent. The measure gives the county power to tax marijuana sales up to 25 percent. County commission Chairman Doug Breidenthal has VDLGKHZDVFRQ¿GHQWLWZRXOGZLWKVWDQGOHJDOFKDOOHQJH Dave Fidanque of the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon says Measure 91 gave the state the sole right to tax marijuana so that local taxes would not run up the price and make legal marijuana more expensive than black market pot. Lawmaker drops bill to ban most vaccine exemptions SALEM (AP) — Legisla- tion aiming to pressure Ore- gon parents to get their kids vaccinated was abandoned Wednesday because of for- midable opposition in a state that has the nation’s highest rate of nonmedical exemp- tions, a move that comes as several other states wrestle with similar proposals. The bill, which had the support of Gov. Kate Brown, would have made Oregon the third state in the country allowing exemptions for im- munizations solely for med- ical reasons, and no longer for religious, philosophical or personal reasons. Missis- sippi and West Virginia are currently the only other states that have comparable legisla- tion in place. The Oregon bill’s sponsor, state Sen. Elizabeth Stein- er Hayward, said pushback against it largely revolved around who was right or ZURQJ DERXW WKH EHQH¿WV RI vaccines and she has decided not to pursue the legislation. “She strongly believes that making personal choic- es such as whether or not to vaccinate children are largely a matter of privacy, but — as with all matters of person- al choice — we have to be certain that our choices don’t impinge on our neighbors’ health and well-being,” said Paige Spence, Steiner Hay- ward’s chief of staff. A handful of other states have been considering similar bills eliminating personal and philosophical exemptions to vaccinations as dozens of people across the country fell ill from a measles outbreak that started at Disneyland in December. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 142 people from seven states, includ- ing one from Oregon and two from Washington, were linked to the outbreak. In February, three Cali- fornia lawmakers introduced legislation that would require parents to vaccinate their children before they enter school unless they can’t for medical reasons. That bill has yet to come up before a com- mittee. Last year, Oregon passed a law requiring parents with kindergartners to consult with a health professional or watch a one-hour educational vid- eo before shots are waived. Steiner Hayward, who also sponsored that bill, said she’d heard parents were only go- ing through the motions of watching the video when they attended consultations, which is why she sought to strengthen the state’s immu- nizations requirements. This year’s measure drew heated testimony from par- ents who argued it took away their medical freedom and right to informed consent. The bill was pulled before it got a committee vote, though it did get a public hearing. “The fundamental issue was that of informed consent. We’re supportive of safe and effective vaccinations. We’re not anti-vaccine. We’re pro-informed consent,” said Vern Saboe, a chiropractor IURP $OEDQ\ ZKR WHVWL¿HG against the bill. Subscriber services: For home delivery, vacation stops or delivery concerns: 1-800-522-0255 Didn’t receive your paper?&DOO EHIRUHSP7XHVGD\WKURXJK)ULGD\ RUEHIRUHDP6DWXUGD\ for same-day redelivery — Founded Oct. 16, 1875 — 211 S.E. Byers Ave., Pendleton 541-276-2211 333 E. Main St., Hermiston 541-567-6211 2I¿FHKRXUV0RQGD\WKURXJK)ULGD\DPWRSP &ORVHGPDMRUKROLGD\V SUBSCRIPTION RATES /RFDOKRPHGHOLYHU\ 6DYLQJVRIIFRYHUSULFH (=3D\ SHUPRQWK SHUFHQW 2QH\HDU SHUFHQW PRQWKV SHUFHQW PRQWKV SHUFHQW ZHHNV SHUFHQW (=3D\ RQH\HDUUDWHZLWKDPRQWKO\FUHGLWRUGHELWFDUGFKHFNFKDUJH www.eastoregonian.com To subscribe, call 1-800-522-0255 or go online to www.eastoregonian.com and click on ‘Subscribe’ (DVW2UHJRQLDQ(USPS 164-980)LVSXEOLVKHGGDLO\H[FHSW6XQGD\0RQGD\ DQG'HFE\WKH(20HGLD*URXS6(%\HUV$YH3HQGOHWRQ25 3HULRGLFDOVSRVWDJHSDLGDW3HQGOHWRQ25Postmaster:VHQGDGGUHVVFKDQJHVWR (DVW2UHJRQLDQ6(%\HUV$YH3HQGOHWRQ25 FRIDAY SATURDAY Sunny to partly cloudy and mild Partly sunny and mild Considerable cloudiness and mild 65° 39° 68° 48° SUNDAY MONDAY Breezy with rain at times Partly sunny with showers around PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 67° 51° 59° 42° 62° 41° HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 68° 35° 69° 42° PENDLETON through 3 p.m. yesterday TEMPERATURE HIGH LOW 63° 54° 72° (2007) 47° 34° 16° (1950) PRECIPITATION 24 hours ending 3 p.m. Month to date Normal month to date Year to date Last year to date Normal year to date Trace Trace 0.41" 1.55" 3.34" 2.92" HERMISTON through 3 p.m. yesterday TEMPERATURE HIGH Yesterday Normals Records LOW 66° 56° 76° (1930) 47° 33° 16° (1956) PRECIPITATION 24 hours ending 3 p.m. Month to date Normal month to date Year to date Last year to date Normal year to date Trace Trace 0.35" 1.06" 2.13" 2.59" SUN AND MOON Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today Last New Mar 13 Mar 20 7:14 a.m. 6:56 p.m. 1:03 a.m. 10:55 a.m. First Full Mar 26 62° 40° 65° 38° Seattle 62/45 ALMANAC Yesterday Normals Records 68° 44° Apr 4 Spokane Wenatchee 60/36 68/41 Tacoma Moses 62/40 Lake Pullman Aberdeen Olympia Yakima 66/35 58/39 61/44 62/38 69/35 Longview Kennewick Walla Walla 65/42 67/43 Lewiston 70/35 Astoria 63/38 61/43 Portland Enterprise Hermiston 67/45 Pendleton 58/32 The Dalles 68/35 65/39 68/39 La Grande Salem 62/29 67/43 Albany Corvallis 66/43 67/43 John Day 59/35 Ontario Eugene Bend 66/33 65/42 60/33 Caldwell Burns 64/34 60/25 Medford 71/40 REGIONAL FORECAST Eastern Washington: Times of clouds and sun today. Mainly clear tonight. Cascades: Not as cool in central parts today; sunny to partly cloudy across the north. Northern California: Mostly sunny today. Warmer; pleasant in central parts. Partly cloudy tonight. NEWS To submit news tips and press releases:FDOO ID[HPDLOQHZV#HDVWRUHJRQLDQFRP Multimedia consultants • Jeanne Jewett MMHZHWW#HDVWRUHJRQLDQFRP • Stephanie Burkenbine VEXUNHQELQH#HDVWRUHJRQLDQFRP • Dayle Stinson 541-966-0806 • dstinson@eastoregonian.com • Terri Briggs WEULJJV#HDVWRUHJRQLDQFRP To submit community events, calendar items and Your EO News: HPDLOFRPPXQLW\#HDVWRUHJRQLDQFRPRUFDOO7DPP\0DOJHVLQL LQ+HUPLVWRQDWRU5HQHH6WUXWKHUVLQ3HQGOHWRQDW Astoria Baker City Bend Brookings Burns Enterprise Eugene Heppner Hermiston John Day Klamath Falls La Grande Meacham Medford Newport North Bend Ontario Pasco Pendleton Portland Redmond Salem Spokane Ukiah Vancouver Walla Walla Yakima To submit a Letter to the Editor:PDLOWR0DQDJLQJ(GLWRU'DQLHO :DWWHQEXUJHU6(%\HUV$YH3HQGOHWRQ25RUHPDLO HGLWRU#HDVWRUHJRQLDQFRP To submit sports or outdoors information or tips: VSRUWV#HDVWRUHJRQLDQFRP COMMERCIAL PRINTING Production Director Jake Duquette MGXTXHWWH#HDVWRUHJRQLDQFRP Hi 61 60 60 61 60 58 65 63 68 59 62 62 56 71 59 62 66 70 65 67 63 67 60 60 66 67 69 Lo 43 27 33 46 25 32 42 35 35 35 32 29 27 40 47 47 33 34 39 45 31 43 36 34 42 43 35 W pc pc s s pc pc pc s s pc s pc s s pc pc pc s s pc s pc pc s pc s s Hi 62 63 65 58 64 63 66 66 69 66 66 67 64 70 60 60 68 70 68 68 67 68 63 66 68 69 68 NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY Fri. Lo 50 37 39 49 37 40 48 44 42 42 37 44 40 46 50 51 43 43 48 51 40 50 45 42 49 52 43 W c pc pc c pc pc c pc pc pc pc pc pc c c pc pc pc pc c pc c pc pc c pc c WORLD CITIES Today Beijing Hong Kong Jerusalem London Mexico City Moscow Paris Rome Seoul Sydney Tokyo Hi 55 68 52 54 65 39 56 58 43 81 54 Lo 28 64 42 44 46 29 35 40 30 66 39 W pc r sh c sh c pc s s pc pc Hi 55 73 58 49 68 39 50 59 44 73 55 Fri. Lo 31 67 46 36 49 27 36 40 27 64 42 W s c s r pc s sh s s c s WINDS Boardman Pendleton Today Friday WSW 6-12 WSW 7-14 NE 3-6 ENE 4-8 UV INDEX TODAY 0 To submit engagements, weddings and anniversaries: HPDLOUVWUXWKHUV#HDVWRUHJRQLDQFRPRUYLVLWZZZHDVWRUHJRQLDQ FRPFRPPXQLW\DQQRXQFHPHQWV Legal Advertising:$PDQGD-DFREV DMDFREV#HDVWRUHJRQLDQFRP Today Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows. Coastal Oregon: Clouds giving way to sun today; a morning shower in spots across the north. Eastern and Central Oregon: Partly sunny today; pleasant near the Cascades during the afternoon. Western Washington: A shower today; clouds breaking, but mostly cloudy at the coast. ADVERTISING Advertising Director: Jennine Perkinson MSHUNLQVRQ#HDVWRUHJRQLDQFRP Real Estate Advertising: Jodi Snook MVQRRN#HDVWRUHJRQLDQFRP (in mph) Klamath Falls 62/32 Corrections The March 11 story “Traditional textbooks becoming old school” listed the wrong date for a presentation by Cable Green. Green will speak Thursday from 6-8 p.m. at Blue Mountain Community College’s Science and technology building. If you notice a mistake in the paper, please call 541-966-0818. REGIONAL CITIES Forecast TODAY PORTLAND (AP) — A federal judge has ordered the longshore union to pay nearly $60,000 to the National Labor Relations Board for violating a court order to resume normal operations at the Port of Portland’s container terminal. &ODVVLÀHG$GYHUWLVLQJ FODVVL¿HGV#HDVWRUHJRQLDQFRP Single copy price: 7XHVGD\WKURXJK)ULGD\6DWXUGD\ Copyright © 2015, EO Media Group -XGJHWHOOVORQJVKRUHXQLRQWRSD\ .LQ3RUWODQGGLVSXWH 2 4 4 2 0 8 a.m. 10 a.m. Noon 2 p.m. 4 p.m. 6 p.m. 0-2, Low 3-5, Moderate 6-7, High; 8-10, Very High; 11+, Extreme The higher the AccuWeather.com UV Index™ num- ber, the greater the need for eye and skin protection. Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2015 Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day. -10s -0s showers t-storms 0s 10s rain 20s flurries 30s 40s snow ice 50s 60s cold front 70s 80s 90s 100s warm front stationary front 110s high low National Summary: Rain will soak areas from the Gulf Coast to the Tennessee Valley today. As chilly air invades New England, warmth will hold over the Plains. Showers will affect the Rockies as the Pacific coast dries. Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states) High 90° in Orlando, Fla. Low 9° in Leadville, Colo. NATIONAL CITIES Today Albuquerque Atlanta Atlantic City Baltimore Billings Birmingham Boise Boston Charleston, SC Charleston, WV Chicago Cleveland Dallas Denver Detroit El Paso Fairbanks Fargo Honolulu Houston Indianapolis Jacksonville Kansas City Las Vegas Little Rock Los Angeles Hi 65 66 45 55 64 71 64 37 68 63 55 44 61 64 45 70 1 66 79 64 59 77 72 77 61 86 Lo 42 49 32 29 36 58 38 21 54 43 37 34 51 36 30 47 -23 40 62 54 43 62 46 58 58 61 W pc r s s pc r pc s c pc pc pc pc pc s pc pc c c r pc t s s r s Hi 63 55 49 51 62 64 68 40 68 55 58 54 65 58 54 71 -1 48 76 72 56 79 67 79 68 90 Fri. Lo 39 51 41 42 39 59 47 32 60 50 46 45 51 34 44 48 -23 35 64 53 49 63 44 56 57 62 W t r pc c s sh pc s r r r r pc sh r t c pc s c r c c s c s Today Louisville Memphis Miami Milwaukee Minneapolis Nashville New Orleans New York City Oklahoma City Omaha Philadelphia Phoenix Portland, ME Providence Raleigh Rapid City Reno Sacramento St. Louis Salt Lake City San Diego San Francisco Seattle Tucson Washington, DC Wichita Hi 63 67 83 47 64 69 74 49 68 74 51 87 34 39 62 67 65 77 67 60 78 70 62 81 58 72 Lo 51 63 72 36 47 57 64 33 47 42 32 63 15 18 40 37 35 48 50 38 59 52 45 55 37 44 W pc r pc s pc r r s s s s c s s pc c s s pc c s s pc c s s Hi 61 69 82 58 57 63 71 47 65 71 52 87 36 38 49 62 70 77 62 63 83 68 66 81 49 67 Fri. Lo 57 60 73 43 37 57 56 42 46 40 42 64 28 28 48 31 42 52 51 41 60 54 52 58 46 44 Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice. W r r pc pc pc r r pc pc pc pc pc s s r s pc pc r pc s pc c pc c pc
