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
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municipal water supplies and
hydropower production.
“The snowpack in the
BRIEFLY
Atkins sworn in as Secretary of State,
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SALEM (AP) — Jeanne Atkins has been sworn in as
Oregon’s new secretary of state.
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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.
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.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
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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.
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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.
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NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY
Fri.
Lo
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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
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39
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c
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c
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68
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73
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Fri.
Lo
31
67
46
36
49
27
36
40
27
64
42
W
s
c
s
r
pc
s
sh
s
s
c
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WINDS
Boardman
Pendleton
Today
Friday
WSW 6-12
WSW 7-14
NE 3-6
ENE 4-8
UV INDEX TODAY
0
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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.
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(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.
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Copyright © 2015, EO Media Group
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.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
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55
44
61
64
45
70
1
66
79
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61
86
Lo
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-23
40
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Hi
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-1
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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
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74
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68
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34
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Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain,
sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice.
W
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