NORTHWEST
East Oregonian
Page 2A
Friday, January 1, 2016
Kitzhaber scandal top Oregon story of 2015 Feds
reject
hydro
project
By STEVEN DUBOIS
Associated Press
PORTLAND — Gov.
John Kitzhaber’s unprece-
dented fourth term turned
into an unprecedented short
term, and his abrupt February
resignation was selected
Oregon’s story of the year in
the annual vote conducted by
The Associated Press.
Every editor or news
director who submitted a
ballot of 10 top stories had the
governor’s downfall as either
the biggest or second-biggest
story of 2015. Those who
didn’t put Kitzhaber in the
top spot chose the massacre
at Umpqua Community
College, which ¿nished in
second place, just ahead of
the legalization of recre-
ational pot.
Those were the only
stories named on every ballot
as editors went all over the
map with their remaining
picNs. ReÀecting the variety
of opinions, the three
stories that just missed the
top 10 included the rollout
of Common Core-aligned
testing, the Portland Timbers
winning the Major League
Soccer championship and
the improbable stardom of
the Portland International
Airport carpet.
1. Kitzhaber resigns:
Just weeks after being sworn
in for his fourth term, Oregon
Gov. John Kitzhaber surren-
dered to political pressure
and quit over allegations his
live-in ¿ancpe, Cylvia +ayes,
used their relationship to win
contracts for her consulting
business and failed to report
the income on her taxes.
Federal agents launched a
criminal investigation in
February, but no charges had
been ¿led as 2015 drew to a
close. Kitzhaber has denied
wrongdoing. Secretary of
State Kate Brown assumed
Oregon’s highest of¿ce after
Kitzhaber ended his four-de-
cade political career.
2. College shooting: A
26-year-old gunman opened
¿re at Umpqua Community
College, fatally shooting
nine people before killing
himself. The Oct. 1 attack
shattered the Roseburg
community and immediately
reignited national debates
about gun violence, school
safety, mental health and
media coverage. President
AP Photo/Don Ryan, File
In this Oct. 10 ile photo, Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber talks to reporters before a
debate against Republican challenger Dennis Richardson in Portland.
major topic throughout 2015.
The highlight day was Oct.
1, when medical pot dispen-
saries began selling to recre-
ational users over 21. Some
shops opened at midnight,
giving away free food
and T-shirts, and offering
discounted marijuana.
4. Drought: Last winter
saw a dreadfully low snow-
pack, and the continuing dry
weather led Gov. Kate Brown
to declare drought emergen-
cies for more than two dozen
counties. Record December
precipitation that triggered
Àooding and landslides eased
the drought, with much of the
rain and snow occurring after
the ballots had been sent.
5. Houses burn: Of¿cials
and rural homeowners feared
a bad wild¿re season because
the land was so dry. Their
fears were realized in many
parts of the state as Àames
raged through parched forests
and grasslands. A light-
ning-sparked blaze near John
Day burned 172 square miles
and destroyed more than 40
homes. No Oregon wild¿re
since the Great Depression
has destroyed more homes.
6. Public pensions: The
Oregon Supreme Court ruled
in April that some cuts to
public-employee retirement
bene¿ts are unconstitutional,
wiping out much of the
savings lawmakers were
trying to attain. The justices
said workers were promised
an annual inÀation increase
of up to 2 percent, and the
AP Photo/John Locher, File
In this Oct. 5 ile photo, faculty members embrace on
their return to Umpqua Community College, in Rose-
burg following the fatal shooting of nine people there.
AP Photo/Don Ryan, File
In this July 29 ile photo, activists hang from the St.
Johns Bridge in Portland to protest the departure of
Royal Dutch Shell PLC icebreaker Fennica, which is in
Portland for repairs.
Obama lamented that mass
shootings and the reaction to
them have become “routine.”
+e visited the timber town to
meet privately with grieving
families, ignoring protests
from gun-rights activists.
3. Marijuana legal-
ization: The decision by
Oregon voters to approve
recreational marijuana was
last year’s No. 1 story. The
process of putting legaliza-
tion into practice remained a
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SUNDAY
Freezing fog; very
cold
Freezing fog; very
cold
22° 13°
24° 14°
MONDAY
A little snow in the
afternoon
Cloudy and cold
Mostly cloudy and
chilly
26° 16°
28° 19°
32° 24°
HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
25° 18°
PENDLETON
through 3 p.m. yesterday
TEMPERATURE
HIGH
Yesterday
Normals
Records
LOW
26°
21°
40°
26°
65° (1996) -10° (1978)
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
0.00"
2.28"
1.60"
10.09"
13.24"
13.07"
HERMISTON
through 3 p.m. yesterday
TEMPERATURE
HIGH
Yesterday
Normals
Records
LOW
28°
39°
57° (1970)
20°
27°
-8° (1978)
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
0.00"
1.78"
1.45"
7.17"
7.60"
9.92"
SUN AND MOON
Sunrise today
Sunset tonight
Moonrise today
Moonset today
Last
New
Jan 1
Jan 9
7:36 a.m.
4:21 p.m.
none
11:29 a.m.
First
Full
Jan 16
27° 19°
30° 23°
33° 25°
Seattle
39/28
ALMANAC
Jan 23
NEWS
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REGIONAL CITIES
Today
TUESDAY
PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
25° 15°
ADVERTISING
Advertising Director: Jennine Perkinson
MSHUNLQVRQ#HDVWRUHJRQLDQFRP
Real Estate Advertising: Jodi Snook
MVQRRN#HDVWRUHJRQLDQFRP
Forecast
SATURDAY
Corrections
Legal Advertising:$PDQGD-DFREV
DMDFREV#HDVWRUHJRQLDQFRP
Single copy price:
7XHVGD\WKURXJK)ULGD\6DWXUGD\
Spokane
Wenatchee
15/6
21/12
Tacoma
Moses
37/22
Lake
Pullman
Aberdeen Olympia
Yakima 21/8
21/8
42/27
38/20
26/11
Longview
Kennewick Walla Walla
40/23
21/12 Lewiston
23/14
Astoria
23/16
46/30
Portland
Enterprise
Hermiston
38/25
Pendleton 23/4
The Dalles 25/15
22/13
31/20
La Grande
Salem
23/3
41/22
Albany
Corvallis 42/21
40/20
John Day
31/8
Ontario
Eugene
Bend
19/5
40/20
25/7
Caldwell
Burns
21/7
17/-4
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
Hi
46
18
25
46
17
23
40
23
25
31
23
23
26
40
44
50
19
24
22
38
26
41
15
26
37
21
26
Lo
30
1
7
31
-4
4
20
10
15
8
0
3
6
20
29
31
5
15
13
25
9
22
6
4
24
12
11
W
s
pc
pc
s
pc
pc
pc
c
c
pc
s
c
c
pc
s
s
c
c
c
s
pc
s
c
c
s
c
c
NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY
Sat.
Hi
44
18
25
48
11
24
37
25
25
29
25
26
26
40
42
50
18
24
24
37
26
39
17
26
35
22
25
Lo
32
9
12
40
0
9
25
13
18
8
20
15
13
31
31
38
13
19
14
26
16
25
10
7
25
15
13
Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day.
W
s
pc
s
s
pc
pc
pc
c
c
pc
s
pc
pc
pc
s
s
c
c
c
s
pc
s
c
c
s
c
c
WORLD CITIES
Today
Beijing
Hong Kong
Jerusalem
London
Mexico City
Moscow
Paris
Rome
Seoul
Sydney
Tokyo
Hi
44
69
44
47
73
9
49
55
43
78
53
Lo
22
63
36
46
49
3
45
42
35
64
41
W
s
pc
sh
r
pc
c
c
c
pc
pc
pc
Sat.
Hi
49
69
43
53
72
6
52
58
50
75
56
Lo
22
65
38
44
48
1
43
47
32
66
45
W
pc
pc
r
sh
pc
pc
sh
sh
pc
pc
pc
WINDS
Medford
40/20
Klamath Falls
23/0
(in mph)
Today
Saturday
Boardman
Pendleton
NE 3-6
N 3-6
NE 4-8
NNE 3-6
UV INDEX TODAY
Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.
REGIONAL FORECAST
Coastal Oregon: Plenty of sunshine today.
Clear tonight. Sunshine tomorrow.
Eastern and Central Oregon: Freezing fog
today; areas of freezing fog, then sun in
central parts and near the Cascades.
Western Washington: Sunshine and patchy
clouds today; patchy fog in central parts in
the morning.
Eastern Washington: Low clouds and freez-
ing fog may break today; however, freezing
fog across the south.
Cascades: Plenty of sunshine, but cold to-
day. Frigid tonight. Plenty of sun tomorrow.
Northern California: Plenty of sunshine
today; frigid in the interior mountains. Clear
and cold tonight.
0
1
0
GOLDENDALE, Wash.
(AP) — A proposed energy
storage project in southwest
Washington is on hold after
federal regulators denied a
utility’s request to extend its
permit application.
The small Klickitat
County Public Utility
District wants to build a
1,200-megawatt off-stream
hydroelectric project near
the John Day Dam near
Goldendale.
The project would
pump water uphill to upper
reservoirs when there’s
surplus energy, including
when wind turbines are
cranking. Water would be
released through turbines
to a lower reservoir to
generate power during
peak demand or when
winds are calm.
The Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission
in December dismissed
the utility’s request for a
second permit extension
as well as a request for
a new permit the utility
had also ¿led, the Yakima
Herald-Republic reported.
Regulators also denied
a permit ¿led by a private
company, Portland-based
Clean Power Develop-
ment, which was set up by
one of the utility’s former
consultants.
The decision throws
the fate of the $2.5 billion
proposal into question.
The utility’s existing
preliminary permit, which
gives it exclusive right
to study and develop the
project, is now expired.
Brian Skeahan, the
utility’s project lead, says
the next step will be up
to the utility’s board and
+ydroChina, a major
Chinese
hydroelectric
company collaborating on
the project.
The East Oregonian works hard to be accurate and
sincerely regrets any errors. If you notice a mistake in
the paper, please call 541-966-0818.
&ODVVLÀHG$GYHUWLVLQJ
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Copyright © 2015, EO Media Group
TODAY
Legislature couldn’t scale
it back retroactively. It was
the second time in a decade
the court rejected legislative
efforts to curtail pension
bene¿ts already accrued.
7. Gun background
checks: Oregon legislators
approved a law requiring
background checks for
private gun transactions. The
law requires gun buyers and
sellers who aren’t related to
visit a licensed gun dealer
who can run a background
check. Republicans opposed
the measure, saying it would
burden gun owners who are
committed to following the
law without changing the
behavior of people willing to
break it.
8.
Oregon
Ducks
football: +eisman winner
Marcus Mariota led the
University of Oregon to the
¿rst College Football Playoff
national championship game,
but dreams of bringing a
national title back to Eugene
crumbled in a 42-20 loss to
Ohio State. The Ducks were
held to their lowest point
total of the season.
9. Port of Portland: Two
major shipping companies
stopped serving the Port of
Portland amid labor turmoil.
+anjin and +apag-Lloyd,
which represented more than
0 percent of container traf¿c
at the port, said their move
was based on low produc-
tivity. Businesses that relied
on the container terminal for
international shipping are
now paying more to send
their goods to out-of-state
ports via truck or rail.
10. Drilling protest:
Greenpeace
activists
rappelled off Portland’s St.
Johns Bridge this summer in
a dramatic attempt to stop a
Royal Dutch Shell icebreaker
from leaving the city to join an
Arctic drilling operation. The
vessel eventually threaded
its way past the dangling
demonstrators. But late in
September, Shell announced
it was ending further explo-
ration in the Chukchi and
Beaufort seas because of
disappointing results from an
exploratory well.
0
0
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. ©2016
-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: Much of the nation will be dry today. Snow will fall downwind of the
Great Lakes as rain extends from Texas to the Carolina coast. Areas of fog and freezing
drizzle will linger in the interior Northwest.
Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states)
High 86° in Naples, Fla.
Low -20° in Craig, 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
36
52
47
45
34
47
20
42
63
41
26
31
49
34
29
45
29
25
81
50
29
67
36
47
49
65
Lo
22
34
34
27
18
31
5
29
45
25
19
23
32
15
23
33
22
14
68
42
22
48
17
33
27
43
W
c
c
pc
pc
s
c
c
s
r
pc
pc
sf
c
s
sf
c
pc
s
pc
r
s
t
s
s
pc
s
Sat.
Hi
41
51
43
43
34
50
21
39
59
41
30
32
54
40
33
49
34
27
81
53
31
62
35
50
52
68
Lo
23
35
34
25
17
30
13
30
39
25
18
26
36
18
26
33
23
11
68
41
22
45
16
37
28
46
Today
W
c
pc
s
s
s
pc
c
s
c
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s
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pc
s
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c
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c
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pc
s
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
39
47
84
26
27
46
52
44
42
33
46
68
38
43
54
42
28
50
39
23
64
50
39
67
47
40
Lo
26
28
71
17
16
25
45
32
24
10
31
46
22
28
33
15
12
28
25
10
47
37
28
44
31
20
W
s
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pc
pc
pc
pc
r
pc
pc
s
pc
s
pc
s
c
s
pc
s
s
s
s
s
s
pc
pc
s
Sat.
Hi
41
50
82
28
27
49
55
42
46
31
41
71
35
40
51
42
35
50
39
30
65
52
39
68
44
43
Lo
26
29
70
18
16
26
45
31
24
11
31
48
26
29
31
11
22
33
25
19
49
43
28
44
30
20
Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain,
sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice.
W
s
s
c
s
s
s
c
s
s
s
s
s
s
s
s
s
s
pc
s
pc
s
pc
s
s
s
s
