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East Oregonian
WAGE: Higher minimums
could affect eligibility for
assistance programs
Continued from 1A
$13.50. It’s all phased in.”
Immediately
boosting
Oregon’s minimum wage
to $15 an hour could cost
the state in excess of $140
million next biennium,
according to the analysis.
The estimate excludes
costs to local governments
and any indirect costs
such as higher paid public
employees who might seek a
corresponding raise.
Costs to K-12 education
would be around $52
million. Pay for certain
classi¿ed public employees
such as entry-level assistants
and custodians would cost
$4.8 million. Universities
estimate their costs would
be on order of $75 million in
the next biennium. The cost
would be between $5.25
million and $9 million for
community colleges, under
the governor’s previous
plan.
+igher education of¿cials
“point out that, in general, an
increase in wages for student
workers is likely to reduce
other assistance the students
receive, including federal
aid,” the ¿scal of¿ce report
stated.
The higher minimums
also could affect workers’
eligibility for state assis-
tance such as the Oregon
Health Plan, food assistance
program, school lunch
programs,
subsidized
preschool, and student ¿nan-
cial aid.
It’s unclear how much a
$15 minimum would cost
local governments, including
school districts. Oregon
Employment
Department
data suggests an increase to
$13.50 could cost about $50
million more per biennium
for local governments,
according to the legislative
¿scal of¿ce.
Linn County commis-
sioners conducted their
own estimate in which they
forecast Brown’s previous
minimum wage proposal
could cost local governments
$450 to $500 million dollars
a year.
The commissioners wrote
in a letter to Brown that they
believe the former proposal
was “¿nancially irrespon-
sible” and an unfunded
mandate.
NEWTON: At this point,
Terpening is not a suspect
Tuesday.
The American Psycho-
is a tool police can use to logical Association, National
verify
statements
Academy
of
and facts, and the
Sciences and other
sheriff’s of¿ce relies
organizations and
on an Oregon State
scientists
reject
Police detective out
the
polygraph
of Ontario to conduct
as a lie detector.
the exams. They take
According to APA’s
at least a couple of
2004 ¿ndings, “An
hours, Rowan said,
underlying problem
depending on how
is theoretical: There
involved they are. Terpening
is no evidence that
He said he might
any pattern of phys-
be able to talk about the iological reactions is unique
results of Terpening’s test on to deception.”
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
Alphabet comes before Apple as
world’s most valuable company
By MICHAEL LIEDTKE
AP Technology Writer
SAN
FRANCISCO
— Alphabet now comes
before Apple atop the list of
the world’s most valuable
companies.
The shift occurred in
Monday’s extended trading
after Alphabet, Google’s new
parent company, released a
fourth-quarter earnings report
that highlighted the robust
growth of the digital ad
market. Apple Inc.’s iPhone,
meanwhile, is suffering
its ¿rst downturn since it
debuted eight years ago.
Alphabet Inc. earned $4.9
billion on revenue of $21.3
billion in the fourth quarter.
If not for employee stock
expenses and certain other
items, Alphabet said it would
have earned $8.67 per share.
That ¿gure easily topped the
average estimate of $8.10
per share among analysts
surveyed by FactSet.
The report provided the
most detailed breakdown
yet on the pro¿ts pouring
in from Google’s dominant
search engine and ad
network. (Google reorga-
nized itself under Alphabet
last October.) Investors
pushed up Alphabet stock
$35.73, or 4.6 percent, to
$806.50 in extended trading.
Based on that after-hours
AP Photo/Mark Lennihan
Electronic screens post prices of Alphabet, Twitter
and Facebook stock, Monday at the Nasdaq Market-
Site in New York. Alphabet, the parent company of
Google, reports quarterly earnings Monday.
bump, Alphabet’s market
value stood at $555 billion
while Apple’s was at $533
billion, based on the most
recent regulatory ¿lings
showing the company’s
outstanding shares. The
rankings could quickly
change again in regular
trading Tuesday.
Apple’s stock has been
sliding amid concerns over
slowing iPhone sales. Mean-
while, Alphabet’s stock has
surged by 45 percent since the
end of 2014 when it was still
trading under Google’s name.
The
fourth-quarter
report marks the ¿rst time
Alphabet has spelled out the
costs of running still-exper-
imental businesses that are
trying to do everything from
eliminating human drivers
to curing cancer.
Until now, Google
chose to hide the expense
of running those peripheral
operations in its ¿nancial
statement. The company’s
opaque accounting made it
dif¿cult to know just how
much pro¿t Google reaped
from its primary business
— selling digital ads next
to everything from search
results to YouTube videos.
In the fourth quarter,
Google produced an oper-
ating pro¿t of $6.8 billion
on revenue of $17.1 billion,
after subtracting ad commis-
sions. That translates into a
whopping pro¿t margin of
40 percent. Apple registered
an operating pro¿t margin
of 32 percent in its most
recent quarter.
Meanwhile, Alphabet’s
other companies together
produced an operating loss
of $1.2 billion on revenue of
just $151 million. Alphabet
labels that category “other
bets.” For the full year,
Alphabet’s other companies
lost $3.6 billion on revenue
of $448 million.
The
optimism
surrounding Alphabet stems
in part from hopes that the
company is developing
more ¿nancial discipline as
it discloses more earnings
details. Google had become
known for its free-spending
habits and reluctance to share
information with analysts.
The change in sentiment
coincided with Google’s
hiring of a new chief ¿nan-
cial of¿cer, Ruth Porat, last
May. Porat, a Wall Street
veteran, has consistently
signaled her intent to rein in
spending.
Under the previous setup
at Google, “things had
always been a little muddy,”
said Edward Jones analyst
Josh Olson. “The hope now
is that management will
continue to show greater
cost discipline.”
Continued from 1A
STANDOFF: Four people
still holding out at refuge
Continued from 1A
40, presents a danger to the
community and he might
fail to return for future court
proceedings. Beckerman said
Bundy repeatedly ignored
federal demands to leave the
Malheur National Wildlife
Refuge and she had little
con¿dence he would comply
with orders to show up in
court.
U.S. District Court Judge
Michael W. Mosman is
expected to consider the
matter Tuesday, when he also
weighs the government’s
challenge to the potential
release of another member
of the armed group, Joseph
O’Shaughnessy.
Bundy and O’Shaugh-
nessy are among 11 people
arrested in connection with
the standoff that began Jan.
2, when the group called
federal land restrictions
burdensome and demanded
the government turn over
public lands to local control.
Only one, Shawna Cox, has
left jail.
Bundy was arrested Jan.
26 during a traf¿c stop,
where police shot and killed
Arizona rancher Robert
“LaVoy” Finicum during a
confrontation.
Since his arrest, Bundy
has repeatedly urged the
four people remaining at
the refuge to go home. The
holdouts include David Fry,
who has posted updates
to the YouTube channel
“DefendYourBase,” which
the group has used frequently
to release information.
Fry has said the four want
assurances they won’t be
arrested and demand pardons
for everyone involved. No
video has been posted since
Sunday.
Bundy’s attorney has said
Bundy didn’t recognize Fry’s
name and that he wasn’t a
core member of the group.
The other holdouts are Jeff
Banta and married couple
Sandy Anderson and Sean
Anderson.
Those arrested face a
felony conspiracy charge of
using intimidation to prevent
federal employees from their
work at the refuge.
Bundy told the judge
Friday that he loves the
United States and believes
government
plays
an
important role, particularly
in providing national secu-
rity. He said he respected
the judge’s authority and
would be back for all court
proceedings.
Beckerman said Bundy
and other occupiers made
threatening comments during
the standoff, and she was
concerned he might take over
another government building
if released.
She ruled that Cox could
leave jail — with GPS moni-
toring — but only after the
remaining occupiers leave
the refuge. Cox’s public
defender, Tiffany Harris,
opposed that stipulation,
and the Utah woman was
released from jail shortly
before midnight Friday.
The judge said O’Shaugh-
nessy also could go home
pending trial. Federal prose-
cutors objected, and he will
stay in jail until Tuesday’s
hearing.
O’Shaughnessy’s public
defender, Amy Baggio, said
her client wasn’t a key ¿gure
in the occupation and did not
spend his nights at the refuge.
Baggio said he went to the
standoff only as a witness
in case the authorities used
force.
HOUK: Was elected as mayor of Pendleton in 2004
Continued from 1A
¿rst election cycle that
Houk, 57, won’t appear on a
ballot since the early 1980s.
While his ¿rst attempt
as a 22-year-old fell short,
Houk entered local politics
by winning a seat on the
BMCC Board of Education,
a position he would hold
until 2005.
Houk was elected to the
Pendleton City Council
in 1994 and as mayor in
2004, coming in second
in a three-way race in the
primary before winning in
the ensuing runoff election.
He ran unopposed in 2008
and 2012.
Houk is the latest council
incumbent to decide against
seeking
another
term,
ensuring 2017 will feature
several new faces.
Former City Councilor
Jane Hill resigned in January
to take a job with the
Confederated Tribes of the
Umatilla Indian Reservation.
Since then, Councilor Chuck
Wood decided against a
reelection campaign while
councilors Becky Marks and
Tom Young have previously
said they’re undecided.
Additionally,
a
committee called Pendleton
Citizens United has orga-
nized to recall Councilor
Al Plute, whose term runs
through 2018.
Houk hasn’t talked with
anyone who is interested
in replacing him as mayor,
a position he said scares
off interested candidates
because of the time commit-
ment.
As of Monday morning,
City Recorder Andrea
Denton said no one has
¿led for mayor. The ¿ling
deadline for the May 17
municipal election is March
8.
Houk plans to work for
Union Paci¿c for another
¿ve years and is unsure if
he’ll resurrect his political
career after he retires,
although he didn’t rule it
out.
———
Contact Antonio Sierra
at asierra@eastoregonian.
com or 541-966-0836.
RAIN: Mountain snow should stick around through end of Feb.
Continued from 1A
Northwest.
Forecasts call for mild
weather in the coming
months, Hull said, with the
majority of storms tracking
south into California.
“On the whole, it looks
like it’s going to be a
drier-than-normal
period
the next three months,” he
said. “Of course, up in the
mountains, it can be quite a
bit different.”
Hull said mountain snow
should stick around above
5,000 feet through the end of
February, which would help
keep irrigators and ¿sh runs
from running out of water
too early in the season.
Last year, some irrigation
districts were forced to shut
off their pumps early as
low river Àows raised the
“We’re having an average year, which we haven’t seen
for three years. From that standpoint, it’s good. But we
have a fairly large deicit to make up.”
— Don Wysocki, Oregon State University Extension Service
water temperature enough
to kill migrating salmon and
steelhead.
The region’s snowpack is
faring much better in 2016
than it was at the start of
February 2015, including
143 percent of average in
the John Day Basin versus
65 percent; 154 percent in
the Harney Basin versus 79
percent; and 116 percent in
the Grande Ronde, Powder,
Burnt and Imnaha river
basins versus 70 percent.
Greg Silbernagel, district
watermaster in Pendleton,
said McKay and Cold
Springs reservoirs typically
begin ¿lling up between
March and May. Last year
was an anomaly, he said,
with snowmelt in February.
Silbernagel said he’s
more optimistic about
conditions for this year,
though it’s still too early to
know for sure. His district
includes the Westland,
Hermiston, Stan¿eld and
West Extension irrigation
districts, and 136,324 acres
of irrigated agriculture in
Umatilla County.
“We like seeing water for
the irrigators, and for envi-
ronmental reasons as well,”
he said. “If this weather
pattern continues, I think
we’ll be very happy.”
As for dryland wheat,
Don Wysocki with Oregon
State University Extension
Service said he welcomes an
average year, but there’s still
a long way to go to recoup
subsoil moisture.
“We’re having an average
year, which we haven’t seen
for three years. From that
standpoint, it’s good,” he
said. “But we have a fairly
large de¿cit to make up.”
———
Contact George Plaven
at gplaven@eastoregonian.
com or 541-966-0825.
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