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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (March 26, 2016)
WEATHER East Oregonian Page 2A REGIONAL CITIES Forecast SUNDAY TODAY MONDAY Partly sunny and warmer Cooler with a couple of showers 61° 40° 54° 33° TUESDAY Clouds and showers around Partly sunny PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 50° 31° 55° 30° 55° 32° HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 58° 34° 63° 43° PENDLETON through 3 p.m. yesterday TEMPERATURE HIGH LOW 52° 57° 78° (1960) 40° 37° 12° (1913) 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 0.02" 1.46" 1.13" 3.83" 2.50" 3.68" HERMISTON through 3 p.m. yesterday LOW 55° 60° 77° (1960) 0.00" 1.21" 0.74" 2.70" 1.45" 3.01" SUN AND MOON Apr 7 Bend 55/34 6:46 a.m. 7:16 p.m. 10:35 p.m. 8:28 a.m. First Full Apr 13 Apr 21 Caldwell 57/38 Burns 52/35 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 55 51 55 55 52 51 55 58 63 56 57 54 51 60 54 57 56 63 61 59 57 57 52 53 56 60 63 Lo 42 31 34 45 35 30 43 38 43 43 37 37 36 45 44 46 37 40 40 45 34 44 36 35 44 42 39 W c s pc r pc s c pc pc pc pc s s c sh c s pc pc c pc c pc pc c s pc NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY Sun. Hi 52 49 45 52 49 45 53 51 58 50 48 49 45 55 51 54 56 60 54 53 47 54 49 46 51 55 59 Lo 40 25 23 40 27 27 37 30 34 32 26 30 29 37 41 41 33 33 33 41 25 38 30 28 39 36 32 Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day. W sh sh sn c c c sh c c c c c c c sh sh c pc sh sh r sh sh sh sh sh c WORLD CITIES Today Beijing Hong Kong Jerusalem London Mexico City Moscow Paris Rome Seoul Sydney Tokyo Hi 67 68 64 57 78 36 58 63 53 77 52 Lo 36 59 50 44 52 20 45 43 33 67 46 W s pc t r pc pc pc pc s pc pc Sun. Hi 71 69 59 52 77 36 54 62 55 78 53 Lo 33 59 43 44 56 20 46 51 34 66 46 W s s pc pc s s t pc s sh pc WINDS Medford 60/45 PRECIPITATION Mar 31 John Day 56/43 Ontario 56/37 43° 36° 15° (1996) 24 hours ending 3 p.m. Month to date Normal month to date Year to date Last year to date Normal year to date Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today Last New Albany 54/44 Eugene 55/43 TEMPERATURE Yesterday Normals Records 62° 30° Spokane Wenatchee 52/36 61/39 Tacoma Moses 60/41 Lake Pullman Aberdeen Olympia Yakima 60/38 51/36 53/44 58/42 63/39 Longview Kennewick Walla Walla 58/44 60/42 Lewiston 64/43 Astoria 57/39 55/42 Portland Enterprise Hermiston 59/45 Pendleton 51/30 The Dalles 63/43 61/40 63/43 La Grande Salem 54/37 57/44 Corvallis 55/44 HIGH 62° 34° Seattle 59/45 ALMANAC Yesterday Normals Records 56° 34° Today WEDNESDAY Mostly cloudy Saturday, March 26, 2016 Klamath Falls 57/37 (in mph) Today Sunday Boardman Pendleton VAR 3-6 S 4-8 WSW 10-20 WSW 10-20 UV INDEX TODAY Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows. REGIONAL FORECAST Coastal Oregon: Cloudy today; a shower; however, rain and drizzle in the south. Eastern Washington: Sun and some clouds today. Eastern and Central Oregon: Warmer today with clouds and sun; however, sunnier in the upper Treasure Valley. Western Washington: Increasing cloudiness in central parts today; a shower in spots elsewhere. Cascades: A shower or two today; a morning shower, then rain and drizzle in the south. Northern California: Times of clouds and sun at the coast today; mostly sunny elsewhere. 0 2 4 4 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 Didn’t receive your paper? &all 1--522-255 EeIore noon 7Xesday tKroXJK )riday or EeIore 1 a.m. SatXrday for same-day redelivery 211 S.E. Byers Ave., Pendleton 541-276-2211 333 E. Main St., Hermiston 541-567-6211 2I¿ Fe KoXrs Monday tKroXJK )riday, a.m. to 5 S.m. &losed maMor Kolidays www.eastoregonian.com E=Pay 52 ZeeNs 26 ZeeNs 13 ZeeNs E= Pay To subscribe, call 1-800-522-0255 or go online to www.eastoregonian.com and click on ‘Subscribe’ East 2reJonian (USPS 164-980) is SXElisKed daily e[FeSt SXnday, Monday and 'eF. 25, Ey tKe E2 Media *roXS, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, 25 71. PeriodiFals SostaJe Said at Pendleton, 25. Postmaster: send address FKanJes to East 2reJonian, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, 25 71. 0 8 a.m. 10 a.m. Noon 2 p.m. 4 p.m. 6 p.m. Subscriber services: For home delivery, vacation stops or delivery concerns: 1-800-522-0255 — Founded Oct. 16, 1875 — 2 SUBSCRIPTION RATES /oFal Kome delivery SavinJs off Fover SriFe 14.5 41 SerFent 173.67 41 SerFent 1.6 3 SerFent 47.77 36 SerFent one-year rate ZitK a montKly Fredit or deEit FardFKeFN FKarJe -10s -0s 0s showers t-storms 10s rain 20s flurries snow ice 50s 60s cold front 70s 80s 90s 100s 110s high warm front stationary front low Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states) High 90° in Thermal, Calif. Low -4° in Antigo, Wis. NATIONAL CITIES Today Hi 66 76 54 61 52 77 54 46 76 70 56 51 77 37 50 79 38 41 81 78 60 77 54 71 72 78 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 Lo 31 60 42 41 30 57 41 35 62 46 43 38 52 20 34 49 25 24 69 59 43 63 34 51 49 56 Sun. W pc s s s pc s s pc t s pc s s sn s s c pc sh pc s t r s s pc Hi 66 71 54 62 59 74 54 47 74 77 53 68 65 50 64 75 40 53 81 78 65 78 55 78 67 74 Lo 40 57 44 49 35 51 33 38 62 47 36 41 41 29 40 49 19 30 69 51 41 64 32 59 40 56 Today W s t pc pc s c c pc r pc sh c c s r s c s sh t r t r s t pc 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 68 72 86 48 48 74 76 54 71 47 61 86 46 52 61 42 63 74 66 48 72 67 59 84 63 58 Lo 47 53 76 40 35 48 67 40 39 29 43 59 31 33 51 19 40 51 44 34 58 56 45 52 46 35 Sun. W s s t pc r s c s pc r s s s pc sh pc s s pc pc pc s pc s s pc Hi 71 71 85 50 48 77 76 54 61 55 61 86 46 52 67 57 67 71 52 61 68 64 52 85 65 61 Lo 45 44 76 35 33 44 61 44 35 35 47 61 35 39 58 25 37 46 37 42 60 50 40 55 51 33 W c t t c pc t r pc sh pc pc s pc pc c s pc pc r c pc pc sh s pc r Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice. ADVERTISING Advertising Director: Jennine Perkinson 541-27-263 MSerkinson#eastoreJonian.Fom NEWS To submit news tips and press releases: Fall 541-66-1 fa[ 541-276-314 email neZs#eastoreJonian.Fom Multimedia consultants 7erri BriJJs 541-215-447 tEriJJs#eastoreJonian.Fom Jeanne JeZett 541-364-4531 MMeZett#eastoreJonian.Fom SteSKanie 1eZsom 541-27-267 sneZsom#eastoreJonian.Fom 'ayle Stinson 541-66-6 dstinson#eastoreJonian.Fom To submit community events, calendar items and Your EO News: email FommXnity#eastoreJonian.Fom or Fall 7ammy MalJesini in Hermiston at 541-564-453 or 5enee StrXtKers in Pendleton at 541-66-1. To submit engagements, weddings and anniversaries: email rstrXtKers#eastoreJonian.Fom or visit ZZZ.eastoreJonian. FomFommXnityannoXnFements To submit a Letter to the Editor: mail to ManaJinJ Editor 'aniel :attenEXrJer, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, 25 71 or email editor#eastoreJonian.Fom. &ODVVLÀHG$GYHUWLVLQJ 1--62-21 Flassi¿ eds#eastoreJonian.Fom To submit sports or outdoors information or tips: 541-66-3 sSorts#eastoreJonian.Fom COMMERCIAL PRINTING Production Manager: Mike Jensen 541-215-24 mMensen#eastoreJonian.Fom Real Estate Advertising: Jodi Snook 541-27-267 Msnook#eastoreJonian.Fom Copyright © 2016, EO Media Group 40s National Summary: Showers and storms will affect part of the Deep South as rain and wet snow dampens part of the Upper Midwest today. Snow will fall on the central and southern Rockies as showers approach western Oregon. Legal Advertising: Amanda JaFoEs 541-27-263 aMaFoEs#eastoreJonian.Fom Single copy price: 1 7Xesday tKroXJK )riday, 1.5 SatXrday 30s OHA contract ‘error’ pushes program $29M over budget By HILLARY BORRUD Capital Bureau SALEM — The Oregon Health Authority negotiated a faulty methodology to calculate payments to foster homes caring for adults with mental illnesses inÀ ating costs $29 million over budget and jeopardizing the program. Managers at OHA discovered the problem almost immediately after the inÀ ated payments began in January 2014, but it took two years for the state to rein in costs because the rate methodology was written into a contract with the union representing foster home operators. Reduced rates took effect in January, amid outcry from providers who said the reduction in pay would force some of them to close. Rather than paying rates based on the actual level of care needed, OHA paid rates on each client equal to the rates paid for patients in secure residential treatment facilities , which house people who require a higher level of services including some of the more serious cases of people found guilty except for insanity by the courts. As a result, the state paid the average home twice as much as before for the same level of services. It’s unclear how the rate structure was negotiated, and why its impact caught the state by surprise. Lynne Saxton, director of the Oregon Health Authority, attributed the payment increase to a “calculation error.” She told lawmakers Kitzhaber loses email block bid PORTLAND (AP) — The Oregon Supreme Court has denied former Gov. John Kitzhaber’s latest effort to stop an outside review of emails that were inadvertently archived by the state. Kitzhaber attorney Janet Hoffman wanted the high court to overturn a lower court ruling that an independent special master peruse the messages and decide which are relevant to the ongoing litigation between the state and Oracle over the failed Cover Oregon health care exchange. Adult foster home provider rates Oregon’s foster home program for adults with mental illnesses went over budget by $29 million, due to payment increases that Oregon Health Authority director Lynne Saxton described as a “calculation error.” A new rate methodology written into a union contract doubled the average payments to homes in 2014. The state scaled back payments this year. Average annual payment per provider, in dollars 268,589 *Projected $144,427 145,340 2011 2012 278,229 UP 92.6% from 2011 Source: Oregon Health Authority Hillary Borrud and Alan Kenaga/ EO Media Group 154,214 154,214 135,224 2013 2014 last month that “without the right-sizing of rates, the program can be in jeopardy as it’s unsustainable ¿ nan- cially.” Emails released by the Oregon Health Authority appear to support Saxton’s description of the 2014 rate hike as an error. A week after the new methodology took effect in January 2014, mid-level managers at the agency were already alarmed that adult foster home costs were beginning to skyrocket. “We need to address this!” Trevor Douglass, a Medicaid manager, wrote in a Jan. 10, 2014 email to another Medicaid manager, Don Ross. “You will see a trend of substantial increases,” Douglass wrote, referring to an attached document with 2015 2016* 2017* a sample of data on foster homes that were on track to receive larger payments. “That can’t avoid a budget impact. My hair is smol- dering, not on ¿ re.” Ross responded within minutes. “These are outrageous,” Ross wrote, referring to the foster homes’ rate increase requests. “How did we end up on a provider-driven meth- odology, with no ceiling, for January 2014?” Ross said the Oregon Health Authority should hit the brakes until the agency better understood what was happening. “The exposure built into this is kind of unprecedented during my time here,” Ross wrote. The state ultimately paid the higher rates while negotiating a new payment structure with the Service Employees International Union, which represents operators. A union represen- tative did not respond to a request for comment. The foster homes, which can each house up to ¿ ve residents, had gone from receiving an average of $135,000 from the state in 2013 before the rate change, to nearly $269,000 in 2014 . The state estimated that with 2016 revisions, adult foster homes will receive on average $154,000 this year. The payment reductions prompted foster home operators to criticize SEIU for agreeing to the new rate methodology. Foster home operators told lawmakers last month that the state should ¿ nd the money to pay them the higher rates that were in place for the last two years. April Gunter, an adult foster care provider in Washington County, was one of several industry members who warned lawmakers that homes would shut down unless the state returns to the higher rates. “You know that these people will be out on the streets,” Gunter said, refer- ring to adult foster home residents. “The bottom line is we have to ¿ nd a resolution for it, resolution meaning you guys have to ¿ nd the money somewhere to fund us ... ” Foster home operators told lawmakers that it takes a lot of work to care for their residents, and in at least one case the additional money in 2014 and 2015 allowed a provider to expand services “Inner Excellence” Elite Performance Seminar with How to Think & Train like a World Class Performer I feel so blessed and honored that I had the opportunity to work with you this week. What helped me the most at the retreat: the ability to define my purpose in life, learning to stay centered and drop my attachments. Mark van ‘t Loo, Market Director, YUM! Brands, KFC Seminar: $199 Tournament: $125 Both: $285 Jim Murphy April 16, 2016 at Wildhorse Resort & Casino Seminar: 8:00 am - 12:00 pm Golf Check-in at 12:35 pm Charity 18 Hole Golf Tournament $50,000 Hole-in-ONE Contest! 541-276-3369 100% of Proceeds from both events go to the Salvation Army’s H.O.P.E Youth Programs. e ar s d! t e e ck mit i T li by purchasing a new van to drive residents to community events. Although the new payment structure remains in place, the state is now bargaining with SEIU over an existing “exceptional needs rate,” which could allow some foster homes to receive more money from the state if the rate increases or it becomes easier for residents to qualify. The rate, which was already in the current and previous contracts, applies in temporary situations when residents require a higher level of care, such as when a resident who lives at a foster home due to severe persistent mental illness breaks his or her leg and temporarily requires additional assis- tance, Douglass said. According to Doug- lass, OHA returned to the bargaining table after SEIU ¿ led a grievance because the union and OHA did not bargain for a new exceptional needs rate during contract negotiations last year. Corrections 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. 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