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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (May 14, 2016)
NORTHWEST East Oregonian Page 2A BRIEFLY ‘Motor voter’ law a success, with a hitch for brand new voters irst time out is the way we’re going to get the most partic- ipation out of them,” she said. “The closed primary may not be the best example of when this will have a very big impact ... the real proof of the pudding will come in November.” California, Vermont and West Virginia recently adopted similar laws, while it’s being considered in another two dozen or so other states. That puts Oregon’s implementation under a national microscope, said Jim Moore, a political science professor at Paciic University in Forest Grove, Oregon, west of Portland. What’s happened so far suggests the irst wrinkle in fulilling the law’s promise of knocking down outdated barriers to voting, Moore said. It’s also possible, he said, that some of the “motor voter” registrants are indif- ferent to politics, which was expected. “They’ve in effect denied a choice to these newly registered, passively registered voters,” he said. “It takes a bit just to actually get someone to register to vote, much less register for a party and then vote. And so it shows at this very lowest level, these passive registrants, they are less engaged than the rest of the electorate.” Aside from automatic registration, Oregon’s presidential primary has seen unprecedented enthu- siasm. A separate group of roughly 145,000 Oregonians switched to Democrat or By KRISTENA HANSEN Associated Press Oregon’s landmark new automatic voter registration system added nearly 52,000 voters in just four months this year, more than double what the state has normally seen for an entire year. That sounds impressive, but there’s a hitch. The so-called “motor voter” law — a irst in the nation widely hailed as a way to boost voter participation — hasn’t made it much easier to participate in the closed primary on Tuesday. Unlike the November general election when all voters can participate, the presidential primary in Oregon and some other states is restricted only to voters who are registered as Republican or Democrat. Under the new law, Oregonians 18 and up are automatically registered to vote while renewing or applying for a driver’s license or state ID card, but they can’t pick a party at that time. Instead, they’re registered by default as nonafiliated, and a few days later they can choose a party or opt out on a form sent by mail. Most people, however, don’t return their forms. As a result, three-quarters of the motor voter registrants are unable to vote for a pres- idential candidate Tuesday. Oregon Secretary of State Jeanne Atkins, whose agency is handling the law’s rollout, defended the new system. “I certainly won’t argue that closed primary elections Recall petition iled against top Harney County oficial Republican or signed up with those parties when they registered to vote. For those who registered through motor voter, only 13,000 took that same initia- tive. California, which is rolling out its motor-voter program next year, will allow people the option of registering to vote and also afiliate with a party on driver’s license applications at the motor vehicle depart- ment. Party afiliation won’t be an issue in Vermont, where primaries are open to all registered voters. Atkins said it’s worth discussing whether Oregon should change its approach. “We’re talking about a data-collection change at the department of motor vehicles that isn’t part of their mission — I won’t speak for that agency,” she said. “I’m sure legislators will ask about that and we’ll be happy to have the conver- sation.” Jonathan Brater, counsel for the Brennan Center for Justice’s Democracy program at New York University School of Law, said the Oregon data show how critical party afiliations will be for other states to consider. “As the law is continuing to be implemented, this is something that will continue to be important to keep an eye on,” Brater said. “But I’d also say that, looking at the big picture ... as these additions accumulate over time and over multiple elections cycles, the civic culture in Oregon overall is only going to get better.” To subscribe, call 1-800-522-0255 or go online to www.eastoregonian.com and click on ‘Subscribe’ East Oregonian (USPS 164-980) is published daily except Sunday, Monday and Dec. 25, by the EO Media Group, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801. Periodicals postage paid at Pendleton, OR. Postmaster: send address changes to East Oregonian, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801. SEATTLE (AP) — Drinking water tests in Bellevue schools have found unsafe levels of lead in the water from at least one ixture or fountain in almost every building in the wealthy suburban district where nearly every building is relatively new. School oficials are working on replacing or repairing the troubled ixtures which tested positive for lead above the actionable level set by the Environmental Protection Agency, the district told The Associated Press Friday. Thirteen of the district’s 16 elementary schools had at least one ixture that tested positive for lead above 15 parts per billion, according to district spokeswoman Christina Madden. All the district’s middle schools and high schools had at least one drinking water ixture that tested above the EPA level. District spokeswoman Elizabeth Sytman said none of the schools have shut down water fountains because the ixtures are being ixed as soon as the trouble is identiied. Testing is ongoing, she said, and added that some tests that found lead happened before this month. The AP asked every school district in the state if they test drinking water for lead. Of the more than half that responded to the request, about 60 percent said they test. Of those, nearly 20 percent have found lead in at least one ixture during the past decade or so. Most made immediate repairs. Some districts said they do not test because all their buildings are relatively new and they didn’t think the pipes or ixtures could leach lead into the drinking water. There is no state or federal law that requires schools to test the water inside their buildings for lead. Bellevue has rebuilt most of its school buildings in the years since 2003. YAKIMA, Wash. (AP) — State investigators are looking into the access of Yakima County computers by County Clerk Janelle Riddle’s private attorney. According to the state Administrative Ofice of the Courts, Riddle allowed her attorney Joseph Thomas into the courthouse after normal business hours on March 19 despite county commissioners telling her not to, The Yakima Herald-Re- public reported. Commissioners have authority over access to the courthouse. Surveillance video from that day shows a deputy clerk logging onto a county computer and letting Thomas take over the keyboard. Such computers house public documents as well as conidential informa- tion about child custody cases, victims and other protected information. County oficials launched their own investigation into the matter due to concerns over what Thomas viewed. On Thursday the Administrative Ofice of the Courts agreed to Presiding Superior Court Judge David Elofson’s request to investigate the matter. Riddle hired Thomas after county commissioners assembled a panel to look into concerns about how the clerk’s ofice 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. Classiied & Legal Advertising 1-800-962-2819 or 541-278-2678 classiieds@eastoregonian.com or legals@eastoregonian.com ADVERTISING Advertising Director: Jennine Perkinson 541-278-2683 • jperkinson@eastoregonian.com NEWS • To submit news tips and press releases: • call 541-966-0818 • fax 541-276-8314 • email news@eastoregonian.com • To submit community events, calendar items and Your EO News: email community@eastoregonian.com or call Tammy Malgesini at 541-564-4539 or Renee Struthers in at 541-966-0818. • To submit engagements, weddings and anniversaries: email rstruthers@eastoregonian.com or visit www.eastoregonian. com/community/announcements • To submit a Letter to the Editor: mail to Managing Editor Daniel Wattenburger, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801 or email editor@eastoregonian.com. • To submit sports or outdoors information or tips: 541-966-0838 • sports@eastoregonian.com Multimedia Consultants • Jeanne Jewett 541-564-4531 • jjewett@eastoregonian.com • Terri Briggs 541-278-2678 • tbriggs@eastoregonian.com • Dayle Stinson 541-966-0806 • dstinson@eastoregonian.com • Stephanie Newsom 541-278-2687 • snewsom@eastoregonian.com • Audra Workman 541-564-4538 • aworkman@eastoregonian.com • Chris McClellan 541-966-0802 • cmcclellan@eastoregonian.com SUBSCRIPTION RATES Local home delivery Savings off cover price EZPay $14.50 41 percent 52 weeks $173.67 41 percent 26 weeks $91.86 38 percent 13 weeks $47.77 36 percent *EZ Pay = one-year rate with a monthly credit or debit card/check charge www.eastoregonian.com Lead found in the water at nearly every Bellevue school State probes computer use by Yakima clerk’s attorney Didn’t receive your paper? Call 1-800-522-0255 before noon Tuesday through Friday or before 10 a.m. Saturday for same-day redelivery 211 S.E. Byers Ave., Pendleton 541-276-2211 333 E. Main St., Hermiston 541-567-6211 Ofice hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed major holidays is being run. Thomas said he was only using the computer to get an understanding of clerk’s ofice operations. PORTLAND (AP) — A recall petition has been iled against a Harney County oficial who did not support the armed takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. Petitioners say they have gathered 566 signatures, more than enough to compel Judge Steve Grasty to resign or face a recall election. Though his title is judge, Grasty’s position is essentially chairman of the county commission. He tells The Oregonian he’s not going to resign. Ammon Bundy and others occupied the refuge this winter to protest the imprisonment of Dwight and Steven Hammond, two ranchers sent to prison for starting ires. They blame Grasty for not offering to protect the Hammonds from the federal government. The Oregon Secretary of State’s Ofice is working to verify the petition signatures. Subscriber services: For home delivery, vacation stops or delivery concerns: 1-800-522-0255 — Founded Oct. 16, 1875 — Saturday, May 14, 2016 Single copy price: $1 Tuesday through Friday, $1.50 Saturday COMMERCIAL PRINTING Production Manager: Mike Jensen 541-215-0824 • mjensen@eastoregonian.com Copyright © 2016, EO Media Group REGIONAL CITIES Forecast SUNDAY TODAY MONDAY A shower and t-storm around Cooler with spotty showers 67° 51° 60° 49° Warmer with a shower or two TUESDAY WEDNESDAY Partly sunny and beautiful Partly sunny PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 70° 45° 76° 51° 80° 47° HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 71° 53° 64° 50° PENDLETON through 3 p.m. yesterday TEMPERATURE HIGH LOW 80° 70° 96° (1931) 47° 46° 30° (1903) 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" 0.17" 0.49" 4.57" 4.19" 5.64" HERMISTON through 3 p.m. yesterday TEMPERATURE Yesterday Normals Records HIGH LOW 80° 72° 100° (1993) 44° 46° 33° (2004) 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" 0.59" 0.49" 3.57" 3.00" 4.51" SUN AND MOON Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today Full Last May 21 May 29 82° 52° 85° 51° Seattle 69/52 ALMANAC Yesterday Normals Records 76° 48° New 5:25 a.m. 8:19 p.m. 1:27 p.m. 2:17 a.m. First June 4 June 12 Today Spokane Wenatchee 70/50 74/54 Tacoma Moses 68/51 Lake Pullman Aberdeen Olympia Yakima 74/53 68/48 58/51 66/49 75/53 Longview Kennewick Walla Walla 62/51 64/51 Lewiston 71/55 Astoria 72/53 60/50 Portland Enterprise Hermiston 63/53 Pendleton 70/46 The Dalles 71/53 67/51 69/55 La Grande Salem 71/49 61/51 Albany Corvallis 60/51 61/51 John Day 71/45 Ontario Eugene Bend 81/52 62/51 63/40 Caldwell Burns 82/53 69/39 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 60 72 63 57 69 70 62 66 71 71 59 71 68 67 56 58 81 70 67 63 64 61 70 64 63 64 75 Lo 50 43 40 49 39 46 51 48 53 45 39 49 46 51 49 53 52 53 51 53 43 51 50 44 53 51 53 W sh t t sh c t sh t t t c t t c sh sh pc c t sh c sh pc t sh c c NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY Sun. Hi 62 56 59 61 59 52 62 59 64 57 60 56 54 69 56 61 68 66 60 63 60 62 62 52 62 59 68 Lo 49 42 42 49 40 43 48 46 50 46 37 46 44 51 49 50 48 48 49 53 41 50 48 43 52 50 48 Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day. W c c sh c c sh sh sh sh sh c sh sh c c c c c sh sh sh sh c sh sh sh c WORLD CITIES Today Beijing Hong Kong Jerusalem London Mexico City Moscow Paris Rome Seoul Sydney Tokyo Hi 56 86 89 57 79 63 57 65 78 76 75 Lo 52 78 73 40 54 44 39 57 57 55 57 W sh t s pc t s pc t pc s pc Sun. Hi 75 87 94 61 77 60 56 69 74 77 71 Lo 44 72 78 43 55 45 43 54 54 58 58 W pc pc pc c t pc sh t r s pc WINDS Medford 67/51 (in mph) Klamath Falls 59/39 Boardman Pendleton REGIONAL FORECAST Eastern Washington: Times of sun and clouds today; an afternoon shower in spots across the south. Cascades: Mostly cloudy and cooler today with a thunderstorm in spots. Showers tonight. Northern California: A shower in spots today, but a thunderstorm in spots in the interior mountains. Sunday W 6-12 WSW 8-16 UV INDEX TODAY Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows. Coastal Oregon: Mostly cloudy today with a couple of showers. Plenty of clouds tonight with showers. Eastern and Central Oregon: Cooler today with a couple of showers and a thunderstorm. Western Washington: Mostly cloudy today. A couple of showers; arriving in the afternoon in central parts. Today NNE 7-14 NNW 6-12 1 4 5 5 3 1 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: Gusty storms will develop and push eastward in the Northeast today. Rain and snow showers will affect the Upper Midwest with downpours and storms in the southern Plains. Rain will cool the Northwest. Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states) High 104° in Gila Bend, Ariz. Low 20° in Angel Fire, N.M. 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 80 81 67 72 56 79 81 71 88 61 51 55 73 65 55 88 79 55 83 85 52 90 58 96 72 73 Lo 57 52 48 46 40 51 52 50 60 41 36 39 59 43 37 67 54 35 71 66 37 60 40 70 53 59 W pc s t t pc s pc s s t pc sh t pc sh t s pc pc t c s s pc pc sh Sun. Hi 81 73 58 60 54 72 66 61 78 59 57 53 68 65 54 90 66 67 84 83 58 85 63 88 63 72 Lo 53 55 44 41 44 54 47 44 59 40 40 41 63 44 41 64 45 43 75 67 40 60 48 68 52 59 Today W t s pc pc sh pc pc pc s pc pc sh t t c c sh pc pc t pc s pc pc c sh Hi Louisville 59 Memphis 69 Miami 89 Milwaukee 51 Minneapolis 52 Nashville 67 New Orleans 87 New York City 72 Oklahoma City 62 Omaha 60 Philadelphia 76 Phoenix 100 Portland, ME 71 Providence 74 Raleigh 83 Rapid City 56 Reno 73 Sacramento 76 St. Louis 60 Salt Lake City 85 San Diego 70 San Francisco 68 Seattle 69 Tucson 97 Washington, DC 72 Wichita 60 Lo 44 51 74 36 35 43 67 48 49 39 48 72 48 48 49 33 44 53 42 62 62 55 52 66 48 47 W pc s t pc pc s s t sh s t s s t s pc pc pc s pc sh c c s t c Sun. Hi 64 67 89 55 63 68 85 60 60 66 60 93 60 61 67 57 69 82 68 68 69 66 63 93 60 60 Lo 46 54 75 42 46 47 70 44 48 45 44 68 40 42 45 40 47 54 51 50 63 53 51 60 43 46 Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice. W pc c s pc pc pc t pc r pc pc s sh pc s c t s pc c pc pc sh s pc r
