Page 8A
OFF PAGE ONE
East Oregonian
TRAINS: Three unit trains oI Frude oil
pass through the Gorge every month
Continued from 1A
MerNley said he reali]es
the 1TSB is stretFhed thin,
Eut investigating oil train
derailments should not Ee
leIt up to disFretion. The
MOSIE5 AFt Zould inFrease
Iunding to the 1TSB to $10
million, Zith $2 million to
hire additional investigators
and inspeFtors.
8nion 3aFi¿F FonduFted
its oZn investigation into
the Mosier derailment,
and traFed the Fause oI the
aFFident EaFN to a Iailure oI
metal Iasteners NnoZn as lag
Eolts that FonneFt railroad
ties to the rail itselI. Justin
JaFoEs, a spoNesman Ior the
railroad, previously told the
East Oregonian they are
inFreasing the IreTuenFy and
intensity oI rail inspeFtions
to maNe sure it doesn’t
happen again.
But :yden said having
railroads investigate their
oZn aFFidents is liNe
“&olonel Sanders guarding
the FhiFNen Foop.”
“3eople are really looNing
Ior independent and thorough
investigations,” :yden said.
“1oZ, Ze’re strengthening
the investigative proFess
aIter an aFFident.”
In addition to Iederal
investigations, the MOSIER
AFt alloZs the )RA to plaFe
a moratorium on unit oil
trains iI it Ieels there are
unsaIe Fonditions that need
to Ee ForreFted. The Eill
also reTuires the SeFretary
oI
Transportation
and
Department oI Energy to set
a standard and reduFe the
amount oI volatile gases in
Frude oil Zithin nine months.
The train that derailed near
Mosier Zas Farrying BaNNen
Frude oil, ZhiFh is highly
volatile due to the amount oI
natural gas it Fontains.
JaFoEs said 83 hasn’t had
a FhanFe to looN at the Eill
yet, and Fouldn’t Fomment
speFi¿Fally on the legislation.
But in an earlier intervieZ,
he said the railroad is adding
a third rail inspeFtion every
ZeeN through the &olumEia
River *orge, along Zith an
additional three “enhanFed”
high rail inspeFtions per
ZeeN.
In a preliminary report,
the )RA indiFated 83 is at
Iault Ior the derailment sinFe
it Iailed to maintain its traFN
eTuipment. The railroad
does operate main lines that
also run through doZntoZn
3endleton and along the
&olumEia River Irom +erm-
iston’s +inNle <ard.
JaFoEs deIended 83’s
saIety reFord, and added
that only three unit trains oI
Frude oil pass through the
Gorge every month. Overall,
Frude oil maNes up less than
1 perFent oI Fommodities
shipped through the region,
he said.
At the end oI the day,
JaFoEs said the goal is to
eliminate derailments and
they Zill Fontinue to strive
toZard that marN.
“SaIety is a top priority
Ior us,” he said. “In order to
Ee saIer, Ze need to do these
things.”
:yden and MerNley,
along Zith 12 other
laZmaNers, have also signed
on to the +a]ardous Mate-
rials Rail Transportation
SaIety Improvement AFt oI
201. That Eill estaElishes
a Iee on older, outdated
tanNer Fars in order to get
them oII the traFNs Iaster.
Money FolleFted Irom the
Iee Zould pay Ior Fleanup
Fosts stemming Irom rail-
road aFFidents, hiring rail
inspeFtors and training loFal
¿rst responders.
The MOSIER AFt Zould
Ee a Fompanion pieFe to that
legislation.
“BetZeen these tZo Eills,
I thinN Ze’re moving toZard
an approaFh that Zill solve
the real proElems,” :yden
said.
———
Contact George Plaven
at gplaven@eastoregonian.
com or 541-966-0825.
MARIJUANA: ReFreational pot sales ta[ed at 2 perFent
Continued from 1A
EaFN aFross the state line.
:hy are Ze maNing people
Friminals Zhen it’s legal"”
It’s the reason Lindsey is
starting a La Grande voter
initiative Ior the 1ovemEer
Eallot, oI ZhiFh she is
aZaiting revieZ Ey the Fity’s
attorney, that Zould alloZ
reFreational sales in the Fity.
She has to FolleFt over 00
signatures Irom registered
voters Ey Aug. 10, and she’s
organi]ing a signing and
eduFational event at the end
oI the month.
Lindsey hopes e[peri-
enFes in other Fities suFh as
+untington, aEout 0 miles
southeast oI La Grande,
shoZ the Iruits oI reFre-
ational sales.
In +untington, mediFal
mariMuana
dispensary
4209ille Eegan selling Ior
reFreational use in )eEruary.
:hen &huFN Guerri
Zas a Fity FounFilor Ior
Huntington,
he
voted
against alloZing reFreational
mariMuana sales during a
1ovemEer 201 meeting.
Despite his vote, the FounFil
approved the appliFation.
1oZ the mayor oI the
toZn oI 440, Guerri still isn’t
an advoFate Ior reFreational
use.
“I thinN the mediFal
aspeFt has some validity,
and it looNs liNe it has some
issues Zhere it helps,” he
said. “But I’m not a Ian oI
reFreational.”
He is a Ian, hoZever,
oI more revenue Ior his
toZn. :ith the suFFess oI
4209ille, his stanFe, Zhile
not Fompletely sZinging 10
degrees, has soItened.
“LoFal Eusinesses have
Eene¿ted,” Guerri said. “The
restaurant has inFreased
Eusiness, the FonvenienFe
and the Iuel — they don’t
give me perFentages, Eut
most Eusinesses in toZn
have reFeived some Eene¿t.”
And that’s EeIore getting
into potential ta[ revenue
Ior Huntington. Oregon laZ
stipulates that reFreational
mariMuana sales Ee ta[ed
at 2 perFent. The ta[ on
reFreational pot eventually
Zill Ee replaFed Zith a levy
ranging Irom 1 perFent to
20 perFent, onFe the Oregon
LiTuor &ontrol &ommission
Eegins regulating reFre-
ational mariMuana sales later
this year. The Legislature set
the Ease ta[ rate at 1 perFent,
Eut Fities and Founties Fan
adopt ordinanFes that add up
to an additional perFent.
Huntington Fity reForder
TraFy MF&ue said the Fity
still has to have a resolution
on the 1ovemEer Eallot Ior
voter approval, so it hasn’t
FolleFted any ta[ revenue
yet.
To Eetter inIorm voters,
MF&ue reFently reTuested
some ¿gures on Zhat the
Fity Zould have gained Irom
4209ille sinFe reFreational
sales Eegan in mid-)eEruary.
“)rom )eE. 1 to May 1,
iI Ze Zere draZing it in, Ze
Zould’ve FolleFted $,000 on
that perFent,” MF&ue said,
adding that’s very signi¿Fant
Ior a toZn Huntington’s si]e.
SFott MattheZs, the
oZner oI 4209ille, did
stipulate that a great deal oI
his Eusiness is mediFal. But
regarding reFreational pot,
he said, sales have inFreased
suEstantially every month.
“Our proMeFted numEers
are getting EloZn out oI the
Zater. :e see some )ridays
and Saturdays Zhere 00
people Fome through here,”
MattheZs said. “:e’re proE-
aEly averaging 10 to 200
people every day.”
During the roughly halI-
year reFreational sales have
Eeen alloZed, MattheZs said,
he’s hired tZo loFal residents
as Iull-time ZorNers, Zith
a Fouple others doing odd
MoEs and part-time ZorN
Ior 4209ille. Other than a
parNing issue Zith a neigh-
Eoring landoZner, there have
not Eeen any proElems in the
toZn, MF&ue, Guerri and
MattheZs eaFh said.
MF&ue said she Zasn’t
a “pro vote” EeIore, Eut
she has, along Zith Guerri,
modi¿ed her outlooN.
“I don’t thinN anyEody
NneZ Zhat to e[peFt,”
MF&ue said. “1oZ, Ze’re
hearing aEout the potential
revenue, and it’s liNe, µ:oZ.’
Some residents are a little
more open noZ.”
WORLD BRIEFLY
Chinese businessman gets nearly
four years in U.S. hacking case
LOS A1GELES A3 — A &hinese Eusinessman
Zas sentenFed to nearly Iour years in prison :ednesday
Ior Fonspiring to e[port sensitive military inIormation
to &hina aIter aFFessing the Fomputer systems oI 8.S.
deIense FontraFtors, inFluding Boeing.
Su Bin Zas sentenFed to 46 months in prison in Iederal
Fourt in Los Angeles. He had IaFed 0 years in prison
EeIore reaFhing a plea agreement Zith proseFutors in
MarFh. His attorneys Zere reTuesting tZo and a halI years.
The 1-year-old Bin admitted to Fonspiring Zith
tZo unnamed haFNers in &hina to e[port 8.S. military
inIormation to the Fommunist nation EetZeen 200 and
2014, aFFording to Bin’s plea agreement.
The men targeted ¿ghter Mets suFh as the )-22 and the
)-, as Zell as Boeing’s &-1 military Fargo airFraIt
program, aFFording to Fourt reFords.
Su, desFriEed Ey proseFutors as a &hina-Eased
Eusinessman in the aviation and aerospaFe ¿elds, Zas
arrested in British &olumEia, &anada, in July 2014 and
Erought to the 8.S. in )eEruary.
As part oI the FonspiraFy, proseFutors say Su Zould
email the haFNers in &hina e[plaining Zhat people,
Fompanies and teFhnology to target. OnFe data Zas stolen,
proseFutors say Su Zould translate it Irom English to
&hinese, and email the value oI the inIormation to those
Zho Eene¿ted Irom its theIt.
A report Ey the 8.S.-&hina EFonomiF and SeFurity
RevieZ &ommission last year Iound that &hina’s
inFreasing use oI FyEer espionage has already Fost 8.S.
Fompanies tens oI Eillions oI dollars in lost sales and
e[penses in repairing the damage Irom haFNing. In
many Fases, the report Ey the Iederal Fommission says
stolen trade seFrets have Eeen turned over to &hinese
government-oZned Fompanies.
Obama: Still far from solving
police, community issues
:ASHI1GTO1 A3 — AmeriFa is “not even Flose” to
Zhere it needs to Ee in terms oI resolving issues EetZeen
poliFe and the Fommunities they serve, 3resident BaraFN
OEama said aIter FonFluding a more than three-hour
meeting :ednesday Zith Fommunity aFtivists, politiFians
and laZ enIorFement oI¿Fials.
OEama e[pressed optimism, hoZever, and said the
partiFipants — Zho inFluded memEers oI the BlaFN Lives
Matter movement — agreed suFh Fonversations need to
Fontinue despite emotions running raZ.
OEama has devoted his attention this ZeeN to the gun
violenFe direFted at poliFe oI¿Fers as Zell as shootings
Ey poliFe. The IoFus Fomes a IeZ days aIter a ElaFN Army
veteran Nilled ¿ve poliFe oI¿Fers in revenge Ior poliFe
shooting ElaFN men in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and the
Minneapolis suEurEs.
On Tuesday, OEama attended a memorial serviFe Ior the
¿ve slain Dallas oI¿Fers and Falled the Iamilies oI Alton
Sterling in Louisiana and 3hilando &astile in Minnesota to
oIIer FondolenFes. He said he Zanted AmeriFans to have
an open heart so that they Fan learn to looN at the Zorld
through eaFh other’s eyes, and :ednesday’s meeting
IolloZed that theme.
OEama said it Zould Ee Ney to repeat the “Nind oI
respeFtIul Fonversations Ze’ve had here” aFross the
Fountry.
Still no explanation for Dallas
gunman’s honorable discharge
DALLAS A3 — Almost a ZeeN aIter the Dallas
sniper attaFNs, it’s still unFlear hoZ the gunman oEtained
an honoraEle disFharge Irom the military even though
Army oI¿Fials sent him home Irom AIghanistan Zith
a reFommendation that he Ee throZn out oI the armed
IorFes.
An attorney appointed Ey the military to represent
MiFah Johnson in a se[ual harassment Fase speFulated
last ZeeN that Johnson’s Eehavioral reFord Fould Ee more
serious. The attorney says he’s noZ under striFt orders not
to disFuss the matter Zith reporters.
Johnson, 2, served in the Army Reserve Ior si[ years
EeIore the July sniper attaFN, ZhiFh Nilled ¿ve Dallas
poliFe oI¿Fers.
“:e are revieZing all oI his reFords,” Army spoNesman
&ol. 3atriFN SeiEer said :ednesday. He Zould not
elaEorate or disFuss any aspeFt oI the revieZ.
Johnson’s laZyer said he had prepared doFuments Ior
a more severe other-than-honoraEle e[it almost tZo years
ago.
Thursday, July 14, 2016
TRCI: 0ediFal treatment
oI state inmates Fosts
more than $100M per year
Continued from 1A
inmates in prison longer.
“In general our popu-
lation is aging, and that’s
de¿nitely a FonFern Ior
the 'epartment oI &orreF-
tions,” she said.
Iles said the preYalenFe
oI longterm suEstanFe
aEuse issues among inmates
means they oIten Fome to
T5&I Zith health proElems
aEoYe and Eeyond those
assoFiated Zith natural
aging. T5&I also has the
state ForreFtional system’s
only dialysis unit, draZing
inmates Zith Nidney Iailure
to the prison, inFluding one
Furrently on death roZ.
“These guys that Fome
in to us, sometimes they
have some serious issues,”
Iles said. “They’re not
alZays in the healthiest
Fondition.”
6o Iar in 2016 there
have Eeen 11 inmate deaths
at TZo 5ivers. Iles said
that’s more than usual Ior
the prison, Eut Iour Zere
hospiFe patients and several
others had serious health
proElems.
%y laZ, the state must
provide mediFal treatment
Ior all oI its more than
14,00 inmates, at a Fost oI
more than $100 million per
year. Inmates are treated
Ey on-site nurses, doFtors,
dentists and mental health
proIessionals.
:hen
needed, they are also trans-
ported to loFal hospitals Ior
surgery and other advanFed
Fare.
Iles said Eeing a nurse
in a prison isn’t easy. All
prison employees IaFe
stresses — one reason
ForreFtional oI¿Fers have
an average liIe e[peFtanFy
oI Must years.
“They have to Ee in a
Fonstant state oI alertness
and aZareness, and it’s not
easy to rela[ sometimes
aIter they go home,” she
said.
As a result, the Depart-
ment oI &orreFtions has
reFently Eegun maNing the
mental and physiFal health
oI employees a top priority,
Iles said, inFluding oIIering
mindIulness Flasses to
prison staII to help them
praFtiFe healthy Foping
meFhanisms.
As Ior the numEer oI
nurses needed at T5&I, Iles
said ¿ve employees Tuit
reFently and one Zas ¿red.
6he deFlined to disFuss the
personnel issues Iurther.
The Oregon State Board
oI 1ursing’s reFords shoZ
¿ve nurses in 8matilla
&ounty IaFed Eoard disFi-
pline during the past year
Eut does not speFiIy Zhere
the nurses ZorNed.
A
report
released
in April Ey the Iederal
+ealth 5esourFes and
ServiFes Administration
prediFts Oregon Zill have
a shortage oI 6,000 nurses
Ey 202. AEout one third
oI the state’s nurses are
e[peFted to retire in the
ne[t 10 years.
———
Contact Jade McDowell
at jmcdowell@eastorego-
nian.com or 541-564-4536
PENDLETON: Identi¿ed
$2.M in pipe replaFement
needed in ne[t ¿ve years
Continued from 1A
you’re underneath the radar
sFreen and you get sNipped
over liNe yesterday’s
lunFh,” &halmers said.
The Fity’s other Iunding
option is implementing
system
development
Fharges, ZhiFh Zould
Fharge developers an
up-Iront Iee Eased on the
development’s impaFt on
utilities.
“:hat I’ve overZhelm-
ingly heard is that Ze don’t
Zant to stiÀe Eusiness Ey
implementing those Iees,”
&orEett said.
In an intervieZ aIter
the meeting, 3atterson
said loZ interest rates
Fould inFrease the Fity’s
EorroZing FapaFity.
The Fity proMeFted a
perFent interest rate over
20 years, Eut 3atterson said
the state’s interest rates are
Furrently EetZeen 2 and
perFent. That means the
Fity Fould EorroZ up to
$2. million, instead oI
the planned $1. million.
3atterson said the Fity’s
utility master plan identi-
¿ed $2. million in Zater
and seZer pipe replaFement
needs in the ne[t ¿ve years.
The rest Fould Ee used
Ior other Zater and seZer
proMeFts, liNe the industrial
parN utility e[pansion.
———
Contact Antonio Sierra
at asierra@eastoregonian.
com or 541-966-0836.
Breast Cancer Care Specialist ... 541-278-3224
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Cardiopulmonary Services ......... 541-278-8284
Family Clinic
OPEN Weekends!
Walk-Ins Welcome
Appointments Preferred
Hours
8am - 7pm • Mon - Thurs
8am - 6pm • Fri
10am - 6pm • Sat - Sun
541-966-0535
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Located in the hospital medical offi ce building
Diabetes Education ..................... 541-278-3239
Education ..................................... 541-278-2627
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