NORTHWEST
East Oregonian
Page 2A
Thursday, October 20, 2016
Gas explosion rocks Portland
Eight people injured
PORTLAND (AP) — A
powerful natural gas explosion
rocked a busy Portland, Oregon,
shopping district Wednesday,
injuring eight people and
igniting a ire that sent a huge
plume of smoke over the heart
of the city.
Three ireighters, two police
oficers and three civilians
were hurt, and one of the
ireighters was still in surgery
late Wednesday for a broken
leg, ire Chief Mike Myers said
at a news conference. None
of the injuries appeared to be
life-threatening.
A building that housed a
bagel shop and a beauty salon
in the popular NW 23rd Street
shopping district was reduced to
rubble, and its smoldering roof
was splayed across the road.
The windows of a nearby
building were blown out
and debris was everywhere.
Fireighters swarmed the
scene and dumped water from
ladder trucks onto the smoking
wreckage.
NW Natural released a
timeline saying the explosion
AP Photo/Don Ryan
Fireighters battle a blaze after a gas explosion in Portland
Wednesday. A powerful natural gas explosion that neighbors
said felt like an earthquake rocked the busy shopping district
and started a ire that sent a huge plume of smoke over the
heart of the city.
One young ire lieutenant in
particular — the same one with
the badly broken leg — made
several critical decisions that
likely saved lives, Myers said.
Fire Lt. Peter St. John posi-
tioned ire trucks and hoses in
such a way that they were out
of the blast zone and ran into
the building to pull ire alarms
when ireighters realized not
everyone had evacuated as
ordered, Myers said, adding
that the man was new to the ire
department.
occurred at 9:38 a.m. — a time
when many businesses were
still closed.
City oficials said a
catastrophe was averted by
speedy work from ireighters
and police who responded to a
reported gas leak and cleared
the area of people before the
blast.
“There are a lot of people
alive” who might not be “but for
the excellent work by our irst
responders,” Mayor Charlie
Hales said.
BRIEFLY
PERS attorneys earned $1,627 in
fees in public records spat
“That man saved the lives of
a lot of people today and a lot of
ireighters,” the chief said.
Fireighters also donned
their air packs and masks before
the blast, an unusual move for
a routine gas leak call, but one
that also prevented serious
facial injuries, he said.
Portland’s NW 23rd Street
— nicknamed “Trendy Third”
— is packed with boutiques,
bars and restaurants. Many are
on street level with pricey apart-
ments on the upper levels and a
day care facility in the vicinity.
The utility said it got a call
at 8:55 a.m. saying a construc-
tion crew had hit a gas line.
Authorities and utility workers
responded in 15 minutes and
evacuated the building, NW
Natural said in its statement.
People in the neighborhood
reported smelling gas as they
were evacuated and later felt the
explosion.
The utility hasn’t determined
what caused the gas to ignite,
but NW Natural CEO David
Anderson said it was a rare event
that required a certain amount of
ambient gas, an enclosed space
and an ignition source.
SALEM (AP) — Attorneys representing the
state's Public Employees Retirement System
racked up $1,627 in fees in a dispute with a Salem
Statesman-Journal reporter who asked the agency
to waive a public records request fee.
The Bend Bulletin reported Wednesday that
attorneys racked up the fees over a $112 charge.
The Oregon Department of Justice overturned
the rule last month that allowed PERS to charge for
those records.
The move reversed a 2002 interpretation of the
law by an earlier state attorney general.
Lottery employees this summer told The
Bulletin they couldn't waive a $260 fee for a chain
of emails.
After the ruling, the lottery waived the fee and
released the records.
Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum is
heading a task force to improve the state's public
records law.
Cannon Beach looks to become
more handicap accessible
CANNON BEACH (AP) — Groups in Cannon
Beach are working to bring sand-friendly wheel-
chairs to the beach.
The Daily Astorian reports that the Chamber of
Commerce and partners Remax Coastal Advan-
tage, Martin Hospitality and Escape Lodging
hope to provide the beach-accessible wheelchairs
for visitors to the city next year. Last week, the
City Council approved an agreement to store the
wheelchairs at City Hall.
The chamber seeks to purchase one adult chair
and one youth chair that would be free for public
use. The non-motorized chairs start at about
$2,500 and include 4- to 5-inch-wide tires that
keep the chair above sand.
Neighboring cities Seaside and Manzanita
currently provide beach-accessible wheelchairs for
visitors.
Ryan Bundy urges jurors to ‘stand for freedom’
PORTLAND (AP) —
National
wildlife
refuge
occupier Ryan Bundy twice
referenced the Rev. Martin
Luther King Jr. during his
closing argument Wednesday,
and he told jurors to “stand
for freedom” and ind him not
guilty.
Bundy, 43, is among seven
defendants being tried on a
charge of conspiring to impede
federal workers from doing
their jobs during last winter’s
occupation of the Malheur
National Wildlife Refuge near
Burns, Oregon. Jurors are
expected to begin deliberations
Thursday, capping a six-week
trial.
Acting as his own attorney,
Bundy quoted the civil rights
leader at the beginning and
toward the end of his hourlong
argument, saying injustice
anywhere is a threat to justice
everywhere.
Bundy said that explains
why he joined the protest
in support of two ranchers
he believes were wrongly
imprisoned. He said federal
brother, Ammon, were arrested
during a Jan. 26 trafic stop that
ended with Oregon State Police
fatally shooting occupation
spokesman Robert “LaVoy”
Finicum.
The government gave its
closing statement Tuesday,
with federal prosecutor Ethan
Knight asserting it is “inher-
ently intimidating” to have
your workplace taken over by
an armed group that doesn’t
like you.
Ryan Bundy did not deny
taking over workspaces that
belonged to U.S. Fish and
Wildlife and U.S. Bureau of
Land Management employees.
But, as the defendants have
repeatedly said, there was no
conspiracy to prevent them
from going to work.
“We didn’t know their
names, their tasks. We didn’t
know whose seat we were
sitting in, and we didn’t care,”
Bundy said.
That may sound callous,
Bundy told jurors, but “our
purpose was so beyond such
considerations.”
government overreach not
only put ranchers Dwight and
Steven Hammond behind bars,
it imperils the economies of
places such as Harney County,
where the Hammond ranch and
the refuge are located.
He said the county — nearly
10 times the size of Rhode
Island — has gone from a jewel
to “the biggest weed patch in
the country,” and it’s because
the federal government controls
most of the land and restricts
logging and ranching.
Because there is no doubt
the occupation occurred, Bundy
repeatedly appealed to the
jurors’ sense of justice, essen-
tially saying a minor infraction
is justiied for the greater good.
“At some point the people
have to insist that the govern-
ment is not our master,” he said.
“They are our servants, and we
have given them a duty.”
The refuge takeover began
during a Jan. 2 rally in support
of the Hammonds and lasted
nearly six weeks.
Bundy and other key
igures, including his younger
One of Bundy’s co-de-
fendants, Shawna Cox, also
represented herself during the
trial. On Wednesday, she let
her standby counsel, Tiffany
Harris, handle her closing
statement.
Harris hit on similar points
as Bundy, talking about the
economic travails of Harney
County. She said the govern-
ment wants to sell a story that
outsiders came to Burns and
stirred up trouble.
“The problem was already
there,” Harris said.
The conspiracy charge
faced by the seven defendants
is punishable by up to six years
in prison. Harris emphasized
to jurors that the government
picks and chooses who to pros-
ecute and how serious a charge
to ile.
Hinting at the possibility of
a Donald Trump presidency,
she said “administrations
change” and there may come
a time when urban liberals feel
the need to take a hard stand,
and not simply go home after
a rally.
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Copyright © 2016, EO Media Group
FRIDAY
Mostly cloudy with
showers
A couple of
showers
64° 50°
58° 44°
SATURDAY
Intervals of clouds
and sunshine
SUNDAY
A thick cloud cover
PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
63° 46°
61° 44°
62° 44°
HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
69° 49°
60° 44°
PENDLETON
through 3 p.m. yesterday
TEMPERATURE
HIGH
LOW
65°
62°
82° (1940)
39°
39°
15° (1911)
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"
1.22"
0.62"
9.29"
5.89"
9.60"
HERMISTON
through 3 p.m. yesterday
TEMPERATURE
HIGH
Yesterday
Normals
Records
LOW
66°
64°
77° (1973)
35°
38°
15° (1949)
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"
0.90"
0.35"
6.34"
3.71"
6.94"
SUN AND MOON
Sunrise today
Sunset tonight
Moonrise today
Moonset today
Last
New
Oct 22
Oct 30
7:19 a.m.
6:00 p.m.
10:08 p.m.
12:25 p.m.
First
Full
Nov 7
64° 43°
65° 47°
Seattle
61/48
ALMANAC
Yesterday
Normals
Records
65° 44°
Nov 14
Today
MONDAY
Variably cloudy,
showers around
Spokane
Wenatchee
52/42
57/42
Tacoma
Moses
61/44
Lake
Pullman
Aberdeen Olympia
Yakima 59/40
53/45
60/48
61/45
63/39
Longview
Kennewick Walla Walla
61/50
61/49 Lewiston
67/48
Astoria
58/47
62/48
Portland
Enterprise
Hermiston
63/50
Pendleton 54/41
The Dalles 69/49
64/50
64/47
La Grande
Salem
55/44
62/49
Albany
Corvallis 62/49
63/49
John Day
61/49
Ontario
Eugene
Bend
63/36
62/50
63/45
Caldwell
Burns
65/39
61/30
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
62
54
63
62
61
54
62
63
69
61
65
55
53
69
60
63
63
64
64
63
66
62
52
58
62
61
63
Lo
48
34
45
53
30
41
50
48
49
49
35
44
44
50
50
53
36
45
50
50
42
49
42
46
49
49
39
W
r
c
sh
pc
pc
sh
r
sh
sh
c
pc
sh
sh
pc
r
r
pc
sh
sh
r
sh
r
r
sh
r
sh
c
Hi
60
61
59
59
63
59
62
59
60
64
61
62
59
65
57
62
66
59
58
61
59
60
54
60
60
57
61
Today
Beijing
Hong Kong
Jerusalem
London
Mexico City
Moscow
Paris
Rome
Seoul
Sydney
Tokyo
Lo
50
78
59
44
54
31
45
56
56
62
59
W
r
pc
s
pc
pc
c
sh
pc
pc
sh
pc
Lo
48
32
36
49
32
39
46
41
44
42
33
40
40
45
49
50
40
41
44
49
34
48
40
38
49
46
37
W
r
pc
pc
pc
pc
sh
pc
pc
sh
pc
pc
sh
sh
r
sh
pc
pc
pc
sh
sh
pc
pc
c
sh
sh
sh
pc
Fri.
Hi
54
83
74
56
68
37
57
68
72
80
67
(in mph)
Klamath Falls
65/35
Boardman
Pendleton
Lo
49
79
60
43
52
29
40
51
55
63
60
W
sh
r
pc
pc
t
c
pc
sh
c
pc
pc
REGIONAL FORECAST
Coastal Oregon: Some sun today. Rain in
central parts; morning rain, then a shower
across the north.
Eastern and Central Oregon: Showers
today; partly sunny in the south and upper
Treasure Valley.
Western Washington: Rather cloudy, rain
this morning, then a shower or two.
Eastern Washington: Rain today, except
showers around toward the Cascades and in
central sections.
Cascades: Periods of rain all day today;
however, an afternoon shower in spots in
the south.
Northern California: Partial sunshine today;
pleasant. Patchy clouds tonight. Partly
sunny tomorrow.
Today
Friday
SW 6-12
SSW 7-14
WSW 4-8
NW 4-8
UV INDEX TODAY
Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.
0
1
2
2
1
NEWS
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COMMERCIAL PRINTING
Production Manager: Mike Jensen
541-215-0824 • mjensen@eastoregonian.com
Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day.
WORLD CITIES
Hi
57
87
75
58
75
37
58
69
78
73
78
Classiied & Legal Advertising
1-800-962-2819 or 541-278-2678
classiieds@eastoregonian.com or legals@eastoregonian.com
NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY
Fri.
WINDS
Medford
69/50
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.
REGIONAL CITIES
Forecast
TODAY
MYRTLE POINT (AP) — Biologists with the
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife say a
black-tailed deer found dead in Myrtle Point was
infected with a virus that is lethal to the species.
The Coos Bay World reported Wednesday that
the virus is known as A-H-D and is spread by
direct contact. This is the irst conirmed case in
Coos County. About 400 deer died of the virus
near Sisters in 2002.
Symptoms include frothing at the mouth,
diarrhea and weakness.
Animals that have been infected usually die in
two to ive days.
There are no known instances of transmission
to humans, but biologists are still urging hunters
to wear gloves when dressing deer and to cook
the meat thoroughly.
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541-966-0806 • ljensen@eastoregonian.com
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Subscriber services:
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— Founded Oct. 16, 1875 —
Biologists: Dead deer found in
Myrtle Point had lethal virus
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: A large storm system will spread rain and storms from the Northeast
through the Ohio Valley to the lower Mississippi Valley today. Another storm will spread
rain across the Pacific Northwest.
Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states)
High 100° in McAllen, Texas
Low 11° in Bodie State Park, Calif.
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
69
88
73
78
60
87
64
61
85
81
57
64
76
63
58
74
24
51
86
84
58
83
61
81
69
99
Lo
43
58
64
61
45
53
44
56
63
51
39
50
53
36
43
50
12
36
74
58
45
62
40
60
47
63
W
s
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
c
pc
c
pc
r
pc
s
r
s
c
pc
pc
t
r
sh
s
s
r
s
Fri.
Hi
72
70
73
67
65
71
69
69
79
57
53
56
74
74
55
77
25
57
85
78
55
84
63
86
67
94
Lo
47
47
49
45
43
45
44
54
50
40
38
43
53
42
38
53
8
36
74
51
39
53
46
62
44
61
Today
W
s
c
sh
sh
pc
pc
pc
r
pc
sh
pc
sh
s
s
pc
s
pc
pc
sh
s
pc
pc
s
s
s
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
71
73
85
56
52
78
89
69
70
59
78
96
59
67
85
62
71
80
65
61
91
75
61
92
81
66
Lo
49
49
70
39
36
49
64
63
46
42
61
72
50
56
60
34
40
50
45
39
64
57
48
66
65
43
W
r
sh
pc
pc
pc
t
pc
sh
s
s
c
s
c
c
s
s
s
s
pc
s
s
s
r
s
pc
s
Fri.
Hi
63
67
87
53
56
65
79
72
72
67
73
96
64
74
71
69
74
80
62
69
89
70
59
92
68
71
Lo
43
45
70
39
41
41
61
52
48
44
46
70
52
53
45
35
42
50
46
48
63
55
48
65
49
44
Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain,
sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice.
W
pc
s
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
sh
s
s
sh
s
r
r
sh
s
s
s
s
s
s
s
sh
s
sh
s