NORTHWEST
East Oregonian
Page 2A
Wednesday, November 23, 2016
Man hit by car, falls 50 feet into icy river, survives
An Idaho man not only survived
being hit by a car on an icy interstate
highway bridge but also a 50-foot-
fall into a river and a swim through
its frigid waters with a badly broken
leg, authorities said.
Steven Arrasmith, 34, said the
image in his mind of his 7-month-old
son drove him to keep swimming for
shore through the strong current in
the Snake River in the dark.
He finally reached an island
near the Oregon-Idaho border and
awaited rescuers, unable to pull his
legs and feet out of the water because
of his broken left leg.
“Basically, when I hit the water I
was, ‘OK, I’ve got to get to shore,”’
Arrasmith said in a telephone inter-
view with The Associated Press as
he awaited surgery in a hospital. “I
was thinking about my son. I was
wearing an Army field jacket and it
weighed me down. I managed to get
it off.”
Oregon State Police via AP
In this photo provided by Oregon State Police, a damaged car is
shown on an Interstate 84 bridge over the Snake River on the Ida-
ho/Oregon border near Ontario on Monday. An Idaho man not only
survived being hit by a car on an icy interstate highway bridge but
also a 50-foot-fall into a river and a swim through its frigid waters
with a badly broken leg, authorities said.
Arrasmith is a lucky man, three
times over, said Oregon State Police
Capt. Bill Fugate, a public informa-
tion officer.
“He’s very fortunate,” Fugate
said. “I was lucky enough to fall feet
first, so I was able to orient myself
really quickly. There’s Oregon. Just
continue west. My main concern
was, get out of the water and the
wet clothes, because the outside
temperature was 36 degrees.”
He calculates that he was in
the water fully submerged except
for his head for five to 10 minutes
then another hour with his legs
in the water until rescuers waded
over from shore. The state police
say the responders were drawn by
Arrasmith’s shouts.
“The main thing is, I wanted to
see my son and that’s what drove
me to get to shore,” he said. “The
broken leg was quite a hindrance; I
was kicking with my leg but my leg
was just flopping around.”
The driver of the pickup truck
was unhurt, and the driver of the
third car received minor injuries,
state police said.
“The worst part is I lost my
glasses in the river,” Arrasmith said.
“I can’t drive without them.”
on I-84 after hitting a patch of black
ice, according to the Oregon State
Police.
Arrasmith, of Mesa, who makes a
two-hour commute each way to his
new job with the Idaho Department
of Juvenile Corrections in Nampa,
said he saw the vehicle in the road
and got out of his rented Jeep to
make sure everyone inside was all
right.
Another vehicle came barreling
down the divided interstate and,
hitting the ice, also lost control and
crashed into the Jeep, which then
struck Arrasmith, knocking him
over a waist-high concrete-block
barrier along the edge of the bridge,
Arrasmith said.
“I tried to hang on, for about 10
seconds,” he said. Then he fell about
50 feet into the river, according to the
highway patrol. Instead of panicking,
he coldly calculated where he was
and what he needed to do.
“I am familiar with the Snake
River, and I know in that section it
has a northwest flow,” Arrasmith
By ANDREW SELSKY
Associated Press
said. “In any of those events, he
could have lost his life.”
This tale of survival started
before dawn when the driver of a
pickup truck lost control on a bridge
Activists seek tougher action on climate change
State senator Edwards to
step down to take UO post
attorney representing the young
petitioners.
The case is not about the clean
air rule, Rodgers said, but about
whether the state has fulfilled its
constitutional and statutory duties
to protect the fundamental rights
of young people from the perils of
climate change.
The case is part of a nationwide
effort led by the Oregon-based
nonprofit Our Children’s Trust to
force states and the federal govern-
ment to take action on climate
change.
The juvenile climate activists
in Seattle brought the petition in
2014 asking the court to force state
officials to adopt new rules to limit
carbon emissions based on the best
available science. They say the state
has violated its duties under the state
constitution and the legal principle
called the public trust doctrine,
which requires the government to
protect shared resources.
In November, Judge Hollis Hill
denied their appeal but affirmed
some of the children’s arguments,
saying the state has an obligation to
protect natural resources for future
generations.
“Petitioners assert and this court
finds, their very survival depends
By PHUONG LE
Associated Press
State Rep. Val Hoyle, D-Eugene,
said Tuesday afternoon that she was
interested in seeking Edwards’ spot.
Hoyle, a former House Majority
SALEM — State Sen. Chris
Edwards, D-Eugene, announced Leader, did not run for reelection to
Tuesday he is stepping down from her house seat this year, as she sought
the legislature to lead “strategic the Democratic party’s nomination
initiatives” at the University of for Secretary of State this spring.
Hoyle lost in the primary
Oregon’s new Knight
to Labor Commissioner
Campus at the end of the
Brad Avakian, who in turn
year.
lost to Republican Dennis
Edwards, who was
Richardson in the general
elected to the Oregon
election earlier this month.
House in 2006 and
In his new role,
appointed senator in 2009,
Edwards will focus on
will join the University of
developing the Phil and
Oregon as vice president
Penny Knight Campus for
of strategic initiatives
Accelerating
Scientific
Dec. 15, according to a
Impact, according to the
University of Oregon news Edwards
university. He will be paid
release.
Edwards won elections to the seat $150,000 per year.
The campus was established by
in 2010 and 2014. His resignation
from the state senate is effective a $500 million gift from the Nike
co-founder and his wife and was
Dec. 31.
The Democratic Party of Lane announced Oct. 17.
Edwards, reached by phone
County will choose nominees for the
Tuesday, said he applied for the job
seat through a voting process.
In that process, the party’s prior to the gift announcement; he
precinct committee members who received an offer over the weekend.
He said he initially applied for
live in the district will select at
least three and no more than five the job hoping to keep his spot in
the Legislature, but after learning of
nominees.
The Lane County Commission the gift and the university’s plans to
has the final say in choosing seek $100 million in matching funds
someone among those nominees to from the state, he sought to avoid an
apparent conflict of interest.
serve the rest of Edwards’ term.
By CLAIRE WITHYCOMBE
Capital Bureau
SEATTLE — Eight children
are asking a Seattle judge to find
Washington state in contempt for
failing to adequately protect them
and future generations from the
harmful effects of climate change.
A King County Superior Court
judge is hearing arguments Tuesday
afternoon in the case brought by
the petitioners, between 12 and 16
years old, who allege the state has
violated its duties to take action to
address climate change.
The petitioners’ lawyer says a
state rule adopted in September to
cap emissions from large carbon
polluters doesn’t do enough to
protect young people. They contend
that the state is violating prior court
orders by not doing more.
The state says in court docu-
ments that there’s no basis for
finding the Department of Ecology
in contempt. Ecology complied
with court orders by adopting its
clean air rule requiring industrial
carbon polluters such as power
plants and refineries to reduce their
emissions by an average 1.7 percent
each year, Assistant Attorney
General Katharine Shirey wrote in a
response filed with the court Friday.
“Taken together all the things
Ecology have done to date aren’t
protecting the rights of these kids,
and that’s why they need to do
more,” said Andrea Rodgers, an
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REGIONAL CITIES
Forecast
TODAY
THURSDAY
An a.m. shower;
clouds and sun
A little afternoon
rain
50° 38°
51° 42°
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
Cloudy with a bit
of rain
Cloudy with a
shower in spots
PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
51° 40°
49° 35°
43° 34°
HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
55° 43°
54° 39°
PENDLETON
through 3 p.m. yesterday
TEMPERATURE
HIGH
LOW
53°
46°
71° (1933)
31°
31°
-5° (1985)
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"
0.51"
1.03"
10.90"
7.47"
11.06"
HERMISTON
through 3 p.m. yesterday
TEMPERATURE
HIGH
Yesterday
Normals
Records
LOW
48°
47°
73° (1974)
30°
32°
6° (2013)
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"
0.37"
0.84"
7.70"
5.16"
8.15"
SUN AND MOON
Sunrise today
Sunset tonight
Moonrise today
Moonset today
New
First
Full
53° 36°
7:06 a.m.
4:17 p.m.
1:13 a.m.
1:54 p.m.
Last
Spokane
Wenatchee
43/34
47/35
Tacoma
Moses
51/41
Lake
Pullman
Aberdeen Olympia
Yakima 51/38
44/36
50/46
49/42
51/36
Longview
Kennewick Walla Walla
51/46
50/38 Lewiston
54/41
Astoria
48/34
54/47
Portland
Enterprise
Hermiston
52/46
Pendleton 40/28
The Dalles 54/39
50/38
51/38
La Grande
Salem
44/34
52/46
Albany
Corvallis 51/45
51/46
John Day
43/35
Ontario
Eugene
Bend
48/27
52/43
43/34
Caldwell
Burns
48/29
41/22
Dec 7
Dec 13
Dec 20
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
54
43
43
51
41
40
52
48
54
43
41
44
42
50
53
54
48
54
50
52
46
52
43
41
51
50
51
Lo
47
25
34
47
22
28
43
38
39
35
27
34
33
40
47
49
27
39
38
46
34
46
34
31
46
38
36
W
sh
sn
pc
sh
sn
sn
sh
pc
pc
sn
sf
pc
c
sh
sh
sh
r
pc
pc
sh
pc
sh
r
c
sh
pc
pc
Hi
53
41
48
53
43
39
51
49
55
47
44
43
41
52
54
56
48
54
51
51
51
51
42
44
51
52
51
Today
Beijing
Hong Kong
Jerusalem
London
Mexico City
Moscow
Paris
Rome
Seoul
Sydney
Tokyo
Lo
15
56
44
46
45
21
48
58
22
58
37
W
s
r
sh
sh
pc
s
pc
pc
pc
t
r
Lo
47
34
36
47
27
33
43
40
43
40
32
38
37
41
46
47
34
43
42
45
38
44
38
37
45
44
38
W
r
pc
r
r
pc
pc
r
r
r
pc
pc
pc
pc
r
r
r
pc
r
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r
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Thu.
Hi
39
67
56
51
70
31
55
67
38
73
42
(in mph)
Klamath Falls
41/27
Boardman
Pendleton
Lo
15
61
38
42
42
27
45
56
26
60
39
W
s
pc
s
pc
pc
pc
c
t
s
s
sn
REGIONAL FORECAST
Coastal Oregon: Variable cloudiness today
with showers. Windy tonight with periods of
rain, some heavy.
Eastern and Central Oregon: A shower
today, but a bit of snow in central parts.
Eastern Washington: A bit of snow in the
mountains today; a little rain near the Idaho
border.
Cascades: Snow showers today, accumulat-
ing 1-2 inches in the south and central parts
and up to an inch across the north.
Northern California: A little rain today, ex-
cept a bit of snow in the interior mountains.
Today
Thursday
WSW 7-14
WSW 7-14
S 7-14
SSE 8-16
UV INDEX TODAY
Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.
0
1
1
1
0
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
39
72
60
48
71
26
58
68
38
86
55
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NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY
Thu.
WINDS
Medford
50/40
Western Washington: Mostly cloudy today
with showers. Rain, some heavy tonight.
Nov 29
48° 36°
Seattle
51/44
ALMANAC
Yesterday
Normals
Records
55° 42°
Today
SUNDAY
Intervals of clouds
and sunshine
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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upon the will of their elders to act
now, decisively and unequivocally,
to stem the tide of global warming
by accelerating the reduction of
emission of GHG’s before doing
so becomes first too costly and then
too late,” Hill wrote in November.
At the time, the judge noted that
Ecology was already working on
meeting that obligation by writing
new rules for greenhouse gas emis-
sions ordered by the governor.
The plaintiffs again asked the
judge to step in after Ecology in
February withdrew its proposed
clean air rule to make changes.
Ecology was in the process of
writing new rules but Hill in April
ordered the agency to proceed with
its rulemaking and come up with a
rule by the end of 2016.
The state’s lawyer, Shirey, said
in court documents that the court
didn’t direct Ecology to adopt any
particular rule, nor did the court say
what should or should not be in the
rule. She also said that the plaintiffs’
claims amount to a challenge of
Ecology’s clean air rule, which
should be heard in Thurston County
Superior Court.
“There’s no dispute that they
have not fulfilled their responsi-
bility,” Rodgers said.
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: Rain and spotty thunderstorms will extend from the lower Great Lakes
to the northwest Gulf Coast with a wintry mix over the upper Great Lakes today. Showers
will dampen coastal areas of the Northwest.
Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states)
High 89° in McAllen, Texas
Low -2° 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
56
68
51
52
45
71
47
45
70
54
46
44
68
52
41
67
-4
38
81
73
46
74
50
67
66
69
Lo
35
54
37
35
30
55
31
32
55
41
34
37
44
30
35
40
-12
28
72
48
41
54
32
42
41
50
W
s
pc
s
s
pc
sh
r
s
pc
pc
r
r
s
s
sn
s
s
c
sh
r
r
pc
c
s
s
s
Thur.
Hi
56
72
54
55
44
73
49
40
77
60
43
51
72
49
49
70
-5
37
81
75
52
78
55
63
63
74
Lo
31
51
46
38
29
46
37
37
54
44
32
41
47
27
37
44
-11
26
73
51
36
52
32
40
41
49
W
pc
pc
r
pc
pc
s
pc
c
s
c
pc
c
s
s
c
pc
s
sf
sh
s
c
s
pc
s
s
s
Today
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
54
64
81
47
38
63
79
47
61
46
49
73
44
46
59
47
47
60
58
51
69
61
51
76
53
57
Lo
48
47
70
35
29
50
60
38
36
28
39
50
25
30
41
29
24
36
40
30
51
46
44
44
40
33
W
r
sh
pc
r
sn
sh
c
s
s
c
s
s
s
s
pc
pc
c
pc
sh
pc
pc
pc
sh
s
s
s
Thur.
Hi
59
63
81
44
39
63
77
48
69
47
54
75
40
43
66
47
52
59
54
49
77
60
51
77
56
62
Lo
41
43
71
33
27
43
56
44
35
27
44
51
30
35
46
20
33
40
39
29
50
49
45
49
45
30
Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain,
sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice.
W
c
s
pc
c
c
pc
s
r
s
pc
c
s
c
r
sh
sn
pc
pc
pc
pc
s
pc
r
s
pc
s