NORTHWEST
East Oregonian
Page 2A
Friday, December 9, 2016
Snow, freezing rain hit Oregon
BRIEFLY
Portland schools,
other offices closed
in anticipation
SEATTLE (AP) —
Washington says it’s the
first U.S. state to sue
the agrochemical giant
Monsanto over pollution
from PCBs.
Gov. Jay Inslee and
Attorney General Bob
Ferguson announced
the lawsuit at a news
conference Thursday
afternoon. The chemicals,
polychlorinated biphenyls,
were used in many
industrial and commercial
applications, including in
paint, coolants, sealants
and hydraulic fluids. PCB
contamination impairs
rivers, lakes and bays
around the country.
The lawsuit, which
seeks potentially hundreds
of millions of dollars in
cleanup costs, was filed
in King County Superior
Court and says Monsanto
long knew about the toxic
dangers PCBs posed.
Monsanto was the sole
producer of PCBs between
1935 and 1979, when
Congress banned them.
The cities of Seattle
and Spokane, as well as
Portland, Oregon, and
some California cities
have also sued Monsanto
over PCB pollution. In
response to those lawsuits,
Monsanto said PCBs were
lawful when they were
produced and “served an
important fire protection
and safety purpose.”
By STEVEN DUBOIS
and GILLIAN FLACCUS
Associated Press
PORTLAND — A wintry
mix of snow, ice and rain
showered fear and excite-
ment Thursday in Portland
— a city that typically lives
under a cloud of mist and
drizzle — and other parts of
Oregon.
Heavy, swirling snow fell
downtown, making for slick
driving.
Strong winds toppled
trees, and Portland General
Electric reported about 7,000
customers in neighboring
Clackamas County lost
power before it was mostly
restored.
Forecasters
expected
a couple inches of snow
to stick before freezing
rain arrives, heightening
concerns about a treacherous
evening commute in the
region that does not use salt
on slippery roads.
Portland transit service
TriMet said on Twitter
Thursday evening that one of
the light rail lines had been
disrupted because of ice on
overhead power wires. At
least one line of bus service
Mark Graves/The Oregonian via AP
The Columbia River Gorge’s Horseshoe Falls is surrounded by snow and ice the
morning of Thursday in Portland.
had been canceled, and other
bus lines were traveling,
many with chains, on snow
routes.
Freezing
rain
was
also hitting Vancouver,
Washington, and over three
inches of snow had fallen
in Olympia by Thursday
evening.
Many school districts
canceled classes before the
first flurries fell.
City government also
closed, as did federal court,
the zoo and state offices in
Campaign finance
vouchers ready to go
Forest. Few drivers traveled
on Highway 26 over the
pass between Prineville and
Mitchell.
In Bend, snow fell steadily
and ducks swam among ice
floes in the Deschutes River.
Visibility was near zero
on US 97 between Redmond
and Bend, with at least one
crash occurring Thursday
along that icy stretch.
The National Weather
Service forecast new snow
accumulation of up to 8
inches in Central Oregon.
several counties.
Higher snowfall totals
were expected in the Coast
Range and Columbia River
Gorge.
National Weather Service
meteorologist
Matthew
Cullen said as much as 10
inches of snow could fall in
the Gorge, particularly from
Cascade Locks east toward
Hood River.
Wintry weather also swept
through Central Oregon,
causing blizzard-like condi-
tions in Ochoco National
Companies with high-paid CEOs to be taxed
PORTLAND (AP) —
The Portland City Council
has approved a first-of-its-
kind tax on public compa-
nies that pay their chief
executives vastly more
than they pay an average
worker.
On Wednesday the
council approved the plan,
which targets publicly
traded companies whose
chief executives report
salaries at least 100 times
higher than the salary of a
median worker, The Orego-
nian/OregonLive reported.
Under the ordinance,
a company with a
CEO-to-worker ratio of
at least 100-to-1 will pay
a surcharge equal to 10
percent of the amount it
pays for Portland’s business
tax. A company with a
SEATTLE (AP) — Seattle
is preparing to mail democ-
racy vouchers to registered
voters as part of a new
campaign finance initiative.
KING-TV reports that
voters and eligible participants
will receive four $25 vouchers
that can go toward funding
political candidates who opt
into the public campaign
finance program.
The Seattle Ethics and
Elections Commission will
mail out 2 million of the
vouchers to registered voters.
The SEEC has been
working on implementing the
program since Seattle voters
passed it in 2015. The initiative
is funded through a small
property tax increase. SEEC
estimates it at $11.50 per year
for the average homeowner.
250-to-1 ratio or greater
would pay a 25 percent
surcharge.
If a company ordinarily
owes $1 million in taxes to
Portland, it would have to
pay an additional $100,000
or $250,000.
Officials expect the tax
to raise $2.5 million year
once it starts in January
2017. About 500 publicly
traded companies in Port-
land will likely be subject
to the tax, which will rely
on compensation data
the federal Securities and
Exchange
Commission
will report beginning next
year.
Commissioner
Steve
Novick said he hopes
the tax will discourage
companies from paying
disproportionate salaries to
their CEOs.
“This is as close as
I’ve ever (come) to a tax
on inequality itself,” said
Novick.
Commissioner
Dan
Saltzman cast the lone vote
against the proposal. He
said he didn’t think it was
the appropriate moment to
enact such a tax.
“I don’t believe this is the
right time, the right place or
the right reason to address
this,” Saltzman said.
Marion Haynes, of the
Portland Business Alliance,
a group that has opposed the
measure since Novick first
pitched it last summer, said
the plan will not address
income inequality.
“This is not something
that can be dealt with at a
local level,” Haynes said.
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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.
Single copy price:
$1 Tuesday through Friday, $1.50 Saturday
Copyright © 2016, EO Media Group
TODAY
SUNDAY
SATURDAY
A bit of snow, sleet
and ice
Periods of sun with
snow showers
27° 24°
37° 33°
MONDAY
Mostly cloudy, a
fl urry; chilly
Mainly cloudy with
a bit of snow
TUESDAY
Mostly cloudy and
very cold
PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
39° 27°
31° 13°
21°
1°
24°
4°
HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
38° 31°
28° 23°
PENDLETON
through 3 p.m. yesterday
TEMPERATURE
HIGH
LOW
18°
5°
40°
27°
67° (1915) -11° (1972)
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"
0.23"
0.37"
11.53"
9.01"
11.88"
HERMISTON
through 3 p.m. yesterday
TEMPERATURE
HIGH
Yesterday
Normals
Records
LOW
25°
12°
41°
28°
72° (2015) -10° (1972)
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
Trace
0.07"
0.43"
7.97"
6.05"
8.93"
SUN AND MOON
Sunrise today
Sunset tonight
Moonrise today
Moonset today
Full
Last
Dec 13
Dec 20
New
Dec 28
33° 14°
Seattle
41/37
ALMANAC
Yesterday
Normals
Records
42° 27°
7:24 a.m.
4:11 p.m.
1:42 p.m.
1:46 a.m.
First
Jan 5
Today
Spokane
Wenatchee
24/22
24/17
Tacoma
Moses
43/35
Lake
Pullman
Aberdeen Olympia
Yakima 26/19
32/24
46/40
41/36
29/17
Longview
Kennewick Walla Walla
42/39
30/26 Lewiston
27/21
Astoria
33/26
49/43
Portland
Enterprise
Hermiston
42/38
Pendleton 36/26
The Dalles 28/23
27/24
32/22
La Grande
Salem
37/29
48/41
Albany
Corvallis 49/42
49/42
John Day
41/31
Ontario
Eugene
Bend
33/28
50/41
40/30
Caldwell
Burns
36/32
38/25
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
49
32
40
53
38
36
50
31
28
41
44
37
34
49
50
53
33
29
27
42
39
48
24
38
42
30
29
Lo
43
20
30
45
25
26
41
27
23
31
33
29
29
41
44
45
28
19
24
38
27
41
22
30
39
26
17
W
r
sn
c
r
sf
sn
r
sn
sn
sn
pc
sn
sn
r
r
r
i
sn
sn
r
r
r
sn
sn
r
sn
sn
Lo
42
20
30
42
22
27
40
32
31
32
26
31
31
38
42
43
24
27
33
41
28
42
29
29
41
34
20
W
r
sn
sn
r
sn
sn
r
sf
sf
sn
r
sn
sf
c
r
r
sn
sn
sf
r
sn
r
sn
sf
r
sn
pc
WORLD CITIES
Today
Beijing
Hong Kong
Jerusalem
London
Mexico City
Moscow
Paris
Rome
Seoul
Sydney
Tokyo
Hi
41
74
55
59
67
28
51
60
39
77
61
(in mph)
Klamath Falls
44/33
Boardman
Pendleton
Lo
18
67
39
49
48
24
36
40
20
65
46
W
pc
s
s
pc
pc
sf
pc
s
s
s
s
Sat.
Hi
42
76
55
57
69
29
50
60
37
74
53
Lo
20
66
45
40
48
14
40
44
22
65
40
W
s
s
s
c
pc
c
pc
s
s
s
s
REGIONAL FORECAST
Eastern Washington: A little snow at times
with little or no accumulation today. A little
snow tonight.
Cascades: Snow at times today, accumulat-
ing 3-6 inches; not as cold across the north.
Northern California: Rain today; a bit of
morning snow, then snow showers in the
interior mountains.
Today
Saturday
NE 4-8
NNE 6-12
SW 6-12
SSW 8-16
UV INDEX TODAY
Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.
0
0
0
Classified & Legal Advertising
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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.
WINDS
Medford
49/41
Coastal Oregon: Periods of rain today;
milder across the north. Occasional rain
tonight.
Eastern and Central Oregon: A little wintry
mix today; a bit of morning snow, then a
little rain in the south.
Western Washington: Occasional rain today
and tonight. A little rain tomorrow, but dry
at the coast.
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.
NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY
Sat.
Hi
50
34
39
49
37
36
49
40
38
40
41
39
37
48
49
52
36
36
37
47
39
48
32
37
46
38
35
RICHLAND, Wash.
(AP) — The U.S.
Department of Energy
is at risk of missing new
court-enforced deadlines
for emptying some
radioactive waste storage
tanks on the Hanford
Nuclear Reservation.
The leak-prone tanks
contain wastes left over
from the production of
plutonium for nuclear
weapons.
The Energy Department
notified the state Tuesday
that two newly set tank
deadlines were in jeopardy.
The Tri-City Herald
reported that a federal
judge extended deadlines
in March after it became
clear that Energy could not
meet previous deadlines.
Work has been slowed
by safety precautions
implemented to protect
workers from breathing
potentially toxic chemical
vapors.
The first deadline at
risk covers emptying five
tanks by the end of 2020,
and might be pushed
back a year. A second
deadline calls for emptying
additional tanks by 2024,
which could slip by two
years.
SALEM (AP) — An
assessment by the U.S.
Department of Veterans
Affairs concluded that
more than 12 percent of
callers to its Portland call
center get tired of waiting
for someone to answer and
hang up.
The Statesman-Journal
reports that many callers
have waited more than
REGIONAL CITIES
Forecast
Energy Dept.
risks missing
Hanford deadlines
VA hospitals, call
center get low
ratings
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Subscriber services:
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three minutes to have
someone answer.
The VA also gave poor
grades to Oregon’s three
VA hospitals. The Portland
facility rated only two out
of five starts when it was
assessed last December,
while Roseburg’s got two
stars in June and White
City’s received a single star
both last December and in
June.
Portland’s hospital
says its ratings in several
areas, including inpatient
performance and mortality
rates, were better than the
national average. Roseburg
and White City released
statements pointing out
improvements at their
facilities.
Washington state
suing Monsanto
over pollution
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: Lake-effect snow will continue over the Upper Midwest and interior
Northeast today. Rain will soak the coastal Northwest with substantial snow and ice reach-
ing from the Cascades to the northern Rockies.
Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states)
High 85° in Miami, Fla.
Low -33° in Casper, Wyo.
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
49
43
43
41
10
42
39
37
50
31
24
34
45
45
34
53
-13
2
77
51
29
57
27
58
36
66
Lo
31
25
30
25
5
22
33
23
27
20
14
21
30
23
21
34
-23
-12
68
34
17
33
17
45
22
57
W
s
s
s
s
sf
s
i
pc
s
c
pc
sf
s
pc
sf
s
s
c
sh
s
pc
pc
s
pc
s
pc
Sat.
Hi
55
48
41
40
22
48
40
32
51
33
24
31
52
51
31
63
-7
7
79
55
31
60
39
62
43
67
Lo
35
31
29
23
13
30
28
22
33
21
20
23
47
25
23
40
-15
1
68
52
26
44
31
49
35
59
Today
W
s
s
pc
s
sn
s
sn
s
s
pc
sn
sf
c
pc
c
pc
s
sn
c
c
pc
s
pc
pc
pc
c
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
34
38
74
26
16
35
48
40
39
24
40
70
34
38
44
10
56
61
30
45
67
61
41
72
42
35
Lo
20
23
67
13
3
20
36
27
25
15
28
49
15
23
21
-3
43
54
19
40
57
56
37
45
29
21
W
pc
s
c
c
c
s
s
pc
s
pc
s
pc
pc
pc
s
c
c
sh
s
sh
pc
sh
r
pc
s
s
Sat.
Hi
37
45
76
24
17
41
53
39
49
36
38
72
27
35
46
20
57
60
38
45
66
59
46
74
41
46
Lo
27
34
71
20
12
29
46
29
39
20
27
50
13
21
23
7
32
41
31
33
58
47
39
47
28
32
Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain,
sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice.
W
s
pc
sh
sn
sn
s
s
pc
pc
c
pc
pc
pc
s
s
sn
r
sh
pc
sh
c
sh
r
pc
s
pc