NORTHWEST
East Oregonian
Page 2A
Saturday, December 24, 2016
Capitol Christmas train started as prisoners’ handiwork
them from the 1950s, Curtis said.
Curtis said they chose the
American Flyer trains because
the company was owned by A.C.
Gilbert. Gilbert, a doctor who
was born in Salem and went on to
develop a host of classic children’s
toys, is the namesake of the Gilbert
House Children’s Museum in
Salem.
There are a number of locomo-
tives available for use — if the one
that is currently running around the
tree “gets tired,” Curtis says, another
can take its place.
The seasons in the Christmas
layout have changed over the years,
Curtis said. It was a summer scene
for a while, then winter for about 20
years. But it was hard to keep all of
the fake snow clean, so Curtis redid
the set to depict autumn.
The whole structure sits on
plywood boxes and can easily be
packed up when the season’s over.
Curtis works with Alan Bennett,
a train enthusiast from Keizer, to put
the scene together every year. After
more than 30 years, what keeps him
setting up the miniatures?
“Well, you know, it’s just a real
joy to see the reaction of the chil-
dren when they come to the Capitol
building, and not only to see the
tree, but they come to see the train
and operate the train underneath the
tree,” Curtis said. “So that’s sort of
an encouragement to us.”
Layout has been
together for more
than 30 years
By CLAIRE WITHYCOMBE
Capital Bureau
SALEM — The model railroad
layout under the main Christmas
trees in the Oregon Capitol rotunda
every year is the brainchild of the
late former Oregon Gov. Vic Atiyeh
and, in part, is the handiwork of
prisoners.
Don Curtis, who taught voca-
tional training, woodworking and
cabinetry at Oregon State Correc-
tional Institution from 1969 to 1999,
was first asked to set up trains and a
miniature scene to go under the tree
in 1984.
“We had some very talented men
at the institution that really got into
the project and did a great job,”
Curtis said in a phone interview this
week.
Many of the miniatures — such
as a scale version of the Bush House
in Salem — were built by prisoners
in the woodworking shop.
That, too, was a request from the
governor, Curtis said.
“Our first layout in 1984 was
really sort of modest, and someone
asked, I think it was in the paper,
Claire Withycombe/EO Media Group
The model railroad that runs under the Capitol Christmas tree each year since 1984 was the brain-
child of then Gov. Vic Atiyeh. The original layout and many of the structures still used were built by
inmates at the Oregon State Correctional Institution.
someone asked Gov. Atiyeh what
he thought of this,” Curtis said.
Atiyeh said he liked the layout,
but that he couldn’t wait to see
models of historic Salem homes the
next year, Curtis said.
“Guess what we did the next
year?” Curtis said. “We made the
models of historic Salem homes.”
There’s a model of Salem’s
Victorian-era Deepwood house, and
the railroad station is a replica of the
one in Salem around the turn of the
century.
The structures are built from
scratch — no kits involved. Curtis
also made the natural features.
Azalea branches are especially good
for making tiny trees, he says.
Devoted to making the replicas
of historic buildings to scale, Curtis
raised some eyebrows when he
went up to the bank building in
Independence with a tape measure.
He began sizing up the building’s
features and, after some inquiries
from the bank manager, eventually
was invited in for a tour.
The trains themselves are antique
American Flyer models, most of
BRIEFLY
Man suspected of domestic
assault in vehicle collision
SALEM (AP) — A 32-year-old man
is facing charges after authorities say
he chased a car that his wife was in and
rammed it to cause a rollover crash.
The Statesman Journal reports the man
was arrested at his home in Salem on
suspicion of domestic assault and other
charges.
Three people were taken to a hospital
with critical injuries.
One was ejected from the vehicle and
fire crews extricated two others.
A Marion County Sheriff’s Office
spokesman said deputies learned at the
hospital that the vehicle rolled over because
it was rammed several times.
UO professor who wore
blackface lashes out at school
EUGENE (AP) — A University of
Oregon law professor who wore blackface
to a Halloween party is fighting back
against an investigative report released by
the university that found she violated the
institution’s anti-discrimination policies and
caused damage to the law school.
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REGIONAL CITIES
Forecast
TODAY
MONDAY
SUNDAY
Chilly with a little
snow
Cold with sun and
clouds
32° 23°
30° 17°
TUESDAY
Mostly cloudy and
cold
Cloudy with a bit
of snow
Rain and drizzle
possible
PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
30° 23°
42° 32°
40° 27°
HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
31° 19°
34° 23°
PENDLETON
through 3 p.m. yesterday
TEMPERATURE
HIGH
LOW
40°
30°
39°
25°
64° (1950) -19° (1983)
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
0.26"
1.75"
1.16"
13.05"
10.07"
12.67"
HERMISTON
through 3 p.m. yesterday
TEMPERATURE
HIGH
Yesterday
Normals
Records
LOW
34°
26°
38°
27°
62° (1936) -17° (1983)
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
0.07"
1.18"
1.11"
9.08"
7.16"
9.61"
SUN AND MOON
Sunrise today
Sunset tonight
Moonrise today
Moonset today
New
First
Dec 28
Jan 5
Full
Jan 12
45° 33°
43° 26°
Seattle
39/31
ALMANAC
Yesterday
Normals
Records
31° 25°
7:34 a.m.
4:16 p.m.
3:02 a.m.
1:47 p.m.
Last
Jan 19
Today
WEDNESDAY
Spokane
Wenatchee
32/19
32/17
Tacoma
Moses
39/25
Lake
Pullman
Aberdeen Olympia
Yakima 31/16
29/23
42/30
39/26
34/16
Longview
Kennewick Walla Walla
41/32
34/24 Lewiston
36/24
Astoria
34/26
45/32
Portland
Enterprise
Hermiston
41/31
Pendleton 27/16
The Dalles 34/23
32/23
35/21
La Grande
Salem
28/20
41/29
Albany
Corvallis 42/30
41/29
John Day
29/19
Ontario
Eugene
Bend
33/15
41/27
30/10
Caldwell
Burns
33/16
26/3
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
45
26
30
47
26
27
41
32
34
29
31
28
26
40
45
47
33
36
32
41
32
41
32
28
41
34
34
Lo
32
10
10
33
3
16
27
20
23
19
7
20
17
24
34
33
15
21
23
31
6
29
19
17
32
24
16
W
c
sn
pc
pc
sn
sn
sh
sf
sf
c
pc
sn
sn
pc
c
c
sn
pc
sn
pc
pc
pc
sn
sn
pc
sn
pc
Hi
44
17
28
47
19
22
38
29
31
28
27
25
25
40
44
48
25
32
30
41
27
38
27
25
38
29
31
Today
Beijing
Hong Kong
Jerusalem
London
Mexico City
Moscow
Paris
Rome
Seoul
Sydney
Tokyo
Lo
24
67
40
47
45
26
42
40
23
70
37
W
s
pc
s
c
s
c
c
pc
pc
pc
s
Lo
34
-2
10
33
-8
7
25
14
19
10
7
8
8
22
33
33
5
18
17
28
7
27
17
7
29
19
16
W
c
c
pc
pc
pc
sn
c
pc
pc
pc
pc
c
c
c
c
c
c
pc
pc
c
pc
c
pc
pc
c
pc
pc
Sun.
Hi
37
73
48
58
73
29
54
58
44
82
51
(in mph)
Klamath Falls
31/7
Boardman
Pendleton
Lo
28
67
42
42
45
27
49
39
28
70
40
W
c
c
pc
c
s
sn
pc
pc
pc
pc
s
REGIONAL FORECAST
Coastal Oregon: Variably cloudy today with
a shower in places; chilly in the south.
Eastern and Central Oregon: Snow, ac-
cumulating up to an inch east; partly sunny
back to the west.
Western Washington: More clouds than sun
today; a rain or snow shower in spots, but
dry at the coast.
Eastern Washington: A snow shower today;
partly sunny toward the Cascades. Clouds
breaking across the south.
Cascades: A stray fl urry today. Partly cloudy
tonight; a couple of fl urries across the north.
Northern California: Partly sunny today;
very cold in the interior mountains. Mostly
clear and cold tonight.
Today
Sunday
WSW 4-8
WSW 6-12
WSW 3-6
SW 4-8
UV INDEX TODAY
Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.
0
0
0
0
0
NEWS
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Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day.
WINDS
Medford
40/24
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NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY
Sun.
WORLD CITIES
Hi
38
70
53
50
74
32
51
59
36
82
54
Corrections
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accurate and sincerely regrets any errors.
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please call 541-966-0818.
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Subscriber services:
For home delivery, vacation stops or delivery concerns: 1-800-522-0255
www.eastoregonian.com
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (AP) — A group
of snowmobilers has been rescued after
becoming stranded and running low on fuel
in Fremont County’s backcountry.
KIFI-TV reports that Fremont County
Search and Rescue was called into the area
around 2 a.m. Thursday.
The six people in the group told the first
two responders who reached them that they
had a fire burning and were OK to spend
the night.
A team started out at daybreak and
reached the group before noon.
Everyone was tired but OK when they
returned to base camp that afternoon.
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Two of the
state’s prominent Democrats are asking its
most powerful congressional Republican to
help save Obamacare.
Gov. Jay Inslee and Insurance
Commissioner Mike Kreidler wrote a letter
Thursday to Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers
in an effort to save the Affordable Care Act.
The Spokesman-Review says the two
wrote that repealing Obamacare would
result in financial hardship for hundreds of
thousands of state residents.
They said it could also destabilize the
state’s health insurance market and hurt the
state budget and economy.
McMorris Rodgers represents the
Spokane area in Congress and is in House
leadership. She has voted against the act
numerous times.
With Donald Trump set to be
SULTAN, Wash. (AP) — A prosecutor
says an 81-year-old woman had no choice
but to use deadly force when she fatally
shot a home intruder in April.
The Herald reports Snohomish County
deputy prosecutor Craig Matheson wrote
in his decision that Barbara Moles fired
as 25-year-old Steven Sheppard advanced
toward her.
Sheppard had broken into the home and
stabbed and struck Moles’ husband.
211 S.E. Byers Ave., Pendleton 541-276-2211
333 E. Main St., Hermiston 541-567-6211
Office hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Closed major holidays
Snowmobilers rescued after
getting stuck overnight
Inslee, Kreidler ask
McMorris Rodgers to help
save Obamacare
Prosecutor says 81-year-old
justified in killing intruder
— Founded Oct. 16, 1875 —
inaugurated next month, Republicans are
again talking about repealing and replacing
the law.
Moles called police and a dispatcher
helped her stem the flow of blood from her
husband’s wound.
An autopsy found methamphetamine in
Sheppard’s system.
The Register-Guard reported Friday
that Nancy Shurtz is calling the report
“supremely public retaliation.”
Shurtz says the report includes errors
that take her actions out of context and she
is consulting with an attorney.
She came under fire for wearing black
face paint and a curly black wig to a
Halloween party she hosted.
In an apology, Shurtz said she had
dressed up as Dr. Damon Tweedy, a black
psychiatrist who wrote a memoir about his
experiences with racism.
She says her costume was intended to
shed light on racism.
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: Snow will fall over part of the Northeast today with rain from the mid-
Atlantic to the southern Plains. Snow will blanket the interior West with low elevation rain
and mountain snow over the Southwest.
Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states)
High 89° in McAllen, Texas
Low -27° in West Yellowstone, Mont.
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
53
68
51
50
22
70
31
45
74
51
37
42
70
47
38
68
13
24
81
78
42
79
45
50
59
59
Lo
30
50
37
32
10
55
15
33
51
45
30
30
63
29
28
48
6
23
70
66
34
56
39
36
54
43
W
pc
c
r
r
c
c
sn
r
c
r
c
r
c
s
c
s
c
c
pc
c
c
pc
pc
sh
r
pc
Sun.
Hi
39
72
49
48
16
75
25
40
71
60
38
39
73
41
35
53
18
36
81
78
50
75
61
47
69
59
Lo
22
54
37
32
9
60
10
23
53
50
36
37
54
19
34
32
1
23
71
68
48
59
31
33
63
44
Today
W
sn
pc
s
s
sn
pc
pc
s
c
c
r
c
t
sn
c
pc
pc
sn
pc
c
c
pc
t
s
c
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
52
63
83
36
33
59
75
46
63
40
49
59
40
46
56
29
35
51
50
43
58
52
39
66
52
52
Lo
46
59
73
31
29
56
61
36
53
33
34
41
28
30
44
13
16
30
40
27
47
40
31
39
37
45
W
r
r
pc
c
c
r
pc
r
c
s
r
r
r
r
c
pc
pc
pc
c
r
sh
pc
c
sh
r
pc
Sun.
Hi
61
72
83
38
37
70
74
46
64
56
46
55
33
44
59
24
35
49
61
30
59
53
38
53
48
62
Lo
55
63
74
35
27
61
62
31
36
27
31
40
10
23
41
7
11
30
55
17
45
39
31
34
38
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
c
pc
r
i
c
sh
s
t
t
s
s
s
s
pc
sn
pc
pc
c
sn
s
pc
c
pc
s
t