NORTHWEST East Oregonian Page 2A Tuesday, January 17, 2017 Commission chair asks for greater oversight of ODOT Meltdown expected midweek Freezing rain in the forecast before temperatures rise Wednesday elevations. Pendleton public works director Bob Patterson said his staff will clean out catch basins and dig channels in the ice to make sure melting water drains properly, but besides these aspects of regular maintenance he expects the city’s drainage system to hold up. Patterson said he’ll continue to track the precip- itation forecast, which could complicate the public works department’s efforts. The weather service issued a winter storm watch for the region that calls for up to a half an inch of ice from freezing rain and snow, and two to four inches of snow between Tuesday morning and Wednesday morning. The weather is expected to again make travel difficult because of slick roads and low visibility. As the week warms up, the forecast predicts further rain. The respite from the cold weather will most likely be brief. According to the weather service’s Climate Prediction Center, January is likely to continue with below-av- erage temperatures and above-average precipita- tion. ——— Contact Antonio Sierra at asierra@eastoregonian. com or 541-966-0836. By ANTONIO SIERRA East Oregonian The mountains of snow and ice that have lined Eastern Oregon parking lots and sidewalks in recent weeks could become lakes in a matter of days. The National Weather Service is forecasting a sharp rise in temperatures by Wednesday, which will clear up many of the area’s sidewalks and streets after weeks of subfreezing condi- tions. According to Monday evening forecasts, the rela- tively warmer weather will culminate on Wednesday in a high of 48 degrees in Pendleton and 44 degrees in Hermiston. This kind of warm-up after a prolonged cold snap can sometimes lead to flooding as rivers, creeks and urban drainage systems are overwhelmed with snow melt, but weather service meteorologist Mike Murphy did not anticipate anything too significant. Most areas of Eastern Oregon have weathered several inches of snowfall and only a handful of days with temperatures above freezing — Pendleton’s last day that got above freezing was Jan. 10, when the high was 37. But Murphy said water levels should be Staff photo by E.J. Harris A droplet of water falls from an icicle hanging from the roof of Round-Up Vacuum and Sewing on Monday in Pendleton. restrained by the a gradual cooling after the midweek highs. Toward the end of this week, temperatures should start to creep back down toward 30s, staving off a meltdown of snow in higher BRIEFLY Search canceled for dad, toddler swept into ocean NORTH BEND (AP) — The Coast Guard has suspended its search for a father and his young son who were swept into the sea by a wave along an Oregon beach. The agency, along with Oregon State Police and other responders, searched unsuccessfully Sunday and Monday for 31-year-old Jayson Dean Thomas, of Elmira, Oregon, and his 3-year-old son. Thomas and the boy had been walking Sunday on a beach about 2 miles north of Cape Blanco when the wave struck. The boy’s mother saw it happen and called authorities. Crews in helicopters and search boats and state troopers in all-terrain vehicles found only the man’s jacket and a child carrier he had been wearing in the surf. State Police spokesman Capt. Bill Fugate says the area where they were swept away is steep and the ocean was rough due to an approaching storm. Body found after fire destroys Wash. strip mall VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) — The Clark County Sheriff’s Office says it has opened a homicide investigation after a body was found in the ruins of a Vancouver strip mall destroyed by fire over the weekend. The Columbian newspaper reports that crews responded Sunday morning and found Sifton Plaza fully engulfed in flames. The complex included the Oasis Market convenience store, where the body was found, and three other tenants: a barber shop, a pet supply store and a pet grooming business. Family says wounded officer may be blind SEATTLE (AP) — The family of a Washington state police officer who was shot in the head last month while responding to a call says he may be permanently blind as a result of his injuries. KOMO-TV reports that officer Mike McClaughry’s daughter April posted on social media that the family is hoping McClaughry’s brain recovers, but it is likely he will never see again. The post says some doctors say it won’t be known for sure if McClaughry can see until he is conscious enough to communicate. SUBSCRIPTION RATES Local home delivery Savings off cover price EZPay $14.50 41 percent 52 weeks $173.67 41 percent 26 weeks $91.86 38 percent 13 weeks $47.77 36 percent *EZ Pay = one-year rate with a monthly credit or debit card/check charge www.eastoregonian.com To subscribe, call 1-800-522-0255 or go online to www.eastoregonian.com and click on ‘Subscribe’ 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 © 2017, EO Media Group TODAY WEDNESDAY Some glaze; cloudy, not as cold Cloudy, showers around; breezy 32° 27° 43° 37° THURSDAY FRIDAY Times of clouds and sun Occasional morning rain PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 44° 36° 42° 33° 43° 32° HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 39° 33° 27° 23° PENDLETON through 3 p.m. yesterday TEMPERATURE HIGH LOW 11° 41° 63° (1976) 2° 27° -5° (1950) 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 1.06" 0.85" 1.06" 0.49" 0.85" HERMISTON through 3 p.m. yesterday TEMPERATURE HIGH Yesterday Normals Records LOW 17° 42° 63° (1961) 9° 28° -9° (1957) 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 0.61" 0.66" 0.61" 0.33" 0.66" SUN AND MOON Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today Last New Jan 19 Jan 27 7:31 a.m. 4:40 p.m. 10:51 p.m. 10:27 a.m. First Full Feb 3 41° 26° 39° 30° Seattle 47/45 ALMANAC Yesterday Normals Records 42° 33° Feb 10 Today SATURDAY Spotty afternoon showers Spokane Wenatchee 30/28 26/22 Tacoma Moses 51/45 Lake Pullman Aberdeen Olympia Yakima 25/23 33/29 48/47 48/44 27/25 Longview Kennewick Walla Walla 46/44 26/25 Lewiston 24/22 Astoria 34/33 51/49 Portland Enterprise Hermiston 35/34 Pendleton 31/27 The Dalles 27/23 32/27 32/27 La Grande Salem 29/27 46/45 Albany Corvallis 46/44 46/45 John Day 37/34 Ontario Eugene Bend 15/11 46/44 37/33 Caldwell Burns 20/13 22/11 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 51 18 37 51 22 31 46 36 27 37 37 29 29 45 50 55 15 22 32 35 35 46 30 36 37 26 27 Lo 49 14 33 48 11 27 44 32 23 34 32 27 27 41 49 50 11 20 27 34 33 45 28 32 37 25 25 W r c sh r c i r i i c c sn i sh r r c i i i sh i sn sh i i sn Hi 53 27 40 52 34 35 51 43 39 41 38 36 35 48 52 55 28 36 43 49 43 51 41 40 48 43 35 Lo 45 22 30 44 19 30 42 35 33 34 24 31 32 35 45 45 27 27 37 43 29 44 37 32 42 37 26 W r sn sh r sn c r sh sh sh sn c sn r r r i sh sh r sh r r sh r sh sh WORLD CITIES Today Beijing Hong Kong Jerusalem London Mexico City Moscow Paris Rome Seoul Sydney Tokyo Hi 40 68 62 41 74 25 33 51 37 96 50 Klamath Falls 37/32 Lo 18 63 45 29 47 18 22 39 23 80 37 W s c pc c pc pc s pc pc s s Wed. Hi 35 70 61 42 74 21 34 51 42 89 49 Lo 23 65 43 35 46 17 23 38 22 70 38 W pc c pc c pc c s c pc pc pc (in mph) Today Wednesday Boardman Pendleton NNE 4-8 SE 6-12 SSE 6-12 SSE 10-20 UV INDEX TODAY Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows. REGIONAL FORECAST Coastal Oregon: Rain and drizzle this morning, then downpours, heavy rain across the north. Eastern and Central Oregon: Cloudy today. Some glaze across the north; showers around near the Cascades. Western Washington: Downpours; however, ice during the morning across the south today. Eastern Washington: Today: cloudy with periods of freezing rain; a little icy mix in the north. Cascades: Periods of rain today through tonight. A mix of snow and rain tomorrow. Northern California: Cloudy today with a bit of rain overspreading the area later in the day or at night. 0 1 1 Classified & Legal Advertising 1-800-962-2819 or 541-278-2678 classifieds@eastoregonian.com or legals@eastoregonian.com 0 0 NEWS • To submit news tips and press releases: • call 541-966-0818 • fax 541-276-8314 • email news@eastoregonian.com • To submit community events, calendar items and Your EO News: email community@eastoregonian.com or call Tammy Malgesini at 541-564-4539 or Renee Struthers in at 541-966-0818. • To submit engagements, weddings and anniversaries: email rstruthers@eastoregonian.com or visit www.eastoregonian. com/community/announcements • To submit a Letter to the Editor: mail to Managing Editor Daniel Wattenburger, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801 or email editor@eastoregonian.com. • To submit sports or outdoors information or tips: 541-966-0838 • sports@eastoregonian.com COMMERCIAL PRINTING Production Manager: Mike Jensen 541-215-0824 • mjensen@eastoregonian.com NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY Wed. WINDS Medford 45/41 Corrections REGIONAL CITIES Forecast the phone. Considering that ODOT staff ostensibly work for the commission, Mater said the request for an independent staffer indicates “a complete disintegration of trust” between ODOT and the commission tasked with overseeing it. David Bragdon, former president of greater Portland’s Metro regional government, has closely watched ODOT for years. The letter “reads like a vote of no confidence in (ODOT) management,” said Bragdon, who is executive director of Transit Center, Inc, a nonprofit. “This is a pretty darn amazing letter,” said Jim Moore, a Pacfiic University government professor who leads the Tom McCall Center for Policy Innovation. The fact that it was put on official letterhead suggests it was meant “for a wider audience and that the letter was intended to put pressure on the governor,” he said. Gov. Brown wrote a noncommittal reply Jan. 13. She did not comment on Baney’s specific requests but expressed appreciation for the commission’s role. “Your involvement and continued communication with my office is key to the active and critical role OTC plays in the efforts to create a robust trans- portation system,” Brown wrote. Bryan Hockaday, a Brown spokesman, said the governor’s response was not a denial of Baney’s requests but declined to comment further. Specifically, Baney wants to increase the commission’s oversight of the budget, participation in project selection, tracking of funds within the department and development of policy from the beginning stages. 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. Advertising Director: Marissa Williams 541-278-2669 • addirector@eastoregonian.com Advertising Services: Laura Jensen 541-966-0806 • ljensen@eastoregonian.com Multimedia Consultants: • Terri Briggs 541-278-2678 • tbriggs@eastoregonian.com • Elizabeth Freemantle 541-278-2683 • efreemantle@eastoregonian.com • Jeanne Jewett 541-564-4531 • jjewett@eastoregonian.com • Chris McClellan 541-966-0827 • cmcclellan@eastoregonian.com • Stephanie Newsom 541-278-2687 • snewsom@eastoregonian.com • Dayle Stinson 541-278-2670 • dstinson@eastoregonian.com • Audra Workman 541-564-4538 • aworkman@eastoregonian.com Didn’t receive your paper? Call 1-800-522-0255 before noon Tuesday through Friday or before 10 a.m. Saturday for same-day redelivery 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 The head of the Oregon Transportation Commission has asked Gov. Kate Brown to personally engage in beefed-up oversight of the Department of Transporta- tion. In a strongly worded letter on formal letterhead sent Jan. 10, OTC Chair- woman Tammy Baney requested quarterly meetings with Brown as well as an independent staff person to carry out commissioners’ requests for information and research. Baney also wants an “active” role in ODOT Director Matt Garrett’s performance review, now under jurisdiction of the governor. “This is essential to ensure that the Director is fulfilling our expectations as well as yours,” Baney wrote, adding, “To effectively carry out the commission’s statutory responsibilities and your policy direction, it is imperative that we more closely coordinate our efforts directly with you.” Baney, in an interview, said she intended no criticism of Director Garrett or ODOT staff. The all-volunteer, five-member commission she heads is appointed the governor. On paper, state law gives it broad powers to run the department. But several observers say the letter speaks volumes about tensions and potential flaws in ODOT oversight, even as the department prepares for a massive influx of funding for road and bridge projects if the Legis- lature approves a package of increased fees and taxes. “Wow,” said Catherine Mater, who held Baney’s position until 2015, as the letter was read to her over Three dozen firefighters fought the blaze but the $500,000 building was a total loss. Subscriber services: For home delivery, vacation stops or delivery concerns: 1-800-522-0255 — Founded Oct. 16, 1875 — By PARIS ACHEN and NICK BUDNICK Capital Bureau 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. ©2017 Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day. -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 will extend from Texas to Ohio, southern Pennsylvania and New Jersey today. Ice will occur farther north with snow to take aim at New England. Rain and ice will begin to invade the Northwest. Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states) High 84° in Harlingen, Texas Low -29° in Challis, Idaho 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 73 48 53 40 74 22 40 77 66 41 56 55 44 48 52 -16 27 82 71 51 79 40 56 55 66 Lo 30 60 45 50 32 60 15 37 58 47 32 38 44 28 35 34 -38 22 68 62 35 52 25 38 43 47 W pc c sh sh pc sh c pc pc t r r c s r sh c pc s r r pc c s c s Wed. Hi 49 71 52 57 43 71 35 41 78 50 42 42 58 48 44 55 -32 37 82 71 44 80 48 58 51 62 Lo 29 55 38 35 32 58 32 34 53 37 32 34 42 24 32 40 -40 23 69 58 32 55 32 47 45 50 W pc c c pc c c i r pc c pc c sh s pc pc pc pc s r pc pc pc pc sh pc 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 63 59 82 40 34 66 77 44 48 37 48 64 36 43 65 38 39 55 47 29 65 56 47 64 56 46 Lo 41 46 67 31 20 44 61 41 35 23 45 46 28 35 60 26 27 42 33 14 49 47 45 41 52 28 W r r pc r sf t c r pc c r s pc r sh s pc pc c pc s pc r pc sh s Wed. Hi 51 56 82 43 39 54 75 46 52 44 53 66 33 43 68 45 45 52 48 37 64 56 53 64 59 51 Lo 39 53 64 32 29 49 62 37 37 31 37 47 25 31 41 19 32 46 39 24 55 48 44 42 40 34 Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice. W pc pc pc pc s pc c r pc pc c s sn r pc s r r c c pc r r s pc pc