NORTHWEST
East Oregonian
Page 2A
Thursday, February 16, 2017
Water regulators propose third transaction fee hike
Bill would increase fee
rates by 15.88 percent
over four years
By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI
Capital Bureau
Oregon water regulators want
to raise fees for water rights trans-
actions by nearly 16 percent over
four years to avoid processing
slowdowns for irrigators.
The Oregon Water Resource
Department’s request to state
lawmakers, House Bill 2295,
would mark the third such
increase since 2009.
Some groups representing
irrigators are uneasy about the
proposal, particularly in light of
another bill that would impose
a new $100 management fee on
every water right in Oregon.
Under H.B. 2295, a transac-
tion fee increase of 15.88 percent
would be phased in over four
years and a sunset on previous
hikes — set to expire this year —
would be eliminated.
If the fee schedule reverted
back to 2009 levels, OWRD
would have to cut 5.5 full-time
positions, effectively extending
the time that irrigators must
wait to develop or transfer water
rights, said Tom Byler, the agen-
cy’s director.
The increase is also necessary
to maintain OWRD’s dam
inspection program, which
oversees roughly 900 large
structures, he said. “These are all
very important functions for the
agency.”
Fees must be raised just to
BRIEFLY
2.9 magnitude earthquake
recorded near Adams
Water for Life, an irrigator
group, is concerned about the
rate at which costs are growing,
said Richard Kosesan, its lobbyst.
“Water for Life is not enamored
with the fee increases.”
The Oregon Farm Bureau is
neutral regarding HB 2295 and
won’t oppose the hike as long as
another piece of legislation —
House Bill 2706, which imposes
the $100 management fee on
water rights — isn’t passed, said
Mary Anne Nash, public policy
counsel for the group.
The cost of processing water
rights transactions is currently
split evenly between water users
and OWRD. The Farm Bureau
wants the agency to continue
shouldering half the expense
instead of shifting more of the
burden on irrigators, Nash said.
keep these services at current
levels due to climbing expenses
for salaries, benefits and retire-
ment plans for state employees,
Byler said at a Feb. 13 hearing of
the House Committee on Energy
and the Environment.
The Oregon Water Resources
Congress, an irrigator group,
wishes that fee increases wouldn’t
occur so frequently but nonethe-
less supports HB 2295, said April
Snell, its executive director.
The Oregon Association of
Nurseries also testified in favor of
the bill.
“Water transfers are a big part
of how we do business,” said
Jeff Stone, executive director of
OAN. Nurseries typically rely on
water rights transfers when they
expand production onto newly
bought or leased property.
ADAMS — An earthquake has been
recorded in Umatilla County.
The U.S. Geological Survey says the 2.9
magnitude earthquake hit Wednesday at
1:55 p.m. It struck about 14 miles northeast
of Pendleton, between Adams and Athena.
There were no reports of damage, and
several people who noticed the rumble
compared it to a passing truck.
The USGS says the quake occurred at a
depth of just under three miles.
A 2.9 earthquake is described as minor.
Generally, it is felt by people near the
epicenter but rarely causes damage. Shaking
of indoor objects can be noticeable. About
100,000 such quakes occur worldwide each
year.
Woman killed on Valentine’s
Day; husband arrested
LEBANON (AP) — An Oregon man has
been arrested in the shooting death of his
wife.
The Lebanon Police Department says
33-year-old Jason Garlinghouse called 911
to report the shooting on Valentine’s Day,
telling a dispatcher his wife had attacked
him.
Police found the body of Sparki Sue
Garlinghouse and obtained a warrant
to search the home. The agency says it
recovered the firearm allegedly used in the
shooting and charged the husband with
murder at one minute before midnight.
The Albany Democrat-Herald reports
two children lived at the house, but were
not home when the shooting occurred. They
have been placed with relatives.
Garlinghouse was booked into the Linn
County Jail.
Republican spearheaded naturalization ceremony on House floor
By PARIS ACHEN
Capital Bureau
SALEM — While many
Oregon politicians hail former
Republican Gov. Tom McCall
as their role model, Republican
Rep. Julie Parrish idolizes
former Gov. Victor Atiyeh, the
nation’s first Arab-American
governor.
“Oregon had rich history
… of welcoming immigrants,”
Parrish said.
The oft-rogue Republican
from West Linn wanted to
remind legislators and Orego-
nians of that important history
when she suggested hosting a
naturalization ceremony on the
floor of the House of Represen-
tatives.
The ceremony was held
in conjunction with Oregon’s
birthday and Valentine’s Day
Tuesday on the House floor.
Parrish was an infant when
her Lebanese father was natural-
ized as a U.S. citizen. In 2011,
she became the first known
Arab-American woman to be
elected to the state Legislature.
“I had never been to a natu-
ralization ceremony before,” she
said. (Parrish was three months
old when her father took the
oath of allegiance to the United
States.)
In January, she attended a
naturalization ceremony at a
U.S. Citizenship & Immigration
Services office in Portland,
where Republican Dennis Rich-
ardson spoke as part of his first
official event as newly elected
secretary of state. Parrish ran
Bend seeks more funds to
clear snowy roads
Courtesy Speaker Tina Kotek
Michael Hickman, Portland field office director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Service, conducts the oath of allegiance during a naturalization ceremony Tuesday in the
Oregon House of Representatives.
Richardson’s campaign against
Democrat Brad Avakian, who
was seen as the likely victor.
“It’s pretty impressive, pretty
powerful,” Parrish said of the
naturalization ceremony. “At
a time when the conversation
around immigration is not very
positive, this was an important
opportunity to remind folks that
we are a nation of immigrants.
“I thought legislators should
see that and experience that.”
Naturalization ceremonies
had been hosted at the state
Capitol in the past but were
booked in the basement, far from
the public eye. Parrish and one
of Richardson’s staff members
approached House Speaker
Tina Kotek to get permission to
hold the ceremony on the House
floor. Kotek, D-Portland, agreed
to host the ceremony to mark
Oregon’s 158th birthday, which
coincides with Valentine’s Day.
“That’s the first time we
have done one on the House
floor,” Kotek said. “We think
it’s a really important symbolic
way of saying that everyone
is welcome here in the state of
Oregon.”
Fifteen people were natu-
ralized as U.S. citizens during
the ceremony. They come from
four countries: Mexico, China,
the Philippines and Denmark,
said Lindsey O’Brien, Kotek’s
spokeswoman.
Michael Hickman, Portland
field office director of the U.S.
Citizenship and Immigration
Service, conducted the oath of
allegiance during the ceremony.
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
— Founded Oct. 16, 1875 —
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
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
REGIONAL CITIES
Forecast
FRIDAY
Cloudy with a
couple of showers
Chilly with clouds
and sun
50° 34°
44° 30°
SATURDAY
Cloudy, a bit of
snow and rain
SUNDAY
Mostly cloudy with
a little rain
An afternoon
shower
PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
37° 31°
46° 33°
47° 34°
HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
44° 34°
43° 32°
PENDLETON
through 3 p.m. yesterday
TEMPERATURE
HIGH
LOW
33°
47°
66° (1982)
25°
29°
-5° (1923)
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
0.16"
0.50"
0.62"
2.15"
2.17"
2.00"
HERMISTON
through 3 p.m. yesterday
TEMPERATURE
HIGH
Yesterday
Normals
Records
LOW
32°
48°
63° (2016)
27°
29°
-8° (1936)
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
0.22"
0.44"
0.52"
2.13"
1.34"
1.80"
SUN AND MOON
Sunrise today
Sunset tonight
Moonrise today
Moonset today
Last
New
Feb 18
Feb 26
47° 32°
48° 32°
Seattle
53/42
ALMANAC
Yesterday
Normals
Records
39° 31°
Spokane
Wenatchee
45/30
39/30
Tacoma
Moses
53/38
Lake
Pullman
Aberdeen Olympia
Yakima 39/29
46/32
51/42
52/37
40/28
Longview
Kennewick Walla Walla
52/41
50/35 Lewiston
42/32
Astoria
50/34
51/40
Portland
Enterprise
Hermiston
51/37
Pendleton 42/29
The Dalles 43/32
50/34
44/32
La Grande
Salem
47/31
53/39
Albany
Corvallis 53/41
52/40
John Day
46/30
Ontario
Eugene
Bend
40/29
52/38
45/30
Caldwell
Burns
44/32
42/23
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
41
45
52
42
42
52
45
43
46
47
47
43
55
52
54
40
42
50
51
51
53
45
45
51
50
40
Lo
40
24
30
43
23
29
38
31
32
30
32
31
30
37
41
44
29
32
34
37
31
39
30
30
36
35
28
W
sh
sh
sh
r
sh
r
sh
sh
sh
r
sh
r
r
sh
sh
sh
sh
r
sh
sh
sh
sh
r
r
sh
r
c
Hi
51
39
42
55
38
42
52
45
44
42
45
42
42
56
53
55
40
43
44
52
45
53
43
43
52
45
43
Today
Beijing
Hong Kong
Jerusalem
London
Mexico City
Moscow
Paris
Rome
Seoul
Sydney
Tokyo
Lo
23
61
30
41
46
18
39
40
27
73
46
W
c
s
r
pc
pc
c
c
s
pc
s
s
Lo
37
26
30
43
26
29
39
31
34
30
31
30
29
40
40
43
32
31
30
38
30
38
27
29
37
32
31
W
pc
pc
c
r
c
pc
c
c
pc
pc
r
pc
c
r
c
c
c
pc
pc
c
c
c
pc
c
c
pc
c
Fri.
Hi
43
73
46
53
72
31
51
59
37
92
65
Klamath Falls
47/32
Lo
22
63
33
40
42
29
37
49
21
73
42
(in mph)
Today
Friday
Boardman
Pendleton
SW 3-6
S 4-8
NE 3-6
NE 3-6
W
s
pc
s
c
pc
sn
pc
pc
pc
t
pc
UV INDEX TODAY
Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.
REGIONAL FORECAST
Coastal Oregon: Showers today; cooler in
central parts.
Eastern Washington: Rain today; steadiest
during the morning.
Eastern and Central Oregon: Cloudy today
with a couple of showers.
Cascades: Rain and snow showers today;
snow levels will fall to 3,000 feet tonight.
Northern California: Periods of rain today.
Mar 5
Western Washington: Mostly cloudy today
with some showers around; most extensive
in the morning.
0
1
1
1
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
Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day.
WORLD CITIES
Hi
48
71
42
52
71
25
54
58
52
89
56
Classified & Legal Advertising
1-800-962-2819 or 541-278-2678
classifieds@eastoregonian.com or legals@eastoregonian.com
NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY
Fri.
WINDS
Medford
55/37
6:56 a.m.
5:24 p.m.
11:38 p.m.
9:50 a.m.
First
Full
Mar 12
Today
MONDAY
Corrections
The East Oregonian works hard to be ac-
curate 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
Subscriber services:
For home delivery, vacation stops or delivery concerns: 1-800-522-0255
TODAY
BEND (AP) — The central Oregon city
of Bend may have to dip into a reserve fund
to get its roads cleared in the event of another
snowstorm this winter.
The Bend Bulletin reported the head of the
city’s streets department, David Abbas, plans
to ask the City Council on Wednesday for
$120,000 to pay private companies to plow
snow from Bend’s roads. He’s also seeking
$185,000 for plowing at the Bend Municipal
Airport and in city parking lots if needed.
The city has already paid private compa-
nies $672,000 to plow roads for December
and January. That’s about a half million
dollars more than initially budgeted for the
winter.
Last winter, the city paid only $130,000
for the work.
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
-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 snowstorm will wind down over Maine, while blustery and cold
conditions linger over the Northeast with areas of lake-effect snow today. Heavy rain will
spread southward along the Pacific coast.
Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states)
High 87° in Fort Pierce, Fla.
Low -12° in Presque Isle, Maine
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
58
58
46
41
59
59
49
36
63
41
43
31
68
71
34
63
20
45
82
68
46
68
66
72
64
70
Lo
33
39
26
24
37
39
33
24
40
30
30
24
47
38
26
43
1
31
71
49
36
37
42
55
39
58
W
s
s
pc
pc
pc
s
c
sn
s
pc
c
c
s
s
pc
s
pc
s
pc
pc
pc
s
s
s
s
pc
Fri.
Hi
61
68
46
47
54
68
48
37
70
59
57
51
72
63
45
67
19
48
83
72
59
74
69
59
68
63
Lo
38
48
31
32
29
48
39
24
46
40
42
41
57
32
36
47
-8
33
68
58
42
45
43
51
47
55
Today
W
pc
s
s
pc
pc
s
c
s
s
pc
s
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
c
s
s
s
r
s
r
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
53
62
80
37
46
57
63
37
67
64
39
75
32
36
52
64
56
63
65
54
68
63
53
74
44
69
Lo
40
43
58
33
33
38
47
27
40
38
26
55
19
21
32
37
31
49
44
35
57
50
42
48
29
37
W
pc
s
c
c
c
s
pc
pc
s
s
pc
s
sn
pc
s
s
r
r
s
pc
pc
r
sh
s
s
s
Fri.
Hi
64
68
79
46
56
66
68
42
69
68
44
76
35
37
63
57
47
57
70
52
68
61
51
74
51
69
Lo
46
52
64
41
35
47
55
32
45
35
33
59
15
23
39
33
37
50
50
41
59
50
39
56
37
41
Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain,
sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice.
W
s
s
pc
s
s
s
c
s
s
s
pc
c
s
s
s
pc
c
r
s
c
r
r
c
pc
pc
s