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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (March 24, 2017)
NORTHWEST East Oregonian Page 2A Friday, March 24, 2017 Advocates seek more money for veteran services benefits. Byron Whipple, a veterans’ services officer in Union County, told legis- lators last month that in his area of northeastern Oregon, veterans face problems accessing travel to get medical care. In February, community members housed a 75-year-old veteran with dementia for five days because local agencies could not arrange services for him sooner, Whipple wrote in testimony to the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Transportation and Economic Development. “We do not have local missions and shelters that certain cities and counties have,” Whipple wrote. “We do not have the extra tax dollars to fund these emer- gencies. Last November, we did have hope.” In December, Gov. Kate Brown released a budget that decreased the amount By CLAIRE WITHYCOMBE Capital Bureau SALEM — Oregon veterans’ groups have been up in arms since the gover- nor’s budget reduced alloca- tions to the Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs from the state’s general fund and backfilled it with most of the lottery fund dollars set aside for veterans’ services by a v o t e r- a p p r o v e d ballot measure. Now they’ve brought their concerns to a Legisla- ture busy trying to fill a $1.6 billion shortfall. Ballot Measure 96 amended the state’s constitu- tion to allocate 1.5 percent of state lottery net proceeds to direct services for veterans. Advocates have been vocal about what they say is a need for more support — such as for veterans’ services officers, who help returned veterans sign up for federal of general fund dollars for veterans’ services from $10 million to $2 million, provoking the ire of veterans’ advocates, who said that the ballot measure was intended to supplement, not supplant, current state funding for veterans. The Governor’s Office said in a statement this week that at $19.8 million, the governor’s budget reflected the intent of Measure 96 by increasing the overall budget for the Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs. Although $19.8 million would be a near doubling of funding for veterans’ services in the next budget cycle, veterans groups’ say it’s not enough, and that the governor’s plan may meet the letter, but not the spirit, of Measure 96. The co-chairs of the Joint Ways and Means Committee, the legislative budget- writing committee, proposed $23.5 million in combined lottery and general funds for veterans’ services as part of their preliminary spending framework in January. Some legislators have called for boosting the amount higher still. State Rep. Paul Evans, D-Monmouth, is one of them. Evans acknowledged in a statement Thursday that state legislators were facing an “extraordinarily difficult budget environment.” “Now we have to find a way to increase funding to a level where we can do some real good for the men and women we’ve sent into harm’s way, while also strengthening our schools, providing quality health care and investing in other critical services,” Evans said. Freshman Rep. Ron Noble, R-McMinnville, wants to bump the amount of money the veterans’ services program gets by amending the agency’s funding bill, bringing the total to about $30 million for veterans’ services. Noble says he wants to obey the will of the voters. According to the Oregon Secretary of State’s Office, 83 percent of Oregon voters voted in favor of Measure 96. However, according to the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Office, the measure did not require that the amount of money allocated to veterans’ services in the general fund be maintained. “There’s nothing in the bill that says you cannot supplant the dollars,” Noble said. “But I think that’s, I’m going to be blunt, I think that’s just a chicken way out.” Noble did not have specific proposals Thursday as to where he’d cut back elsewhere in the state’s general fund to increase veterans’ services. He said the state could be more efficient, and that he is preparing to provide more details at future meetings of the Ways and Means Subcommittee reviewing the ODVA budget, of which he is a member. Supporters of more funding, such as Noble and State Rep. Julie Parrish, R-Tualatin/West Linn, argue that an up-front investment in direct services will bring more revenue to the state down the line by increasing the amount of federal benefits Oregon’s veterans receive. They claim it will also lessen the burden on other areas of the state budget, such as health care and housing. Parrish was behind the legislative proposal that was referred to voters, and said in a phone interview Thursday that it was not her intention to backfill a lower general fund budget with the lottery funds. Furthermore, she believes the state has the resources to pay for the veterans’ services that advocates want. She said she was working on a bill to curtail the costs of healthcare for public employees. “We have the money,” Parrish said, “We’re just not holding state agencies accountable for how we’re spending it.” Braves, warriors, chieftains: State takes on tribal mascots battles over mascots such as the Washington Redskins. Minnesota and Wisconsin have banned Native Amer- ican mascots at school districts for decades, but elsewhere communities have wrestled with the issue for years, said Jennifer Guiliano, a history professor at Indiana University-Purdue Univer- sity Indianapolis. Oregon’s statewide approach is unique, and its willingness to allow an exception for districts that collaborate with tribes calls to mind the NCAA’s longstanding ban on Native American mascots that don’t have tribal buy-in, she said. But even with collabora- tion, agreements at the high school and college levels can raise questions about the nature of the long-term relationship once a deal is inked, she said. State education officials initially did not want to allow any exceptions to the mascot ban but eventually bowed to pressure from lawmakers last year. At GILLIAN FLACCUS Associated Press BANKS — This fall, the football team in the tiny Oregon logging town of Banks will once again take the field as the Braves. But this time, they have the approval of the tribe that originally inhabited the area. It’s one of many changes in the works this spring across Oregon prompted by the nation’s long-running uproar over Native American sports mascots. School districts in the state with tribal mascots must do away with them by July 1 or risk punishment that could include the with- holding of state funds. However, the state will make exceptions for districts that get the approval of one of Oregon’s nine tribes — and the Banks School District is one of more than a half-dozen tiny districts trying to take advantage of that provision. The state Board of Educa- tion voted unanimously on Thursday to approve AP Photo/Gillian Flaccus The Banks High School mascot is visible on track hur- dles at the school in Banks on Thursday. In Oregon, school districts with Native American mascots must abandon them by July or risk punishment that could include the withholding of state funds. an agreement between the Banks district and the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde, the first such deal to reach the board. The current deal, nearly two years in the making, allows the district to keep the name Braves. In exchange, it gives up the “Indian head” image — a Native American man with a partially shaved head, face paint, ear hoop and feathers — and implements a curriculum developed by the Grand Ronde that teaches the history of its people from a tribal perspective. The process highlights the dilemma facing small schools across the U.S. as attention has focused on high-profile 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. 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Elwood will be performing in Hamley Saloon, inside Hamley Steakhouse, from 9 p.m. to midnight. The EO regrets the error. 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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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 Copyright © 2017, EO Media Group REGIONAL CITIES Forecast TODAY SATURDAY Mostly cloudy, showers around Variable clouds, a shower or two 51° 40° 53° 35° SUNDAY MONDAY A few afternoon showers Clouds and sun, showers around TUESDAY Mostly cloudy with a shower PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 57° 42° 50° 39° 56° 42° HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 59° 35° 56° 40° PENDLETON through 3 p.m. yesterday TEMPERATURE HIGH LOW 54° 57° 74° (1960) 32° 37° 20° (1904) 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 0.03" 1.52" 1.02" 5.44" 3.84" 3.53" HERMISTON through 3 p.m. yesterday TEMPERATURE HIGH Yesterday Normals Records LOW 56° 60° 79° (1940) 34° 36° 19° (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" 0.86" 0.69" 4.32" 2.70" 2.93" SUN AND MOON Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today New First Mar 27 Apr 3 Full Apr 10 56° 40° 60° 42° Seattle 54/42 ALMANAC Yesterday Normals Records 59° 43° 6:50 a.m. 7:13 p.m. 5:07 a.m. 3:34 p.m. Last Apr 19 Today Spokane Wenatchee 44/36 48/34 Tacoma Moses 54/40 Lake Pullman Aberdeen Olympia Yakima 52/37 46/37 51/41 52/40 57/35 Longview Kennewick Walla Walla 55/43 53/43 Lewiston 57/41 Astoria 51/37 52/41 Portland Enterprise Hermiston 54/42 Pendleton 46/33 The Dalles 56/40 51/40 57/40 La Grande Salem 50/37 54/42 Albany Corvallis 56/42 55/41 John Day 51/37 Ontario Eugene Bend 52/35 54/43 50/34 Caldwell Burns 55/38 47/29 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 52 47 50 53 47 46 54 51 56 51 48 50 46 55 52 56 52 57 51 54 53 54 44 47 54 53 57 Lo 41 30 34 44 29 33 43 36 40 37 31 37 36 41 42 45 35 41 40 42 34 42 36 34 42 43 35 W r r sh r r r r sh sh r r r r r r r r sh sh r sh r r sh r sh c NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY Sat. Hi 50 51 49 52 47 45 56 51 59 51 50 50 47 56 50 54 58 61 53 54 53 54 48 46 53 55 59 Lo 39 26 33 44 26 25 38 32 35 32 32 30 28 42 41 43 34 35 35 41 30 41 32 27 40 38 33 Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day. W pc c sh c pc sh pc sh sh sh pc sh sh pc pc sh c pc sh pc pc pc sh sh pc sh pc WORLD CITIES Today Beijing Hong Kong Jerusalem London Mexico City Moscow Paris Rome Seoul Sydney Airport Tokyo Hi 43 75 60 56 82 46 60 67 56 75 53 Lo 32 67 44 41 53 25 44 48 37 66 40 W r pc t s pc sh c pc c pc pc Sat. Hi 57 71 62 58 79 39 62 67 54 76 52 Lo 39 57 45 42 54 25 43 48 34 66 45 W pc c s pc pc s s pc pc sh pc WINDS Medford 55/41 (in mph) Klamath Falls 48/31 Boardman Pendleton REGIONAL FORECAST Coastal Oregon: Mostly cloudy today with a little rain. Eastern and Central Oregon: Rather cloudy today. A little rain; arriving during the afternoon in the south. Western Washington: Rain at times today. Spotty showers tonight. A shower in places tomorrow. Eastern Washington: Rain today; icy mix in the morning, then rain and sleet in the mountains. Cascades: Rain today; however, a bit of snow and rain in the south. Northern California: Rain today, except a snow shower in the interior mountains; colder in central parts. Today Saturday SW 6-12 SW 7-14 WSW 7-14 W 7-14 UV INDEX TODAY Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows. 0 1 2 2 1 input. Other opponents have threatened lawsuits over racial discrimination in schools. In Banks, nearly all the residents made it clear they didn’t want to give up the name Braves — and the tribe was willing to listen. “It’s been the nickname or the mascot for 70-plus years or so and it’s a symbol of pride and respect for our community,” said district Superintendent Jeff Leo, who oversees 1,000 students in the K-12 district 25 miles west of Portland. “We just didn’t say, ‘Oh, we’re going to keep the name. We looked into it, we read things. We didn’t take it lightly at all.” the time, some tribal rights groups were angry at the weakening of the policy that had been one of the toughest in the nation. “You can have curriculum without exploiting and dehu- manizing Native American people,” said Sam Sachs, founder of No Hate Zone, a racial rights advocacy website. “I think it’s great they’re having these conver- sations, but we only got here because there was a threat of taking away their discrimina- tory, race-based mascots.” The exemption has prompted a state lawmaker to introduce a bill that would ban all Native American mascots, with or without tribal 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 wintry mix will fall on the Northeast today while snow blankets part of Colorado. Rain will soak areas from western New York to Nebraska and Central California to Washington as severe storms hit the Plains. Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states) High 98° in Presidio, Texas Low -20° in Saranac Lake, N.Y. 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 67 71 50 62 61 74 55 43 73 71 72 68 82 52 67 76 18 44 85 81 66 75 70 78 77 70 Lo 40 56 47 51 43 61 39 40 53 50 48 54 54 32 48 47 -9 26 72 64 55 55 47 60 57 54 W s pc pc pc s pc sh sh pc c c c t sf c s s pc pc t c pc t pc pc pc Sat. Hi 72 73 58 73 51 72 56 48 75 73 58 64 77 62 54 83 19 50 84 81 65 77 59 72 71 67 Lo 43 59 47 49 36 60 36 35 57 54 52 53 56 35 44 53 -6 32 73 58 54 57 42 54 50 51 Today W s pc c pc r t c r pc pc r r s pc r s s pc s pc r pc sh pc pc pc 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 73 77 78 62 46 74 80 52 77 67 57 79 40 46 70 59 59 56 78 60 67 62 54 75 65 74 Lo 58 62 69 39 31 59 68 48 47 42 51 56 33 41 51 31 41 45 58 45 58 51 42 48 53 45 W pc sh sh c r pc sh c pc t pc s sn sh pc pc r r pc pc pc r r s pc t Sat. Hi 71 71 80 45 48 73 78 61 69 53 72 82 46 53 74 67 58 65 69 51 66 63 52 83 75 63 Lo 58 53 68 40 35 57 67 42 46 39 48 56 25 36 55 37 33 45 51 35 56 50 40 50 56 41 Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice. W c t pc r c t t sh pc c pc s sh r pc pc pc pc t r pc pc pc s pc pc
