NORTHWEST East Oregonian Page 2A Friday, April 14, 2017 Vocal crowd in Bend gives Walden an earful and stomping or boos. Walden was frequently interrupted by shouting. His town halls earlier More than 2,000 people turned this week in the Columbia River out for an energetic, and some- Gorge were similarly crowded. Walden responded calmly, times hostile, town hall meeting asking the audience to hosted by Congressman be respectful and let Greg Walden in Bend speakers get their ques- Thursday evening. tions out. O r e g o n ’ s “You’re starting to only Republican sound like Congress” congressman fielded Walden said, repeating a questions on everything line he had used earlier from health care to in the week during background checks a similarly unruly for gun buyers, to his moment. alignment with Pres- Health care was a ident Trump. Walden Walden prominent major topic scheduled the meeting in Bend after getting heat for not for many. “Why do you want to do away hosting a town hall in the largest with the Affordable Care Act?” city in his district since 2013. Bend is a blue island of asked one young woman. Walden was a key author of the Democratic majority in a sea of Walden’s mostly red district, and Republican bill written to replace the largely left-leaning crowd Obamacare. The bill was pulled in quickly erupted with boos, chants, Congress earlier this year when it hisses or cheers at Walden’s was obvious Republicans did not responses to statements from have enough votes for it to pass. Walden pointed out all of constituents. At times, people who stood up the elements of the ACA that to ask questions barely uttered a he supported retaining, such as word or two — such as “climate protections for people with preex- change” or “public lands”— isting conditions and allowing before being cut off by cheering young people to remain on their A Wallowa County man is suspected of poaching and wasting at least a dozen elk on his property — and perhaps 13 more found dead on adjoining land. Larry Harshfield, 69, was arrested April 8 and charged with 12 counts of taking elk out of season and 12 counts of wasting elk. The charges stem from a Feb. 11 search of the Harshfield Ranch, located in the city of Wallowa. During the search, Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife troopers located 25 dead elk, 12 of which were located on Harsh- field’s property and 13 others were nearby. The elk carcasses appeared not to have had any attempt to salvage meat from them, according SALEM — While bringing a hay exporter one step closer to rebuilding his burned-down barns, Oregon lawmakers are preparing for a broader discussion about wetland regulations. After fire destroyed his two barns last year, state regulators informed hay exporter Jesse Bounds that rebuilding the structures violated Oregon fill-removal law because his 12-acre prop- erty near Junction City was a wetland. The parcel wasn’t identi- fied as a wetland on federal, state or county maps, but the Department of State Land nonetheless determined the project required a wetland fill-removal permit due to soil characteristics and other features. Under state law, the fact that Bounds had received county approval for rebuilding the barn was irrelevant. The House Agriculture Committee has now approved a bill that would change Oregon fill-removal law to rectify the situation for Bounds and farmers who find themselves in a similar dilemma. On April 13, the committee unanimously referred House Bill 2785 for a vote on the House floor with a “do pass” recommendation. Under HB 2785, fill-re- moval requirements would not apply when replacing a dwelling or agricultural building on farmland, as long the structure receives county approval, existed before 2017 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. 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Periodicals postage paid at Pendleton, OR. Postmaster: send address changes to East Oregonian, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801. 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 Single copy price: $1 Tuesday through Friday, $1.50 Saturday COMMERCIAL PRINTING Production Manager: Mike Jensen 541-215-0824 • mjensen@eastoregonian.com Copyright © 2017, EO Media Group REGIONAL CITIES Forecast TODAY SATURDAY Breezy with variable clouds Sun and clouds 54° 35° 57° 37° SUNDAY MONDAY Some sun, then clouds A couple of showers PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 60° 43° 60° 40° HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 62° 36° 60° 37° PENDLETON through 3 p.m. yesterday TEMPERATURE HIGH LOW 53° 61° 92° (1904) 41° 39° 21° (1911) 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 0.33" 0.52" 0.55" 6.79" 4.08" 4.51" HERMISTON through 3 p.m. yesterday TEMPERATURE HIGH Yesterday Normals Records LOW 61° 64° 86° (1947) 45° 39° 21° (1968) 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 0.29" 0.34" 0.32" 5.27" 2.84" 3.43" SUN AND MOON Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today Last New Apr 19 Apr 26 6:11 a.m. 7:40 p.m. 11:10 p.m. 8:22 a.m. First Full May 2 66° 44° 66° 42° Seattle 51/42 ALMANAC Yesterday Normals Records 66° 43° May 10 Today TUESDAY Cloudy 62° 43° Spokane Wenatchee 50/33 56/38 Tacoma Moses 51/38 Lake Pullman Aberdeen Olympia Yakima 58/36 48/33 50/41 51/37 60/35 Longview Kennewick Walla Walla 53/41 55/39 Lewiston 61/38 Astoria 53/36 51/40 Portland Enterprise Hermiston 53/39 Pendleton 41/24 The Dalles 60/37 54/35 57/37 La Grande Salem 47/31 53/35 Albany Corvallis 53/35 54/35 John Day 45/27 Ontario Eugene Bend 53/31 53/34 46/24 Caldwell Burns 50/29 43/22 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 46 46 51 43 41 53 50 60 45 45 47 45 55 50 53 53 60 54 53 49 53 50 45 53 55 60 Lo 40 26 24 39 22 24 34 32 37 27 23 31 30 35 39 39 31 36 35 39 24 35 33 26 39 39 35 W sh sn pc sh pc sn sh pc c sn pc c c sh sh sh sh c c sh pc sh c sn sh c pc NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY Sat. Hi 55 51 52 58 51 46 59 54 62 52 56 53 51 63 54 58 58 62 57 60 55 60 52 51 59 58 60 Lo 39 30 29 43 31 28 34 32 36 33 30 33 32 41 39 42 36 36 37 41 27 37 33 29 40 40 36 Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day. W c pc pc c pc pc c pc pc pc pc pc pc pc c c pc pc pc c pc c pc pc c pc pc WORLD CITIES Today Beijing Hong Kong Jerusalem London Mexico City Moscow Paris Rome Seoul Sydney Tokyo Hi 83 81 64 60 77 41 60 68 57 74 66 Lo 51 72 49 45 53 26 45 52 50 60 58 W pc pc pc pc pc c pc pc r s pc Sat. Hi 87 83 63 56 78 41 60 68 68 72 69 Lo 53 74 47 41 52 25 42 51 51 60 56 W s t s pc pc pc c pc pc pc pc WINDS Medford 55/35 (in mph) Klamath Falls 45/23 Boardman Pendleton REGIONAL FORECAST Eastern Washington: Variable clouds today with a shower; however, a snow shower in the mountains. Cascades: Periods of snow today, accumu- lating 1-2 inches; chilly. Northern California: Partly sunny today; unseasonably cold in the interior mountains. Today Saturday WSW 10-20 W 10-20 SW 6-12 WSW 6-12 UV INDEX TODAY Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows. Coastal Oregon: Variable cloudiness today with a couple of showers; cool across the north. Eastern and Central Oregon: Brief showers today, except rain and snow showers in central parts and near the Cascades. Western Washington: Variable clouds today with a brief shower or two. and would be located on the same parcel. The committee’s chairman, Brian Clem, D-Salem, said the bill is “just a tiny starting place” for dealing with conflicts that may arise from Oregon’s wetland rules. Wetlands are “treasured in this state” but it’s been too long since lawmakers looked at how they’re defined and the process for resolving fill-re- moval disputes, Clem said. “Sorry to spring this on you, but prepare to deal with wetlands for another year,” he said. For example, lawmakers should consider the creation of authoritative maps for identifying wetlands and whether fill-removal enforcement should remain complaint-driven, as it is now, Clem said. MateuszPerkowski/Capital Bureau 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 — To subscribe, call 1-800-522-0255 or go online to www.eastoregonian.com and click on ‘Subscribe’ A House committee chairman who’s a leading author of the mired Republican health care bill says he’s skeptical about proposals the Trump administration and conservative lawmakers have discussed aimed at breathing life into the legislation. The White House and leaders of the conservative House Freedom Caucus have discussed letting states seek federal waivers to insurance require- ments imposed by President Barack Obama’s health care law. These have included waiving that statute’s ban against insurers charging seriously ill customers higher premiums than healthy people. Oregon Republican congressman Greg Walden says in an interview with The Associated Press that he’d have to be convinced the suggested changes won’t take coverage away from people. Conservatives say eliminating the requirement would help keep premiums lower. Walden chairs the House Energy and Commerce panel. Jesse Bounds runs a straw-compressing facility in Junction City that state regulators claim was rebuilt on a wetland after a fire. Subscriber services: For home delivery, vacation stops or delivery concerns: 1-800-522-0255 www.eastoregonian.com Associated Press By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI Capital Bureau to ODFW. Harshfield was charged with poaching the 12 elk on his property and was lodged at the Wallowa County Jail. Additional charges for the 13 dead elk on the adjoining property will be referred to the Wallowa County District Attorney for consider- ation. Mike Hansen, assistant district wildlife biologist for ODFW, said that the department can issue a kill permit or a hazing permit for elk that cause consis- tent damage to a farmer’s crops. Hansen said Harsh- field had contacted ODFW about the permits. The kill permit requires the farmer to field dress and skin the animal and take it to a meat processing facility. “He did not want to do that,” Hansen said. “We gave him a haze permit.” A haze permit does not allow for any killing of elk. 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 Walden skeptical of Freedom Caucus health care idea Oregon wetland exemption moves forward Man charged with allegedly killing, wasting a dozen elk By STEVE TOOL EO Media Group “Thank You Walden.” The environment and public lands also loomed large in the talk. “Why have you not stood up to the Trump administration’s anti-environment actions?” asked one man. “E-P-A! E-P-A!” the crowd began chanting. One woman asked if the congressman saw any end to the partisanship in Washington. “What you don’t see is how much we do work together,” Walden said. “Some things we disagree on, but there’s a lot that we work together on in Congress.” Walden’s responses were at times technical and specific, referring to his voting record on specific legislation. His staff displayed slides on a 20-foot screen at the front of the high school gym with bullet points about health care, veterans affairs or other issues as they came up. The meeting was slated to last an hour but it went on for two. Many in the crowd thanked Walden for coming to Bend and responding to such an energetic crowd. “Democracy in action,” Walden said. parent’s plan until the age of 26. But Walden said the health care system under Obama had major problems. “I want to fix it, so it will work,” he said. One supporter thanked Walden for his position in support of immigration reform. “I believe illegals need to leave this country,” said a man, who was in a wheelchair and identified as a veteran. The crowd responded with eruptive applause when Bend resident Aimee Metcalf asked Walden to distance himself from Trump and his policies. “What is happening with our president is not normal,” she said, referring to Trump’s relationship with Russia. “You know it.” Walden suggested there are many places where he disagrees with the president. When asked why the congressman does not press Trump to release his tax information, he said “Every one of us has a right to protect our tax returns.” “Boo!” the crowd shouted, with many holding up red signs that said “DISAGREE.” A handful of people clapped, and one supporter held a sign that said By AMANDA PEACHER Oregon Public Broadcasting 0 2 4 4 3 1 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: Showers and thunderstorms will extend from the Ohio Valley to the Dakotas today. Storms will erupt over the southern High Plains and southern Texas while rain and snow showers diminish in the Northwest. Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states) High 93° in Gila Bend, Ariz. Low 12° in Champion, Mich. 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 80 82 57 67 58 87 48 56 81 82 68 66 82 77 63 88 48 69 83 81 77 81 74 77 82 72 Lo 47 61 46 49 38 63 31 42 61 56 61 54 63 40 50 58 25 45 70 64 61 60 64 57 59 53 W s s s s pc pc sh s s pc c c pc pc c pc s c pc pc t pc t s pc s Sat. Hi 78 81 58 68 53 85 56 63 81 81 78 78 82 66 78 86 41 65 85 83 79 81 77 82 80 76 Lo 47 61 54 58 32 62 37 50 61 60 60 65 65 39 60 57 24 38 71 66 62 60 53 62 63 53 Today W s pc c c pc pc pc s pc pc pc c pc pc t s s pc pc pc pc pc t s pc 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 85 86 82 54 65 87 81 64 78 73 65 88 57 61 79 67 55 64 80 56 68 62 51 89 69 75 Lo 64 63 73 51 58 63 64 46 61 61 46 60 36 41 59 39 32 42 64 35 55 46 42 55 54 61 W pc pc pc c r pc c s pc t s s s s s pc pc s c pc pc s sh s pc pc Sat. Hi 83 83 82 74 67 84 80 59 78 71 64 88 60 61 80 59 66 69 83 57 70 65 56 88 71 73 Lo 65 65 73 54 46 63 65 56 62 46 57 61 47 49 61 31 41 48 65 42 56 49 41 54 62 56 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 c r s pc c c c c s s s pc pc pc pc s pc s pc c s c t