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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 2, 2017)
NORTHWEST East Oregonian Page 2A Wednesday, August 2, 2017 PENDLETON Father, son prepare for eclipse Fire department union after missed 1979 viewing gets higher pay, better benefits in new contract By GILLIAN FLACCUS Associated Press MADRAS — The last time a total solar eclipse blacked out the sun in Oregon nearly 40 years ago, Gene Brick was working in a timber mill that refused to shut down for the spectacle. The World War II veteran and amateur astronomer was devas- tated when his friends raved about experiencing a pitch-dark sky in the middle of the day. “Everyone who was outside got to see it, and they enjoyed telling me all about it — and I was hurt by that,” said Brick, now 92. “But work is work, you know.” Brick will get another chance to witness history this month, when a total solar eclipse begins its path across the U.S. in Oregon. The one he missed in 1979 covered the Pacific Northwest and parts of Canada. This total eclipse will be visible from coast to coast across the nation — something that hasn’t happened in 99 years. Brick plans to watch the event with his son using two telescopes: a fancy new one and one the two crafted together 53 years ago in their basement. The men will peer at the sun through both during the eclipse’s totality, when the moon’s shadow completely covers the sun for just over two minutes. They also will use special filters to photograph the eclipse through the newer machine. For Brick, who survived a kamikaze attack on the USS Drexler during the Battle of Okinawa, the opportunity is the experience of a lifetime. “I always loved to look at the moon,” he said, after peering through the telescope the pair crafted in 1964. “I still do.” The Bricks will have a prime location for their father-son moment. The town of Madras, in central Oregon, is in the high desert, where summertime skies are often clear and cloudless. Up to 100,000 people are expected to flock to the town and just agreed to a $10 million bond and weren’t being “greedy” with their requests. Although council members didn’t hold a vote on it, they did hold a public hearing about hiring a contractor during the fire station design process rather than bid it out once designs are complete. Joseph Hull of McCormack Construction delivered a presentation on the “construction manager/general contractor” method, with assurances from Ciraulo that McCormack would not receive preferential treatment. Over the course of his career, Hull said he’s worked on several projects using this alternative method, ranging from the 1990s remodel of Pendleton High School to the Seattle Justice Center. Hull said it would be advantageous for the city to employ this method because the designer and contractor will frequently perform cost evalu- ations during the design phase and change the scope of the project accord- ingly if its needed. Additionally, a contractor must produce a maximum cost fee once the station is 80 percent designed. The council will hold another public hearing at its next meeting and vote whether to use the construction manager/general contractor” method. Other actions the council took include: • The council unanimously approved $107,000 in vehicle purchases for the Pendleton Police Department. The department will use the money to buy three new patrol cars and two used, low-mileage sedans for the community services officer and the code enforcement officer. • The council also unanimously approved a $204,193 bid from Jesse Rodriguez Construction of Silverton to replace water mains at Northwest Ninth Street and Southwest 32nd Street and a $67,676 bid from Columbia Pumping & Construction of Pasco to perform repair work on a sewer line running under the Umatilla River. ——— Contact Antonio Sierra at asierra@ eastoregonian.com or 541-966-0836. By ANTONIO SIERRA East Oregonian The Pendleton Fire Department’s union has a new contract to go along with its new fire station. The Pendleton City Council unan- imously approved a new three-year contract with the fire department’s union at a meeting Tuesday. According to a summary of the contract changes prepared by Human Resources Manager Andrea Denton, union employees will only receive a marginal wage increase over the life of the contract — a 1 percent increase in 2019. However, the city will now pick up the employees’ 6 percent contribution into the Public Employees Retirement System. Elsewhere in the contract, the city and the union agreed to nix the career development bonus but also created a 2 percent increase in certification pay for certain professional certificates. The city will continue to cover 100 percent of the insurance cost share for union employees and 80 percent for employee dependents. In addition to seeing changes to their salary and benefits, Pendleton’s firefighters and paramedics will no longer have to live within 15 road miles or 30 minutes response time of the fire station, since a place of residence clause was removed from the contract. Fifty percent of all off-duty employees will no longer have to be available to report in case of emergency, contract language Denton characterized as “unenforceable.” After meeting behind closed doors, the council emerged and unanimously approved the new contract without debate. The International Association of Fire Fighters represents 21 members of the Pendleton Fire Department and Ambulance Service, excluding admin- istration, reserves and interns. Salaries currently range from $42,168 per year for a single-role para- medic on the bottom tier to $100,488 for a captain on the top tier. In a previous interview, Fire Chief Mike Ciraulo said union members were aware that Pendleton voters AP Photo/Gillian Flaccus This frame grab from a video shows Gene Brick, 92, left, and his son, Bartt Brick, peer through a telescope in Madras, June 12, that they made together in 1964. The two plan to watch the upcoming solar eclipse together Aug. 21, 2017, as it passes through Oregon. surrounding Jefferson County for the Aug. 21 event, creating worries about overcrowding and traffic. Brick’s son, Bartt Brick, is on the Madras City Council and will be on call during the eclipse. But taking the time to watch the event with his father is important to him. The elder Brick got the last four credits he needed for his high school diploma by signing up for the U.S. Navy and never attended college — but even in his 90s, he’s studying particle physics. The pair decided to build the telescope when the younger Brick was 14, after finding a piece of glass in his late grand- father’s garage that was hand- ground into a concave lens for a telescope. Gene Brick worked long, hard days cutting logs at the mill then stayed up into the night working on the project with his teenage son. “We’d bought ourselves a book on telescopes and a new dictionary, and after about — what — four or five months, we had a telescope,” Bartt Brick recalled on a recent summer day. “I’d sleep about half the night,” his father added with a chuckle. The two dragged the tele- scope outside on the night they finished, aimed it toward the heavens by propping it on a stepladder, and peered into the night sky until they spied the Ring Nebula, a dying star in a constellation about 2,000 light years from Earth. “We were so excited, we ran in and told Mom. But at 2 o’clock in the morning, she wasn’t as thrilled as we were,” the younger Brick said. Over the years, the telescope got a lot of use from the family and from a string of neighbor- hood children who lined up most evenings to peer at the moon. But when the 1979 total solar eclipse came along, the elder Brick was working, the younger Brick no longer lived at home, and the telescope went unused. When Bartt Brick moved back to Madras three years ago, the stars aligned for another crack at a shared celestial show. On Aug. 21, three genera- tions of Bricks will assemble. They’ll have a sleek black, new telescope equipped with a remote control and a USB cord for snapping photos through a computer. But they’ll also have on hand the unassuming, unmounted metal cylinder they worked on so long ago. “Dad’s had a message for me ever since I was 2 years old, and it was, ‘Be curious,’” Bartt Brick said. “And boy, did I learn how to be curious with this.” Corrections The August 1 East Oregonian article “Plant goes offline for picnic and repairs” contained the wrong date for the next Stanfield City Council meeting. The next city council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 15. 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. 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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Classified & Legal Advertising 1-800-962-2819 or 541-278-2678 classifieds@eastoregonian.com or legals@eastoregonian.com ADVERTISING Advertising Director: Marissa Williams 541-278-2669 • addirector@eastoregonian.com Advertising Services: Laura Jensen 541-966-0806 • ljensen@eastoregonian.com Multimedia Consultants: • Danni Halladay 541-278-2683 • dhalladay@eastoregonian.com • Jeanne Jewett 541-564-4531 • jjewett@eastoregonian.com • Dayle Stinson 541-278-2670 • dstinson@eastoregonian.com • Angela Treadwell 541-966-0827 • atreadwell@eastoregonian.com • Audra Workman 541-564-4538 • aworkman@eastoregonian.com Subscriber services: For home delivery, vacation stops or delivery concerns: 1-800-522-0255 Single copy price: $1 Tuesday through Friday, $1.50 Saturday 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 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 Copyright © 2017, EO Media Group REGIONAL CITIES Forecast TODAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY Very hot with sizzling sunshine Very hot with plenty of sunshine Very hot 102° 65° 102° 68° Hot with some sun SUNDAY Partly sunny and very hot PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 104° 72° 101° 70° 101° 71° HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 106° 69° 105° 64° PENDLETON through 3 p.m. yesterday TEMPERATURE HIGH LOW 99° 90° 108° (2009) 58° 60° 41° (1897) 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" 0.00" 0.01" 11.30" 7.27" 7.96" HERMISTON through 3 p.m. yesterday TEMPERATURE Yesterday Normals Records HIGH LOW 100° 90° 109° (2009) 55° 60° 41° (2002) 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" 0.00" 0.01" 6.59" 4.94" 5.93" SUN AND MOON Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today Full Last Aug 7 Aug 14 New Aug 21 104° 71° 104° 72° Seattle 94/68 ALMANAC Yesterday Normals Records 107° 74° 5:40 a.m. 8:22 p.m. 4:34 p.m. 1:35 a.m. First Aug 29 Today Spokane Wenatchee 95/66 99/71 Tacoma Moses 94/59 Lake Pullman Aberdeen Olympia Yakima 102/66 95/58 92/63 99/57 103/66 Longview Kennewick Walla Walla 100/64 102/71 Lewiston 105/62 Astoria 102/68 87/61 Portland Enterprise Hermiston 107/70 Pendleton 95/56 The Dalles 105/64 102/65 106/70 La Grande Salem 99/58 109/66 Albany Corvallis 109/63 109/63 John Day 101/65 Ontario Eugene Bend 103/66 107/60 100/62 Caldwell Burns 102/64 98/53 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 87 95 100 69 98 95 107 98 105 101 99 99 97 113 77 77 103 105 102 107 101 109 95 95 104 102 103 Lo 61 48 62 55 53 56 60 63 64 65 59 58 55 74 54 56 66 64 65 70 55 66 66 52 69 71 66 W s s s s pc s s s s s s s s pc s s s pc s s s s pc s s pc pc NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY Thu. Hi 82 95 100 68 98 95 106 99 106 100 99 99 97 112 69 71 102 104 102 106 101 109 96 96 104 102 104 Lo 58 50 63 55 51 58 57 69 69 61 56 59 56 72 51 55 66 63 68 69 56 63 67 55 69 72 67 Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day. W s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s WORLD CITIES Today Beijing Hong Kong Jerusalem London Mexico City Moscow Paris Rome Seoul Sydney Tokyo Hi 85 92 88 66 79 79 81 94 93 63 82 Lo 75 84 68 61 58 68 65 72 78 51 73 W t sh s r pc s pc s pc pc pc Thu. Hi 94 90 86 72 78 77 81 97 95 65 84 Lo 75 83 67 58 56 59 61 74 77 52 75 W t t s c pc pc pc s pc r pc WINDS Medford 113/74 Klamath Falls 99/59 (in mph) Today Thursday Boardman Pendleton NE 6-12 N 6-12 NNE 4-8 NW 4-8 UV INDEX TODAY Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows. REGIONAL FORECAST Coastal Oregon: Plenty of sunshine today; very warm across the north. Clear tonight. Eastern and Central Oregon: Mostly sunny and very hot today. Clear tonight. Very hot tomorrow. Western Washington: Plenty of sunshine today. Clear tonight. Blazing sunshine tomorrow. Eastern Washington: Hazy sun today; ex- treme heat can be dangerous. Clear tonight. Plenty of sun tomorrow. Cascades: Blazing sunshine and very hot today. Clear tonight. Very hot tomorrow. Northern California: Mostly sunny today; very hot in central parts. Mainly clear tonight. 1 4 7 7 4 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: Locally heavy storms will extend from the Plains to the Great Lakes and will riddle the Deep South and Southwest today. Rain will precede a cooldown over the northern Plains as heat builds in the Northwest. Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states) High 110° in Redding, Calif. Low 34° in Dillon, Colo. 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 88 88 83 90 70 86 102 82 90 85 84 85 88 88 85 89 60 73 88 86 81 86 87 103 84 91 Lo 66 72 70 67 51 71 66 66 70 65 68 67 72 56 68 69 52 53 76 75 66 73 68 84 69 74 W pc pc pc pc pc pc s s pc t pc pc pc t t t c t s t t t pc t pc pc Thur. Hi 89 84 82 90 79 87 100 82 83 87 83 85 93 72 83 92 70 71 88 89 83 84 78 100 88 89 Lo 64 69 72 69 55 72 67 66 71 67 60 71 74 54 68 71 52 50 76 76 65 73 53 82 70 72 W t t pc pc s t s pc t pc t t pc c t pc pc pc pc c c t pc pc pc pc Today Hi Louisville 87 Memphis 86 Miami 92 Milwaukee 79 Minneapolis 83 Nashville 89 New Orleans 88 New York City 88 Oklahoma City 89 Omaha 86 Philadelphia 89 Phoenix 101 Portland, ME 79 Providence 83 Raleigh 92 Rapid City 78 Reno 104 Sacramento 99 St. Louis 91 Salt Lake City 99 San Diego 82 San Francisco 77 Seattle 94 Tucson 92 Washington, DC 92 Wichita 90 Lo 70 70 81 66 64 69 74 71 65 65 72 83 64 65 68 48 69 66 72 71 74 62 68 75 72 67 W pc c t pc pc c t t pc pc t t s pc pc r pc s pc s pc pc s t pc pc Thur. Hi 88 90 93 78 64 91 84 86 89 72 89 102 78 80 93 72 103 99 92 98 81 80 98 97 92 85 Lo 72 72 82 59 53 72 74 72 65 54 71 85 63 66 70 48 69 70 62 72 73 63 66 76 74 59 Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice. W t pc pc t r pc t pc pc pc pc t pc pc pc pc s s pc s pc pc s pc pc t
