NORTHWEST
East Oregonian
Page 2A
Wednesday, August 9, 2017
Plutonium detected in air at Hanford
RICHLAND, Wash. (AP) — Radio-
active plutonium and americium have
been found in air samples collected
where workers enter the secure area
of the Hanford nuclear reservation in
southeastern Washington, state health
officials said Tuesday.
The air samples were collected by
the state Department of Health on June
8 at the Rattlesnake Barricade just off
of public Highway 240, The Tri-City
Herald reported.
That was the day workers at the
Plutonium Finishing Plant were
ordered to take cover indoors because
of an airborne release of radioactive
particles during demolition of the
highly contaminated facility.
Department of Health officials at a
Hanford Advisory Board committee
meeting in Richland on Tuesday said
analysis results for the air samples
were received Monday.
The levels of contamination in the
samples were “very, very low,” said
John Martell, manager of the Radio-
active Air Emissions Section of the
Department of Health.
“The level is interesting from a
regulatory point of view, but is not
a health risk” to the public, said
Mike Priddy, manager of the Envi-
ronmental Sciences Section of the
HEPPNER
New wildfire reported on
Umatilla National Forest
East Oregonian
HEPPNER — A new
wildfire is burning on the
Umatilla National Forest
and threatening the Tupper
Guard Station about 20
miles southeast of Heppner.
The Tupper Corral Fire
was reported at 3:45 p.m.
Tuesday, and by 8 p.m. had
grown to 15 acres. The cause
of the fire is unknown.
Firefighters will work
through the night building
containment lines and
protecting nearby struc-
tures. Resources assigned
to the blaze include two
bulldozers, six engines, one
AP Photo/Nicholas K. Geranios, File
In this June 13 file photo, the Plutonium Uranium Extraction Plant, right,
stands adjacent to a dirt-covered rail tunnel, left, containing radioactive
waste, amidst desert plants on the Hanford Nuclear Reservation near
Richland, Wash. Radioactive plutonium and americium have been found
in air samples collected where workers enter the secure area of the Han-
ford nuclear reservation health officials said Tuesday.
Department of Health.
Hanford employees were told in a
Tuesday memo that the Department
of Health considers “that the amount
detected is below levels that would be
of concern for human health.”
The Department of Energy and
Department of Health are beginning
an investigation and have not conclu-
sively linked the airborne contamina-
tion to the Plutonium Finishing Plant
incident, officials said.
“We are taking it seriously,” said
Tom Teynor, Department of Energy
project director for the Plutonium
Finishing Plant.
The samples were collected in an
area where officials were not expecting
to find airborne contamination.
The Rattlesnake Barricade is at
least three miles from the Plutonium
Finishing Plant.
ODFW warns that Willamette
steelhead face extinction
PORTLAND
(AP)
— State officials warned
Monday that if California sea
lions continue feeding below
Willamette Falls, they could
push winter steelhead trout
to the brink of extinction.
The Oregonian/Oregon-
Live reports that the state
Department of Fish and
Wildlife highlighted the
threat in a population
feasibility study. Without
federal intervention, they
said, there’s an 89 percent
probability that least one
population of the iconic fish
species will go extinct in the
near future.
“It’s pretty dire,” Shaun
Clements, the agency’s
senior fish policy adviser
said in an interview from a
Clackamas County park just
down river from the state’s
largest waterfall, where sea
lions have been setting up
shop around the time the
trout try to make their trek to
spawning grounds up river.
“If we don’t deal with this
near-term risk, there might
not be fish,” he said.
The state’s report comes
as two Pacific Northwest
OHA Director Lynne Saxton resigns
By NICK BUDNICK
Portland Tribune
Oregon Health Authority Director
Lynne Saxton has resigned in the wake
of news of her involvement in a plan
to influence lawmakers by planting
negative and misleading news about a
local nonprofit health provider.
The Portland Tribune on Thursday
broke the news of a communication
plangreeted approvingly by Saxton
that talked of finding an HIV patient
to complain about FamilyCare, then
connect him or her off the record with
local reporters.
The plan called for using lawmakers
and lobbyists from other organizations
as intermediaries to spread negative
news to disguise OHA’s role, allowing
state officials to appear neutral.
An email described the strategy as
creating an “information buzz” in the
state Capitol so lawmakers wouldn’t
intervene in a rate dispute between
FamilyCare and the state.
The sudden resignation, which was
first reported earlier Tuesday evening
by The Oregonian, came amid growing
speculation in the health care industry
over Saxton’s future and questions
about why Gov. Kate Brown had not
responded to the Tribune’s reporting
either before or after publication.
Brown, however, answered those
questions in a brief statement late
Tuesday.
“Today, after discussion with
Lynne Saxton, we have agreed that
her resignation is in the best interests
of the agency,” Governor Brown said.
“Lynne has led the Oregon Health
Authority through its most chal-
lenging times and helped me ensure
that every Oregonian has access to
the care they need. She is known as a
fighter for Oregon’s values and I am
proud of how she brought that level of
commitment to the staff of OHA.”
Other announcements will be
made regarding OHA leadership in
the “coming weeks,” according to the
statement.
The communications plan was
prepared as FamilyCare and the
state were doing battle in court over
whether OHA is giving FamilyCare a
fair rate of reimbursement for its care
of low-income Medicaid patients.
FamilyCare is one of 16 coordinated
care organizations, or CCOs, set up
by state reforms to act much like
insurance plans or HMOs to provide
low-income patients with health
care under the Oregon Health Plan.
FamilyCare has been the most vocal
CCO, often accusing state officials
of incompetence or seeking to do
the nonprofit harm, including in the
pending litigation.
The communications plan called
for getting reporters to write about
FamilyCare and “look for opportu-
nities to hurt their credibility in the
news.” The goal was to portray the
nonprofit as “more concerned with the
bottom line and increasing revenues
than the health of Oregonians.”
It called for highlighting the
group’s profit margins. Those margins
appear larger than other CCOs in
large part due to FamilyCare’s simple
corporate structure. In reality pretty
much all the CCOs have enjoyed
large profits, in part due to an influx of
young and healthy patients under the
Obamacare law. However the OHA
communications plan did not call for
providing that context.
The Tribune obtained the plan after
having to file a records appeal with
the Oregon Department of Justice
over OHA’s refusal to release the
plan OHA then released more than
50 pages that had been improperly
withheld.
Officials at first dismissed the plan,
claiming it was not “fully imple-
mented.” Evolving talking points then
said the plan was “not implemented,”
then said it was shelved because it
does not meet OHA values.
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Copyright © 2017, EO Media Group
REGIONAL CITIES
Forecast
TODAY
FRIDAY
THURSDAY
Very hot with hazy
sun
Very hot with hazy
sun
101° 65°
102° 66°
SATURDAY
Very hot with hazy
sunshine
Partly sunny and
hot
PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
101° 68°
98° 67°
86° 55°
HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
105° 65°
105° 63°
PENDLETON
through 3 p.m. yesterday
TEMPERATURE
HIGH
LOW
99°
89°
111° (1972)
63°
59°
40° (1893)
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"
0.09"
11.30"
7.34"
8.04"
HERMISTON
through 3 p.m. yesterday
TEMPERATURE
Yesterday
Normals
Records
HIGH
LOW
99°
89°
108° (1972)
60°
59°
40° (1934)
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"
0.05"
6.59"
4.98"
5.97"
SUN AND MOON
Sunrise today
Sunset tonight
Moonrise today
Moonset today
Last
New
Aug 14
Aug 21
First
Aug 29
101° 70°
88° 58°
Seattle
90/62
ALMANAC
Yesterday
Normals
Records
104° 70°
5:48 a.m.
8:12 p.m.
9:23 p.m.
7:46 a.m.
Full
Sep 5
Today
SUNDAY
Partial sunshine
Spokane
Wenatchee
96/66
99/71
Tacoma
Moses
89/56
Lake
Pullman
Aberdeen Olympia
Yakima 102/66
95/59
74/56
91/54
103/65
Longview
Kennewick Walla Walla
89/58
100/72 Lewiston
104/62
Astoria
101/68
71/54
Portland
Enterprise
Hermiston
93/63
Pendleton 92/56
The Dalles 105/63
101/65
102/68
La Grande
Salem
96/58
96/60
Albany
Corvallis 95/57
92/55
John Day
95/64
Ontario
Eugene
Bend
96/62
93/56
95/59
Caldwell
Burns
94/62
89/50
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
71
93
95
64
89
92
93
99
105
95
85
96
95
98
62
66
96
104
101
93
97
96
96
95
94
100
103
Lo
54
50
59
55
50
56
56
65
63
64
55
58
55
69
53
56
62
62
65
63
55
60
66
53
60
72
65
W
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY
Thu.
Hi
70
93
95
69
90
92
92
99
105
94
90
97
95
98
62
66
95
104
102
94
96
96
96
95
94
100
104
Lo
56
50
60
55
51
57
55
66
65
64
55
58
56
68
52
56
62
62
66
63
56
61
67
55
64
72
66
Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day.
W
c
pc
pc
pc
t
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
c
c
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
WORLD CITIES
Today
Beijing
Hong Kong
Jerusalem
London
Mexico City
Moscow
Paris
Rome
Seoul
Sydney
Tokyo
Hi
84
94
91
61
75
72
67
91
92
69
96
Lo
71
84
72
52
58
54
53
74
75
48
79
W
c
t
s
r
pc
pc
t
pc
pc
s
pc
Thu.
Hi
90
94
90
68
63
76
68
90
88
75
88
Lo
73
85
70
52
56
59
54
72
75
59
77
W
pc
t
s
pc
t
pc
sh
pc
t
pc
t
WINDS
Medford
98/69
(in mph)
Klamath Falls
85/55
Boardman
Pendleton
REGIONAL FORECAST
Coastal Oregon: Low clouds followed by
some sun today; smoky. Low clouds tonight.
Eastern and Central Oregon: Hazy sunshine
today; hot across the north and near the
Cascades.
Western Washington: Smoky today. Hazy
sun; low clouds, then perhaps some sun at
the coast.
Eastern Washington: Hazy sun today;
smoky. Mainly clear tonight. Hazy sun
tomorrow.
Cascades: Hazy sun today. Hot; smoky in
central parts. Partly cloudy tonight.
Northern California: A thunderstorm
in spots today; low clouds followed by
sunshine at the coast.
Today
Thursday
NNE 4-8
NNW 4-8
NE 3-6
NNW 4-8
UV INDEX TODAY
Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.
1
congressional leaders are
trying to give Oregon
and Washington broader
authority to kill sea lions
at Bonneville Dam on the
Columbia River. The bill
would also apply to the sea
lion logjam at Willamette
Falls in Oregon City.
For years, lawmakers have
pushed for more latitude to
intervene at Bonneville and
prevent sea lions from eating
spring Chinook salmon
there. But state officials say
the threat to steelhead on the
Willamette River now poses
a much greater risk.
In 2017, just 512
native steelhead made it
past Willamette Falls on
their journey to spawning
grounds on the North and
South Santiam, Molalla and
Calapooia rivers. That’s the
lowest winter steelhead run
ever recorded, according to
Clements.
In the early 2000s, the
winter steelhead run was
close to 15,000.
Authorities
believe
sea lions have consumed
one-quarter of the 2017
steelhead run.
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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crew and air attack.
“Fuels are extremely dry
and firefighter and public
safety remain our number
one priority,” said Brian
Ebert, Umatilla National
Forest Deputy Fire Staff.
“Crews will assess the need
for direct and in-direct
attack strategies as the fire
develops.”
Fire danger is extreme in
the Umatilla National Forest,
and public restrictions on
campfires and chainsaw
use are in effect. For more
information, contact any
forest office or call the forest
information hotline at 1-877-
958-9663.
4
6
6
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: Localized flooding will continue in the Deep South today. Locally
heavy storms are in store from Kansas to the Dakotas and Minnesota. As storms dot the
Rockies, the heat wave will linger in the Northwest.
Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states)
High 111° in Needles, Calif.
Low 33° in Bodie State Park, Calif.
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
92
80
80
82
79
80
93
83
84
83
83
84
92
79
85
95
81
76
90
90
82
88
80
107
86
86
Lo
69
70
64
61
53
71
67
66
72
64
64
62
76
56
63
74
58
57
76
77
62
75
65
83
71
67
W
s
c
s
s
pc
t
pc
s
t
pc
pc
s
pc
t
pc
s
pc
t
sh
t
s
t
pc
s
pc
pc
Thur.
Hi
94
83
80
83
83
84
92
82
87
77
83
86
96
78
86
96
69
75
89
91
84
88
82
107
88
86
Lo
69
71
66
65
56
72
67
64
73
65
67
66
79
56
66
75
51
53
76
77
67
74
65
83
73
66
W
pc
t
pc
pc
pc
t
pc
pc
t
pc
pc
pc
pc
t
pc
pc
c
pc
pc
pc
pc
t
pc
s
t
pc
Today
Hi
Louisville
86
Memphis
87
Miami
92
Milwaukee
81
Minneapolis
79
Nashville
86
New Orleans
89
New York City
82
Oklahoma City
87
Omaha
82
Philadelphia
84
Phoenix
111
Portland, ME
82
Providence
82
Raleigh
85
Rapid City
81
Reno
90
Sacramento
91
St. Louis
86
Salt Lake City
90
San Diego
79
San Francisco
71
Seattle
90
Tucson
105
Washington, DC 85
Wichita
80
Lo
67
72
79
65
65
70
77
67
70
65
65
88
60
62
66
51
61
62
68
68
69
60
62
78
67
67
W
pc
pc
t
pc
t
pc
t
s
pc
t
s
s
s
s
pc
pc
pc
s
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
s
s
t
Thur.
Hi
87
89
90
81
77
87
89
82
93
82
85
108
82
83
84
78
93
94
87
92
79
71
90
101
85
89
Lo
70
73
79
65
61
71
76
67
70
60
67
87
61
61
69
53
66
61
71
70
70
59
61
78
70
69
Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain,
sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice.
W
pc
t
t
pc
sh
pc
t
pc
t
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
t
pc
pc
s
pc
t
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc