Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 16, 2017)
NORTHWEST East Oregonian Page 2A Wednesday, August 16, 2017 Oregon makes drug possession a misdemeanor Clear forecast for eclipse are hoping the worst case scenarios will not happen, like the Y2K computer bug that was projected to set off chaos at the beginning of the year 2000 but ended up causing few problems. “We are working together diligently,” Brown said. “So we are hoping that folks use common sense as we move forward, that people will have a great time for the 2017 solar eclipse, particularly in the path of totality, and that everyone stays safe.” The eclipse will last only about two minutes in the total eclipse belt that includes Oregon, but visitors will start arriving days earlier. Tourism boosters hope they stick around for a while. August is peak fire season in Oregon, and a forestry offi- cial said there have been more than 400 fires to date, including some in the total eclipse belt. Rains earlier this week helped clear the smoky skies that have limited visibility in many parts of the state, Wild said. By ANDREW SELSKY Associated Press SALEM — Mostly sunny skies are expected next Monday in Oregon. Except for two minutes. At a press conference Tuesday about the eclipse that will come to Oregon, one of the rainier U.S. states, before moving across the country, perhaps the most anticipated news came from weather forecaster Tyree Wild of the National Weather Service. He predicted good weather on eclipse day, but said patchy clouds might appear, espe- cially along the coast. “We really see no major weather systems coming our way,” Wild said. He added that forecasters are keeping an eye on a weather system due to arrive on Aug. 22, the day after the eclipse. Up to 1 million people are expected to visit Oregon to see the eclipse, a quarter of the state’s normal population. AP Photo/Andrew Selsky Oregon Gov. Kate Brown speaks in Salem on Tuesday about the coming eclipse that will cross Oregon on Monday. Officials have been preparing for worst-case scenarios — roads jammed with traffic, cell-phone services disrupted with people unable to call for help, wildfires breaking out — with law enforcement, firefighters, ambulance services and other first-responders beefing up staffing. The Oregon National Guard is also ready to help deal with the influx. Traffic could be the heaviest in the state’s history, officials said. Authorities, who have used response drills for a massive earthquake as a template for eclipse readiness, By ANDREW SELSKY Associated Press SALEM — A bill signed by Oregon Gov. Kate Brown on Tuesday makes personal-use possession of cocaine, heroin, metham- phetamine and other drugs a misdemeanor, not a felony. Oregon joined just a handful of other U.S. states in defelonizing drugs under the new law, which was supported by law enforce- ment groups and takes effect immediately. Jo Meza, owner of Amazing Treatment, a rehab center in Salem, applauded the move. She has seen the damage caused by drug addiction in her 30 years in the field. “There’s a huge crisis out there, and locking people up is not going to work,” Meza said. Looking to kick their addictions, patients ascended a flight of stairs into Amazing Treatment, located above a Mexican restaurant and a barber shop in downtown Salem. Inside the center, someone had drawn a syringe on a whiteboard with the words “No more.” Above that was a quote by philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche: “Many are stubborn in pursuit of the path they have chosen, few in pursuit of the goal.” Meza said imprisoning first-time offenders with limited or non-existent treat- ment opportunities is not a solution. But the goal can be achieved with treatment for six months to a year with support from recov- ering addicts and training in how to remove oneself from the environment that Governor Brown expands abortion, reproductive coverage Tribes sue state over destruction of sacred site SALEM (AP) — Oregon Gov. Kate Brown on Tuesday signed into law a bill expanding coverage on abortions and other reproductive services to thousands of Oregonians, regardless of income, citizenship status or gender identity. Proponents called it America’s most progressive reproductive health policy. The Pro-Choice Coalition of Oregon said it is the first legislation in the United States to comprehensively address systemic barriers to accessing reproductive health care. Chris Pair, Brown’s press secretary, confirmed Brown signed the bill Tuesday. Opponents have noted it will force taxpayers, even those who object morally to abortions, to assume some of the costs. “Brown has enshrined into state law forced abortion funding, including for illegal aliens, even late-term and sex-selective abortions,” Republican state senators Kim Thatcher and Dennis Linthicum said in a joint state- ment. Linthicum predicted lawsuits will be filed over the issue. Oregon’s legislation was intro- duced largely in response to Repub- lican congressional attempts to repeal former President Barack Obama’s GOVERNMENT CAMP (AP) — Native American tribe elders in Oregon are suing the state based on claims that it destroyed a sacred site to expand a highway. Hereditary Chiefs of the Klickitat and Cascade Tribes of the Yakama Nation filed the lawsuit last week in federal court alongside a third tribal elder with the Confederated Tribes of Grande Ronde and two nonprofit groups, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported. The lawsuit says the government destroyed the site in 2008 along a roughly 5-acre patch of land on the north side of U.S. 26. An attorney representing the tribal elders said the tribes tried for years to work with the government to avoid a lawsuit, but were unsuccessful. The tribes claim the government violated the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The Federal Highway Administration declined to comment. “When it’s an endangered species, wetlands, or even a nearby tattoo parlor, the government finds a way to protect it,” said Luke Goodrich, an attorney with the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a public interest law firm. “But when it’s a Native American sacred site, they unleash the bulldozers and chain saws.” health care law, which includes minimum coverage requirements for reproductive services. The law allocates almost $500,000 from Oregon’s general fund over the next two years to expand cost- free reproductive health coverage, including abortions, to immigrants who are otherwise ineligible under the state’s Medicaid program, which currently spends nearly $2 million a year to pay for roughly 3,500 abortions statewide. The bill passed in July by the Legislature requires insurance compa- nies to cover abortions at no cost to the patient. The voting was generally along party lines, with Democrats in favor and Republicans opposed. Two other states, California and New York, require all private health insurance plans to cover abortion. The Pro-Choice Coalition of Oregon said the state is also the first to codify no-cost abortion coverage in state statute, the coalition said. Laurel Swerdlow, Advocacy Director for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon, which belongs to the coalition, said “Oregonians don’t want reproductive health care attacked.” 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. Corrections Pendleton repaired one of the city’s two largest water supply wells. The East Oregonian ran incorrect informa- tion about the status of the Roy Raley Park well in the Tuesday story, “Wells repaired, outdoor water easement lifted.” 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. 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 Pleasant with plenty of sunshine Sunny and pleasant 88° 57° 86° 55° FRIDAY Plenty of sun SATURDAY Partly sunny and beautiful PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 90° 59° 84° 56° 86° 57° HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 88° 56° 91° 58° PENDLETON through 3 p.m. yesterday TEMPERATURE HIGH LOW 81° 87° 109° (1901) 47° 58° 38° (1910) 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" 0.07" 0.19" 11.37" 7.34" 8.14" HERMISTON through 3 p.m. yesterday TEMPERATURE Yesterday Normals Records HIGH LOW 83° 88° 104° (1933) 48° 58° 40° (1937) 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" 0.06" 0.10" 6.65" 4.99" 6.02" SUN AND MOON Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today New First Aug 21 Aug 29 5:57 a.m. 8:01 p.m. 12:41 a.m. 3:46 p.m. Full Last Sep 5 87° 54° 89° 52° Seattle 77/58 ALMANAC Yesterday Normals Records 93° 60° Sep 12 Today SUNDAY Partly sunny and nice Spokane Wenatchee 83/55 87/60 Tacoma Moses 77/54 Lake Pullman Aberdeen Olympia Yakima 89/55 82/52 70/55 76/52 92/54 Longview Kennewick Walla Walla 74/56 89/62 Lewiston 91/58 Astoria 89/60 69/55 Portland Enterprise Hermiston 80/57 Pendleton 82/48 The Dalles 91/58 88/57 88/61 La Grande Salem 84/50 85/57 Albany Corvallis 85/55 84/54 John Day 85/51 Ontario Eugene Bend 90/58 84/54 85/50 Caldwell Burns 88/57 84/43 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 69 85 85 75 84 82 84 86 91 85 86 84 82 94 66 69 90 90 88 80 87 85 83 82 79 89 92 Lo 55 45 50 58 43 48 54 55 58 51 49 50 48 60 53 55 58 56 57 57 46 57 55 45 56 62 54 W pc s s pc s s s s s s s s s s pc pc s s s s s s s s s s s NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY Thu. Hi 67 84 86 73 85 82 83 84 88 86 88 84 81 96 65 68 90 89 86 77 88 82 83 80 77 88 90 Lo 55 41 49 56 41 47 51 54 56 52 48 46 44 59 50 54 56 54 55 56 43 55 56 43 54 62 56 Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day. W c s s s s s pc s s s s s s s pc pc s s s pc s pc s s pc s s WORLD CITIES Today Beijing Hong Kong Jerusalem London Mexico City Moscow Paris Rome Seoul Sydney Tokyo Hi 82 91 85 71 75 74 78 89 80 73 78 Lo 66 84 67 61 58 56 61 69 71 55 73 W t t s c t s pc pc r s r Thu. Hi 83 92 86 75 72 75 79 88 80 74 83 Lo 67 83 68 58 57 60 64 69 73 56 75 W s t s pc pc s c s r s c WINDS Medford 94/60 (in mph) Klamath Falls 86/49 Boardman Pendleton REGIONAL FORECAST Coastal Oregon: Partly sunny today; areas of fog early in the day. Eastern and Central Oregon: Pleasant today with plenty of sunshine. Clear tonight. Eastern Washington: Abundant sunshine today; smoky in the north. Mainly clear tonight. Cascades: Plenty of sunshine today; pleas- ant. Clear tonight. Western Washington: Sunny to partly cloudy today; however, areas of low clouds and fog at the coast. Northern California: Low clouds followed by sunshine at the coast today; mostly sunny elsewhere. Today Thursday WSW 6-12 W 6-12 SW 4-8 W 4-8 UV INDEX TODAY Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows. 2 led to the drug abuse, like a circle of addicted friends or relatives, she said. “Jailing is not helping the problem,” Meza said. “All you’re doing is putting a Band-Aid on it and ripping it off when they get out of jail.” Among the bill’s supporters were the Oregon Association Chiefs of Police and the Oregon State Sher- iffs’ Association, which said felony convictions include unintended consequences, including barriers to housing and employment. But the two groups, in a letter to a state senator who backed the bill, said the new law “will only produce positive results if additional drug treatment resources accompany this change in policy.” “Reducing penalties without aggressively addressing underlying addiction is unlikely to help those who need it most,” the groups warned. Another measure appropriated $7 million that can be used to pay for drug treatment. Linn County District Attorney Doug Marteeny had tried to convince lawmakers to dump the defelonization of dangerous drugs from the bill, which also targets police profiling. “To change the classifi- cation of this behavior from a felony to a misdemeanor is tantamount to telling our schoolchildren that tomorrow it will be less dangerous to use methamphetamine than it is today,” he wrote. Those who have a prior felony conviction won’t be afforded misdemeanor consideration, nor will people who have two or more prior drug convictions or possess more than user amounts. 4 7 7 4 2 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: Storms will riddle the Southeast and Ohio Valley today. Showers and storms are forecast from the Upper Midwest to the High Plains. Storms over the central Plains have the greatest risk of being severe. Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states) High 104° in Carrizo Springs, Texas Low 30° in Meacham, Ore. 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 87 90 84 89 85 89 88 84 94 88 85 84 96 75 84 95 62 72 88 94 86 94 85 99 90 77 Lo 63 75 70 69 58 76 60 62 77 69 72 68 79 55 67 69 44 55 72 80 75 76 68 78 77 62 W s pc pc pc pc pc s s pc pc pc pc s pc pc s c r pc pc t t t s pc pc Thur. Hi 91 91 82 84 86 90 88 79 94 86 84 86 96 85 82 96 61 81 88 95 86 93 83 102 90 78 Lo 64 75 73 72 55 76 59 65 78 72 65 72 79 57 68 70 43 59 75 78 70 76 63 79 73 63 W s t sh pc s pc s pc t pc pc t t t t s c s pc t t t pc s pc pc Today Hi Louisville 87 Memphis 90 Miami 92 Milwaukee 80 Minneapolis 78 Nashville 90 New Orleans 90 New York City 87 Oklahoma City 90 Omaha 81 Philadelphia 89 Phoenix 102 Portland, ME 82 Providence 86 Raleigh 91 Rapid City 80 Reno 90 Sacramento 88 St. Louis 89 Salt Lake City 88 San Diego 74 San Francisco 72 Seattle 77 Tucson 98 Washington, DC 89 Wichita 90 Lo 76 77 80 71 65 76 77 68 70 67 71 77 54 60 72 53 60 61 76 66 64 59 58 70 75 67 W t c pc pc r t t s t t s s s s pc pc s s pc s pc pc s s pc t Thur. Hi 90 89 92 84 76 90 91 81 91 84 83 104 80 80 92 87 94 90 90 91 75 74 75 99 87 89 Lo 74 75 81 64 60 76 77 72 68 62 73 76 58 65 76 56 62 61 69 66 66 60 56 71 76 67 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 pc pc pc s pc pc s pc s pc pc pc t s s pc s pc pc pc s t pc