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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 24, 2017)
NORTHWEST East Oregonian Page 2A Thursday, August 24, 2017 BRIEFLY Court rejects appeal from praying Bremerton football coach Drone-flyin’ Paul Ryan SEATTLE (AP) — A federal appeals court says the Bremerton School District does not have to immediately re-hire a football coach who lost his job for praying on the field after games. The three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. District Court of Appeals ruled unanimously Wednesday that coach Joe Kennedy’s prayers did not constitute protected free speech because he was a public employee. The court said he took advantage of his position to press his views “on the impressionable and captive minds before him.” Kennedy previously led players in postgame prayers, but the district ordered him to stop in 2015, saying the practice violated the separation of church and state. He lost his job after he defied the ban. He sued and asked U.S. District Judge Ronald Leighton to force the district to re-hire him while the case proceeds. Leighton refused. The 9th Circuit opinion upheld that decision. AP Photo/Don Ryan House Speaker Paul Ryan, right, laughs as he flies a drone straight at the cameras during his visit to Intel in Hillsboro, Wednesday. Standing next to Ryan is Intel’s chairman of the board of d irectors Andy Bryant. Oregon sees rise in average gas prices with solar eclipse State economists: Taxpayers can expect a ‘kicker’ By CLAIRE WITHYCOMBE Capital Bureau SALEM — State economists say nearly $464 million will be returned to taxpayers next year, after income tax collections were higher than expected. Oregon operates on two-year budget cycles. The most recent biennial cycle concluded June 30. When income tax collections exceed projections for the state’s budget period by more than 2 percent, Oregon law requires that the money be returned to taxpayers, a phenomenon called the “kicker.” Since the state has collected about 2.3 percent more than predicted in May 2015, about $463.5 million will be returned to personal income taxpayers during next year’s tax filing period. The estimated median rebate under the Oregon’s unique “kicker” law will be $89 for indi- vidual taxpayers, though the figure varies greatly based on income. The kicker law was created in 1979 as a check on government growth. Because of the recession, Oregon taxpayers went eight years without a kicker before finally getting rebates in 2015. A similar “kicker” rule applies to corporate income taxes, except higher ending balances, state economists said. While Oregon’s economic growth has slowed from previous levels, overall, the state’s economy is still performing well. “Our growth still looks great compared to the typical state,” said State Economist Mark McMullen, who added that there were some signs of slowdown, in indicators of income such as salaries and wages, as well as retirement and investment income. Across Oregon, there are 8 percent more jobs than there were before the recession, state economists said Wednesday. However, there is considerable variation in that figure in different regions of the state: Southeastern Oregon has 4.1 percent fewer jobs than before the recession, while Central Oregon has 10.9 percent more jobs. But that figure is distinct from the unemployment rate — which also varies across the state and has been improving. And while labor force participation is rising from lows in the depths of the recession, it remains below pre-recession levels, according to state econo- mists. ——— The Associated Press contrib- uted to this story. the excess is kept and set aside for education funding. Corporate excise taxes ended the biennium at about $111 million more than the close of session forecast. Wednesday’s forecast was the first after the conclusion of a long legislative session revenue was a key point of contention between legislators who advocated for restructuring the state’s tax system to boost revenue and those who wanted to cut costs. Senate Minority Leader Ted Ferrioli, R-John Day, argued in a statement that the strong forecast and the expected “kicker” indi- cated that a sales tax on corporate sales — one of the main concepts raised by Democrats this session — was unnecessary. “To me, this forecast signals two things: first, that we do not need a gross receipts sales tax, as our budget is in balance and our economy is producing surpluses,” Ferrioli said, “And second, Orego- nians will have larger refunds or lower tax bills which will act as a further economic stimulus.” In the next biennium, which began July 1 and ends June 30, 2019, the “kicker” will mean a slightly lower general fund revenue outlook, but will likely be offset by a robust lottery sales forecast, new legislation and BEND (AP) — Central Oregon saw a spike in average gas prices in anticipation to Monday’s solar eclipse and the thousands of visitors that would be coming to the state to witness the solar event. AAA spokeswoman Marie Dodds tells the Bulletin that in Madras, the average gas price rose by 21 cents last week bringing it to $3.03 and an average 10 cent increase was seen throughout the state. According to AAA, Oregon’s unleaded regular price was the highest it’s been in two years, with an average of $2.81 a gallon. AAA found that in Bend, the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded reached $2.87, an 11 cent increase over last week. Dodds says the higher gas prices are predicted to linger until Labor Day passes. Homeless population increases 6 percent PORTLAND (AP) — A survey of Oregon’s homeless population shows the number of people living on the 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. 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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 FRIDAY Mostly sunny and pleasant Abundant sunshine and beautiful 83° 50° 81° 52° Pleasant with plenty of sun SUNDAY Very warm with plenty of sun PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 88° 58° 95° 63° 97° 61° HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 84° 47° 87° 48° PENDLETON through 3 p.m. yesterday TEMPERATURE HIGH LOW 86° 86° 109° (1894) 62° 56° 34° (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" 0.31" 11.37" 7.34" 8.26" HERMISTON through 3 p.m. yesterday TEMPERATURE Yesterday Normals Records HIGH LOW 85° 86° 103° (1956) 70° 56° 41° (1938) 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 Trace 0.06" 0.15" 6.65" 4.99" 6.07" SUN AND MOON Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today First Full Aug 29 Sep 5 96° 59° 97° 55° Seattle 70/53 ALMANAC Yesterday Normals Records 90° 54° Last 6:07 a.m. 7:48 p.m. 9:19 a.m. 9:33 p.m. New Sep 12 Sep 19 Today MONDAY Sunny and very hot Spokane Wenatchee 81/49 81/52 Tacoma Moses 72/47 Lake Pullman Aberdeen Olympia Yakima 85/48 80/43 67/50 72/46 85/47 Longview Kennewick Walla Walla 71/50 84/55 Lewiston 88/46 Astoria 87/54 67/50 Portland Enterprise Hermiston 74/53 Pendleton 80/45 The Dalles 87/48 83/50 80/53 La Grande Salem 80/45 77/51 Albany Corvallis 77/48 76/48 John Day 82/48 Ontario Eugene Bend 89/60 75/47 79/43 Caldwell Burns 90/59 83/46 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 67 82 79 64 83 80 75 80 87 82 83 80 77 83 62 65 89 87 83 74 81 77 81 78 74 84 85 Lo 50 45 43 52 46 45 47 48 48 48 47 45 41 54 46 50 60 45 50 53 38 51 49 39 52 55 47 W pc pc s pc pc pc pc s s pc pc pc pc pc pc pc pc s s pc s pc s s pc s s NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY Fri. Hi 68 85 81 66 86 80 80 79 84 84 85 81 78 89 62 65 91 83 81 79 83 82 77 78 79 82 84 Lo 50 43 47 53 47 46 48 50 47 51 48 43 40 57 47 49 59 46 52 54 41 53 51 41 52 57 49 Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day. W s s s pc s s s s s s s s s s s pc 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 91 91 87 69 77 67 76 84 84 63 89 Lo 64 80 69 53 57 51 61 65 67 51 79 W s t s pc pc sh pc s t pc pc Fri. Hi 88 89 90 74 77 64 80 84 84 62 91 Lo 61 81 70 59 58 53 63 65 63 48 76 W pc t s pc pc r t s pc r pc WINDS Medford 83/54 (in mph) Klamath Falls 83/47 Boardman Pendleton REGIONAL FORECAST Coastal Oregon: Low clouds followed by some sun today. Eastern Washington: Mostly sunny today. Mainly clear tonight. Sunny tomorrow. Eastern and Central Oregon: Some sun today; a thunderstorm in spots in central parts and the upper Treasure Valley. Western Washington: Clouds and sunshine today. Mainly clear tonight. Sunshine tomorrow. Cascades: Partly sunny today; cooler across the north. Clear tonight; cooler in central parts. Northern California: Low clouds followed by sunshine at the coast today; mostly sunny elsewhere. Today Friday WSW 8-16 W 8-16 W 4-8 NW 6-12 UV INDEX TODAY Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows. 1 CASCADE, Idaho (AP) — An Idaho man is out more than $20,000 after organizing a solar eclipse festival that an underwhelming amount of people showed up for. Jeff Webb’s eclipse festival in Cascade was complete with campsites, shuttles for parking, eight live bands, portable toilets and food for thousands of people, KIVI-TV reported Tuesday. Webb spent nearly $7,000 on portable toilets alone. But to his surprise, only a few dozen eclipse enthusiasts showed up. “It got hyped up and it hurt, so I lost over $20,000 this weekend,” Webb said, adding that he was hoping to renovate his current business venture in Nampa with festival profits. Webb noticed the roads were much emptier than he expected — as the drivers he did see passed his festival and found somewhere else to watch. The expected influx of tens of thousands of visitors just never arrived, he said. Business owners in town told Webb that they were actually seeing fewer people than on an average weekend. “One even said 50 percent less business than a regular weekend,” said Webb. He said although the festival was a dud, he would do it again. Corrections 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 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 Idaho man throws epic eclipse festival, but few show up 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. Subscriber services: For home delivery, vacation stops or delivery concerns: 1-800-522-0255 — Founded Oct. 16, 1875 — streets or in a shelter has jumped by 6 percent from two years ago. Oregon Housing and Community Services released the numbers Tuesday, saying the count that took place in January found 13,953 people without a place to live. That’s 777 more people compared to the last count in January 2015. Despite the increase, the number of homeless veterans declined by 9 percent. Gov. Kate Brown says that’s encouraging, but more needs to be done for children, families and seniors. Multnomah County, which includes Portland, had the most homeless people — 4,177. Nearly half reported having a serious mental illness. The only other counties with more than 1,000 homeless people are Lane, which includes Eugene, and Marion, where Salem is located. 4 6 6 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: Showers will dot the Great Lakes, while thunderstorms extend from the southern Atlantic Seaboard to the southern Plains and Rockies today. A few storms are forecast for the interior Northwest. Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states) High 109° in Needles, Calif. Low 29° 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 83 89 81 80 90 88 90 79 90 77 73 73 85 86 70 86 66 76 87 93 77 91 80 100 82 80 Lo 62 69 64 61 60 66 60 62 73 54 55 58 72 57 52 68 47 59 73 76 56 75 61 81 65 66 W pc pc s s pc s pc s t pc pc pc t pc pc t c pc pc t pc t s s s pc Fri. Hi 87 88 79 79 84 89 91 74 88 76 73 74 85 89 74 88 66 74 87 86 77 88 81 104 84 83 Lo 66 71 62 58 58 71 61 58 73 54 58 55 73 59 54 70 47 59 75 76 56 75 62 82 66 66 Today W pc pc pc pc s pc s pc c pc s s pc pc s pc pc sh pc r s t pc s pc pc Hi Louisville 81 Memphis 85 Miami 87 Milwaukee 69 Minneapolis 72 Nashville 84 New Orleans 89 New York City 79 Oklahoma City 86 Omaha 83 Philadelphia 82 Phoenix 106 Portland, ME 77 Providence 82 Raleigh 83 Rapid City 86 Reno 92 Sacramento 90 St. Louis 82 Salt Lake City 92 San Diego 74 San Francisco 70 Seattle 70 Tucson 99 Washington, DC 82 Wichita 86 Lo 60 65 78 57 60 62 77 63 66 65 65 84 55 60 64 57 62 58 62 68 67 57 53 75 67 66 W s s t pc pc s t s s pc s s s s pc t s s s pc pc pc pc pc s s Fri. Hi 80 86 87 70 67 84 88 77 83 82 80 109 73 77 86 84 93 90 82 95 75 70 74 100 81 85 Lo 59 67 77 59 59 62 77 60 66 66 61 85 50 56 66 57 62 58 63 71 67 57 54 77 64 65 Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice. W pc pc t s c pc t s pc pc s s pc pc pc t s s pc pc pc pc s s pc pc