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
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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
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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:
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— 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