Saturday, September 2, 2017
NORTHWEST
INITIATIVES: Not uncommon to see Headaches and raspy voices as
wildfire smoke chokes U.S. West
state legislators’ names on initiatives
East Oregonian
Page 2A
initiatives they could not wrangle
legislative votes for or referen-
dums against laws they opposed
during the last session. There are
two initiatives and two referen-
dums that are currently approved
to gather signatures, and three of
those measures have legislators as
chief sponsors.
Rep. Mike Nearman, R-In-
dependence, is a sponsor on an
initiative that would cause all
voter registrations to expire in
2020 and require anyone regis-
tering to vote after that date to
register in person after showing
proof of citizenship such as an
original, certified birth certificate.
Nearman has also joined Rep.
Bill Post, R-Keizer in sponsoring
a referendum against Senate Bill
719, which allows for a judge to
issue an “extreme risk protection
order” giving a person 24 hours
to surrender all deadly weapons
if they are deemed a threat to
themselves or others.
Rep. Julie Parrish, R-West
Linn, Rep. Sal Esquivel, R-Med-
ford, and Rep. Cedric Hayden,
R-Roseburg, are gathering signa-
tures for a referendum against
the tax on health care premiums
passed by the legislature to help
fund Medicaid for the 2017-2019
biennium.
Rep. Greg Barreto, R-Cove,
has joined with Nearman and
Esquival on an initiative called
Stop
Oregon
Sanctuaries,
which would overturn the law
that requires Immigration and
Customs Enforcement agents to
obtain a federal criminal arrest
Continued from 1A
should be lowered.
“It does take a lot of effort,
for sure, but you don’t want the
ballot filled with a lot of marginal
issues,” she said.
Some issues that initiative
sponsors try to get on the ballot do
find more support in the state than
others. Portland residents Chris-
tian Trejbal and Jennifer Rollins,
chief sponsors of the Oregon
Secession Act, have already with-
drawn their petition after reporting
to The Oregonian that they
received waves of hate mail and
death threats over trying to start an
initiative to get secession from the
United States on the ballot.
Another
petition
idea,
currently waiting for approval
to start gathering signatures,
is called Repeal Sex Offender
Registration Laws. Sponsored
by Thomas Madison, a registered
sex offender, it would abolish the
sex offender registry.
Activists from Oregonians for
Medical Freedom are working to
get seven different vaccine-re-
lated initiatives approved for
signature-gathering,
including
one forbidding schools from
excluding unvaccinated children
and another requiring doctors
to provide information about
vaccine-related deaths and inju-
ries.
Although the referendum and
initiative process was originally
designed to give everyday citi-
zens a voice, it’s not uncommon
to see state legislators’ names on
forced the closure of Interstate 210,
an essential link to routes in and out
of town just as Labor Day weekend
travel was starting.
Firefighters had reduced the
raging flames, but the freeway was
expected to be shut down all night.
The poor air quality has caused
the cancellation of some perfor-
mances at the Oregon Shakespeare
Festival in Ashland and the Cycle
Oregon Classic Ride, a 400-mile
bicycle event this month.
Smoke from wildfires in British
Columbia pushed down into western
Washington in August, choking the
region and prompting health officials
to warn the Seattle area that children,
the elderly and people with respira-
tory problems should stay inside.
Smoke has affected the Montana
town of Seeley Lake to such a degree
that health officials urged people to
escape the pollution weeks before
an order Tuesday to evacuate part
of town because of the encroaching
fire.
The town’s air quality had hourly
pollution readings classified as
hazardous in 26 days in August,
topping out the ability of the monitor
to measure the pollution in many
cases. It was considered hazardous
Friday, too.
“There aren’t even the correct
health categories to describe what
they’re seeing,” air quality specialist
Saran Coefield said.
Most of the smoke entering
Washington state this year is coming
from neighboring states and British
Columbia, said Joye Redfield-Wilder
of the state Department of Ecology.
“I’m smelling smoke in my office
right now,” she said.
By KEITH RIDLER
Associated Press
warrant
for
undocumented
immigrants for state or local
law enforcement agencies to be
required to turn them over to ICE.
“If we have laws, but cannot
or do not enforce them, then what
purpose do they serve?” Barreto
said in an email. “... We have ICE
for a purpose. The states should
work with them, not against them
and we should not interfere in
their work.”
That initiative is currently in
the process of gathering the 1,000
sponsor signatures needed to start
the approval process through the
Secretary of State’s office. Once
a 16-step process is complete, the
sponsors will be approved to start
gathering the 88,184 signatures
that type of initiative will require
to get on the ballot.
Barreto said referendums
and initiatives can be “either a
blessing or a curse.” He held
up Measure 88, in which voters
overturned a law allowing undoc-
umented immigrants to receive
driver’s cards, as an example of
the process working successfully.
“The vote of the people spoke
loudly that they did not agree with
the legislation that was passed,”
he said. “Sometimes, though, the
risk to ballot measures is the voter
may not have contemplated all
the essential facts and arguments
needed to make an informed deci-
sion. But this is not to underscore
the will of the people.”
———
Contact Jade McDowell at
jmcdowell@eastoregonian.com
or 541-564-4536.
The smoke from massive wildfires
hangs like fog over large parts of the
U.S. West, an irritating haze causing
health concerns, forcing sports teams
to change schedules and disrupting
life from Seattle to tiny Seeley Lake,
Montana.
Air quality has been rated
unhealthy across the region because
of blazes that show no signs of
abating. Officials said Friday that one
of the worst U.S. wildfire seasons
in terms of land burned is likely to
keep scorching Western states and
blanketing them with smoke until
later this fall.
People in small towns to the
populous San Francisco Bay Area
have had enough.
“Last night, I went to sleep with
the windows open and woke up with
a stomachache and a headache,” said
Tresa Snow, who owns a hair salon
in Brookings, Oregon, near a large
wildfire. “I knew before I could even
smell it that the fire was back. And
you can hear my voice, kind of raspy.
We’re all kind of like that.”
She said business has been down
in the town near the California
border.
“Businesses are closing because
they don’t have their help,” Snow
said. “People have been evacuating.”
In the run-up to the long Labor
Day weekend, several high school
football teams changed their season-
opening games to avoid the smoke,
and other athletic events have been
postponed.
In Southern California, an erratic
wildfire just north of Los Angeles
BRIEFLY
Two charged in armed
tavern robberies
Police make arrest in
1998 killing of teen
PORTLAND (AP) — Police
have arrested two men in connection
with a spree of armed robberies at
Portland taverns.
Sgt. Chris Burley said
32-year-old Deron Crain was
arraigned Friday on more than
a dozen counts of first-degree
robbery. The other man, 33-year-old
Johntae Hammond, was already in
a Vancouver, Washington, jail after
being arrested on a parole violation.
He is awaiting extradition to Oregon.
The men are accused of 13
holdups over a frightening 5 ½-week
stretch in June and July.
After a break of more than a
month, a North Portland tavern was
hit Aug. 18.
SALEM (AP) — Police have
made an arrest in the killing of a
teenager outside a convenience
store almost 20 years ago.
Salem police Lt. Dave Okada
said Friday that 16-year-old Alfredo
Lopez-Nabor was fatally shot after a
gang-related fight on May 9, 1998.
Investigators developed probable
cause to arrest Fernando Cortez, but
the suspect who was 19 at the time
fled to Mexico.
A Salem police detective
reopened the investigation a decade
later as a cold case. He found that
Cortez had returned to the U.S., and
was possibly living under a false
name in California.
The detective, Jamie Vasas,
Narcotics unit arrests
doctor in drug raid
CORVALLIS (AP) — An
Oregon county narcotics
enforcement unit arrested an
emergency room doctor and five
other people while conducting raids
on two houses.
The Corvallis Gazette-Times
reported Thursday that the doctor is
accused of turning marijuana into
an oil form, which makes the plant
much more potent.
Marijuana is legal in Oregon, but
it is not legal to turn the plant into oil
without a license. Authorities say the
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TODAY
SUNDAY
Very hot
Near-record
temperatures
100° 66°
101° 64°
MONDAY
Very hot
TUESDAY
Very hot
PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
97° 64°
96° 65°
98° 61°
HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
104° 61°
101° 60°
PENDLETON
through 3 p.m. yesterday
TEMPERATURE
HIGH
LOW
93°
83°
102° (1893)
56°
54°
36° (1905)
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"
0.02"
11.37"
7.36"
8.40"
HERMISTON
through 3 p.m. yesterday
TEMPERATURE
Yesterday
Normals
Records
HIGH
LOW
92°
84°
101° (1967)
56°
53°
39° (1965)
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"
6.65"
5.00"
6.13"
SUN AND MOON
Sunrise today
Sunset tonight
Moonrise today
Moonset today
Full
Last
Sep 5
Sep 12
98° 64°
101° 61°
Seattle
89/63
ALMANAC
Yesterday
Normals
Records
100° 65°
New
6:18 a.m.
7:31 p.m.
5:39 p.m.
2:30 a.m.
First
Sep 19
Sep 27
Spokane
Wenatchee
94/62
96/67
Tacoma
Moses
89/56
Lake
Pullman
Aberdeen Olympia
Yakima 98/58
96/57
82/59
91/55
100/59
Longview
Kennewick Walla Walla
92/61
99/71 Lewiston
100/58
Astoria
102/65
80/57
Portland
Enterprise
Hermiston
96/64
Pendleton 96/56
The Dalles 101/60
100/66
103/65
La Grande
Salem
97/55
98/63
Albany
Corvallis 99/59
98/58
John Day
101/62
Ontario
Eugene
Bend
98/58
96/58
101/61
Caldwell
Burns
97/58
97/51
REGIONAL CITIES
Today
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NEWS
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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
80
100
101
77
97
96
96
98
101
101
97
97
96
106
73
77
98
98
100
96
103
98
94
98
95
99
100
Lo
57
51
61
60
51
56
58
64
60
62
55
55
52
67
54
56
58
56
66
64
56
63
62
54
62
71
59
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NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY
Sun.
Hi
78
101
98
80
99
98
97
99
104
102
95
99
97
103
71
73
100
101
101
96
101
99
96
98
96
100
102
Lo
56
53
59
62
55
57
58
63
61
63
56
55
53
65
54
54
64
58
64
64
56
63
62
53
62
69
62
Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day.
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WORLD CITIES
Today
Beijing
Hong Kong
Jerusalem
London
Mexico City
Moscow
Paris
Rome
Seoul
Sydney
Tokyo
Hi
82
91
85
69
70
71
70
80
82
70
75
Lo
62
80
68
52
56
55
49
60
64
53
66
W
t
t
s
pc
t
pc
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t
s
s
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Sun.
Hi
82
92
89
66
69
69
71
78
81
81
80
Lo
65
82
71
58
57
48
56
57
64
51
70
W
pc
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s
c
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WINDS
Medford
106/67
Klamath Falls
97/55
(in mph)
Today
Sunday
Boardman
Pendleton
NE 3-6
N 4-8
WSW 4-8
NW 6-12
UV INDEX TODAY
Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.
REGIONAL FORECAST
Coastal Oregon: Hazy sun and smoky today,
but sunnier across the north. Partly cloudy
tonight.
Eastern and Central Oregon: Very hot today
with scorching sunshine; smoky near the
Cascades with hazy sun.
Western Washington: Plenty of sun today.
Clear tonight. Plenty of sun tomorrow.
Eastern Washington: Plenty of sunshine to-
day; however, hazy sun toward the Cascades
and in central sections.
Cascades: Hazy sunshine and very hot
today; smoky in the south. Clear and mild
tonight.
Northern California: Mostly sunny
today. Very hot in central parts; pleasant
elsewhere.
1
The East Oregonian works
hard to be accurate and sin-
cerely regrets any errors. If
you notice a mistake in the pa-
per, please call 541-966-0818.
COMMERCIAL PRINTING
Production Manager: Mike Jensen
541-215-0824 • mjensen@eastoregonian.com
WEDNESDAY
Partly sunny and
very hot
Corrections
SEATTLE (AP) — The Seattle
Community Police Commission
is questioning the $100,000
payout given to a former Seattle
police officer who was fired over
her arrest of an elderly African-
Copyright © 2017, EO Media Group
Forecast
American man.
The Seattle Times reported
Thursday that the commission
is seeking a meeting with Police
Chief Kathleen O’Toole and City
Attorney Pete Holmes and has
requested documents related to the
payout settlement.
Former Officer Cynthia
Whitlatch, an 18-year police
veteran, received the settlement
after she appealed her firing for
biased and overly aggressive
policing.
Seattle police question
fired officer’s payout
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— Founded Oct. 16, 1875 —
suspects also had more marijuana
than state law allows.
Mark Craig Rose faces two
counts of manufacturing marijuana
items, two counts of delivery
of marijuana and two counts of
possession of more than 4 ounces
of marijuana.
Officers seized ecstasy, user
amounts of methamphetamine and
a total of 200 pounds of marijuana
from the two houses.
arrested Cortez on a murder charge
this week in Oxnard, California.
He’s in the Ventura County Jail,
awaiting extradition back to Oregon.
3
5
5
3
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: Rain and localized flooding from Harvey will reach the mid-Atlantic
today. Heavy storms will hug the southern Atlantic coast. Storms will dot the Upper
Midwest and Southwest. Heat will build in the West.
Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states)
High 113° in Chino, Calif.
Low 27° in Doe Lake, Mich.
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
89
83
68
66
95
83
98
70
86
65
76
67
93
90
68
92
59
81
87
91
75
87
82
104
85
98
Lo
63
64
65
61
62
64
66
56
72
58
59
57
73
61
56
67
38
56
74
72
59
71
63
81
66
79
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Sun.
Hi
90
85
78
79
97
85
100
70
89
78
82
77
93
96
78
94
63
90
86
91
83
88
89
103
89
92
Lo
64
64
64
59
57
64
65
61
71
60
67
60
75
61
60
68
46
56
72
72
63
72
70
82
70
74
Today
W
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Hi
Louisville
71
Memphis
83
Miami
90
Milwaukee
71
Minneapolis
79
Nashville
77
New Orleans
88
New York City
68
Oklahoma City
85
Omaha
86
Philadelphia
65
Phoenix
105
Portland, ME
71
Providence
71
Raleigh
87
Rapid City
90
Reno
100
Sacramento
110
St. Louis
79
Salt Lake City
94
San Diego
84
San Francisco
94
Seattle
89
Tucson
98
Washington, DC 68
Wichita
88
Lo
58
66
78
58
59
57
73
62
67
63
62
84
52
57
64
58
66
72
65
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Sun.
Hi
82
86
91
82
85
85
89
76
90
92
78
104
64
73
85
97
98
105
87
96
83
84
87
100
81
94
Lo
65
70
80
67
64
64
73
63
69
71
63
83
55
60
63
57
66
68
68
69
73
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Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain,
sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice.
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