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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 6, 2017)
NORTHWEST East Oregonian Page 2A Wednesday, September 6, 2017 Truck crashes on I-84 climb after speed limit raised By DICK MASON The (La Grande) Observer The wreckage in the aftermath of a semi truck accident Aug. 3 on Inter- state 84 five miles west of La Grande caused jaws to drop. The truck’s trailer was shredded, but the driver was fortunate enough to walk away unharmed. Law enforcement may have been surprised by the driver’s lack of injuries, but they were very familiar with where the crash occurred. The semi truck, which was carrying recyclables, crashed violently at about 1:15 p.m. while traveling west through River Canyon, a curvy eight-mile stretch that runs from La Grande to a quarter-mile east of Hilgard State Park. The crash left more than destruction in its wake. It also littered the ground adja- cent to the road’s shoulder with about 100 square feet of plastics and paper. Oregon State Police Trooper Danny Routt was not mystified by the cause of the crash after examining tire tread marks at the scene on the sweltering summer afternoon. “The only explanation is that he was going too fast,” Routt said. Unfortunately, wrecks like this one are becoming more common in River Canyon. Routt said the Dick Mason/ The Observer First responders examine a semi truck after it crashed on Interstate 84 five miles west of La Grande on Aug. 3. The driver of the semi truck was not injured. number of accidents involving tractor-trailer units hauling commercial freight in River Canyon between March and October over the past two years is up 350 percent since 2015. While the actual number of accidents is relatively small, “a 350 percent increase is staggering,” Routt said. “This type of a spike is alarming. It indicates a large problem for traffic safety.” Routt traces the increase to 2015 legislation that boosted the speed limit between The Dalles and the Idaho border on Interstate 84 beginning March 1, 2016. The speed limit for trucks jumped from 55 to 65 miles per hour, and the speed limit for passenger vehicles rose from 65 to 70 miles per hour. Trucks traveling at higher speeds are vulnerable to crashing in River Canyon because their high center of gravity makes it difficult for them to negotiate the many tight curves in the eight-mile stretch. “Truck drivers are attempting to negotiate the curves while going too fast,” Routt said. Truckers may believe they are safe while driving through River Canyon at 65 miles per hour because the speed is legal, but they are sadly mistaken, according to Routt. He explained some types of truck-trailer combi- nations are at risk of crashing while traveling 65 miles per hour even when driving Oregon’s non-unaimous jury law under scrutiny Oregon’s long-time law allowing felony convictions by non-unanimous juries could be tested if the U.S. Supreme Court accepts a case challenging a similar law in Louisiana. Only in Oregon and Louisiana can a defendant be convicted of a felony with a 10-to-2 jury vote. All other states and the federal government require a unanimous verdict. Lawyers for defendant Dale Lambert argue that the court should overturn its previous rulings that Louisiana’s and Oregon’s non-unanimous jury laws are constitutional. The statutes deprive certain defendants of equal protection under the law and deny them the right to have accusations confirmed by a jury of 12 of their peers, according to Lambert’s petition. “This law essentially eviscerates the idea By CLAIRE WITHYCOMBE Capital Bureau SALEM — As wildfire season continues across Oregon, the state’s forestry department had spent $21.9 million on firefighting costs as of Aug. 31, a department official said Tuesday. With the Eagle Creek fire accelerating on the Columbia River Gorge, and other fires continuing across the state from Brookings to Sisters, firefighting costs are poised to grow higher. Property owners with land classified as forest pay a state assessment to help cover firefighting costs in addition to money the Legis- 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 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. lature appropriates from the general fund. The state has also purchased an insurance policy most years since 1973 to help cover firefighting costs. But before it can tap that coverage, the state has to spend $50 million of its own money, according to Ken Armstrong, public affairs director at the Oregon Department of Forestry. Although wildfire is a reality of summer for many of Oregon’s rural communi- Single copy price: $1 Tuesday through Friday, $1.50 Saturday Corrections Classified & Legal Advertising 1-800-962-2819 or 541-278-2678 classifieds@eastoregonian.com or legals@eastoregonian.com 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 FRIDAY THURSDAY Dimmed sunshine; very hot, smoky Hazy sunshine and smoky 96° 66° 91° 65° SATURDAY Hazy sunshine; isolated storm Smoky with hazy sunshine PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 87° 63° 83° 59° 81° 54° HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 94° 68° 98° 66° PENDLETON through 3 p.m. yesterday TEMPERATURE HIGH LOW 84° 82° 99° (1932) 56° 53° 36° (1892) 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" 0.07" 11.37" 7.36" 8.45" HERMISTON through 3 p.m. yesterday TEMPERATURE HIGH Yesterday Normals Records LOW 85° 83° 97° (2003) 57° 52° 37° (1956) 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" 6.65" 5.04" 6.17" SUN AND MOON Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today Last New Sep 12 Sep 19 First Sep 27 86° 60° 84° 52° Seattle 85/63 ALMANAC Yesterday Normals Records 90° 66° 6:23 a.m. 7:24 p.m. 7:54 p.m. 6:40 a.m. Full Oct 5 Today SUNDAY Mostly sunny and pleasant Spokane Wenatchee 94/63 93/70 Tacoma Moses 86/59 Lake Pullman Aberdeen Olympia Yakima 100/60 97/59 71/60 83/58 98/64 Longview Kennewick Walla Walla 82/63 96/68 Lewiston 97/61 Astoria 99/66 72/57 Portland Enterprise Hermiston 86/65 Pendleton 96/59 The Dalles 98/66 96/66 95/69 La Grande Salem 96/54 86/62 Albany Corvallis 84/61 83/59 John Day 99/59 Ontario Eugene Bend 97/59 84/59 91/59 Caldwell Burns 97/61 97/51 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 72 99 91 69 97 96 84 94 98 99 84 96 95 90 68 70 97 97 96 86 93 86 94 96 84 96 98 Lo 57 52 59 59 51 59 59 64 66 59 52 54 51 63 56 56 59 60 66 65 54 62 63 52 64 68 64 W c s pc c s pc pc s pc s pc s s pc c c s pc s pc pc pc pc s pc pc pc NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY Thu. Hi 69 94 82 66 87 92 78 89 94 88 75 90 89 78 65 67 93 94 91 79 83 81 95 89 80 93 96 Lo 56 53 55 58 49 61 56 63 68 57 47 57 55 61 54 55 63 59 65 62 51 59 62 54 61 69 61 Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day. W c s t c s s t pc pc s t s s t c sh s pc pc pc pc pc pc s pc pc pc WORLD CITIES Today Beijing Hong Kong Jerusalem London Mexico City Moscow Paris Rome Seoul Sydney Tokyo Hi 88 90 83 65 69 55 68 80 74 66 78 Lo 61 80 64 51 57 52 55 66 64 51 71 W s c s pc t r c pc r s r Thu. Hi 90 88 83 66 68 65 66 80 81 67 83 Lo 64 80 65 56 57 50 55 63 65 51 71 W s sh s pc pc pc pc t pc s sh WINDS Medford 90/63 (in mph) Klamath Falls 84/52 Boardman Pendleton REGIONAL FORECAST Coastal Oregon: Some fog in the morning; mostly cloudy today. Eastern and Central Oregon: Dimmed sunshine, very hot and smoky today. Partly cloudy tonight. Western Washington: Sun and clouds today. Fog at the coast in the morning; smoky elsewhere. Eastern Washington: Hazy sun today; how- ever, sunnier in the north; smoky elsewhere. Mainly clear tonight. Cascades: Hazy sun and smoky today; not as warm in the south. Partly cloudy tonight. Northern California: Mostly sunny today; a thunderstorm in spots in the interior mountains. Today Thursday N 3-6 NW 6-12 SW 7-14 WSW 7-14 UV INDEX TODAY Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows. 1 ties, cities in the Willamette Valley also felt the effects of wildfire over the holiday weekend and on Tuesday in smoky air and ash. The state’s forestry department not only fights fires on state-owned land but also on federal and private land. “Especially right now, the way things are this fire season, we pretty much have people on just about every- thing on the landscape,” Armstrong said. 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. ADVERTISING Advertising Director: Marissa Williams 541-278-2669 • addirector@eastoregonian.com Advertising Services: Laura Jensen 541-966-0806 • ljensen@eastoregonian.com Multimedia Consultants: • Kimberly Macias 541-278-2683 • kmacias@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 — Founded Oct. 16, 1875 — wide shoulders and many of the curves have guard rails. “The availability of safe places to stop somebody is limited,” Robert Routt said. He added that it is also difficult for police to park their vehicles in River Canyon at locations where they can serve as a deterrent for speeding drivers. “It is not safe to park there,” Robert Routt said. Another problem is that there are concrete medians in the middle of portions of the freeway. According to Routt, if a state trooper spots a speeding vehicle going in the opposite direction he or she cannot quickly get to the other side of the freeway. A number of the truck crashes in the River Canyon have shut down Interstate 84 for hours. The guard rails, concrete medians and narrow shoul- ders mean trucks are more likely to land in the freeway, Robert Routt said. “The likelihood of a closure is greater because of greater constriction of the roadway,” explained Robert Routt, an accredited accident re-constructionist. Because of the curves, other drivers can encounter a crash scene before they have time to react to it. “One of our biggest concerns is a secondary collision,” Danny Routt said. “This is when risks skyrocket.” State: Fire costs at $21.9 million and rising that you are entitled to a jury of your peers when you are a black person who resides in Oregon, because statistically speaking, you are lucky if you get even one juror who is black, and that juror’s voice may just not count at all,” said Mat dos Santos, legal director of ACLU of Oregon. Lambert was convicted of second-de- gree murder by a 10-to-2 guilty verdict in connection with the fatal shooting of a man in Louisiana’s Orleans Parish on March 22, 2013. His lawyers supported their petition to the Supreme Court with research by Professor Aliza Kaplan and law student Amy Saack of Portland’s Lewis & Clark Law School. Louisiana’s majority verdict system was introduced in the 1898 Constitution as part of measures designed to “establish the supremacy of the white race,” according to the researchers’ February article in the Oregon Law Review. Capital Bureau conditions are perfect. Routt recalled an incident in which a truck driver believed to have been traveling 65 miles per hour crashed in River Canyon. Even though he had not exceeded the speed limit, the trucker was cited by the Oregon State Police on a charge of “violating the basic rule at or below the speed limit” because he could not control his particular vehicle combination around the tight curves, Routt said. Drivers coming around curves too fast for their trac- tor-trailer combination often are not aware of the danger in time to correct their vehicle before a rollover begins, said Robert Routt, a senior Oregon State Police trooper (and brother of Danny Routt). He said that he has seen videos showing when a truck goes around a curve too quickly and triggers a rollover, the process begins with the back trailer. “The tractor flips over suddenly,” Robert Routt said, indicating that sometimes the driver is caught by surprise. Law enforcement agencies have limited options beyond education for slowing truck traffic in River Canyon. Stepping up enforcement is not a viable option, Robert Routt said. He explained pulling over speeding drivers in the canyon is difficult because there are few places with 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 storms will soak the Eastern Seaboard today with localized flooding possible. Spotty showers will cool the Great Lakes as storms dot the Southwest. Fall-like air will plunge into the Central states. Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states) High 112° in Needles, Calif. Low 28° in West Yellowstone, Mont. 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 88 73 77 71 84 76 98 76 85 70 65 69 86 82 67 90 68 69 88 87 68 85 71 102 78 87 Lo 63 55 62 55 53 53 67 65 65 50 51 53 62 53 50 67 45 51 75 62 50 68 49 80 55 67 W pc t r r s pc s r t pc pc pc s s pc s c pc pc pc pc t s pc s pc Thur. Hi 86 76 75 74 86 76 94 76 81 69 68 67 86 86 65 92 62 80 88 85 71 85 76 101 78 84 Lo 62 56 58 52 54 55 68 59 62 51 54 53 64 57 50 67 40 48 75 62 53 69 58 77 56 66 W s s pc pc s s s r pc s pc sh s s sh s pc s s s pc t s s s pc Today Hi Louisville 71 Memphis 76 Miami 92 Milwaukee 65 Minneapolis 65 Nashville 74 New Orleans 83 New York City 72 Oklahoma City 78 Omaha 71 Philadelphia 74 Phoenix 109 Portland, ME 71 Providence 76 Raleigh 76 Rapid City 75 Reno 90 Sacramento 88 St. Louis 71 Salt Lake City 96 San Diego 80 San Francisco 78 Seattle 85 Tucson 102 Washington, DC 72 Wichita 80 Lo 53 55 80 51 51 51 68 60 55 49 60 84 62 66 55 46 59 63 52 69 69 65 63 74 59 52 W pc s t sh pc s t r s s r pc r r t s pc pc s s pc pc pc pc r s Thur. Hi 72 77 92 66 73 75 83 74 82 79 74 106 74 77 77 85 82 77 76 94 79 74 78 100 75 84 Lo 54 58 80 54 53 53 68 58 61 56 57 83 53 56 54 50 57 60 56 69 69 62 61 73 58 61 Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice. W s s t pc pc s s sh s s pc s r r s s s s s s pc pc pc s pc s