NORTHWEST
East Oregonian
Page 2A
Wednesday, January 17, 2018
Washington town wary of slow-moving landslide
BRIEFLY
Business group asks
Congress for protection
for marijuana
By ELAINE THOMPSON
and NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS
Associated Press
UNION GAP, Wash. — A
slow-moving landslide in a fertile
farming region in Washington state
has forced evacuations as officials
prepare for what they say is inevi-
table — the collapse of a ridge that
sits above a few dozen homes and
a key highway.
People in Washington are espe-
cially wary of landslides following
one in 2014 north of Seattle that
swept through a tiny community
and across a state road, killing
dozens.
Experts say the slide could
happen as soon as late January
or early February above Union
Gap, a small agricultural town in
the rolling brown foothills of the
Cascade Range. A chunk of one
ridge about the size of 24 football
fields is expected to break off,
spilling an estimated 4 million
cubic yards of rocks and dirt.
Opinions on the impact vary
widely, ranging from little damage
to widespread flooding, especially
in Union Gap. Some worry flood-
waters will stretch into Yakima,
which has 94,000 residents and sits
just a few miles away.
Also nearby are the Yakima
River and Interstate 82, which
connects Oregon to busy Interstate
90.
I-82 is the main route through
central Washington’s Yakima
Valley, which produces many of
America’s hops, cherries, apples
and mint. The state has deemed it
safe to remain open but has placed
44 shipping containers — filled
with concrete barriers and weighing
9 to 14 tons each — at the bottom
of the ridge to keep random rocks
from tumbling into traffic.
The hillside has been sliding
since at least October, when
SEATTLE (AP) — A group
representing marijuana business
owners in the West is urging
Congress to include language in a
government spending bill that would
protect pot operations.
The Western Regional Cannabis
Business Alliance said Tuesday it
is asking for legislative protection
after Attorney General Jeff Sessions’
signaled a tougher approach to
federal pot enforcement. Earlier this
month Sessions said he was ending
an Obama-era policy that kept
federal authorities from cracking
down on the pot trade in states where
the drug is legal.
The marijuana business group
wants lawmakers to include language
in an appropriations bill that would
prohibit the Justice Department from
spending money to thwart marijuana
businesses in states where it is legal.
The Western Regional Cannabis
Business Alliance represents
marijuana businesses in Washington,
Oregon, Alaska, Hawaii, Montana
and Arizona.
Shawn Gust/Yakima Herald-Republic via AP, File
In this Jan. 3 file photo, a crack in Rattlesnake Ridge is seen extending from a gravel pit up and
across the ridge near Union Gap, Wash.
five weeks, although their future
accommodations are up in the air.
Alejandro Mejia has lived below
the ridge for about 14 years, and
last week helped family members
move some of their belongings.
“I feel kind of terrible ... that the
hill is going to fall,” Mejia said,
calling it a “life or death situation.”
Mejia said he has climbed up
the ridge to look at the fracture in
the ground.
“It’s pretty wide, the crack up
there,” Mejia said. “It’s way, way
deep.”
Flooding is a worst-case
scenario, said Washington Gov. Jay
Inslee, who toured the site earlier
this month.
“It is not predicted for this to
authorities began monitoring huge
cracks in Rattlesnake Ridge’s
western slope. At that time, the
landslide was moving at less than
an inch per day. More recently, it
has been measured sliding at 2.5
inches per day.
Looming over all this are
memories of a massive March 22,
2014, landslide in the community
of Oso. That slide killed 43 people
and covered 1 square mile with
mud and debris. And more recently
this month’s deadly landslide in
Southern California.
Authorities have already evac-
uated about 60 residents who live
in trailers and a few buildings near
Union Gap, population 6,000. They
are staying in paid hotel rooms for
happen,” Inslee said, noting emer-
gency preparations are nonetheless
in place for Union Gap.
Asked about the possibility of
the slide reaching and damming the
Yakima River, Inslee said geolo-
gists have indicated that is unlikely.
Still, “we have to make sure
we monitor this on an hourly basis
because if something changes, we
want to be able to respond on a
minute-by-minute response plan,”
the governor said.
“That is the very, very worst case
scenario,” Lisa Freund, spokes-
woman for the Yakima Valley
Office of Emergency Management,
said of the river being dammed by
a slide. Freund said officials do not
know what triggered the cracking.
Family of man shot
holding pen sues
King County sheriff
SEATTLE (AP) — The family
of an unarmed 20-year-old man who
was shot to death by a deputy has
filed a federal lawsuit against the
King County sheriff’s office.
Deputy Cesar Molina shot
Tommy Le last June while
responding to reports that Le was
threatening people with a knife,
prompting one homeowner to fire
a shot to try to scare him off. The
sheriff’s office later said Le was
holding a black ballpoint pen, not a
knife, when he was shot.
The King County Medical
Examiner’s Office determined Le
had been shot twice in the back
and once in the back of the arm.
The family’s attorney, Jeffery
Campiche, says the 120-pound Le
posed no threat.
The lawsuit said Le was facing a
mental health crisis and needed help.
Le had a trace amount of LSD in his
system, but the lawyer says it wasn’t
enough to cause impairment.
The King County Sheriff’s Office
declined to comment.
Oregon partygoer says no argument preceded triple shooting
SPRINGFIELD (AP) — A man
whose brother was among three
people shot at an Oregon birthday
party says the alleged gunman was
probably struggling with a combi-
nation of “drugs, alcohol and bad
feelings.”
Dakota Pander, 21, said no
argument preceded the gunfire at
Saturday’s party in Springfield.
People were laughing and playing
video games when party host
Jordan Ledbetter nonchalantly
went into his bedroom and
returned with a gun.
“We were having fun,” Pander
he didn’t specify the drug.
Ledbetter has been charged
with murder, assault and unlawful
use of a weapon. Court records did
not list an attorney to speak on his
behalf before Tuesday’s arraign-
ment in Eugene.
Pander said everyone at the
party was friends with Ledbetter.
Pander said he was sitting on
the couch playing video games
when he heard someone say,
“Woah, he’s got a real gun!”
Then, the first shot rang out.
“I froze,” he said. “I thought,
‘What the hell is going on?’”
told The Register-Guard. “It just
started off completely normal. We
had a perfectly normal day. And
then Jordan I guess decided that he
was going into his room to get his
gun.”
Pander’s brother, 24-year-old
Garrett Petersen, died in the attack
and two others were wounded.
Toxicology results are pending,
but Springfield Police Lt. Scott
McKee said Tuesday it’s believed
that Ledbetter was under the
influence of LSD. Pander told the
newspaper that Ledbetter had been
drinking and using drugs, though
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REGIONAL CITIES
Forecast
TODAY
THURSDAY
Mostly cloudy
A little rain in the
morning
54° 45°
49° 35°
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
Mostly cloudy
Mostly cloudy
SUNDAY
A passing morning
shower
PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
50° 36°
48° 38°
53° 39°
HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
52° 34°
49° 43°
PENDLETON
through 3 p.m. yesterday
TEMPERATURE
HIGH
LOW
51°
41°
63° (1976)
35°
27°
-5° (1950)
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
0.26"
0.79"
0.85"
0.79"
1.06"
0.85"
HERMISTON
through 3 p.m. yesterday
TEMPERATURE
HIGH
Yesterday
Normals
Records
LOW
50°
42°
63° (1961)
38°
28°
-9° (1957)
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
0.21"
0.64"
0.66"
0.64"
0.61"
0.66"
SUN AND MOON
Sunrise today
Sunset tonight
Moonrise today
Moonset today
First
Full
Jan 24
Jan 31
Last
Feb 7
50° 39°
56° 40°
Seattle
55/44
ALMANAC
Yesterday
Normals
Records
51° 36°
Today
Spokane
Wenatchee
41/38
37/31
Tacoma
Moses
57/43
Lake
Pullman
Aberdeen Olympia
Yakima 43/39
44/40
53/44
55/42
46/39
Longview
Kennewick Walla Walla
55/44
53/44 Lewiston
46/40
Astoria
47/42
55/45
Portland
Enterprise
Hermiston
59/45
Pendleton 47/41
The Dalles 49/43
54/45
50/43
La Grande
Salem
47/43
61/44
Albany
Corvallis 59/45
59/43
John Day
52/45
Ontario
Eugene
Bend
46/35
60/42
56/39
Caldwell
Burns
48/39
47/31
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
55
44
56
58
47
47
60
54
49
52
54
47
46
59
57
61
46
45
54
59
59
61
41
50
57
53
46
Lo
45
35
39
48
31
41
42
44
43
45
41
43
40
43
46
47
35
39
45
45
37
44
38
39
46
44
39
W
r
c
c
r
c
c
r
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
r
r
c
c
c
r
c
r
c
c
r
c
r
Today
Beijing
Hong Kong
Jerusalem
London
Mexico City
Moscow
Paris
Rome
Seoul
Sydney
Tokyo
Lo
17
61
46
40
37
16
41
38
28
61
45
W
pc
s
pc
pc
pc
c
pc
sh
pc
s
r
Lo
42
28
29
41
25
28
37
33
34
31
25
30
30
33
42
41
34
35
35
40
27
40
31
28
41
35
32
W
sh
sf
r
r
sf
sf
sh
r
r
r
sh
r
r
r
sh
r
sh
r
r
sh
sn
sh
r
sf
sh
r
c
Thu.
Hi
42
71
55
48
67
24
53
58
41
81
57
Lo
19
64
40
35
41
13
37
50
23
64
42
W
s
pc
s
pc
pc
sn
r
s
pc
pc
s
WINDS
Medford
59/43
Klamath Falls
54/41
(in mph)
Today
Thursday
Boardman
Pendleton
NNE 4-8
SE 4-8
SW 6-12
SW 4-8
UV INDEX TODAY
Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.
REGIONAL FORECAST
7:31 a.m.
4:40 p.m.
7:50 a.m.
5:32 p.m.
New
Coastal Oregon: Breezy today. Rain; any
time across the north, during the afternoon
elsewhere.
Eastern and Central Oregon: Mostly cloudy
today.
Eastern Washington: Cloudy today. A bit of
snow in the north; rain and drizzle toward
the Cascades and in central sections.
Cascades: Considerable cloudiness today;
rain, but dry in the south.
Northern California: Mostly cloudy today; a
little rain at the coast during the afternoon.
Feb 15
Western Washington: Rain today; arriving
in the afternoon across the south. Periods
of rain tonight.
0
1
1
1
0
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Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day.
WORLD CITIES
Hi
44
72
50
46
66
20
46
60
46
76
59
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NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY
Thu.
Hi
50
46
44
50
45
44
49
48
52
48
44
46
43
47
50
51
49
51
49
50
46
51
41
42
50
50
50
Corrections
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— Founded Oct. 16, 1875 —
He heard two more shots
before grabbing the assailant from
behind. He said another partygoer
— one with a gunshot wound to a
bicep — took the weapon away.
Pander held Ledbetter down
until police arrived: “I can’t
remember what he was saying, but
a bunch of things, nonsense.”
Police said it took four officers
to detain Ledbetter.
Pander’s brother died during
surgery several hours later.
McKee said the victims who
survived have been released from
the hospital.
0
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. ©2018
-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: Snow will fall from the Carolinas to Maine today. More rain and moun-
tain snow are forecast to move into Washington and western Oregon. Most other areas will
be dry as cold air lingers in the East.
Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states)
High 78° in Thermal, Calif.
Low -30° in Havre, 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
45
30
36
30
39
31
51
36
48
21
22
23
36
48
27
46
27
30
82
38
20
51
26
66
29
77
Lo
24
20
21
16
31
16
41
20
24
10
17
16
21
26
17
26
4
21
72
23
12
25
16
47
18
55
W
pc
s
sn
sf
pc
s
c
sn
c
sf
s
c
s
s
pc
pc
pc
s
pc
pc
pc
pc
s
pc
s
pc
Thur.
Hi
51
43
38
41
47
42
55
32
48
36
32
31
48
59
31
55
11
34
82
44
30
50
40
66
42
74
Lo
26
25
28
24
29
21
36
23
29
21
23
22
31
35
22
30
4
24
72
35
19
27
26
49
24
54
W
pc
s
s
s
c
s
sh
pc
s
s
s
s
s
pc
s
s
c
pc
pc
pc
s
s
s
pc
s
pc
Today
Louisville
Memphis
Miami
Milwaukee
Minneapolis
Nashville
New Orleans
New York City
Oklahoma City
Omaha
Philadelphia
Phoenix
Portland, ME
Providence
Raleigh
Rapid City
Reno
Sacramento
St. Louis
Salt Lake City
San Diego
San Francisco
Seattle
Tucson
Washington, DC
Wichita
Hi
25
25
76
23
26
25
37
36
33
30
34
72
32
37
34
47
61
61
25
49
73
60
55
70
30
33
Lo
12
12
48
18
21
13
26
20
18
13
20
48
14
19
16
25
41
48
18
32
54
52
44
43
21
17
W
pc
s
pc
s
s
pc
s
sn
s
s
sf
pc
sn
sn
sn
s
pc
c
s
pc
pc
pc
r
pc
sf
s
Thur.
Hi
34
37
66
33
37
38
44
34
47
43
37
73
30
33
42
53
58
58
42
56
70
57
49
73
43
48
Lo
21
23
54
23
25
21
30
26
28
26
26
49
16
21
20
33
34
44
26
45
56
48
42
44
26
26
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
pc
s
s
s
pc
s
s
s
s
pc
pc
s
s
c
r
r
s
c
pc
r
sh
s
s
s