NORTHWEST
East Oregonian
Page 2A
Wednesday, March 7, 2018
Oregon Democrats hope for ‘blue wave’
By PARIS ACHEN
Capital Bureau
SALEM — With several GOP
seats up for grabs this year and low
approval ratings for President Trump,
Oregon Democrats hope to be the next
destination for the “blue wave” — the
phenomenon of Democrats taking over
state legislative seats around the nation.
The filing day for seeking election
in the May 15 primary was 5 p.m.
Tuesday, March 6.
As of the deadline, 17 had people
registered as candidates for governor,
39 for the state Senate, 129 for the state
House, and 35 for Oregon’s five U.S.
House seats in Congress, according to
the Associated Press.
“The level of enthusiasm and
engagement we’re seeing in the Demo-
cratic Party is unprecedented,” said
Jeanne Atkins, chair of the Democratic
Party of Oregon. “With Trump in the
White House promoting his toxic vision
for the country and Republicans doing
little to stand up to him, legislative seats
across the nation are flipping from red
to blue in astounding numbers. Here in
Oregon, our county parties are fired up,
and Democrats have a strong field of
candidates running in every corner of
the state.”
In the Oregon House of Represen-
tatives and Senate, Democrats believe
they have a good chance of achieving
a supermajority — enough members
to pass tax measures with a three-fifths
vote. Such an outcome would give the
party unilateral power provided Demo-
crats all agree on the topic at hand.
Democrats need to only hold on to
the House and Senate seats they have
and turn one Republican seat blue in
each chamber to achieve a superma-
jority. They already have 35 out of 60
seats in the House and 17 out of 30 in
the Senate.
Both parties will likely fight hard
to claim open seats, particularly in two
swing districts — House District 54 in
Bend and Senate District 3 Southern
Oregon.
Republicans Rep. Knute Buehler of
Bend and Sen. Alan DeBoer of Ashland
hold those seats now, and neither is
seeking reelection. Buehler is seeking
the GOP nomination for governor to
AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File
This file photo shows a Dick’s Sporting Goods sign
at one of their stores. A 20-year-old man in Oregon
has filed a lawsuit against Dick’s Sporting Goods and
Walmart after he says they refused to sell him a rifle.
20-year-old sues
Dick’s, Walmart over
their new gun policies
PORTLAND (AP) — A
20-year-old
man
from
Oregon has filed lawsuits
against Dick’s Sporting
Goods and Walmart, alleging
the two retailers discrimi-
nated against him when they
refused to sell him a rifle
because of his age.
Dick’s and Walmart
restricted gun sales to people
21 and older in the wake
of the Florida high school
massacre. The 19-year-old
accused in the school slaying
legally bought the AR-15
used in the attack.
The lawsuits, obtained
by The Associated Press, are
believed to be the first filed
over the new gun policies.
Oregon
law
allows
residents to buy shotguns or
rifles starting at 18.
Tyler Watson’s lawsuits,
which were filed against
the retailers in Jackson and
Josephine counties, both
ask a judge to put a stop
to the retailers’ new gun
sale policies and award
punitive damages because
of the “willful nature of the
discrimination.”
On Tuesday, the state
Bureau of Labor and
Industries said in a letter to
state legislative leaders that
the bureau would accept
complaints from Oregonians
who feel they have been
discriminated against by the
policies.
Without
commenting
on the merits of Watson’s
lawsuits,
Commissioner
Brad Avakian said state law
currently only allows for
age-related exemptions for
alcohol and marijuana sales.
The bureau will present
a bill to add a similar age
restriction for gun sales to
the legislature next year for
consideration, he said, adding
that the policies seemed
“appropriate” because they
attempted to make public
spaces safer.
Avakian
also
urged
lawmakers to pass a ban on
assault rifles and high-ca-
pacity magazines, among
other things.
Legal
papers
filed
Monday say a store owned
by Dick’s Sporting Goods
in Medford refused to sell
Watson a .22-caliber Ruger
rifle on or around Feb. 24.
The other suit says a Walmart
in Grants Pass refused to sell
him an unspecified type of
rifle on March 3.
Watson did not know
about the restrictions when
he tried to buy a rifle, his
attorney Max Whittington,
told The Oregonian/Oregon-
Live, which first reported the
lawsuits Monday.
“He was really just trying
to buy a rifle,” Whittington
told the newspaper.
Watson, of Gold Hill,
could not be reached for
comment.
Walmart
spokesman
Randy Hargrove said the
retailer plans to defend the
new policy.
“We stand behind our
decision and plan to defend
it,” he said. “While we
haven’t seen the complaint,
we will respond as appro-
priate with the court.”
A representative of Dick’s
didn’t immediately return a
call from The AP on Tuesday.
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
BRIEFLY
PORTLAND (AP) —
Oregon’s unemployment
rate held steady in January
as employers added 5,000
jobs.
The state Employment
Department said Tuesday
the jobless rate was 4.1
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Clouds and
sunshine
Mostly cloudy,
showers around
51° 38°
56° 42°
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
Mostly cloudy, a
shower; breezy
Clearing
PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
53° 34°
57° 37°
HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
59° 43°
52° 36°
PENDLETON
through 3 p.m. yesterday
TEMPERATURE
HIGH
LOW
52°
53°
68° (1979)
25°
33°
19° (1943)
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"
0.49"
0.21"
2.82"
4.28"
2.72"
HERMISTON
through 3 p.m. yesterday
TEMPERATURE
HIGH
Yesterday
Normals
Records
LOW
53°
55°
70° (1972)
22°
32°
11° (1943)
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"
0.12"
0.20"
1.75"
3.60"
2.44"
SUN AND MOON
Sunrise today
Sunset tonight
Moonrise today
Moonset today
Last
New
Mar 9
Mar 17
First
Mar 24
57° 34°
59° 37°
Seattle
51/42
ALMANAC
Yesterday
Normals
Records
56° 30°
6:23 a.m.
5:50 p.m.
none
9:38 a.m.
Full
Mar 31
Today
SUNDAY
Plenty of sunshine
52° 30°
Men accused of
igniting wildfire
arraigned
LAKEVIEW (AP) —
Three Lane County men
have been arraigned on
charges stemming from
REGIONAL CITIES
Forecast
Spokane
Wenatchee
45/35
46/34
Tacoma
Moses
51/39
Lake
Pullman
Aberdeen Olympia
Yakima 51/35
47/37
53/43
51/38
52/33
Longview
Kennewick Walla Walla
56/43
53/41 Lewiston
52/36
Astoria
55/40
55/43
Portland
Enterprise
Hermiston
56/43
Pendleton 48/34
The Dalles 52/36
51/38
54/38
La Grande
Salem
48/37
55/43
Albany
Corvallis 55/42
54/40
John Day
53/38
Ontario
Eugene
Bend
51/34
54/41
54/37
Caldwell
Burns
53/36
47/29
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
47
54
56
47
48
54
51
52
53
54
48
47
64
56
59
51
52
51
56
53
55
45
50
56
53
52
Lo
43
32
37
47
29
34
41
36
36
38
33
37
35
39
45
47
34
33
38
43
33
43
35
34
43
41
33
W
pc
pc
pc
r
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
sh
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
Today
Beijing
Hong Kong
Jerusalem
London
Mexico City
Moscow
Paris
Rome
Seoul
Sydney
Tokyo
Lo
24
59
55
39
48
11
39
42
32
68
42
W
pc
pc
s
pc
pc
c
sh
t
c
pc
pc
Lo
39
34
38
45
32
36
42
40
43
40
31
38
37
42
42
44
39
41
42
44
36
44
38
37
44
46
35
W
r
sn
sh
r
sh
r
r
sh
sh
sn
sh
sh
sh
sh
r
r
sh
sh
sh
r
sh
r
sh
sh
r
sh
sh
Thu.
Hi
45
62
79
48
76
24
52
59
49
73
50
Lo
22
55
52
36
52
13
39
48
27
68
47
W
s
sh
pc
pc
pc
s
r
pc
pc
c
r
WINDS
Medford
64/39
(in mph)
Klamath Falls
54/33
Boardman
Pendleton
REGIONAL FORECAST
Coastal Oregon: Some sun, then clouds
today with afternoon rain. Periods of rain
tonight.
Eastern and Central Oregon: Sun followed
by some clouds today.
Eastern Washington: Sunshine mixing
with clouds today. Overcast tonight with a
shower in spots.
Cascades: Clouds and sun today with a
shower in the afternoon.
Western Washington: Sun followed by
some clouds today. A couple of showers
tonight.
Northern California: Becoming cloudy
today. Periods of rain at the coast; a shower
in spots in central parts.
Today
Thursday
NE 4-8
NNE 6-12
S 6-12
SSW 7-14
UV INDEX TODAY
Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.
1
3
4
2
1
NEWS
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COMMERCIAL PRINTING
Production Manager: Mike Jensen
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Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day.
WORLD CITIES
Hi
41
74
70
48
71
22
49
56
50
74
46
Classified & Legal Advertising
1-800-962-2819 or 541-278-2678
classifieds@eastoregonian.com or legals@eastoregonian.com
NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY
Thu.
Hi
52
49
52
52
50
47
54
55
59
52
50
50
49
59
51
54
55
56
56
54
56
55
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58
53
a wildfire that scorched
thousands of acres in south-
central Oregon last July.
Authorities say the
men were near Summer
Lake when they added
pyrotechnics to targets and
shot at the targets. They
say it sparked the Ana Fire,
which destroyed a hunting
cabin.
in January. That’s also
unchanged from December.
ADVERTISING
Advertising Director: Marissa Williams
541-278-2669 • addirector@eastoregonian.com
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Local home delivery Savings off cover price
EZPay
$14.50
41 percent
52 weeks
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41 percent
26 weeks
$91.86
38 percent
13 weeks
$47.77
36 percent
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To subscribe, call 1-800-522-0255
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THURSDAY
percent — the same as
in December. Strong
employment gains in
manufacturing, construction
and private educational
services were partially offset
by a weak month for leisure
and hospitality.
Another unemployment
measure, known as
U-6, was at 8.5 percent
Unemployment rate
stays at 4.1 percent
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
www.eastoregonian.com
for Democratic candidates seeking
election to state legislatures.
In state elections, Gov. Kate Brown
is seeking a second and final term but
must first edge out Democratic chal-
lengers with little name recognition.
They are Ed Jones of Redmond and
Candace Neville of Eugene.
A smorgasbord of Republicans will
face each other for the GOP nomination
for governor. In the race are Buehler of
Bend, Greg C. Woodridge of Portland,
Sam Carpenter of Bend, Keenan W.
Bohach of Keizer, Jonathan I. Edwards
III of Portland, Jeff Smith of Fairview,
David W. Stauffer of Portland, Jack
W. Tacy of Lebanon, Brett Hyland of
Portland.
Four members of the Independent
Party of Oregon also have entered
the gubernatorial race, Dan (Mr. P)
Pistoresi of Lincoln City and Skye J.
Allen of Portland, Shawn Liebling of
Eugene and Patrick Starnes of Browns-
ville
In the nonpartisan race to succeed
Brad Avakian as state labor commis-
sioner, former lawmaker Val Hoyle of
Eugene, Jack Howard of La Grande
and Lou Ogden of Tualatin have filed
for election.
face off with Gov. Kate Brown in the
November general election.
“We have every reason to believe
a Democrat will win in that (Senate
District 3) given the outcome the presi-
dential election and Referendum 101,”
said DPO spokesperson Molly Woon,
referring to the health-care funding
measure that passed in a January
special election.
“Buehler’s district and De Boer’s
Senate district ... are ripe to be flipped
to the (Democrats),” said Jim Moore,
political science professor and director
of the Tom McCall Center for Policy
Innovation at Pacific University.
Democrats also have their eyes on
other Republican seats up for reelection
in the House, including five open seats
and newly-appointed Republican Rep.
Jeff Helfrich’s position in Hood River.
In addition to Buehler’s, four other
House seats held by Republicans will
be without incumbents in November.
Since Trump took office in January
2017, 39 state legislative seats across
the country have “flipped” from
Republican to Democrat, according
to a recent count by the Democratic
Legislative Campaign Committee. The
group assists in election campaigns
Subscriber services:
For mail delivery, online access, vacation stops
or delivery concerns call 1-800-522-0255 ext. 1
— Founded Oct. 16, 1875 —
TODAY
AP Photo/Andrew Selsky
Onlookers watch for updates on a list of candidates running in the May
2018 primary elections, hours before the deadline to file on Tuesday in
Salem. A screen was set up in the state House of Representatives show-
ing the lists of candidates, with the public allowed access.
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: Heavy snow and gusty winds will impact the Northeast today. The
heaviest snow will fall from the Poconos to New England where 1 to 2 feet is expected.
Strong onshore winds can lead to more power outages.
Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states)
High 83° in Thermal, Calif.
Low -15° in Eureka, Nev.
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
61
51
38
37
37
55
51
38
62
43
31
39
61
53
40
72
27
25
79
65
36
68
42
68
53
74
Lo
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34
35
28
24
35
37
34
36
26
21
25
41
26
26
46
14
11
67
42
22
37
22
50
32
53
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s
s
sf
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s
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pc
s
pc
Thur.
Hi
68
50
44
42
40
53
53
43
58
36
36
34
68
65
38
76
25
26
79
68
35
63
46
76
57
75
Lo
38
33
30
28
31
33
41
31
34
26
21
29
49
34
27
52
17
8
67
50
22
35
29
53
38
54
W
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pc
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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
43
50
78
31
28
47
62
37
54
33
37
82
37
38
53
33
55
68
40
47
70
65
51
82
42
53
Lo
27
32
56
22
15
32
45
32
30
18
31
59
31
35
30
16
36
47
26
32
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33
25
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Thur.
Hi
40
52
74
36
30
46
66
42
64
38
41
84
38
45
48
42
59
66
42
56
70
64
50
82
44
59
Lo
26
36
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24
15
30
47
30
43
24
26
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25
29
27
23
37
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28
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54
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42
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32
38
Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain,
sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice.
W
c
s
s
pc
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pc
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