WEATHER
East Oregonian
Page 2A
REGIONAL CITIES
Forecast
WEDNESDAY
TODAY
More clouds than
sunshine
A passing
afternoon shower
58° 38°
59° 48°
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
Breezy and cooler
with rain
Mostly cloudy with
a bit of rain
PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
50° 30°
47° 31°
HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
63° 47°
62° 36°
PENDLETON
through 3 p.m. yesterday
TEMPERATURE
HIGH
LOW
55°
56°
80° (1934)
32°
36°
18° (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"
0.94"
0.81"
3.27"
5.10"
3.32"
HERMISTON
through 3 p.m. yesterday
LOW
59°
59°
80° (1934)
0.00"
0.43"
0.58"
2.06"
4.06"
2.82"
SUN AND MOON
Mar 31
Bend
52/34
Burns
49/32
6:59 a.m.
7:07 p.m.
8:55 a.m.
10:52 p.m.
Last
New
Apr 8
Apr 15
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
53
52
52
56
49
48
59
55
62
51
50
52
50
60
55
59
57
63
58
61
56
60
50
50
60
58
63
Lo
35
33
34
46
32
35
41
38
36
38
35
37
34
43
41
44
39
34
38
40
33
40
33
32
37
42
31
W
pc
c
sf
c
sf
c
c
c
c
sf
c
c
c
c
c
c
c
pc
c
c
sf
c
pc
c
c
pc
pc
NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY
Wed.
Hi
52
54
55
53
54
51
54
58
63
56
51
55
53
61
51
53
60
64
59
55
59
54
51
54
55
61
62
Lo
39
45
40
41
40
42
39
47
47
47
39
45
44
46
40
41
49
45
48
46
39
42
41
43
43
49
42
W
r
c
c
r
sh
c
r
c
c
c
r
c
c
r
r
r
sh
c
c
r
c
r
c
c
r
c
c
WORLD CITIES
Today
Beijing
Hong Kong
Jerusalem
London
Mexico City
Moscow
Paris
Rome
Seoul
Sydney
Tokyo
Hi
52
73
72
47
82
34
45
54
48
80
53
Lo
25
57
50
33
54
21
30
41
33
67
43
W
pc
t
s
pc
pc
pc
pc
r
c
sh
r
Wed.
Hi
55
73
75
48
78
35
45
55
47
70
50
Lo
32
59
54
41
53
21
34
38
33
66
47
W
s
s
s
c
pc
c
pc
sh
r
r
r
WINDS
Klamath Falls
50/35
(in mph)
Today
Wednesday
Boardman
Pendleton
SW 4-8
W 4-8
NNE 4-8
SW 4-8
UV INDEX TODAY
Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.
REGIONAL FORECAST
Coastal Oregon: A blend of sun and clouds
today; a shower in spots in the south.
Eastern Washington: Partly sunny today.
Mostly cloudy tonight.
Eastern and Central Oregon: Rather cloudy
today; a bit of snow and rain in central parts
and near the Cascades.
Western Washington: Partly sunny today,
except more clouds across the south. Mostly
cloudy tonight.
Cascades: Mostly cloudy today; a snow
shower in the morning, then a shower in
the south.
Northern California: Periods of rain today,
but 1-2 inches of snow in the interior
mountains.
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.
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2
3
3
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
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Superstore chain Fred
Meyer to stop selling
guns, ammunition
uating changing customer
preferences and the fact
that we’ve been steadily
reducing this category
in our Fred Meyer stores
over the last several years
due to softening consumer
demand,” the company
said. “More recently we
have been transitioning
away from gun depart-
ments as a result of our
ongoing work to optimize
space in our Fred Meyer
stores.”
Following last month’s
high school shooting in
Parkland, Florida that
left 17 people dead, Fred
Meyer said it would stop
selling firearms to anyone
under 21. The company
had
already
stopped
selling assault-style guns
several years ago, except
in Alaska.
Fred Meyer did not
mention
the
school
shooting in its statement
Friday.
Other stores announced
in the wake of that
shooting that they would
stop selling guns to
anyone under 21 including
Walmart Inc. and L.L.
Bean. Dick’s Sporting
Goods recently banned
sales of assault rifles.
Several outdoor chains,
including
Bass
Pro
Shops, Cabela’s, Gander
Outdoors and Academy
Sports, continue to sell
assault-style rifles.
Cutting and leaving juniper
may increase invasive grasses
ONTARIO (AP) — Agencies are spending hundreds
of millions of dollars on juniper removal in an effort to
increase native shrubs and grasses.
But a recent study by Oregon State University
researchers says cutting juniper may lead to an increase in
invasive grasses if the trees are simply left where they fall.
The study was conducted from 2012 to 2016 in a
wildlife area between the Ochoco and Malheur national
forests.
Juniper trees toppled at the beginning of the study were
left where they fell. Researchers later found that invasive
grasses were more prevalent in areas of cutting than
non-cutting.
Study co-author Lisa Ellsworth says juniper reduction
is important for habitat and range health. But when the
understory is compromised, follow up treatments such as
herbicide and native-shrub seeding must be considered.
1
0-2, Low
3-5, Moderate 6-7, High;
8-10, Very High;
11+, Extreme
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— Founded Oct. 16, 1875 —
PORTLAND (AP) —
Superstore company Fred
Meyer will stop selling
guns and ammunition.
The Portland, Oregon,-
based chain in a statement
Friday said it made the
decision after evaluating
customer
preferences.
The company sells guns at
nearly 45 of its 132 stores
in Oregon, Washington,
Idaho and Alaska.
“Fred Meyer has made
a business decision to exit
the firearms category,”
the company said. “We
are currently working on
plans to responsibly phase
out sales of firearms and
ammunition.”
The
company,
a
subsidiary of Cincinnati,
Ohio,-based Kroger Co.,
didn’t give a timeline in
the statement. Fred Meyer
spokesman Jeffery Temple
in an email to The Asso-
ciated Press on Saturday
said the company wasn’t
offering interviews.
Fred Meyer stores sell a
range of goods that include
groceries,
clothing,
electronics,
outdoor
equipment,
furniture
and jewelry. Stores also
include pharmacies.
The company said
the firearms category
represents about $7 million
annually of its revenue and
sales have been declining.
“We made the decision
early last week after eval-
Caldwell
56/42
Medford
60/43
PRECIPITATION
Mar 24
John Day
51/38
Ontario
57/39
33°
35°
13° (1965)
24 hours ending 3 p.m.
Month to date
Normal month to date
Year to date
Last year to date
Normal year to date
Sunrise today
Sunset tonight
Moonrise today
Moonset today
First
Full
Albany
59/39
Eugene
59/41
TEMPERATURE
Yesterday
Normals
Records
51° 32°
Spokane
Wenatchee
50/33
57/34
Tacoma
Moses
57/32
Lake
Pullman
Aberdeen Olympia
Yakima 59/32
52/36
53/38
57/30
63/31
Longview
Kennewick Walla Walla
58/34
58/42 Lewiston
62/35
Astoria
57/38
53/35
Portland
Enterprise
Hermiston
61/40
Pendleton 48/35
The Dalles 62/36
58/38
64/39
La Grande
Salem
52/37
60/40
Corvallis
59/40
HIGH
54° 33°
Seattle
56/38
ALMANAC
Yesterday
Normals
Records
60° 32°
Today
SATURDAY
Cloudy and cooler
58° 32°
Tuesday, March 20, 2018
Single copy price:
$1 Tuesday through Friday, $1.50 Saturday
Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day.
-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: A storm will bring rain, severe thunderstorms and wet snow to part of
the Eastern states today. Some snow will fall on the Upper Midwest and northern Rockies
while heavy rain moves into California.
Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states)
High 96° in McAllen, Texas
Low -19° in Saranac Lake, N.Y.
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
60
66
37
38
48
57
53
38
76
56
39
39
69
54
42
71
31
35
81
73
41
80
47
68
63
68
Lo
37
37
35
32
30
36
41
29
46
33
29
27
46
28
26
49
8
24
71
49
26
47
29
57
38
58
W
s
pc
sn
sn
pc
r
c
pc
r
r
pc
pc
s
pc
pc
s
sn
sn
pc
s
c
t
c
pc
c
c
Wed.
Hi
70
55
38
38
51
58
59
36
60
39
41
37
76
63
42
82
22
39
81
78
41
68
57
74
65
65
Lo
44
35
28
28
32
34
50
32
38
26
27
27
54
35
25
58
0
27
71
54
22
40
40
60
40
61
Today
W
pc
s
sn
sn
s
s
sh
sn
c
sn
pc
c
pc
pc
s
pc
pc
c
c
s
pc
pc
s
c
pc
r
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
52
89
37
35
50
69
38
60
43
37
80
38
43
57
44
54
59
44
59
70
58
56
79
39
57
Lo
31
38
67
28
24
34
51
31
37
30
30
58
21
30
35
20
41
52
30
43
57
54
38
52
34
32
Wed.
W
sh
sh
s
pc
sn
c
pc
c
s
sn
sn
s
s
pc
r
pc
r
r
c
pc
c
r
pc
s
sn
pc
Hi
43
57
80
38
39
53
70
36
67
55
35
85
36
38
46
51
61
66
50
64
74
65
57
83
40
66
Lo
26
38
54
27
28
32
52
30
48
39
28
65
29
32
32
24
46
57
32
52
61
56
43
58
29
45
W
c
pc
s
pc
c
s
s
sn
s
s
sn
pc
sn
sn
r
s
r
r
pc
c
c
r
c
pc
sn
pc
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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COMMERCIAL PRINTING
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Oregon agency may be awash
in red ink from water litigation
Lawsuit expenses
may surpass budget
by $1.3 million
By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI
Capital Bureau
Oregon’s water regulators
are rapidly spending the
$835,000 they have available
for litigation and may go
nearly $1.3 million over
budget in the 2017-2019
biennium.
A request for more liti-
gation funds was recently
turned down by Oregon
lawmakers, which means
the Oregon Water Resources
Department will probably
ask the Legislature’s Emer-
gency Board for money later
this year.
If OWRD can’t get
additional litigation funds,
the agency will have to delay
replacing employees who
have left, though it has yet to
determine how many posi-
tions would remain unfilled,
said Racquel Rancier, the
department’s senior policy
coordinator.
About $600,000 was
spent on litigation within
the first seven months of
the biennium, which was
roughly two-thirds of the
money allocated for two full
years of legal battles, Rancier
said March 15 during a
meeting of the Oregon Water
Resources
Commission,
which oversees the agency.
Litigation costs have aver-
aged about $86,000 a month,
so funds are expected to run
out soon — particularly since
several cases may go to trial,
increasing the expense, she
said.
Capital Press File
Irrigation-related lawsuits filed against the Oregon Water Resources Department
are causing the agency to spend a projected $1.3 million more than originally bud-
geted for the current biennium.
At the current rate,
OWRD is projected to spend
about $2.1 million on litiga-
tion in the current biennium.
The agency has a legis-
latively adopted budget of
$98.6 million for 2017-2019,
down from $107.4 million
for the previous biennium.
Litigation over water has
increased mostly due to more
regulatory calls cutting off
water to junior irrigators in
the Klamath Basin, where
an “adjudication” over the
validity of water rights was
completed in 2013, Rancier
said.
Since the lawsuits are
generally initiated against
OWRD, the agency doesn’t
have control over the costs.
Correction
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.
Jamie McLeod-Skinner and other District 2
candidates will appear at a forum at Blue Mountain
Community College Friday beginning at 6 p.m. An
incorrect starting time was given following a View-
points column in Saturday’s East Oregonian.
The problem is also growing
worse: 25 new cases were
filed against OWRD in 2015-
2017, up from 13 new cases
in 2013-2015 and 5 new
cases in 2011-2013.
OWRD plans to continue
discussing the issue with
lawmakers to convey what
services the agency can’t
perform as a result of delayed
hiring, Rancier said.
The agency plays a key
role in Oregon irrigation
by administering the state’s
water rights system, such as
approving wells, diversions,
leases and transfers.
When the agency issues a
water call, a junior irrigator
can stay enforcement of that
regulation by filing a lawsuit,
said Tom Byler, OWRD’s
director.
OWRD can lift such an
enforcement stay — as it did
last year — but the process
can take several weeks,
during which a senior water
user’s rights are infringed, he
said.
The ability to postpone
water rights enforcement
through liigation has long
been “on the books,” but has
only recently been used this
way, Byler said.
“It’s troubling for us
because it really undermines
the prior appropriations
doctrine,” he said, referring
to the “first in time, first in
right” system of Western
water law.
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