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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (April 24, 2018)
NORTHWEST East Oregonian Page 2A Tuesday, April 24, 2018 After 15 years, ranchers and government defeat Malheur Forest anti-grazing lawsuit the capacity for 4,000 of the protected fish. Last year, however, U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul Papak dealt the case a blow when he found that grazing autho- rizations hadn’t likely caused the decline in bull trout popu- lations, which have suffered from the introduction of non-native fish, dam-building and other factors. Mosman has now agreed with the recommendation to throw out the lawsuit because the plaintiffs haven’t established the U.S. Forest Service violated the National Forest Management Act and Wild and Scenic Rivers Act by approving grazing plans. Jeff Hussey, a rancher affected by the lawsuit, said he’s excited the judge took the time to look at the science and “sort through the mumbo-jumbo.” The ruling recognizes that ranchers in the area want to graze livestock in an ecolog- ically and economically sustainable way, he said. “We’re not trying to take Judge dismisses environmental complaint filed 15 years ago By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI EO Media Group Ranchers and the federal government have defeated a 15-year-old environmentalist lawsuit that claimed grazing imperils threatened bull trout in Oregon’s Malheur National Forest. U.S. District Judge Michael Mosman has dismissed the complaint, which was originally filed by the Oregon Natural Desert Association and the Center for Biological Diversity in early 2003. The environmental plaintiffs sought to prohibit livestock grazing on “units of concern” in seven allot- ments along the Malheur and North Fork rivers, arguing the waterways contain only 100 bull trout despite having U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service A judge has dismissed a 15-year-old lawsuit over bull trout brought by environmentalists. conservation plans for fish, she said. While the ruling is a victory, two ranches preferred to sell their grazing permits rather than continue with the lengthy litigation, Hussey said. “That’s how hard it’s been on some of these guys. They just gave up,” he said. Mac Lacy, attorney for ONDA, said the group is still reviewing the decision but is advantage of the system,” Hussey said. “We just want to run our cows and run them right.” Elizabeth Howard, attorney for affected ranchers, said the ruling validates the Forest Service’s methods for implementing grazing and monitoring its effects. It also shows that plaintiffs overestimated the amount of paperwork that’s necessary for the agency to comply with disappointed the “court failed to explain why it was reason- able for the Forest Service to collect, but then ignore” data regarding “riparian management objectives” under the agency’s strategy for preserving inland fish. Ranchers who rely on the grazing allotments, which span tens of thousands of acres, intervened in the case to defend the government’s grazing authorizations. A major point of conten- tion in the case was whether the Forest Service was properly monitoring stream conditions to ensure grazing doesn’t degrade the bull trout’s habitat. Lacy had argued the agency was relying on “proxy” data — such as grass stubble height and alteration to stream banks — that didn’t reflect worsening conditions in the waterways. “These failures, to the extent they’re showing up in the record, are getting worse over time,” Lacy said during oral arguments last year. Egg nests laid by bull trout are trampled by cattle, which also raise water temperatures to unhealthful levels by widening streams and denuding vegetation, the plaintiffs claimed. Stephen Odell, attorney for the Forest Service, countered that the environmental plain- tiffs were “cherry-picking” data from problematic “hot spots” that don’t represent broader conditions. Forest Service scientists have determined streambank alteration and stubble height are useful measures of prog- ress that show conditions are improving, he said. “The record does not show ongoing negative effects from grazing,” Odell said during last year’s oral arguments. Over the objections of the environmental groups, both judges overseeing the case agreed the Forest Service was permitted to analyze habitat health on the “watershed or landscape scale, rather than stream by stream.” State knew of abuse case against family before crash Google touts $1.8B data center investment PORTLAND (AP) — Oregon child welfare officials knew the family in an SUV that plunged off a California cliff had faced a child abuse investigation in another state when it looked into allegations in 2013, according to documents released Monday. Oregon Child Protective Services obtained records from Minnesota prior to investigating Jennifer and Sarah Hart in July 2013, KOIN-TV in Portland reported Monday. But the agency closed the case with investigators concluding that they were “unable to determine” whether there was abuse in the home, despite some indications of abuse or neglect. Records obtained by the TV station show the agency found “some indications of child abuse or neglect” but insufficient information to conclude that it occurred. California authorities have determined that Jennifer Hart was drunk when she drove her large family off a Northern California PORTLAND (AP) — Google has issued a report highlighting the economic contributions of its six U.S. data centers, including its original facility in The Dalles. The Silicon Valley company said Monday it has invested $10.5 billion building data centers across the country since 2006, when it opened its Oregon location along the Columbia River. The company was the first of several large data hosting companies to capitalize on Oregon’s relatively low power costs and uniquely advantageous tax structure. Google opened its third data center in The Dalles in February and now employs 200 there, according to the report. It has invested $1.8 billion altogether, mostly to buy thousands of pricey servers to host Gmail, photos, movies and untold terabytes of corpo- rate data. Oregon’s big draw for data centers is the absence of a state sales tax, which cliff last month and they suspect the crash was intentional. They are still trying to determine a motive. Toxicology results showed Jennifer Hart’s wife and several children had large amounts of a drug in their systems that can cause drowsiness. The crash happened just days after authorities in Washington state — where the family moved last year from Oregon — opened an investigation following alle- gations the children were being neglected. A neighbor of the Harts in Woodland, Washington, had filed a complaint with the state, saying the children were apparently being deprived of food as punishment. No one answered when social workers checking on the report knocked on the family’s door March 23, days before their SUV was found off a cliff in Mendocino County north of San Francisco. Long before the crash, Sarah Hart pleaded guilty in 2011 to a domestic assault charge in Minnesota over what she said was a spanking given to one of her children. Alexandra Argyropoulos previously told The Associated Press that she contacted Oregon child welfare officials in 2013. The former Hart family friend said she “witnessed what I felt to be controlling emotional abuse and cruel punishment” toward the six children. Oregon child-welfare officials previously declined to disclose any information about the family, citing privacy laws. But records obtained by the TV station show state child-welfare investigators first tried to contact the family on July 19, 2013. They didn’t observe anyone at home and left a card asking the family to contact a caseworker. Three days later, Sarah Hart called the caseworker, saying the family was soon going out of town. She denied that the children were undernourished, KOIN-TV reported. 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 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 To subscribe, call 1-800-522-0255 or go online to www.eastoregonian.com and click on ‘Subscribe’ Single copy price: $1 Tuesday through Friday, $1.50 Saturday East Oregonian (USPS 164-980) is published daily except Sunday, Monday and postal holidays, 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. Sunny and pleasantly warm 76° 45° 79° 45° THURSDAY Very warm with sunshine FRIDAY Variable cloudiness 79° 50° 77° 49° Not as warm; a morning shower 66° 42° HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 83° 46° PENDLETON through 3 p.m. yesterday TEMPERATURE HIGH LOW 63° 64° 89° (1910) 32° 40° 26° (2013) 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" 1.37" 0.90" 5.08" 7.55" 4.86" HERMISTON through 3 p.m. yesterday TEMPERATURE HIGH Yesterday Normals Records LOW 67° 67° 86° (2012) 30° 41° 24° (2013) 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" 1.55" 0.64" 3.93" 5.47" 3.75" SUN AND MOON Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today Full Last Apr 29 May 7 New May 15 83° 52° 71° 45° Seattle 75/50 ALMANAC Yesterday Normals Records 84° 51° 5:54 a.m. 7:53 p.m. 2:02 p.m. 3:34 a.m. First May 21 Today SATURDAY PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 80° 41° Business Office Manager: Janna Heimgartner 541-966-0822 • jheimgartner@eastoregonian.com COMMERCIAL PRINTING Production Manager: Mike Jensen 541-215-0824 • mjensen@eastoregonian.com REGIONAL CITIES Forecast Mostly sunny and warmer NEWS • To submit news tips and press releases: call 541-966-0818 or 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 sports or outdoors information or tips: 541-966-0838 • sports@eastoregonian.com Circulation Manager: Marcy Rosenberg • 541-966-0828 • mrosenberg@eastoregonian.com Copyright © 2018, EO Media Group WEDNESDAY Classified & Legal Advertising 1-800-962-2819 or 541-278-2678 classifieds@eastoregonian.com or legals@eastoregonian.com ADVERTISING Advertising Services: Grace Bubar 541-276-2214 • gbubar@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 SUBSCRIPTION RATES www.eastoregonian.com TODAY Corrections 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. Subscriber services: For mail delivery, online access, vacation stops or delivery concerns call 1-800-522-0255 ext. 1 — Founded Oct. 16, 1875 — Spokane Wenatchee 70/45 72/48 Tacoma Moses 75/45 Lake Pullman Aberdeen Olympia Yakima 76/44 68/44 76/49 75/45 77/45 Longview Kennewick Walla Walla 80/48 77/53 Lewiston 78/43 Astoria 77/48 75/48 Portland Enterprise Hermiston 81/54 Pendleton 70/38 The Dalles 80/41 76/45 80/50 La Grande Salem 71/41 81/51 Albany Corvallis 80/46 78/48 John Day 72/43 Ontario Eugene Bend 73/43 77/48 74/42 Caldwell Burns 73/43 71/39 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 75 70 74 63 71 70 77 74 80 72 75 71 69 84 72 69 73 78 76 81 77 81 70 70 79 77 77 Lo 48 37 42 48 39 38 48 46 41 43 42 41 40 52 47 48 43 44 45 54 39 51 45 37 51 53 45 W pc s pc pc s s pc s s s s s s pc pc pc s s s pc pc pc s s pc s s NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY Wed. Hi 73 77 80 63 78 73 79 77 83 79 80 76 74 88 65 67 79 83 79 84 83 82 72 75 81 79 82 Lo 51 41 45 48 45 41 49 43 46 46 43 42 40 54 49 49 46 46 45 59 45 53 47 38 56 51 49 W s s pc s s s pc s s s s s s s pc pc s s s s s pc s s s s s WORLD CITIES Today Beijing Hong Kong Jerusalem London Mexico City Moscow Paris Rome Seoul Sydney Tokyo Hi 75 80 77 58 75 54 69 73 63 76 70 Lo 49 72 57 46 57 42 52 55 42 61 65 W pc t s r pc pc pc pc s s c Wed. Hi 78 79 67 58 77 55 63 74 71 76 73 Lo 53 73 53 44 56 43 43 54 45 63 62 W s pc t t pc r pc pc s pc r WINDS Medford 84/52 Klamath Falls 75/42 (in mph) Today Wednesday Boardman Pendleton NE 6-12 E 4-8 NE 4-8 N 6-12 UV INDEX TODAY Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows. REGIONAL FORECAST Coastal Oregon: Partial sunshine today. Partly cloudy tonight. Eastern Washington: Mostly sunny today. Mostly clear tonight. Sunny tomorrow. Eastern and Central Oregon: Mostly sunny and pleasant today. Mainly clear tonight. Mostly sunny tomorrow. Western Washington: Partly sunny today. Partly cloudy tonight. Mostly sunny tomorrow. Cascades: Partly sunny today; pleasant. Mainly clear tonight. Partly sunny tomorrow. Northern California: Partly sunny today. Partly cloudy tonight. Sunshine and patchy clouds tomorrow. 2 4 6 saves companies hundreds of millions of dollars on those servers, and a property tax exemption under Oregon’s enterprise zone program that’s worth even more. Apple, Facebook and Amazon all enjoy similar benefits in other parts of central and Eastern Oregon. Wasco County estimates Google’s property tax breaks were worth just shy of $140 million to Google since 2006. While Google’s 200 local jobs don’t amount to much on a statewide level, Oregon data centers do have a signifi- cant impact in the small communities where they operate. Wasco County has about 10,640 jobs altogether, according to the Oregon Employment Depart- ment. And data centers’ considerable electricity use — they often consume as much energy as entire small towns — generate local franchise fees that boost public budgets. 6 4 2 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 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 rainstorm will continue to advance northward in the Eastern states today. A batch of rain and wet snow will affect parts of the central and northern Plains. Warmth will build over much of the West. Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states) High 101° in Needles, Calif. Low 16° 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 82 69 57 59 53 70 72 63 78 66 59 55 82 45 57 91 51 57 81 85 59 81 73 92 75 77 Lo 47 55 51 52 34 55 47 48 60 50 39 42 58 26 45 57 31 33 70 60 47 60 50 70 53 54 W pc c r r s pc s pc c r c r s c c pc pc pc sh s r pc c s pc pc Wed. Hi 71 70 59 65 68 72 77 55 79 61 52 49 69 64 52 78 51 65 81 82 59 81 58 94 68 74 Lo 50 54 51 45 39 54 48 49 58 39 36 36 47 37 36 55 28 44 72 56 38 60 42 69 51 54 W s pc r r pc pc s r pc sh pc c r s sh pc pc pc sh pc c pc c s r 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 63 70 86 55 58 64 79 60 75 71 61 97 63 64 68 45 77 85 67 67 68 68 75 94 59 71 Lo 54 53 70 38 36 54 62 52 48 45 52 70 45 48 54 26 51 50 49 45 56 50 50 63 55 45 W r pc pc r c sh s pc s c r pc s pc r sn s s c s pc pc pc pc r s Wed. Hi 67 70 87 49 60 67 80 58 57 60 67 98 51 57 75 70 83 83 62 74 69 67 74 94 66 56 Lo 44 53 66 34 42 51 63 50 42 43 46 70 46 49 49 40 54 48 44 51 56 51 51 64 48 41 Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain, sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice. W c sh pc pc s c s r r pc r pc r r c pc s s c pc pc pc s pc r pc
