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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 24, 2018)
NORTHWEST East Oregonian Page 2A Friday, August 24, 2018 National study finds Oregon big spender on teacher benefits Boards Association drew attention to the study earlier this week, by emailing out a link to an Education Week article on it. OSBA executive direc- tor Jim Green said the study can help explain the effect of rising costs, including the Public Employee Retire- ment System, to voters and lawmakers. “It at least allows us to say ‘part of that funding that you gave us is going to pay for a benefit that isn’t tied to anybody currently work- ing for the school district,’” Green said. “I think it’s a beneficial analysis for that.” But the statewide teachers union, the Oregon Education Association, found the study problematic. OEA president John Lar- son said the study hasn’t been peer-reviewed and represents a viewpoint that doesn’t support public schools. “Corporate interests and wealthy individuals con- tinue to attack educators and other hard-working public servants by providing inac- curate or incomplete infor- mation about their benefits,” Larson said in a statement to OPB. “The Bellwether report is no different.” By ROB MANNING Oregon Public Broadcasting Benefits for current and retired teachers get a bigger share of education spend- ing in Oregon than they do almost anywhere else, according to a new analysis by Bellwether Education, a national think tank. The Bellwether study found Oregon’s spending on health insurance and pen- sions for teachers has risen much more quickly than the national average. In 2005, employee benefits accounted for 19.2 percent of educa- tion spending in Oregon. But by 2014, the costs of bene- fits such as health insurance and teacher pensions were consuming 26.3 percent of spending on schools. In 2014, only Alaska spent a higher percentage than Oregon on teacher ben- efits, at 30.3 percent. States as a whole have seen costs eat up an increas- ing share of school spend- ing — but it’s happening at a faster pace in Oregon than in other states, the study found. In 2005, the national aver- age for benefit spending was 16.2 percent, rising to 19.5 percent in 2014. The Oregon School Larson instead pointed to research from AARP show- ing a wage gap between teachers and professional jobs in the private sector. “We should be focused on funding our schools prop- erly, not on trying to contin- ually chip away at the salary and benefits of educators, many of whom are barely paying the bills as it is,” Lar- son said. Authors of the Bellwether study acknowledge that part of the math that makes Ore- gon spending on teacher benefits appear so high is related to Oregon’s relative low spending on teacher pay and other instructional costs. The study used infla- tion-adjusted federal num- bers from the National Cen- ter for Education Statistics to show that many Oregon school districts saw declines in funding as spending on teacher benefits went up. But at least one large Ore- gon district questioned the figures, saying they didn’t match budget numbers at the district. The Bellwether spreadsheet calculated Bea- verton had a 33.6 percent drop in “total K-12 spend- ing” from 2005 to 2014. But Beaverton officials had dif- ferent figures. Forecast for Pendleton Area TODAY SATURDAY SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY Hazy, breezy and cooler Hazy sunshine Hazy sun Hazy sun Sunny and beautiful 76° 48° 76° 54° PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 75° 53° 79° 53° 87° 62° HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST 79° 55° 80° 51° 80° 55° 84° 53° OREGON FORECAST 90° 59° ALMANAC Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows. PENDLETON through 3 p.m. yest. HIGH LOW TEMP. Seattle Olympia 64/55 72/45 79/46 Longview Kennewick Walla Walla 78/55 Lewiston 68/53 81/54 Astoria 66/54 Pullman Yakima 79/49 69/49 79/51 Portland Hermiston 72/55 The Dalles 80/51 Salem Corvallis 72/46 La Grande Yesterday Normals Records 75/43 PRECIPITATION John Day Eugene Bend 75/46 73/40 76/46 Ontario 85/51 Caldwell Burns 88° 64° 86° 56° 103° (1956) 41° (1938) 24 hours ending 3 p.m. Month to date Normal month to date Year to date Last year to date Normal year to date Albany 75/48 0.00" 0.03" 0.15" 5.13" 6.65" 6.07" WINDS (in mph) 84/51 77/33 0.00" Trace 0.31" 6.49" 11.37" 8.26" through 3 p.m. yest. HIGH LOW TEMP. Pendleton 73/40 73/49 24 hours ending 3 p.m. Month to date Normal month to date Year to date Last year to date Normal year to date HERMISTON Enterprise 76/48 75/53 88° 62° 86° 56° 109° (1894) 34° (1910) Josephine County seeks state help to curb illegal marijuana operations GRANTS PASS (AP) — A county sheriff in southwest Oregon is asking for money from the state to investigate illegal marijuana operations, saying his depart- ment lacks the resources to do so. Josephine County Sheriff Dave Dan- iel says he needs $648,000 to help fund a team of detectives, The Daily Courier newspaper of Grants Pass reports. The county would pitch in $350,000 to help form the team, the newspaper reported. A bill passed by the Legislature this year assists cities and counties with costs incurred by law enforcement agencies in addressing unlawful marijuana cultiva- tion or distribution operations. Recreational and medical marijuana production and sales are legal in Oregon, subject to licensing and regulation. Over- production of legal marijuana has caused prices to plummet, creating a greater incentive for illegal marijuana operations to proliferate, and for smuggling of prod- uct to other states for bigger profits. “Josephine County has been unable to investigate or prosecute illegal marijuana operations due to lack of resources,” the sheriff told the state’s Criminal Justice Commission in a 12-page grant applica- tion submitted last week. PRECIPITATION Moses Lake 69/50 Aberdeen 73/50 77/54 Tacoma Yesterday Normals Records Spokane Wenatchee 70/55 AP photo In this May 24, 2018, file photo, a marijuana plant is shown in Springfield, Ore. A sheriff in southwest Oregon is asking for money from the state to investigate illegal marijuana operations, saying his department lacks the resources to do so. Today Sat. Boardman WSW 8-16 Pendleton WSW 10-20 Medford 79/50 WSW 6-12 W 6-12 SUN AND MOON Klamath Falls 77/40 Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2018 Sunrise today Sunset tonight Moonrise today Moonset today 6:06 a.m. 7:48 p.m. 7:11 p.m. 4:10 a.m. Full Last New First Aug 26 Sep 2 Sep 9 Sep 16 NATIONAL EXTREMES Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states) High 108° in Needles, Calif. Low 27° in Bodie State Park, Calif. NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY BRIEFLY Ex-youth pastor sentenced to 15 years on sex abuse charge race from Mount Hood to Seaside on Fri- day and Saturday. MEDFORD (AP) — A former Medford youth pastor who was punched in the face midway through a court hearing has been sentenced to more than 15 years in prison on a sex abuse charge. The Mail Tribune reports U.S. District Court Judge Anne Aiken ruled Thursday that Donald Courtney Biggs be considered a “repeat and dangerous sex offender” for secretly recording dozens of young women and juvenile girls undressing in bathrooms at multiple church events between at least March 2013 through September of 2014. Biggs was punched Wednesday at U.S. District Court in Medford after admitting earlier this year to taking a 14-year-old girl on a church trip to Southern Califor- nia with the intent to film her exiting the shower. The assailant, who was not iden- tified, was arrested on multiple charges, including fourth-degree assault and disor- derly conduct. Biggs pleaded guilty in February to one felony count of transporting with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. As part of a plea deal, nine other transportation and child pornography charges were dropped. Mandatory evacuations over Eastern Washington wildfire Hood to Coast watching air quality as race nears Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day. -10s -0s 0s showers t-storms 10s rain 20s flurries 30s snow 40s ice 50s cold front — Founded Oct. 16, 1875 — 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 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 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. Copyright © 2018, EO Media Group 60s 70s 80s 90s 100s warm front stationary front high 110s low SEASIDE (AP) — Organizers of the annual Hood to Coast relay race are anx- iously watching the air quality as the week- end race approaches. Dan Floyd, the race’s chief operating officers, told The Daily Astorian on Thurs- day that this is the first time he’s ever had to consider smoky conditions during the relay race. He says conditions appear to be eas- ing and the air should be much clearer by the weekend, but organizers are reminding runners they participate at their own risk. Wildfires around the region have made Pacific Northwest skies unusually smoky. More than 19,000 people will join the Subscriber services: For mail delivery, online access, vacation stops or delivery concerns call 1-800-522-0255 ext. 1 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 Single copy price: $1 Tuesday through Friday, $1.50 Saturday Circulation: 541-966-0828 Daniel says illegal marijuana opera- tions can hide as legal ones, and can go undetected without a task force dedicated to finding them. Last month, authorities seized 82 mar- ijuana plants, $85,000 in cash and sev- eral guns from an unlicensed grow site near the town of Merlin, the newspaper reported. Daniel said his department has han- dled hundreds of marijuana-related calls in the past two years, including 423 last year and 223 calls so far this year. County officials have identified nearly 300 marijuana grow properties with code violations, including illegal camping, sewage dumping, erosion problems, elec- trical issues and unpermitted structures, Daniel said. The federal Drug Enforcement Admin- istration has agreed to assign an agent to work with the proposed team, Daniel said. U.S. Attorney Billy Williams, who oversees federal prosecutions in Oregon, said earlier this year that the state has “significant overproduction” and that he would prioritize enforcement of overpro- duction, interstate trafficking, organized crime and cases involving underage mar- ijuana use and environmental damage by illicit pot farms. ADVERTISING Regional Publisher and Revenue Director: Christopher Rush 541-278-2669 • crush@eomediagroup.com 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 TWISP, Wash. (AP) — Mandatory evacuations have been ordered for a lightly populated area of eastern Washington state as a wildfire continued to spread. The Okanogan County Emergency Management agency on Thursday said those living near the fire on Crescent Mountain should immediately evacuate toward the town of Twisp. The agency said the evacuation order covered about 180 seasonal and full-time homes. The fire was started July 29 by lightning and has grown to about 58 square miles. It was burning Thursday about nine miles west of Twisp in the Okano- gan-Wenatchee National Forest. There are 342 firefighters on the blaze, which is 34 percent contained. Yakima settles with utility over fire started by police YAKIMA, Wash. (AP) — A city in east- ern Washington state has agreed to a settle- ment with a power company after a large fire started last year during a gun-shooting training exercise for local police officers. The Yakima Herald-Republic reports the Yakima City Council on Tuesday approved a nearly $120,000 settlement with Pacific Power Corp. The city, which is not admitting fault, will pay half, and its insurance will cover the other half. The fire burned nearly 5 square miles between June 27 and June 30. An investigation by the state Depart- ment of Natural Resources concluded that two officers who were target shooting caused the fire. One of the bullets from a live fire exer- cise severed a power line owned by Pacific Power Corp., causing it to fall to the ground and start the fire. 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 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 Business Office Manager: Janna Heimgartner 541-966-0822 • jheimgartner@eastoregonian.com COMMERCIAL PRINTING Production Manager: Mike Jensen 541-215-0824 • mjensen@eastoregonian.com