NORTHWEST
East Oregonian
A2
Friday, February 14, 2020
Atkinson makes campaign stop in La Grande
Former state
legislator running
for Rep. Greg
Walden’s District 2
congressional seat
By DICK MASON
EO Media Group
LA GRANDE — For-
mer state legislator Jason
Atkinson of Central Point
has never voted for a tax
increase and he has no
plans to start if voters send
him to Congress later this
year.
The 2nd Congressio-
nal District candidate said
he has been committed to
holding the line on taxes
throughout his 14-year stint
in the Oregon Legislature.
“I am the only candi-
date in this race (who has
served in elective offi ce)
who has never voted for a
tax or fee increase,” Atkin-
son said Wednesday morn-
ing during a campaign stop
at Cook Memorial Library,
La Grande.
Atkinson was on a swing
through Eastern Oregon,
which included stops in
Hermiston and Pendleton.
He is one of eight Repub-
licans seeking the nomi-
nation in the May 19 pri-
mary. Five Democrats are
vying to earn the crown
EO Media Group Photo/Dick Mason
Jason Atkinson, right, one of the Republicans seeking to represent Oregon’s 2nd Congressio-
nal District, talks Wednesday morning with Matt Goodwin of La Grande during a campaign
stop at Cook Memorial Library in La Grande.
from their party. He said
as a congressman he would
maintain his strong posi-
tion against tax increases.
“I would continue to
be like this as a congress-
man,” he said. “Congress
needs more quality peo-
ple. It does not need more
money.”
Based on the most recent
Federal Election Commis-
sion campaign fi nance data,
Atkinson has raised about
$96,000. Fellow Repub-
licans Jimmy Crump-
acker of Bend has raised
almost $594,000 includ-
ing $200,000 he loaned
his campaign, while Knute
Buehler, also of Bend, has
amassed nearly $386,000,
Forecast for Pendleton Area
TODAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
Breezy in the a.m.;
partly sunny
Times of rain
Mostly cloudy with
a few showers
Some sun, then
turning cloudy
An a.m. shower;
clouds and sun
49° 37°
47° 38°
53° 39°
50° 40°
PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
47° 33°
46° 26°
46° 30°
HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
51° 35°
51° 27°
51° 31°
OREGON FORECAST
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
47/42
41/31
53/29
Longview
Kennewick Walla Walla
48/37
Lewiston
48/41
54/39
Astoria
48/41
Pullman
Yakima 51/34
48/39
48/34
Portland
Hermiston
50/40
The Dalles 53/39
Salem
Corvallis
50/37
Yesterday
Normals
Records
La Grande
40/31
PRECIPITATION
John Day
Eugene
Bend
50/37
43/29
41/30
Ontario
50/30
Caldwell
Burns
56°
23°
47°
29°
69° (1977) -22° (1933)
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
49/38
0.00"
0.07"
0.46"
0.31"
2.69"
1.74"
WINDS (in mph)
48/29
41/24
0.00"
1.43"
0.56"
3.45"
3.53"
1.94"
through 3 p.m. yest.
HIGH
LOW
TEMP.
Pendleton 38/27
49/38
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
49/37
51/37
54°
30°
46°
29°
69° (1921) -21° (1933)
PRECIPITATION
Moses
Lake
49/39
Aberdeen
43/30
46/31
Tacoma
Yesterday
Normals
Records
Spokane
Wenatchee
50/42
Today
Boardman
Pendleton
Medford
50/34
Sat.
WSW 8-16
WSW 8-16
none of it in a loan.
Atkinson
noted
he
attempted to get Oregon’s
death tax and capital gains
taxes repealed or reduced
while serving in the Legis-
lature. Atkinson, who was
in the state House from
1999-2001 and the state
Senate from 2001-13, said
he faced enormous pressure
to vote for gas tax increases
but always resisted. He was
ready for the fi restorms
that followed.
“You are only as pop-
ular as the day before you
announce (your candi-
dacy),” Atkinson said.
The congressional can-
didate said he is a fi s-
cal conservative and not
opposing tax increases
would be inconsistent with
this philosophy. Atkin-
son said he also has strong
conservative stances on
abortion and the Second
Amendment.
“I am 100 percent pro
life and have an A+ rating
from the NRA (National
Rifl e Association). These
are easy topics for me, my
mind is made up,” he said.
He is seeking to suc-
ceed Rep. Greg Walden,
the Republican from Hood
River who is not running
for re-election after serving
for two decades. Atkinson
credits Walden with having
an exemplary constituent
service record and said he
will try to emulate it.
“Eighty percent of the
job is constituent service,”
Atkinson said.
He said it is critical to
reach out to constituents
because those who contact
their Congressman often
do so as a last resort.
“If someone calls with
a problem, it is because
their lawyer and their pas-
tor could not fi x it,” Atkin-
son said.
The candidate said he
would pull out all the stops
to help constituents.
“I would manipulate
things at the federal level
to get stuff done,” Atkin-
son said.
While Atkinson lives in
Central Point, he said he
has strong ties to North-
east Oregon because he
has spent much time here
fl y-fi shing on the Grande
Ronde River and hunting.
“I’ve spent more time
on the Grande Ronde than
I should have,” Atkinson
said with a smile.
Atkinson, who has a
number of friends in Union
and Wallowa counties, said
he has long been interested
in Eastern Oregon Uni-
versity, La Grande, partly
because its administration
building is almost identical
to the one at Southern Ore-
gon University in Ashland,
which he lives near.
The candidate said it
would mean very much
for him to carry Union and
Wallowa counties in the
upcoming election because
of his ties to the region.
“It will be a point of
pride for me. I will be
here (campaigning) a lot,”
Atkinson said.
Bridge work among projects for
Union and Wallowa counties
By DICK MASON
EO Media Group
LA GRANDE — A Wal-
lowa County bridge built
the same year the fi rst tele-
vision drama was broad-
cast is due for replace-
ment because of declining
ratings.
The Oregon Department
of Transportation plans to
remove Bear Creek Bridge,
less than a quarter mile west
of Wallowa on Highway 82,
after building a new $15.2
million bridge in its place,
according to Ken Patterson,
ODOT’s manager for East-
ern Oregon.
The state transportation
agency calls for the con-
struction of the new bridge
in the 2021-24 Statewide
Transportation
Improve-
ment Program. The Oregon
Transportation Commis-
sion in late January released
a draft of the plan, which
mandates ODOT’s capital
improvement program.
The bridge was built in
1930, the same year as the
broadcast of the world’s
fi rst television drama. The
condition of the Bear Creek
span is declining, accord-
ing to the transportation
department’s rating system.
The new bridge will use
improved technology and
materials, so it will have
fewer support columns in
the stream below, Patterson
said, making it easier for
maintenance crews to keep
debris from building up
underneath. The new bridge
also will be wider and will
be built next to the old one,
allowing traffi c to cross
during construction. The
project would start in 2021.
ODOT’s program also
calls for work to improve
the safety of the steep Mor-
gan Lake Road just south-
west of La Grande. The
work would widen portions
of the unpaved roadway and
install additional guard-
rails, Patterson said.
The department will
determine where to make
the improvements using
crash data. The project
would cost about $1.28 mil-
lion and begin in 2023.
Replacing the decking of
the two bridges at the North
Powder interchange also is
on the list of proposed proj-
ects. The last replacement
of the decking was about 20
years ago.
“They are pitted and rut-
ted,” Patterson said.
Another project in Union
County would install bet-
ter piping in culverts along
Interstate 84 from Hil-
gard Junction State Park to
Ontario. The enhanced pip-
ing would help keep water
from running over the top
of the freeway, Patterson
said.
SW 7-14
SW 7-14
SUN AND MOON
Klamath Falls
48/24
Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2020
Sunrise today
Sunset tonight
Moonrise today
Moonset today
7:00 a.m.
5:20 p.m.
none
10:10 a.m.
Last
New
First
Full
Feb 15
Feb 23
Mar 2
Mar 9
NATIONAL EXTREMES
Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states)
High 90° in Titusville, Fla. Low -39° in Kabetogama, Minn.
NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY
BRIEFLY
OSHA fi nes companies after
2 killed at Oregon festival
HAPPY VALLEY — The Oregon
Occupational Safety and Health Adminis-
tration has fi ned two companies for safety
violations that led to the deaths of two
workers at a Portland area music festival.
OSHA issued $31,000 in fi nes to Pick-
athon LLC and GuildWorks LLC after two
workers died at the Pickathon Music Fes-
tival in August in a lift accident, The Ore-
gonian/OregonLive reported.
Brandon Blackmore and Brad Swet
were up in a boom lift taking down an
installation when the lift, which was on an
incline, tilted and fell, killing them. The
Clackamas County Sheriff’s Offi ce said
that they were wearing safety equipment
and were roped to the boom lift.
OSHA said two alarm devices on the
boom lift had been disabled. Each com-
pany was fi ned $12,500 for disabling the
alarms.
OSHA also fi ned GuildWorks $6,000
for not following instructions provided by
the boom lift manufacturer.
— Associated Press
CORRECTIONS: In the Page A1 story “Pitching in,” published Thursday, Feb. 13,
the photo caption misspelled the name of Jacob Barthel.
In the Page A6 story “Climate coalition highlights Pendleton’s sustainable services,”
published Thursday, Feb. 13, the story misstated the date of the meeting. The meeting
is Tuesday, Feb. 18
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.
Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day.
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showers t-storms
10s
rain
20s
flurries
30s
snow
40s
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ice
60s
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