NORTHWEST
East Oregonian
A2
Tuesday, September 28, 2021
Observatory expansion complete in Sunriver
Expansion first phase
in a $5 million upgrade
of the nature center
so far through donations and grants,
enough to complete the first phase
and plan for the future develop-
ments.
“The whole purpose for the
campaign is to broaden our reach
and to serve as a platform for
science education,” Rowland said.
“Having the newly expanded obser-
vatory starts us on the path for that.”
Rowland said the nature center
has outgrown its campus. The
nature center and observatory
were built in 1984 and designed
to accommodate 5,000 to 10,000
visitors each year. But the number
of visitors has increased to about
50,000 annually.
Pr ior to the COV I D -19
pandemic, the observatory would
draw about 400 people on busy
nights.
Rowland expects to see those
numbers return next summer, the
peak season at the observatory.
A recent designation from the
International Dark-Sky Associa-
tion also is expected to bring more
visitors to the observatory, Rowland
said. The association named Sunri-
ver a Dark Sky Friendly Develop-
ment of Distinction, one of about
170 distinctions across the world.
The expanded observatory will
be able to welcome the growing
number of visitors, including those
drawn there because of the Dark
Sky designation, Rowland said.
“We are growing into our repu-
tation,” she said.
The expanded observatory
will host a private grand opening
Tuesday, Sept. 28, for the donors
By KYLE SPURR
The Bulletin
BEND — The Oregon Observa-
tory at the Sunriver Nature Center
already has the most telescopes
available for public viewing in the
United States, but now it has more
space for other attractions.
A major expansion of the
NASA-affiliated observatory was
completed last week, and visitors
have been able to enjoy more room
and shorter waits to use six new
telescope locations.
“Even before we did the expan-
sion, we were the largest public
viewing facility in the country,”
said Bob Grossfeld, observatory
manager. “Now we expanded that
capability and allowed for people
to have more space to move around
and look at telescopes.”
The expansion is the first phase
in a $5 million upgrade of the nature
center.
The second phase is sched-
uled to start in 2023. It will feature
a 7,700-square-foot Discovery
Center that will include a planetar-
ium theater with a full projection
system and seating for up to 94 visi-
tors. The center also will build an
1,800-square-foot pavilion on the
back of Lake Aspen.
Abby Rowland, executive direc-
tor of the nature center, said more
than $2.5 million has been raised
Dean Guernsey/Bend Bulletin
Bob Grossfeld, observatory manager, adjusts a telescope in the new addition at the Sunriver Nature Center &
Observatory on Friday, Sept. 24, 2021.
involved in the project. Most of the
walls in the new space remain bare,
but the observatory staff has several
plans for new exhibits.
Grossfeld said a meteorite
exhibit in the nature center will
move to the expanded observatory,
and future exhibits will feature
Forecast for Pendleton Area
TODAY
WEDNESDAY
Cooler with clouds
and sun
Mostly sunny
63° 40°
67° 41°
67° 42°
68° 41°
| Go to AccuWeather.com
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
Intervals of clouds
and sunshine
SATURDAY
Mostly sunny and
cooler
Sunshine
67° 44°
63° 46°
HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
77° 50°
72° 43°
66° 49°
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
61/53
55/38
64/36
Longview
Kennewick Walla Walla
60/45
Lewiston
60/49
69/47
Astoria
60/48
Pullman
Yakima 66/43
59/46
63/44
Portland
Hermiston
62/50
The Dalles 67/42
Salem
Corvallis
58/42
Yesterday
Normals
Records
La Grande
56/33
PRECIPITATION
John Day
Eugene
Bend
62/44
57/35
55/33
Ontario
66/39
Caldwell
Burns
75°
60°
77°
45°
89° (1952) 30° (1945)
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
60/43
Trace
0.16"
0.30"
2.09"
1.73"
5.61"
WINDS (in mph)
63/37
57/24
Trace
0.30"
0.49"
4.67"
8.82"
9.14"
through 3 p.m. yest.
HIGH
LOW
TEMP.
Pendleton 53/29
62/47
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
63/40
64/45
76°
58°
74°
47°
91° (1967) 27° (1911)
PRECIPITATION
Moses
Lake
60/46
Aberdeen
56/40
61/43
Tacoma
Yesterday
Normals
Records
Spokane
Wenatchee
59/50
Today
Medford
Boardman WSW 10-20
Pendleton WSW 10-20
62/42
SUN AND MOON
Klamath Falls
54/28
Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2021
Wed.
SW 4-8
W 4-8
Sunrise today
Sunset tonight
Moonrise today
Moonset today
6:50 a.m.
6:41 p.m.
10:58 p.m.
2:40 p.m.
Last
New
First
Full
Sep 28
Oct 6
Oct 12
Oct 20
NATIONAL EXTREMES
Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states)
High 99° in Cotulla, Texas Low 21° in Daniel, Wyo.
NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY
PASCO — A Pasco
school bus driver died after
being stabbed Friday, Sept.
24, in front of a busload of
children.
The bus driver was pick-
ing up students after classes
ended for the day at Long-
fellow Elementary School,
when a man got on the bus,
said Pasco police.
It’s not yet clear when or
why the man boarded the bus.
Police were called at
3:09 p.m. for reports of a
stabbing at 301 N. 10th Ave.
After the driver was
assaulted, he apparently lost
control of the bus, drove over
a curb and a sidewalk before
hitting some bushes and a
tree at the school.
Paramedics rushed him
to a Tri-Cities hospital but he
died, said police.
The attacker was waiting
for police to arrive and coop-
erated with authorities as
he was arrested, said Police
Capt. Bill Parramore.
Children in the bus and
others outside the school
were taken back inside after
the attack on the bus. None of
them were hurt, Parramore
said. Parents were called by
the school to come pick them
up.
“We are devastated by the
tragic loss of one of our own,”
Pasco Superintendent Michelle
Whitney said in a statement to
Rumors of fight at high school
football field unfounded
WALLA WALLA — Authorities said a
supposed large fight at Walla Walla High
School’s football field wasn’t much of a fight
at all — in fact, there was no fight.
Walla Walla County Sheriff’s deputy Rich-
ard Schram said the rumor of the large fight
breaking out at Wa-Hi’s scrimmage fields
Thursday, Sept. 23, just was not true.
“There was no fight there,” Schram said.
Schram said communications likely were
picked up from the sheriff’s office’s tactical
channel on local scanner radios.
Local law enforcement agencies were
doing training.
“This was a (staged) scenario and nothing
in real life that had happened,” Schram said.
Schram added the student resource officer,
who is a sheriff’s office employee contracted
through the Walla Walla School District,
was at Wa-Hi all day Sept. 23 and would’ve
noticed such a brawl.
UNION COUNTY — Firefighters with
four departments in Union and Wallowa
counties soon will have extra breath and be
lighter on their feet.
Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day.
-0s
0s
showers t-storms
10s
rain
20s
flurries
30s
snow
40s
ice
50s
60s
cold front
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The Imbler Rural, Elgin Rural, La Grande
Rural and Joseph fire departments have been
awarded a $344,000 federal grant for the
purchase of approximately 50 new air packs
and 100 new air tanks.
The air packs and tanks will replace
models that are becoming outdated. The
tanks are made of lighter material and able
to hold more oxygen, allowing firefighters
to combat blazes for nearly twice as long as
they do now.
Local firefighters with older tanks gener-
ally have 25 minutes of oxygen when fighting
fires. The upgraded tanks will provide fight-
ers with about 45 minutes of oxygen, Patter-
son said.
Patterson led the effort to get the “Assis-
tance to Firefighters” grant from the Federal
Emergency Management Agency.
The Elgin Rural, Imbler Rural, La
Grande Rural and Joseph fire departments
are selecting a company to buy the equip-
ment from. The new packs and tanks will
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employees Friday night.
“Our focus right now is
on supporting our students
and staff who are deeply
impacted by this tragedy,”
she wrote.
The Pasco School District
sent school district coun-
selors to Longfellow and
the transportation office to
support students and staff.
Counselors were available
on weekend and Monday,
Sept. 27. at both locations to
provide support for students
and employees.
The bus was in the turn-
around lot along North Ninth
Avenue about three blocks
north of the Fiesta Foods
grocery. The bus was leak-
ing diesel fuel as a result of
the crash.
IN BRIEF
Federal grant to give four
fire departments a boost
-10s
grade school field trips and univer-
sity research teams, Grossfeld said.
The pandemic canceled most field
trip opportunities this year, but
Grossfeld is looking forward to
working with students in the future.
“We expect that to go back to
normal,” Grossfeld said. “Hopefully
sooner rather than later.”
Pasco school bus driver killed
in attack in front of children
By CAMERON
PROBERT
Tri-City Herald
PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
77° 46°
rockets and antique telescopes.
“There’s a lot more exhibit space
out there than we ever had before,”
Grossfeld said. “We have a bunch
of blank walls to play with to put
hands-on exhibits and some infor-
mational exhibits.”
A motivation for expanding the
observatory was to welcome more
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