OFF PAGE ONE Saturday, January 29, 2022 East Oregonian A9 ODOT: closures put up, I told my crew that we were going to get off of that section of road.” Continued from Page A1 Follow road closures to stay safe tor for ODOT in Pendleton, was responding to a stuck snowplow in the area when she came across Miller and gave him a ride home to Milton-Freewater. “I was real surprised when she said, ‘Oh, you know it’s closed,’” he said. The next morning, snow had buried Miller’s car to its roofl ine. “It was buried for four days and we couldn’t fi nd it,” Miller said. Conditions among worst in 28 years While Miller returned a week later to dig out his belongings from the car, it was not until Wednesday, Jan. 26, that he was able to free his vehicle. Miller said he spent several days digging and received some help from passing motorists as he tried to free the car in the weeks since. “I hate even thinking about what we would’ve found the following day had she not gotten to that car,” said Robert Cash, ODOT transportation maintenance manager in Pendleton. Berheim, said road condi- tions the night of Jan. 2-3, were among the worst she had seen in her 28 years with the department. High winds and heavy snowfall resulted in snow drifts several feet high and obscured visibility. “It was almost the whole length of Highway 11,” she Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian, File A road closed sign on Jan. 3, 2022, blocks access to Spring Hollow Road at its intersection with Highway 11 in Adams. said. “I’ve seen it probably that bad around the Athena area, but I’ve never seen it go from one end to the other.” According to Tom Strand- berg, ODOT Region 5 public information officer, the department reported more than 20 abandoned or stuck vehicles and tow trucks were brought in the following day to help clear the road so snow removal could resume. “We were worried sick about what we would fi nd the following day with all of those vehicles that weren’t follow- ing the road closure,” Cash said. Cash said the high wind speeds meant plow operators were forced to plow into the wind, putting them against the road’s direction of travel. He added this practice is usually not a problem when tion with the paltry experi- ence required to become a licensed paralegal. “Looking at the admis- sions framework recom- mendations, a paralegal would only need 500 hours of experience working in the family law arena to become a licensed parapro- fessional in family law,” Jo Posey, a family law special- ist in Portland with Posey Law Inc., said in a public hearing regarding the para- legal program. “That is the equivalent of just over three months of full-time work at a family law fi rm, and it is simply not enough time for a paralegal to gain the knowl- edge and skill required to evaluate the scope of poten- tial family law represen- tation, let alone to provide eff ective legal advice.” Shortages of attorneys long have plagued rural areas. Harris said that is a gap paralegals also can help cover. “I think especially in rural areas,” he said, “this is going to be a real benefi t.” the roads are closed, but the number of people ignoring the closure meant plows would have to stop and back up to allow for oncoming traffi c. “Generally speaking in the evenings and wee hours of the night we don’t have a lot of traffi c and most of the traf- fi c we do have is locals who understand the closures — that night it just seemed like we had a nonstop parade of vehicles,” Cash said. The road closure, which began at roughly 4:45 p.m. and lasted 24 hours, came about as high winds and heavy snowfall made it too dangerous for ODOT employ- ees to maintain the road to safe conditions, according to the department. “We closed the highway and started putting signs out,” Cash said. “Once we got the Cash urged people to obey road closure signs where posted and check tripcheck. com frequently when inclem- ent weather arrives. While ODOT was strug- gling with staffing short- ages heading into the winter months, Cash said more people would not necessarily have helped reopen the high- way any quicker, but rather equipment limitations were a more prominent concern. “Our resources are so thin,” he said. “We have 450 lane miles to take care of with fi ve snowplows.” In addition to plow concerns, Cash said the depth of some of the snow- drifts necessitated bringing in snowblowers from Elgin, Meacham and Bend to help clear the highway completely. “Just being able to get enough equipment in to open up the highway as quick as possible was a challenge,” he said. “That all took time.” ODOT encouraged driv- ers to be cognizant of road conditions and be prepared for inclement weather when trav- eling in the winter months. Berheim advised drivers thinking of going past road closures to think about the consequences of their actions on their safety and the safety of those working. “They’re putting them- selves at risk,” she said. “And anyone who has to go retrieve them.” Paralegals: Continued from Page A1 same survey found 84.2% of people who needed a lawyer were unable to obtain one. Similarly, Oregon Judi- cial Department case count data shows between 2016 and 2021, more than 83% of all parties in landlord/ tenant cases had no attor- ney. In dissolution cases 71% were unrepresented. In other domestic relations cases 55% were unrepresented. “The biggest benefi t will be in the area of family law because that’s where the greatest demand is,” Harris said. “Right now, we have so many people coming to the courthouse who are just doing their very best to try and fi ll out these forms correctly, and it just puts a huge burden on the court- house staff to reject a form and tell them to go back and do it right.” The Bar has received responses to the proposal through its public comment portal, and the general consensus aligns with the PSU survey data, showing a number of residents support the proposition and cite the high-cost barrier of entry to legal matters as a principal cause. Those who identifi ed as lawyers, however, were a mixed bag. Although nearly all of the respondents acknowledged the dearth of services for low income residents seek- ing legal aid, some expressed concern that licensed para- legals acting as a lawyer would be akin to a nurse practitioner performing surgery. Others took excep- CONCEALED CARRY PERMIT CLASS SATURDAY FEBRUARY 19 TH Hermiston Ranch & Home 9AM CLASS Multi-State $ 80 Oregon Included No Fee Oregon Only $ 45 MULTI-STATE Valid 35-States, including Washington The most valuable and respected source of local news, advertising and information for our communities. eomediagroup.com Shaun Shaun Curtain Curtain 360-921-2071 360-921-2071 or or email: email: ShaunCurtain@gmail.com ShaunCurtain@gmail.com | www.ShaunCurtain.com.com | www.ShaunCurtain.com.com Within 30 miles Elkhorn Barn Co. Custom Barns and Storage Tobias Unruh, owner 600 David Eccles Rd • Baker City, Oregon Sales 541-519 -2968 • Elkhornbarns@gmail.com • 509-331-4558