STATE & NATION
THURSDAY, MAY 13, 2021
BAKER CITY HERALD — 5A
Panic buying runs gas stations dry in
Southeast after pipeline computer hack
By Cathy Bussewitz,
Jeff Amy and Bobby Caina
Calvan
Associated Press
CHAMBLEE, Ga. — More
than 1,000 gas stations in
the Southeast reported run-
ning out of fuel, primarily
because of what analysts say
is unwarranted panic-buying
among drivers, as the shut-
down of a major pipeline by
a gang of hackers entered its
fi fth day Tuesday, May 11.
Government offi cials acted
swiftly to waive safety and
environmental rules to speed
the delivery of fuel by truck,
ship or rail to motorists and
airports, even as they sought
to assure the public that
there was no cause for alarm.
The Colonial Pipeline, the
biggest fuel pipeline in the
U.S., delivering about 45% of
what is consumed on the East
Coast, was hit on Friday with
a cyberattack by hackers who
lock up computer systems
and demand a ransom to re-
lease them. The attack raised
concerns, once again, about
the vulnerability of the na-
tion’s critical infrastructure.
A large part of the pipeline
resumed operations manually
late Monday, and Colonial an-
ticipates restarting most of its
operations by the end of the
week, U.S. Energy Secretary
Jennifer Granholm said.
Motorists may still feel a
crunch because it takes a
few days to ramp up opera-
tions, but she said there is no
reason to hoard gasoline.
“We know that we have
gasoline; we just have to get it
to the right places,” she said.
S&P’s Oil Price Informa-
tion Service put the number
of gas stations encountering
shortages at more than 1,000.
“A lot of that is because
they’re selling three or four
times as much gasoline that
they normally sell in a given
day, because people do panic,”
O REGON B RIEFING
Damage from February ice storm in
Salem could reach $4.6 million
SALEM (AP) — Offi cials in Salem say damage from
a February ice storm will cost about $4.6 million to
repair.
The Statesman Journal reports the money will be
spend repairing infrastructure and clearing downed
trees.
As of April 21, a total of $1.3 million has been spent
on the city’s response and recovery efforts.
According to an informational report submitted to
Salem City Council, the total estimated cost of the city’s
recovery efforts is expected to be $4.6 million.
While more funds are needed, a signifi cant portion of
the storm recovery costs is expected to be reimbursed
through insurance or federal funds, according to city
offi cials.
University of Oregon, Western Oregon
University to require COVID-19 vaccine
William Thornton/TNS
Bags cover gas pumps in Southside, Ala., as a station has been affected by shortages
brought on by the Colonial Pipeline cyberattack, Tuesday, May 11.
said Tom Kloza, an analyst
with S&P. “It becomes a self-
fulfi lling prophecy.”
The pipeline runs from the
Texas Gulf Coast to the New
York metropolitan area. The
states most dependent on the
pipeline include Alabama,
Georgia, Tennessee and the
Carolinas, Kloza said.
In Virginia, 7.7% of the
state’s nearly 3,900 gas sta-
tions reported running out
of fuel Tuesday, according to
Gasbuddy.com, which tracks
supply. In North Carolina,
8.5% of almost 5,400 stations
were out, the company said.
There were scattered
reports of higher gasoline
prices, but prices were rising
even before the pipeline
incident heading into the
busy summer driving season.
Nevertheless, Granholm
warned gas station owners,
“We will have no tolerance for
price gouging.”
To ease brief shortages, the
White House is considering
temporarily waiving a law
that says ships delivering
products between U.S. ports
must be built and manned by
Americans.
The Transportation
Department also is relaxing
some workforce require-
ments and enlisting railroads
to deliver fuel inland. And
the Environmental Protec-
tion Agency lifted some fuel
quality requirements on an
emergency basis.
“We’re looking at every
option we have across the
federal government and all of
the federal agencies,” Gran-
holm said.
In Georgia, Gov. Brian
Kemp suspended state
taxes on motor fuels through
Saturday. Georgia collects a
gasoline tax of 28.7 cents per
gallon and a diesel tax of 32.2
cents per gallon.
“It will probably help level
the price at the pump off for a
little while,” Kemp said.
However, he urged people
not to hoard gasoline, saying
he expects the situation to be
resolved soon.
“You don’t need to go out
and fi ll up every 5-gallon can
you’ve got,” the governor said.
Scattered gas stations in
metro Atlanta were out of
fuel Monday and Tuesday. In
Georgia, nearly 6% of about
6,400 stations had run out of
fuel, Gasbuddy.com said.
In Florida, drivers in some
areas faced long lines, and 3%
of gas stations had run out.
Dave Gussak drove from
one station to the next in Tal-
lahassee, Florida, in search
of gas, seeing a line nearly
a mile long at the pumps
outside a Costco. He eventu-
ally passed a station with gas
on the way to Florida State
University where he works.
“This is insane,” he said.
Irena Yanava’s tank was
about half full, but she wasn’t
about to take chances as she
sat in her car at the same Tal-
lahassee gas station.
EUGENE (AP) — The University of Oregon and
Western Oregon University say students this fall will
be required to get COVID-19 vaccines, joining other
colleges in the Northwest that have made the same
announcement.
“The requirement will help us to reach the highest
level of protection possible, reduce infections and pro-
tect the health and safety of our university community
and the communities we serve. Individuals will be able
to request exemptions for medical and non-medical
reasons,” University of Oregon said in a tweet Monday,
May 10.
The University of Oregon, located in Eugene, is the
state’s fl agship public university. It has about 18,000
undergraduate students.
Meanwhile, WOU offi cials announced during a
virtual session on Monday, May 10 that vaccinations
will be required for students and employees who either
study or work in person at the university’s Monmouth
or Salem campuses for the fall term.
Washington State University, the University of
Washington and Oregon State University are among
the schools that will also require COVID-19 vaccina-
tions this fall.
Portland’s mass vaccination site likely to
close June 19 as demand declines
PORTLAND (AP) — Portland’s mass vaccination site
is expected to close on June 19 after giving hundreds of
thousands of COVID-19 inoculations, organizers said
Monday, May 10.
The All4Oregon site, which was set up by four of the
city’s major hospitals in a joint vaccination effort, has
been running since Jan. 20 at the Oregon Convention
Center.
The site began offering self-scheduling and walk-in
appointments for the fi rst time last week, but organiz-
ers said a drop in volume made it clear that demand for
a mass vaccination site is waning as shots become more
widely available elsewhere.
Idaho law seeks to thwart
Biden’s orders on guns
proof majorities and carried
an emergency notice, mean-
BOISE — Idaho Gov. Brad ing it went into effect with
Little has signed legisla-
Little’s signature.
tion aimed at thwarting a
The new law is retroactive
half-dozen executive actions to Jan. 20, the day Biden was
by President Joe Biden to
sworn in as president. It pre-
combat gun violence.
vents all Idaho government
The new law came less
entities from enforcing ex-
than a week after a shooting ecutive orders, federal laws,
at an eastern Idaho middle
treaties, agency orders and
school injured two students
rules of the U.S. government
and a custodian.
involving fi rearms, fi rearm
The Republican governor
components and accessories,
signed the measure Monday, or ammunition that confl ict
May 10. It passed the Idaho with the Idaho Constitution.
House and Senate with veto-
The signing followed the
By Keith Ridler
Associated Press
Thursday, May 6 shooting in
Rigby, where police have said
a sixth-grade girl pulled a
handgun from her backpack
and fi red multiple rounds
inside and outside Rigby
Middle School, about 95
miles southwest of Yellow-
stone National Park.
All three victims were shot
in the extremities and none
had life-threatening inju-
ries, authorities have said.
The girl was disarmed by a
teacher.
Is it time to dress
up your ride?
See Idaho Guns/Page 6A
Prosecutor to seek death penalty
in March shootings at Atlanta spas
provide for a stand-alone hate crime. After a
person is convicted of an underlying crime, a
ATLANTA — A man accused of killing eight jury must determine whether it’s a hate crime,
people, six of them women of Asian descent,
which carries an additional penalty.
in shootings at three Atlanta-area massage
The Fulton County indictment charges
businesses was indicted Tuesday on murder
Long with four counts of murder, four counts
charges by two separate grand juries, and one of felony murder, fi ve counts of assault with a
prosecutor fi led notice that she’ll also seek hate deadly weapon, four counts of possession of a
crime charges and the death penalty.
fi rearm during the commission of a felony and
A Fulton County grand jury indicted Robert one count of domestic terrorism, according to
Aaron Long, 22, in the March 16 slayings
online records.
of Suncha Kim, 69; Soon Chung Park, 74;
The domestic terrorism charge says Long
Hyun Jung Grant, 51; and Yong Ae Yue, 63.
committed a series of illegal acts “which were
A separate grand jury in Cherokee County
interrelated by distinguishing characteristics,
indicted Long for a separate shooting there
with the intent to cause serious bodily harm
that resulted in the killings of Xiaojie “Emily” and to kill individuals and groups of individuals,
Tan, 49; Daoyou Feng, 44; Delaina Yaun, 33;
and with the intent to intimidate the civilian
and Paul Michels, 54.
population of this state and of its political subdi-
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis visions.”
also fi led notice that she intends to seek hate
Four of the aggravated assault charges have
crime charges and the death penalty against
to do with the shootings of the four victims who
Long, who is white. The hate crime charges are died. For the fifth, the indictment says Long
based on the actual or perceived race, national pointed a gun at another woman, causing her
origin, sex and gender of the four women
“reasonable apprehension of immediately receiv-
killed, the notice says.
ing a violent injury.” Willis’ notice of intent to
There was no immediate fi ling in online
seek hate crimes charges says she was targeted
court records in Cherokee County to indicate
based on her actual or perceived sex and gender.
whether District Attorney Shannon Wallace
The charges in the Cherokee County indict-
intends to seek hate crimes charges or the
ment are related to the shooting at a spa near
death penalty.
suburban Woodstock in which four were killed
Georgia’s new hate crimes law does not
and one person was wounded.
By Kate Brumback
Associated Press
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