COFFEE BREAK
B8 — THE OBSERVER & BAKER CITY HERALD
TuESDAY, ApRIL 26, 2022
Teen son struggles after family’s move to new state
DEAR ABBY: Because of
frustration with our state’s sub-
stantial COVID restrictions and
our teen son’s struggles with
remote learning, we moved to
another state. At the time, our
son was excited to move (we kept
asking him to make sure). How-
ever, we are now nearly through
the school year and he still hasn’t
made new friends. He’s depressed
and wants to move back.
He plays a sport and has a
part-time job, but neither have
helped. My husband and I love it
here. In fact, our son loves every-
thing except his lack of a social
life (beyond texting, FaceTiming
and playing video games with his
old friends).
We work from home, so it
would be an option for us to tem-
porarily return so he can finish
his remaining two years of high
school in our original state. He
has always been very social, so
we are surprised he hasn’t made
new friends. Should we push him
to keep trying? Or is moving
back for two years the best for his
(and our) mental well-being? —
WANTS THE BEST FOR HIM
DEAR WANTS: Moving
during one’s teens isn’t easy, par-
ticularly because cliques have
already formed. Before packing
your bags, talk with your son’s
teachers and counselors about
why he has had problems inte-
grating there. They may be able
to offer some important insight.
However, if they cannot do
that and you are prepared to make
the move when the school term
is over, do it. Being treated as an
outcast isn’t good for anyone’s
mental health, and while it might
benefit your son to learn to adapt,
he might do better academically
if you put him in a friendlier
environment.
DEAR ABBY: I have two
grown sons who are 13 months
apart. The younger, age 44, con-
stantly and viciously degrades
his brother in text messages. His
anger level is so high that on
Christmas Eve two years ago,
while he was visiting from a
neighboring state with his wife,
he declared, “F— this family!”
and stalked out, leaving his wife,
my husband and me stunned.
Since then, his wife has
divorced him, he’s been rear-ended
in a car wreck due to road rage,
lost his job and alienated himself
from our family. Online research
I’ve done indicates he’s narcis-
sistic. Last month, I texted him
my concern that he’d walked off
his job, which unleashed an angry
tirade against his brother and me.
Everything is our fault, and
he badmouths his ex-wife mer-
cilessly. He’s an adult, so I can’t
force him to seek mental health
help. Is there anything I can do?
We no longer communicate, but a
mother can’t erase love and con-
cern for her child. — WORN
OUT IN WYOMING
DEAR WORN OUT: Your
son is deeply troubled, and for that
you have my sympathy. For the
sake of your own mental health,
I strongly recommend you con-
sult a licensed mental health pro-
fessional. You can’t diagnose your
son’s problem, and neither can I.
You also cannot force him into
therapy before he’s ready to admit
that he needs it. Please don’t wait
to do this. I know you are hurting.
NEWS OF THE WEIRD
Pot shop robberies, deaths fuel calls for US banking bill
industry, leaving the busi-
nesses heavily reliant on
cash and making them
attractive marks for robbers.
On the annual 4/20 mar-
ijuana holiday Wednesday,
April 20, Murray held a
news conference at Salal
Credit Union to say she
will prioritize marijuana
banking reform as part of
her work as a key negoti-
ator on a conference com-
mittee that is ironing out
differences in House and
Senate versions of a major
federal competitiveness and
innovation bill.
Cannabis industry activ-
ists said they consider her
announcement an important
signal that after years of
work, the banking issue
might finally get resolved
this year, allowing financial
institutions to handle mari-
juana money in states where
it is legal without fear of
federal prosecution, loss of
their federal deposit insur-
ance or other penalties.
There recently has
been a massive spike in
the robberies for reasons
that aren’t entirely clear.
By GENE JOHNSON
The Associated Press
SEATTLE — A surge in
robberies at licensed can-
nabis shops — including
a pistol-whipping, gun-
shots and killings in Wash-
ington state last month —
is helping fuel a renewed
push for federal banking
reforms that would make the
cash-dependent stores a less
appealing target.
“It makes absolutely no
sense that legal businesses
are being forced to operate
entirely in cash, and it’s dan-
gerous — and sometimes
even fatal — for employees
behind the register,” Wash-
ington Sen. Patty Murray,
the third-ranking Democrat
in the Senate, said in a state-
ment emailed to The Asso-
ciated Press.
Although 18 states have
legalized the recreational
use of marijuana, and 37
allow its medical use, it
remains illegal under fed-
eral law. Because of that,
big banks and credit card
companies have long been
reluctant to work with the
tol-whipped a worker at an
Everett shop.
In the last few days,
police have arrested a
15-year-old boy and a
16-year-old boy in the
killing of employee Jordan
Brown, 29, at Tacoma’s
World of Weed. Authorities
said the pair were respon-
sible for at least 10 other
armed robberies, including
several at pot shops.
“The number of these
robberies is shocking,”
said David Postman, the
chairman of the Washington
Liquor and Cannabis Board.
The board in the past
month has held public safety
discussions with retailers,
recruited law enforcement
to talk to retailers about best
practices, and worked with
state financial regulators to
highlight local banks and
credit unions that work with
the industry as well as third-
party vendors that cannabis
retailers can use to conduct
cashless phone transactions.
Marijuana shops that
can afford it have hired pri-
vate security guards, some-
times at costs of more than
Ted S. Warren/The Associated Press
Security guard Austin MacMath wears a gun on his belt, Tuesday,
April 19, 2022, while working outside Mary Mart, a marijuana store
in Tacoma, Wash. A surge in robberies at licensed cannabis shops
in Washington state is helping fuel a renewed push for federal
banking reforms that would make the cash-dependent stores a less
appealing target.
beries, the spate in Wash-
ington is helping drive
the national conversation
about banking reform. Last
month, a suspect shot and
killed an employee at a can-
nabis store in Tacoma; an
ID checker shot and killed a
robber in Covington; Seattle
police shot and killed a sus-
pect following a robbery in
Bellevue; and a robber pis-
Dozens of cannabis busi-
nesses in the San Francisco
Bay Area were hit last fall
in a wave of attacks that
sometimes appeared coor-
dinated. Industry trackers
in Washington state have
reported at least 80 so far
this year, mostly in the
Puget Sound region.
While dispensaries are
frequent targets for rob-
weather
| Go to AccuWeather.com
AROUND OREGON AND THE REGION
Astoria
Longview
39/52
Kennewick
39/56
St. Helens
41/57
39/60
Condon
41/63
43/58
WED
THU
FRI
SAT
Mostly cloudy
Mostly cloudy
and cool
A couple of
showers
Clouds and sun;
warmer
A thick cloud
cover
50 31
54 30
57 33
Eugene
0
2
2
40/58
47 34
56 33
55 37
0
8
2
La Grande
33 53 31
Comfort Index™
Enterprise
2
0
2
28 47 29
Comfort Index™
0
50 28
58 36
0
7
9
0
TEMPERATURES Baker City La Grande Elgin
NATION (for the 48 contiguous states)
High Sunday
Low Sunday
High: 99°
Low: 8°
Wettest: 3.32”
63°
21°
65°
26°
70°
28°
PRECIPITATION (inches)
Sunday
Month to date
Normal month to date
Year to date
Normal year to date
0.00
0.77
0.64
1.44
2.70
0.00
0.69
1.45
3.07
6.07
0.00
2.45
1.97
9.64
9.83
AGRICULTURAL INFO.
HAY INFORMATION WEDNESDAY
Lowest relative humidity
Afternoon wind
Hours of sunshine
Evapotranspiration
45%
NNW at 6 to 12 mph
1.0
0.08
RESERVOIR STORAGE (through midnight Monday)
Phillips Reservoir
Unity Reservoir
Owyhee Reservoir
McKay Reservoir
Wallowa Lake
Thief Valley Reservoir
10% of capacity
78% of capacity
46% of capacity
85% of capacity
45% of capacity
100% of capacity
STREAM FLOWS (through midnight Sunday)
Grande Ronde at Troy
3290 cfs
Thief Valley Reservoir near North Powder
25 cfs
Burnt River near Unity
7 cfs
Umatilla River near Gibbon
430 cfs
Minam River at Minam
332 cfs
Powder River near Richland
18 cfs
The Dalles
Lakeview
Brookings
The northern mountains of Arizona have a
cooler climate than the southern deserts.
Still, a 6-inch snowfall in Flagstaff, Ariz.,
on April 26, 1963, was rare.
SUN & MOON
TUE.
WED.
5:49 a.m.
7:52 p.m.
4:29 a.m.
3:31 p.m.
5:47 a.m.
7:53 p.m.
4:49 a.m.
4:42 p.m.
MOON PHASES
New
Apr 30
First
Full
May 8
Beaver Marsh
Powers
40/57
41/61
Silver Lake
Last
May 15 May 22
33/56
Paisley
27/60
Frenchglen
31/58
City
Astoria
Bend
Boise
Brookings
Burns
Coos Bay
Corvallis
Council
Elgin
Eugene
Hermiston
Hood River
Imnaha
John Day
Joseph
Kennewick
Klamath Falls
Lakeview
Hi/Lo/W
52/38/c
55/32/c
61/39/s
54/41/pc
56/33/pc
54/41/pc
57/39/sh
58/34/sh
52/30/c
58/41/pc
62/42/pc
60/44/c
54/37/c
54/32/c
47/31/sf
62/40/pc
59/34/pc
57/31/pc
Hi/Lo/W
52/42/sh
54/30/sh
61/38/pc
54/42/sh
52/27/c
54/41/pc
54/37/pc
53/33/c
48/33/sh
57/40/pc
62/45/pc
59/43/c
53/38/sh
46/34/sh
43/31/sh
62/42/pc
52/26/pc
49/26/sh
Grand View
Arock
39/65
35/61
34/63
Klamath Falls
29/59
Lakeview
27/57
McDermitt
Shown is Wednesday’s weather. Temperatures are Tuesday night’s lows and Wednesday’s highs.
THU.
Diamond
29/57
Fields
40/64
WED.
Boise
Jordan Valley
26/58
26/56
Medford
Brookings
32/62
38/61
38/66
41/54
Juntura
28/56
27/54
26/54
Roseburg
Ontario
39/65
Burns
Brothers
38/57
Coos Bay
Huntington
28/52
33/55
Oakridge
36/58
40/62
Seneca
35/62
RECREATION FORECAST WEDNESDAY
REGIONAL CITIES
WEATHER HISTORY
Sunrise
Sunset
Moonrise
Moonset
32/54
Bend
Elkton
Grants Pass
OREGON
High: 77°
Low: 20°
Wettest: Trace
31/56
Council
30/53
John Day
Chiloquin
Cotulla, Texas
Bodie State Park, Calif.
Fort Smith, Ark.
28/47
31/56
Florence
SUNDAY EXTREMES
ALMANAC
Sisters
40/54
Comfort Index takes into account how the weather will feel based on a combination of factors. A rating of 10 feels
very comfortable while a rating of 0 feels very uncomfortable.
33/59
Baker City
Redmond
41/51
41/52
Halfway
Granite
38/57
Newport
40/60
45 32
37/56
35/54
41/57
Corvallis
Enterprise
28/47
33/53
Monument
38/60
Idanha
Salem
TONIGHT
0
Elgin
32/52
La Grande
36/52
Maupin
Comfort Index™
40/54
Pendleton
The Dalles
Portland
Newberg
40/57
Lewiston
38/57
Hood River
39/56
40/52
30 53 31
Forecasts and graphics provided
by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2022
Walla Walla
42/62
Vancouver
39/56
TIllamook
Baker City
$50,000 a month for a
round-the-clock detail, said
Adán Espino, executive
director of the Craft Can-
nabis Coalition, which rep-
resents more than 60 retail
stores in Washington. Some
of the businesses have tried
to hire guards, only to find
that security companies are
completely booked, he said.
Espino said he’s pushing
for state lawmakers to give
tax credits to cannabis
stores that have to shell out
money for security.
Mary Mart, a cannabis
outlet in Tacoma, hired
armed security in March
after it was robbed twice in
two months — including,
police say, by the two teens
who days later killed Brown.
Budtender Amara Barnes,
who was not present for either
robbery, said she and other
employees had their hours cut
to help offset the cost.
“It’s scary. I had worked
here for four years without
any kind of incident,”
Barnes said. “To have a
couple kids come in and
do that, it really shakes the
confidence.”
City
Lewiston
Longview
Meacham
Medford
Newport
Olympia
Ontario
Pasco
Pendleton
Portland
Powers
Redmond
Roseburg
Salem
Spokane
The Dalles
Ukiah
Walla Walla
WED.
THU.
Hi/Lo/W
57/37/c
56/39/c
50/30/c
64/43/c
51/39/pc
54/35/c
65/42/c
61/38/pc
56/40/c
58/43/c
57/40/pc
56/33/pc
61/42/pc
57/40/c
53/34/pc
63/42/pc
49/32/sf
54/39/c
Hi/Lo/W
59/41/c
56/41/sh
47/35/sh
58/39/sh
50/40/sh
54/36/sh
61/41/c
62/40/pc
54/42/c
57/44/sh
53/39/sh
56/29/sh
58/39/pc
56/42/pc
53/35/c
62/44/pc
44/31/sh
54/40/c
Weather(W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain,
sf-snow fl urries, sn-snow, i-ice
ANTHONY LAKES
PHILLIPS LAKE
Snow
Mostly cloudy
29
22
50
31
MT. EMILY REC.
BROWNLEE RES.
Snow showers
Mainly cloudy
38
29
60
38
EAGLE CAP WILD.
EMIGRANT ST. PARK
A little snow
A morning shower
36
20
44
26
WALLOWA LAKE
MCKAY RESERVOIR
Snow showers
Rather cloudy
47
31
56
38
THIEF VALLEY RES.
RED BRIDGE ST. PARK
Rather cloudy
Mostly cloudy
53
31
53
31
HELLO SPRING.
HELLO SAVINGS.
SAVE
HUNDREDS
APRIL 15 - MAY 31
WITH A
FREE LEATHER
UPGRADE*
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Stressless ® Max shown in Paloma Espresso
* See store for details.
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OFF STRESSLESS ®
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