AP-OR–2nd Right Now/1203
UNION PACIFIC VIOLATIONS
Union Pacific fined over $7 million in 2 years
(Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com)
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Union Pacific penalties surpass every railroad nationwide for the past two years.
The Oregonian/OregonLive obtained inspection records and reports that the Federal Railroad Agency fined Union Pacific over $7 million from 2014 through 2015.
An Oregon Department of Transportation inspection found repeated safety violations the day before Union Pacific train cars carrying crude oil derailed and caught fire on June 3.
The issues listed by state inspectors appear unrelated to the derailment.
Conductors left trains in Portland yards without setting breaks on multiple occasions, which an expert said could cause runaway trains.
Inspectors also found four instances since September when switches were left unlocked and made it possible for anyone to pull a lever and reroute a train.
A Union Pacific spokesman said the railroad stands by its safety record.
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NIGHTCLUB SHOOTING-PORTLAND REACTION
Portland police step up patrols after Florida mass shooting
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Portland Police say they plan to add extra patrols in the city’s downtown entertainment district, particularly at gay bars and nightclubs, following the mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Florida.
The bureau said Sunday that while there are no known threats to Portland, Acting Police Chief Donna Henderson has asked for extra police patrols at bars and nightclubs frequented by the LGBT community, as well as at the upcoming Portland Pride Festival and Parade.
Gov. Kate Brown said in a statement that she shared in the pain from the shooting and that her thoughts are with the victims and their families.
She also called upon Oregonians to “move beyond the political debate about gun control and instead bring responsible gun owners and community advocates together to find solutions.”
MELTING SNOWPACK
Report urges cautious water use with Oregon’s quick snowmelt
(Information from: The Bulletin, http://www.bendbulletin.com)
BEND, Ore. (AP) — A federal report shows that this summer’s stream flow in Oregon is better than last year’s, but that flow levels are expected to recede earlier than usual.
The June report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service says April’s warm temperatures caused the winter snowpack to melt early, causing earlier peaks in river flows.
Scott Oviatt, with the conservation service, told the Bend Bulletin that municipalities, fisheries and others that rely on stream flow should expect shortages.
Last year, when most of Oregon was categorized as in severe to extreme drought, the statewide snowpack peaked at the lowest levels measured in the last 35 years.
Oviatt says there’s been significant improvement from 2015, but noted conditions could worsen if it gets too hot and dry.
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ROBOT SUBMARINE
Robot submarine streams live from ocean off Oregon coast
(Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com)
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A robot submarine is roaming around the ocean floor off the Oregon Coast in an effort to detect any geological activity underground, and researchers are offering a live stream of the underwater view.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports that a 64-meter vessel operated by the Ocean Exploration Trust and its remotely operated vehicle, Hercules, are providing views of the Astoria Canyon through June 20. The live stream can be viewed at NautilusLive.org.
The mission off the Pacific Northwest is intended to find “methane seeps,” where the natural greenhouse gas is released from the ocean floor along the Cascadia subduction. That’s the fault line that’s expected to one day cause what’s known as the “Big One,” a 9.0-magnitutde earthquake 95 miles off the coast of Oregon that results in a tsunami.
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AKAWANA FIRE
Evacuation notices lifted for central Oregon wildfire
SISTERS, Ore. (AP) — Officials on Sunday lifted all evacuation notices for residents in about 900 homes near wildfire burning in central Oregon.
The Oregon Department of Forestry says the fire has scorched nearly 2,100 acres, or about 3 square miles, and was about 72 percent contained as of Sunday morning. No structures have been lost.
Residents throughout Oregon are being told to prepare for the fire season by being ready to go in case of an evacuation. Fire officials urge residents to get ready by assembling emergency supplies, planning escape route and taking other measures.
The cost of fighting that fire has hit about $2.3 million.
More than 600 personnel and five helicopters have assigned to the fire, which was ignited by lightning Tuesday.
WASTEWATER-DATA CENTERS
Apple to cool Oregon data centers with wastewater
(Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com)
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Technology giant Apple has announced plans to use recycled wastewater to cool its Prineville data centers.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports that Apple confirmed last week that it has agreed to pay for a treatment facility to re-use water for evaporative cooling. Apple says its new facility will save nearly 5 million gallons of water a year by not taking that water from the tap.
The water will come from Prineville’s regular sewage treatment system and would otherwise have been less rigorously treated and then used at the municipal golf course or flow into pasturelands or the Crooked River.
Apple already uses the city’s water, ranking among the top users with 27 million gallons going to the company’s facilities last year. Officials say ongoing construction added to that figure.
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TRAIN DERAILMENT
Railroad says broken bolt caused Oregon train derailment
Railroad officials say at least one broken bolt holding the rail in place caused the fiery derailment of a Union Pacific train moving volatile crude oil through the Columbia River Gorge on the Oregon-Washington border.
Union Pacific spokesman Justin Jacobs said Saturday that the company filed a report Friday with the Federal Railroad Administration citing one or more broken bolts as the cause of the June 3 derailment.
Jacobs says the bolt is used in curved sections of track and the company is not aware of any previous failures.
He says the company is now in the process of checking similar bolts in curved sections of its 32,000 miles of track in 23 states.
No one was injured in the derailment, but the tiny town of Mosier, Oregon, was evacuated.
RANCHING STANDOFF
8 Oregon occupiers will not face firearm charge
(Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com)
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A federal judge has tossed a charge of using and carrying a firearm in the course of a crime of violence for eight people involved in the occupation of an Oregon wildlife refuge.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports that David Fry’s defense lawyer Per C. Olson argued that the charge be dismissed for his client and seven others, including Ammon Bundy and Ryan Bundy.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ethan Knight said in a hearing that the charge would be a “close call’ for the court.
Olson said the men are now less exposed to possible prison time if they are convicted on the remaining charges.
There is no minimum prison sentence for convictions of conspiracy to impede federal officers and firearms possession in a federal facility.
The Ammon Bundy-led takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge began Jan. 2 and lasted nearly six weeks.
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Copyright 2016 The Associated Press.
