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OREGON
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PUBLIC SAFETY NORTHEAST OREGON
FIREFIGHTERS TRAIN FOR
future • Oregon Senate reaches agreement on transportation package
• Zachary Vice crashes vehicle after pursuit
By Taylor W. Anderson WesCom News Service
SALEM — The Oregon Senate is close to agreeing on a proposal that would raise $206 million annually through a 4-cent gas tax increase and hikes on some of the most commonly paid fees collected by the Department of Transportation. The proposal, which has been revised in recent days and faces uncertainty in the House, was being discussed Tuesday in
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and already M a r ijuana is faces backm o s tly legal lash from en- in Oregon a vironmental w e ek from groups and n o w . Page 7A businesses interested in producing biofuels that would be sold in Oregon under the state's new lowcarbon fuel standard. Details of the framework from June22,obtained by The Bulletin Tuesday after the governor's office made changes over the weekend, spreadfrom a group oflegislators to environmental and consumer advocacy groups thatareraising resistance to the proposed changes. The fi amework lists the new goals forstate investment in transportation and the assumed carbon reductions that would result from the investment. The largest assumed reductions would come from a blendingprogram toreduce carbon intensity in fuels over the next decade — on the condition that the fuel is "commercially available, technologically feasible, and costeffective." The carbon credits for sale in a carbon market — a key piece of the low-carbon fuel standard — would be swappedforalternativefuels for 3,000 school buses and a "natural gas market transformation program." If the Senate can agree on the proposed amendments, said Sen. Tim Knopp, RBend, Senate President Peter Courtney will create a special committee that See Deal / Page5A
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Inside Head-on crash Monday night sends two to local hospital. Page 2A
WALLOWA COUNTY
Joseph Clinic expands operation
KathyAnay/East Oregonian
Leticia Neal, of the U.S. Forest Service, swings a McLeod tool during a practice fire near Mt. Emily Road on the Umatilla National Forest. Neal was one of about100 firefighters who spent four days in a classroom learning about fire behavior, weather, suppression, tools and other topics before going into the woods to practice techniques.
By Katy Nesbitt By George Plaven East Oregonian
PENDLETON — A cloud of white smoke rose from the woods in the Blue Mountains between Pendleton and La Grande. In response, seasonal firefighters quickly moved to a nearby hillside along Summit
Road. Marching single file, the hand crews paused to assess the flames smoldering in mostly downed branches and tree stumps. After checking for snags and hazards, they worked together to dig a fire line and stop the tiny blaze in its tracks.
INDEX Business........1B Classified.......5B Comics...........4B Crossword..... 7B Dear Abby ... 10B
Alert deputies early Tuesday morning spotted an individual police knew was driving with a suspended license. Shortly before 1:30 a.m., Union County SherifFs deputies on patrol in the La Grande area witnessed an individual, Vice lat e r identified as Zachary Vice, 31,operating a mo torvehicle. Police attempted to stop the vehicle, butViceaccelerated away from them. A pursuit ensued, but deputies discontinued the chase given the reckless nature of the suspect, the See Arrest / Page5A
WE A T H E R Horoscope.....7B Sports ............SA Lottery............2A State...............7A Obituaries......3A Sudoku ..........4B Opinion..........4A Wallowa Life..6A Record ...........3A Wonderword... 4B
The incident was only a simulation, butfor about80 young firefighters it was a chance to test themselves in preparation for what forecasterssaywillbe another long, hot wildfire season across the Northwest. Friday's training on live fire, done within a prescribed burn area of the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, marked the end of a week-long fire school led by the U.S. Forest Service, Oregon Department of Forestry and Bureau of Indian Affairs. The course combined classroom learning with hands-on practice in forest near Mount Emily.
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The Observer
Come July, the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho, predicts an above-average potential for large wildfires throughout Oregonand Washington. Those conditions are expected to linger through September. If the 2015 season is anything like last year, Northwest firefighters could be in for a wild ride. Fire burned an estimated 1.3 million acres in Oregon and Washington in 2014, including the 256,108-acre Carlton Complex that was the largest blaze in Washington state history. See Training / Page5A
ENTERPRISE — Expanding health care options is an ongoing concern at Wallowa Memorial Hospital. On July 1, the hospital will bring Mt. View Medical, formerly Wallowa Mountain Medical, under its wing. Larry Davy, Wallowa Memorial Hospital CEO, said an increasing number of doctors want to practice medicine and let someone else handle the billing, regulations, policies and procedures. The doctors at Wallowa Mountain Medical in Joseph and See Clinic / Page5A
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Issue 74 3 sections, 34 pages La Grande, Oregon
FRIDAY IN OUTDOORS LA GRANDE SENIQR WINS OHA SCHOLARSHIP
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Grande Ronde Hospital — Nation's TQp 1QQ CAHs M easured a c r oss 62 different p e r f o r m a nc e m e t r ic s i n c l u d i n g :
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• Quality • Outcomes • Patient Perspective • Affordability • • Population Risk• Efficiency S e e more @www.grh.org ~ •000
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