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An abundance of local history Find out what big plans are in the works for Prineville’s Bowman Museum • LOCAL, B1

WHAT’S GOING ON WITH THE SNOWPACK?

Ryan Brennecke / The Bulletin

Elizabeth Justema walks through a patch of snow with her daughter Harper, right, and their family friend Jillian Edmonds, center, while hiking toward Todd Lake on Friday afternoon.

A late-season lift Spring storms increased the snowpack, but region’s water supply is still at 75%

Snowpack The snowpack is hanging on later than usual in the Upper Deschutes and Crooked River basins, after a dry winter.

Water year comparisons as of June 25: 2010 percent of average: 173% Percent of last year: 480%

By Kate Ramsayer The Bulletin

Snow-water equivalent 40 inches 35

KEY Water year 2010 Water year 2009 Average 1971 to 2000

30 25 20

June 25

Note: Water years begin in October.

15 10 5 0

Anders Ramberg / The Bulletin

Source: Natural Resources Conservation Service

U.S. SUPREME COURT

Grilling nominees is useful, study finds By Adam Liptak New York Times News Service

WASHINGTON — Ever since nominees to the Supreme Court started to subject themselves to comprehensive grilling in 1939, their confirmation hearings have been dismissed by the legal elite as an empty charade. William Rehnquist, who would go on to become chief justice, said as much in The Harvard Law Record in 1959. Four de-

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cades later, a 35-year-old law professor named Elena Kagan, whose confirmation hearings start today, agreed in The University of Chicago Law Review. But a new study shows that the hearings often address real substance, illuminate the spirit of their times and change with shifts in partisan alignments and the demographic characteristics of nominees. See Court / A5

week into summer, the cool and wet spring weather has turned warm and sunny. But hikers venturing out on mountain trails might run into slushy obstacles. At higher mountain elevations, the snow from storms in April and May has stuck around, leading to a higherthan-normal snowpack for this time of year — a steep contrast to earlier this year, when the snowpack was at around half of its normal size. But even the late push couldn’t make up for

Redmond: Officials aim to improve safety after two recent train-related fatalities

Victim: 24-year-old Wesley May, who died June 19, was a father of two

By Patrick Cliff

The Bulletin

After two train-related deaths in Redmond over the last three months, a rail safety group, the railroad and the Redmond Police Department are working on ways to make the local rails safer. Until the two deaths, people have rarely died on the railroad tracks that run through the region. Between 2000 and 2009, two people died in such accidents in Deschutes County. The moves by local and railroad authorities were galvanized by the recent deaths in Redmond. Mark Dorsey, 31, was killed April 1 in the afternoon, and Wesley Blayne May II, 24, died around 2:30 a.m. June 20, Father’s Day. The investigation into May’s death is ongoing. Dorsey, a homeless man who struggled with schizophrenia, died in an accident, police said. Dorsey’s and May’s deaths raise questions about rail safety. But obvious ideas, like slowing the trains down, are often ineffective solutions to the safety problems, according to Claudia Howells, the Oregon coordinator for Operation Lifesaver, a group that promotes rail safety. See Safety / A4

Wesley Blayne May II spent the night of June 19 in downtown Redmond, having drinks with his brother and a friend. He died at about 2:45 a.m. when he was hit by a Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway freight train. The father of two young children — a 7 - w e e k- o l d son and a Wesley May daughter, 4 — was walking home along the railroad tracks and made several phone calls, according to his older sister, Mickey May. He spoke briefly with his mother, attempted to get in touch with his ex-girlfriend and spoke for a while with Mickey May. Wesley May, 24, was having troubles and, that night, was in a reflective mood, his sister said. On that call, he spoke to her about his children. He told his sister that he wanted to reconcile with his ex, and described his plans to join the U.S. Army. See May / A4

Stopping distance at 55 mph

200 ft

Freight trains take a significantly greater distance to stop than most other vehicles. Even if a crew sees someone on the tracks, it is often unable to stop in time.

Car

230 ft Bus

300 ft Semi truck

More than 1 mile Freight train

Source: Oregon Operation Lifesaver Andy Zeigert / The Bulletin

Barn owls may be a farmer’s best friend An unusual alliance benefits both sides at Fresno farm By Mark Grossi McClatchy-Tribune News Service

The Associated Press file photo

Barn owls like these have found a haven on Don Cameron’s farm. He installed nesting boxes on his property, and the owls are helping keep down the gopher population.

The Bulletin

FRESNO, Calif. — Farmer Don Cameron spent more than half a million dollars on drip irrigation to save water and grow better tomatoes. But gophers soon began chewing his drip lines, threatening to ruin his investment. He waged a losing war using gopher traps until he had a serendipitous conversation with the Fresno Audubon Society. Cameron, a bird lover, called the society to report sightings of interesting species at his farm. His gopher problem came up,

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and Audubon had a solution. Soon, more than a dozen families of barn owls were snatching gophers from Cameron’s fields near Helm in west Fresno County. The birds have taken up residence in wooden nesting boxes at the top of tall poles. Audubon helped Cameron get the boxes. Enlisting owls to hunt down pesky gophers is nothing new, particularly on farms. The real news is that farmers and environmentalists are getting together to expand the idea. See Owls / A5