Rescuers warn about spring dangers after man falls into crater
RACHEL CAVANAUGH
News Editor
Local search and rescue officials cautioned snowmobilers and hikers about hazardous spring conditions in Washington’s mountains Monday, after a man fell into the Mt. St. Helens crater over the weekend.
“The more the snow melts, [the more] there can be rotten spots, especially around drainages, creeks and streams,” said Jeff King, search and rescue coordinator for Klickitat County Sheriff’s Office.
“The nicer weather gets more people out. People go farther, for longer.”
“The cornices develop then get soft and people go out and play,” said Paul Baugher, director of the Northwest Avalanche Institute and mountaineer for International Mountain Guides.”
The concern was stirred Saturday, when Damascus man John Slemp plummeted nearly 1500 feet from the crater’s west rim after edging out over a cornice with his son.
According to ABC news reports, he and the boy had belly-crawled onto the overhang to get a better look into the crater when the snow gave way. Both started to slide, but a family friend was able to pull the younger Slemp back up.
The 52-year-old slid about 150 feet where he paused for a moment before a second ledge broke, sending him another 1300 feet into the chasm.
The son and family friend used a two-way radio to signal for help where a camper in the town of Mossy Rock, 20 miles away, picked it up. Skamania County Sheriff’s Office and the Clark County Volcano Rescue Team (VRT) responded.
According to VRT Chief Tom McDowell, who directed the operation, the potential for greater injury or death was high.
“He’s very lucky,” McDowell said. “The snow and the time of day probably saved him, as well as him having his snowmobiling suit, his heavy plastic boots, and his snowmobiling helmet.”
The rescue chief said deep crevasses line the glacier and some were within 100 or so yards of where he landed. Moreover, snow had begun softening on bottom layers.
“He is very blessed he wasn’t completely buried in an avalanche,” said King.
According to Baugher, this year has been one of Washington’s worst seasons in recent history for avalanche deaths with nine of the country’s 36 inside the state, or 25 percent.
He added that, unlike in other states, Washington and Alaska see avalanche trends into May, meaning the season is not necessarily over.
With people coming out in greater numbers this time of year, the risk goes up.
In places like Goldendale and other parts of Klickitat County, King said snowmobilers head for areas like Satus Pass, Mt. Adams, and the Simcoe Mountains.
The rescue official said it is critical people be prepared and always carry items like extra food, water, clothing, sunglasses, sunscreen, fire-starting devices, first aid, a signaling mirror, and a whistle. In Slemp’s case, it was not only being well-dressed, but the time of day that helped in several ways: first, it made it warmer which reduced the risk of hypothermia. Secondly, there was light for the rescue team and finally, visibility was clear.
The fact that snow still covered most of the terrain also helped break the fall, McDowell said. “There was a snow cushion,” he said. “It’s not landing on marshmallows, however,” the chief added. “I’m sure there were quite a few [rocks] as he rolled down the hillside. The other side of the crater is nothing but a rock wall. If he had done that in summertime…his chances of survival would have been absolutely nil.”
Sgt. McDowell said he guesses Slemp, who was taken to Yacolt for immediate care before being transferred to Portland’s Legacy Emmanuel Hospital, didn’t realize what he was inching out on.
Jerrold Towell, Special Operations Sergeant for the Yakima County Sheriff’s Office search and rescue team, said cornices present hazards year around if not properly recognized.
“Anybody who knows about the backcountry knows there are cornice conditions on those peaks,” he said. “The wind coming up a ridge and blowing over the top causes the snow to form a platform that extends out over the bluff or the cliff…It’s just not safe.”
Baugher said it is often difficult to distinguish an overhanging cornice from solid ground when approaching from head on. He said it is best to try to get a look from the side or down below.
“If going below is not an option,” he said, “look for grounded features like rocks or trees that indicate firmer terrain. Also, because storm winds come from the southwest,” he said, “it is more common to find cornices on northeastern facing ridges.”
That said, he emphasized the features, which can weigh thousands of pounds, are found anywhere with wind and can appear deceptively solid. “Anytime you get near a ridge you have to expect it’s corniced,” he said. “You won’t be able to see it. You have to stay well back.”
“Cornices are notorious for breaking much farther back than anybody thinks. Almost everybody I know has some sort of harrowing cornice story. They go a little too close to the edge thinking they’re okay and they’re not.”
Rescue officials agreed it is important to only enter the backcountry with proper experience and stay on groomed trails. They said rescue operations often involve victims who have gone out of bounds, although the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument confirmed Slemp was indeed within legal snowmobiling limits.
According to ABC news reports, Slemp is the first man to ever fall into the Mt. St Helens crater.
McDowell said when he passed through for medical treatment on the way to Emmanuel, he was conscious, alert, and “in good humor,” despite being in obvious pain.
“He realized he was alive and he felt really good about that.”
Tax experts predict increases on the horizon
Rachel Cavanaugh
News Editor
As taxpayers across the nation scrambled to get last-minute returns filed this week, specialists warned Washington taxpayers could owe bigger returns in the next two years.
“So 2009 we know is definitely going to be a higher year,” said Cheryl Woods, a certified public accountant (CPA) in Centerville. “2008 will be marginal.”
There are several factors involved in the increase, she said. One is that certain sales tax deductions will not be available because the temporary act they were linked to comes to a close.
According to the IRS website, the deductions were part of the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004 and targeted states like Washington, Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming where sales taxes prevail but there are no income taxes.
People who paid high sales taxes during the year — a family with a new car, for example — were able to deduct some of those costs. The end of the act’s term, however, will close that opportunity.
Another issue, Woods said, is the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) continues to hit people in increasing numbers. The tax expert said she personally saw more AMT hits this year which was in line with national statistics.
She said the tax was originally designed to target the “very, very wealthy,” yet has seeped into middle class America. The reason, she said, is that unlike the standard deduction, the AMT was never adjusted for inflation.
She said the issue has been addressed by politicians but so far no solutions have been found.
“Every year it’s getting worse,” she said. “More and more of middle income America is getting hit by it.
“Congress is very aware of it,” she added. “They know the AMT is extremely regressive.”
Goldendale CPA Angela Hoffman added that a raised exemption last year helped some people avoid the tax but, at present, no plans are on the table to make that available again.
“They’ll have the same amount of income in 2008 and owe more taxes,” said Hoffman.
According to Karen Rice with J & K Taxx in The Dalles, the timing couldn’t be worse for liability increases. With the economy down, she said, she has seen people’s concerns reflected in how they plan their refunds.
“Most people who were getting refunds are not taking vacations,” she said. “They are paying off credit cards and preparing for bad times.”
Furthermore, she said, although the federal stimulus passed in December was designed to help taxpayers, most of her clients did not consider it significant enough to make a difference.
Yet Amy Niemela, tax specialist with H & R Block in Bingen, pointed out that even though they are being used differently, dollar sums are still up.
“The refunds have been really good this year,” she said. “It’s because our standard deduction has gone up and our exemption has gone up.”
She added that many new families in Washington were able to receive the child tax credit as well as the earned income credit (EIC).
The tax specialist advised taxpayers who want to get the most out of their refund to keep vigilant records and organize everything in a file.
“If you’re going to be able to write stuff off you’re going to have to have records of every single penny,” Niemela said.
As of April 5 this year, the IRS had processed 96.8 million total returns and 75.1 million refunds with the latter totaling $183 million. The average refund was $2436.
According to the IRS’s Individual Returns Analysis Section, taxable returns saw a 1.7 percent increase between 2004 and 2005. That same year, adjusted gross income (AGI) rose 9.4 percent to $6,857 billion and total income tax rose 12.4 percent to $935 billion.
Kearney gets 20 months for vehicular homicide
ANDREW CHRISTIANSEN
Reporter
Sean Kearney pleaded guilty, last Friday, to vehicular homicide in the death of Goldendale resident and sheriff’s deputy, Peter Garland.
Garland, a sergeant in the Klickitat County Sheriff’s office, was killed on July 18, 2007, as he tried to avoid Kearney who was passing another vehicle in a no-passing zone. Kearney was sentenced to 20 months in prison, the maximum sentence provided by sentencing guidelines, according to prosecutor Therese Murphy. He could be released in as little as 14 months with credit off for good behavior while in prison.
According to Murphy, there were three options within vehicular homicide: due to intoxication, recklessness, and disregard for safety. Each option carries a different set of sentencing guidelines. Murphy said that, although Kearney had used marijuana prior to the accident, blood levels would not support proof of impairment. She also was concerned about getting a conviction under recklessness because it would require admission of Kearney’s prior driving record and evidence of reckless driving prior to the accident.
“That would have required a pre-trial hearing and if that evidence was excluded, I was afraid we couldn’t get a conviction,” said Murphy.
Kearney apologized for the accident at the hearing. The judge heard victim statements from Garland’s family and Sheriff Rick McComas.
“I believe the judge was mostly moved by the statements by Rocky (Sgt. Garland’s wife) and the family and the Sheriff. They made poignant and eloquent statements,” said Murphy.
Kearney is being held in custody for transfer to Shelton, where he will be classified for assignment to a penitentiary.
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