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--> --> Oregon in brief Small gas leak reported at Umatilla HERMISTON - For the third time this year, a trace amount of nerve gas has been detected inside a storage bunker at the Umatilla Chemical Depot. A statement issued by the U.S. Army facility said Wednesday's leak posed no danger to the public or environment. A specially trained crew conducting daily tests discovered the leak of Sarin gas inside one of the facility's storage igloos. Monitoring equipment detected gas vapor around two overpacked 155mm shells. As a precaution, air was being filtered inside the igloo. Similar leaks were found on Feb. 28 and May 2. Thorne to return pay raise to Port PORTLAND - Outgoing Port of Portland executive director Mike Thorne will return his $49,000 annual pay raise after fellow commissioners complained that proper procedure was not followed in granting him the salary hike. Thorne resigned last week so he could make plans to run for governor in 2002. The Port said that it conducts an annual salary review for all of its employees, including the executive director. An independent counseling firm recommended raising Thorne's pay to $243,980 a year, based on his performance. The Port's by-laws require that the nine commissioners approve salary increases for the executive director, but several members of the panel said they knew nothing about Thorne's raise. BPA orders water spill for fish PORTLAND - The Bonneville Power Administration ordered water spilled at two Columbia River dams Wednesday, making it easier for young salmon to reach the ocean but sacrificing electricity production for a region faced with a drought and rising power prices. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which operates eight federal dams on the lower Snake and Columbia rivers, opened the spillways at Bonneville and The Dalles dams at 6 p.m., sending torrents of water over the dams. Officials said they would continue releasing water for about three weeks. Last month, the BPA twice said it would exercise a clause in federal law that allows the agency to withhold water for fish in times of an emergency. A lack of precipitation during the winter, soaring electricity prices and dwindling supply have brought fears of rolling blackouts for residents in the region. However, strong criticism from environmentalists and Gov. John Kitzhaber prompted the BPA to soften its position. In most years, spillways are opened at all eight dams during the spring and summer, when millions of juvenile salmon and steelhead trout are traveling downstream toward the Pacific Ocean. Wednesday's spills, and the ones to come, will represent just one-third of the water usually released in May. Peeping tom's bail raised EUGENE - A man accused of videotaping dozens of young girls and women through their bedroom windows asked a judge to lower his $2.1 million bail Wednesday, only to have it raised to $3 million. William Joseph Green, 52, is being held at the Lane County Jail on several charges, including sexual abuse. His attorney, John Kolego, said the initial bail was more suited to violent offenders, and wanted the amount lowered to $500,000. Kolego also said electronic surveillance on Green after his release would protect the public. Green, a construction worker, had no criminal history before his March 6 arrest. Body found in condo; vehicle missing PORTLAND - The body of a 74-year-old man has been found in his condominium and his expensive car was missing, city police said. The man's daughter found the body shortly after 9 p.m. Wednesday in the seventh floor unit where her father lived by himself in the Washington Park Condominiums, Lt. Mike Hefley said. Police were trying to find the dead man's car, a 2000 black or blue BMW with vanity license plates reading SKYCAR. Anyone seeing the car was asked to call 911 immediately. Trainers prepare Keiko for release EUGENE - Trainers are planning to use two boats and a helicopter this spring to prepare Keiko the killer whale for release into the wild in his native waters near Iceland. The orca star of the movie "Free Willy" was moved to Iceland after spending two years at the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport, recovering from health problems caused by confinement at a Mexico City amusement park. Since 1998, Keiko has spent most of his time in a netted bay at Heimaey Island in Iceland, where trainers are working to reintroduce him to his natural environment. Last summer, Keiko began taking "walks" in the open ocean escorted by trainers in a boat, but winter weather brought an end to the excursions. This year, two new boats will accompany Keiko. One is the "walk" boat for the training staff, which is much bigger than the one used last year and will allow staff to spend much longer time at sea. The other, not used last year, is a tracking boat that will receive the signal from a transmitter worn by Keiko. The two boats will work with a helicopter so scientists can monitor the orca from a distance without interfering. Scientists have also started using darts to gather skin samples from wild whales for DNA studies to determine whether they are related to Keiko. Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing