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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 20, 2015)
BUCKS SPIKE DAWGS SPORTS/1B 66/43 Meet Phoebe (and her unicorn) COMICS/7A TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2015 140th Year, No. 3 One dollar WINNER OF THE 2015 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD Walden defers on speaker speculation Congressman visits ag station, hospital and Port of Morrow By JADE MCDOWELL East Oregonian Jenny Sasser, director of the ger- ontology program at Marylhurst University in Portland, guides Saturday’s “Talk about Dying” at the Vert Community Room in Pendleton. The Oregon Humanities event was one of 38 conversa- tions taking place around the state. Death. The topic often conjures dread and trepidation. A small group in Pendleton explored their feelings at Saturday morning’s “Talk about Dying.” Circled up in the Vert Club Room, they boldly revealed fears and hopes for their own deaths and observations about loved ones who have passed on. The gathering was one of 38 conversations around the state sponsored by Oregon Humanities and Cambia Health Foundation. Gerontology expert Jennifer Sasser guided the Pendleton discussion and others in Baker, La Grande, Newberg, Northwest Portland, The Dalles and Cedar Mill. Generally, she said, attendees were older, but included the entire spectrum from twenty-somethings to octogenarians in most locations, with a couple teens and a few in their 90s. Inside the Vert, the group tackled Sasser’s questions. They described the passing of important people in their lives. Some DEATH DYING AND Story and photo by KATHY ANEY Ƈ East Oregonian who died had expressed anger about being yanked too soon from the world, while others anguished each time they awoke and found themselves alive. Still others worked to wring the joy out of every remaining moment. Barbara Clark said her mother refused to die in an institution, insisting on spending her last days at a family home where “she had a three-year-old bouncing on her bed” and other family members orbiting like planets around the sun. She was ready to go, Clark said, but “she lived until she died.” Others preferred to spend their last days essentially alone, without having to be strong for loved ones. At least one person in Pendleton echoed that desire for themselves, saying, “Death is a private affair.” When considering their own inev- itable demises, most in the group were pragmatic. Octogenarian Gerry Brown described death as “no big deal.” He said he and his wife already have headstones See DEATH/8A “Human experience is a dance between living and dying.” Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.) spent a busy day in Northeast Oregon on Saturday. But no matter the topic at hand, he inevitably was asked the same question: Was he destined to be the next speaker of the House? Wa l d e n ’s name has been tossed around in the weeks since John Boehner announced his intent to resign. But on Saturday Rep. Greg Walden Walden said he didn’t think he would be Boehner’s replacement. He has voiced his support for Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan instead, but said after speaking with Ryan earlier in the week he wasn’t sure Ryan would take the job despite urging from many in the party. “I don’t know what he’s going to do,” Walden said. “I know he’s thinking about it deeply. He’s a really thoughtful guy.” On Saturday Walden used his stops in Umatilla and Morrow counties to get an update from landowners and county RI¿FLDOVRQWKH%RDUGPDQWR+HPLQJZD\ See WALDEN/8A Man reports shooting wolf while hunting By ERIC MORTENSON EO Media Group — Jenny Sasser, director of gerontology at Marylhurst University, Portland Close calls with drones spur federal registration of owners By JOAN LOWY Associated Press WASHINGTON — Concerned about rising reports of close calls and safety risks involving drones, the govern- ment announced Monday it will require many of the increasingly popular unmanned aircraft to be registered. Pilot sightings of drones have doubled since last year, including near manned airplanes and at major sporting events, and there are reports of interference with ZLOG¿UH¿JKWLQJ RSHUDWLRQV Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said at a news conference. “These reports signal a troubling trend,” said Federal Aviation Administration chief Michel Huerta. Registration AP fi le photo will increase pressure on drone RSHUDWRUV WR À\ UHVSRQVLEO\ KH The FAA now receives about said, adding, “When they don’t 100 reports a month from pilots À\VDIHO\WKH\¶OONQRZWKHUHZLOO who say they’ve seen drones be consequences.” À\LQJ QHDU SODQHV DQG DLUSRUWV compared with only a few sight- ings per month last year. So far there have been no accidents, but DJHQF\RI¿FLDOVKDYHVDLGWKH\¶UH concerned that a drone weighing only a few pounds might cause serious damage if it is sucked into an engine or smashes into an airliner’s windshield. Toys and small drones that don’t present a safety threat are likely to be exempt from the requirement. Drones that weigh See DRONE/8A A Grant County resident reported to Oregon State Police earlier this month that he shot a wolf while hunting coyotes on private property south of Prairie City. Wolves are protected throughout Oregon under the state endangered species law and under federal regulation in the western two-thirds of the state. Killing them is not allowed except in defense of human life and, for autho- rized livestock owners, when wolves are caught in the act of attacking livestock or herd dogs. State police investigated the Oct. 6 killing, recovered the wolf’s carcass and submitted a report to the Grant County GLVWULFW DWWRUQH\¶V RI¿FH IRU UHYLHZ according to an OSP news release. See WOLF/8A PENDLETON Guten time had by all DW¿UVW2NWREHUIHVW By ANTONIO SIERRA East Oregonian Staff photo by E.J. Harris Caleb Picken, 11, Art Hill, 8, and Jack DeGroftt, 7, all of Pendleton, play cornhole on Saturday during Oktoberfest Pendleton at the Round-Up Grounds. One early takeaway from WKH ¿UVW 2NWREHUIHVW 3HQG leton: Locals like beer. Organizers prepared for 400 people to come to the event at the Round-Up Grounds on Saturday and ended up with more than 1,500 before the night was over, said Tim Guenther. Guenther owns Prodigal Son Brewery & Pub and helped put on the event. Two hours into the nine- hour event, Guenther said all 12 breweries that partici- pated in Oktoberfest ran out of the original beers they had brought, forcing several runs to Hodgen Distributing for more suds. Although the event managed to avoid completely running out of beer, Guenther said that by the end of the night breweries were offering different varieties than what was originally advertised. The 500 glass steins organizers purchased for the event were sold out by early afternoon. After that, patrons had to make do with plastic cups. See GUTEN/8A