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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 15, 2020)
STATE 6A — THE OBSERVER O REGON IN B RIEF Oregon State police looking for bighorn sheep poacher TROY — Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife troopers are asking for the public’s assistance in fi nding whoever shot and killed a bighorn sheep ram in Wallowa County. The illegal kill took place the week of Jan. 27 near Troy, state police reported. The preliminary investi- gation revealed someone poached the ram on the Wenaha Wildlife Area along the road leading to the feed site. The ram was fi tted with a telemetry collar and an ear tag, according to state police, and the collar and severed ear were the only items at the scene. OSP asked anyone who may have information that will help identify a suspect or suspects to call the Turn In Poachers (TIP) line at 800-452-7888, *677 or Sgt. Chris Hawkins at 541-963- 7575 ext. 4670. The TIP program offers preference point rewards for information leading to an arrest or issuance of a citation for poaching or waste of big game mam- mals. The program also offers cash rewards for information leading to an arrest or issuance of a cita- tion for poaching or waste of bighorn sheep, Rocky Mountain goat and other animals, including moose, wolves and waterfowl. Merkley in Elgin, Baker City, Lostine next week WASHINGTON — U.S Sen. Jeff Merkley next week will hold town hall meetings throughout Oregon, including in Elgin, Lostine and Baker City. Merkley during the town halls will update constituents on his work in Washing- ton, D.C., and answer their questions and Merkley invite their suggestions about how to tackle the challenges facing Oregon and the United States. Merkley will be in Baker City at 4:30 p.m. Thursday at the Community Con- nection-Baker, Main Hall, 2810 Cedar St. The Wallowa County town hall is Friday at 8:30 a.m. at the South Fork Grange, 307 Rosewell St., Lostine. The Union County town hall is Friday at 11:30 a.m. at the Elgin Community Cen- ter, 260 N. 10th St., Elgin. Since joining the Senate in 2009, Merkley has held a town hall in each of Oregon’s 36 counties every year. These town halls will be his 409th, 410th, 411th, 412th, 413th, 414th, 415th, 416th, and 417th as a U.S. Senator. From Elgin, Merkley will depart to Pendleton for a Umatilla County town hall and continue west, wrap- ping up the tour in Albany and Eugene. collars on 40 elk to monitor their movements over two years, and then combine that data with information from a grid of 119 trail cameras. The fi ndings will be used to map seasonal ranges, movement routes and stopover areas, according to the Interior Department. Other states that re- ceived grants are Arizona, California, Colorado, Mon- tana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. Concordia University students protest announced closure PORTLAND — Concordia University students walked out of their classes Thursday in protest of the Board of Regents’ recent decision to close the 115-year-old insti- tution this year. The private Lutheran university’s board voted last Friday to cease opera- tions and sell Concordia’s 24-acre campus in North- east Portland. Concordia enrolls about 5,700 students, but sources estimate only about 1,200 of them attend classes on cam- pus. Most of the students study remotely through Concordia’s online classes. Students spoke on campus Thursday morning outside the president’s resi- dence holding signs asking Where did my money go?,” “Almost graduated” and “CU in court,” The Orego- nian/OregonLive reported. On a poster calling for the walkout, students outlined a list of demands targeted at the Board of Regents: clear fi nancial records, questions answered regarding the sudden closure, and a sup- port plan for students, staff, faculty and the surrounding community. On Wednesday, school offi cials notifi ed the state that the closure will elimi- nate 1,518 jobs. It’s unclear how many of those posi- tions are full-time. Portland man found guilty of stabbing father to death PORTLAND — In De- cember 2017, a Portland man knocked at the door of a pub and collapsed, bleed- ing from a stab wound in his back. In his last few moments, court documents say, Brian Nees told police offi cers as they arrived that his son had stabbed him. Tyler Nees was convicted Thursday of murdering his father. A jury unanimously found Nees guilty of mur- der constituting domestic violence and unlawful use of a weapon. KOIN News reported that in closing arguments, Tyler Nees told the judge that his brother killed their father. But documents show that DNA evidence, as well as 911 calls, pointed to Tyler Nees. Nees acted as his own attorney, had previ- ously had several attorneys in the case and threatened to kill one of them. Brown honors citizen-soldiers By Alex Castle EO Media Group PENDLETON — National Guard soldiers from Pendleton’s 1st Bat- talion, 168th Aviation of the Oregon Army National Guard were on a stan- dard training mission when the news fi rst broke of rising fl oodwaters along the Umatilla River last Thursday. The crew was told to go recon in an area over the river when they wit- nessed the disaster that was unfolding on the ground. “Once you get up there and realize how much devastation and damage there was, you see that it’s pretty sig- nifi cant,” Chief Warrant Offi cer 3 Ray Talkington said Friday. After seeing the devastation below, the crew went into rescue mode for the next four days as fl oodwaters left people stranded throughout Uma- tilla County. Between Feb. 6-9, three helicopters from the Oregon Army National Guard rescued 54 people, 10 dogs, one cat and one rabbit from fl oods. “These Oregon National Guard Members took part in the largest search and rescue operation in Or- egon’s history,” said Stephen Bomar, director of public affairs with the Oregon Military Department. “They did an amazing job supporting the community and saving lives.” Gov. Kate Brown landed at the Pendleton National Guard Aviation Facility Friday morning and promptly presented Talkington and fi ve others based in Pendleton the Oregon Meri- torious Service Medal. Three others were also presented with Oregon Commendation Medals. “It’s always nice to get a pat on the back,” Staff Sgt. Steven Kirkpatrick said. The meritorious medals are awarded to those who show outstand- ing individual performance in sup- port of the state of Oregon, while the commendation medals are awarded to those who provide an act or series of acts in support of the Oregon Army National Guard. A Clark County Superior Court jury on Thursday convicted Ryan Burge of killing his girlfriend’s 5-year-old daughter while babysitting. Jurors found Burge guilty of second-degree murder and manslaughter, The Columbian reported. The jury also determined that Burge was guilty of factors that made his crime particularly egregious, in- cluding that the victim was vulnerable and he betrayed a position of trust. — Observer staff and wire reports. Ben Lonergan/EO Media Group Oregon Gov. Kate Brown speaks Friday morning with members of the 1st Battalion, 168th Aviation of the Oregon Army National Guard during a medal ceremony at the Oregon National Guard Aviation Support Facility in Pendleton. Talkington’s performance during last week’s rescues wasn’t just for the state of Oregon though — it was for the community he was raised in. “Being able to go out and help the community you live in is nice,” he said. “It’s very rewarding. That’s the part we look forward to, not the recognition of what we get doing these interviews or getting these awards. Being able to go out and help people, that’s the important part.” Kirkpatrick, who also received a meritorious medal Friday and grew up in Pendleton, was proud of how he and the rest of the crew were able to respond when they were needed most. “You always want to be there, and that’s what we’re here for,” he said. “A life is a life. There’s not one better than the other.” Though successful, the rescue mis- sions weren’t easy. A combination of windy weather, trees, wires and the waters constantly encroaching on any viable landing spots for the crew’s helicopter made Talkington’s job as pilot even more challenging. “That was the hardest part, to actually fi nd somewhere to land,” Talkington said. “It’s not the smallest helicopter in the world.” While Talkington and Chief War- rant Offi cer 2 Jeremiah Williams, an- other pilot, managed to fi nd landing lo- cations on their initial trips, the rising waters kept changing the landscape as some areas became covered in water and others became a muddy mess. “Every spot you go to and every time you go there is different,” Talkington said. During other trips, such as those to Thorn Hollow where two men were trapped on a roof the fi rst night of the fl oods, the crew had to be wary of blow- ing them off and causing more harm. Ultimately, Talkington credited the mission’s success to the com- munication and collaboration of the crew, which was made easier by their familiarity with one another. Talking- ton said he’s known both Williams and Kirkpatrick for more than 15 years. “That’s what really matters and helps in times like this,” Talkington said. Arlington-based landfill took 2 million pounds of radioactive fracking waste The Associated Press ARLINGTON — A chemi- cal waste landfi ll near the Columbia River in Oregon accepted hundreds of tons of radioactive fracking waste from North Dakota in violation of Oregon regula- tions that has alarmed environmental advocates. But the company won’t be fi ned because state offi cials believe landfi ll operators misunderstood state guide- lines, authorities said. The Oregonian/Oregon- Live reported that Oregon Department of Energy of- fi cials on Thursday issued a violation notice to Chemical Waste Management for its landfi ll near the small town of Arlington for accepting a total of 2 million pounds of Bakken oil fi eld waste de- livered by rail in 2016, 2017 and 2019. Arlington is about 140 miles east of Portland. With landfi ll offi cials’ permission, a Montana company dumped the waste, some of which registered ra- dium at 300 times the state’s limits. On average, the waste dumped at the landfi ll about eight miles from the Colum- bia River registered radium at 140 picocuries per gram, according to Jeff Burright, a state nuclear waste remedia- tion specialist. Picocuries are a measure of radioactivity and the state’s maximum level for waste stored at the landfi ll is 5 picocuries. The state’s Energy Department regulators said the landfi ll won’t be fi ned for accepting the radioactive waste because offi cials be- lieve landfi ll operators were unaware of the violations. Environmental advocates plan to pressure state leaders to determine how Oregon became “a fracking dumping ground,” said Dan Serres, conservation director of the Columbia Riverkeeper group that lobbies to protect the river and its water quality. “The big question now is what happens to this waste that has been illegally dumped in Oregon. Do they have to clean up this mess they created by accepting this waste from North Da- kota?” Serres said. “The level and scale of this infraction is alarming and galling.” Ken Niles, the state en- ergy department’s assistant director for nuclear safety, said the agency can only fi ne companies — ranging from $60 to $500 a day — under certain circumstances. “That could change if something were to change in our knowledge,” Niles said. “But the company has been taking this very seriously. They have been very coop- erative and want to do the right thing.” Regulators said they determined the biggest risks would be if the waste were ingested or inhaled, if people faced direct exposure or if it emitted radon. Burright said the state does not believe those issues are a risk because of how the waste is stored. Burright said landfi ll workers avoided direct exposure. Audit shows state tourism agency has deficiencies that need addressing By Claire Withycombe Oregon Capital Bureau Man found guilty in Idaho, other western death of Vancouver states to study big 5-year-old girl game rangeland VANCOUVER, Wash. — BOISE, Idaho — Idaho has been awarded a grant to study how elk herds move through a northern Idaho migration corridor also used by grizzly bears and wolverines. The grant, announced by the U.S. Department of the Interior on Friday, is part of $3.2 million in funding for big game rangeland studies in 11 western states. Idaho’s research will focus on the McArthur Lake area, which serves as a link between the Selkirk and Cabinet mountains used by grizzly bears, wolverine and elk. Scientists will put GPS SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2020 SALEM — The semi-independent Oregon agency overseeing tourism initiatives should be more transparent about managers’ pay and strengthen controls on contracting, Secretary of State Bev Clarno said in an audit report Thursday. The Oregon Tourism Commission — also known as Travel Oregon — is a small agency that is supposed to help boost Oregon’s $11.8 billion tour- ism industry. While Travel Oregon is subject to government ethics and public records and meetings laws, it is exempt from some laws that govern public spending and pay. “Travel Oregon is not subject to many of the existing mechanisms that provide oversight, transparency, and accountability for taxpayer dollars,” auditors wrote. “With continuous fund- ing, autonomy, and exemption from some state laws, it is therefore even more important for Travel Oregon to be independently transparent and accountable about its use of taxpayer dollars to ensure appropriate steward- ship of public funds.” The agency’s budget has tripled in the past decade, due in part to an increase in the lodging tax in 2016. That’s where the agency gets its revenue. Oregon, at about $32 million per year, now has the eighth-largest state tour- ism budget in the country and ranks sixth among state governments spend- ing on tourism per capita. The agency could seek more competitive pricing for services such as marketing, the auditors wrote. About half of the agency’s two- year budget goes toward marketing. Auditors looked at 77 contracts the agency entered between 2017 and 2019, fi nding Travel Oregon has “suffi cient” procedures to oversee contracts. But some vendors didn’t issue invoices that had the level of detail the contracts re- quired, and in two cases vendors sought reimbursement for travel expenses their contracts did not not allow. Auditors also pointed to manage- ment salaries, fi nding managers at Travel Oregon “are some of the high- est compensated managers” compared to managers at state agencies who “oversee more expansive and complex budgets; manage large numbers of em- ployees and contractors; and perform many diverse, technical and critical government services, including es- sential public health and public safety responsibilities.” Executive salaries at Travel Oregon have increased 76% since 2012. Its CEO, Todd Davidson, received gross pay of about $31,000 a month as of June 2019. “While the Oregon Tourism Com- mission has the freedom to set the CEO’s compensation and the CEO to set the employees’ compensation, the agency should take steps to ensure it is accountable to taxpayers for how it decides to compensate staff with public monies,” auditors wrote.