REGION
Friday, January 16, 2015
Pot study group gets answers from state
not separate retail space for
non-marijuana items from
where it sells pot could face
an immediate shutdown. If
there are a number of minor
violations, she said, inspec-
By PHIL WRIGHT
East Oregonian
Umatilla County’s Med-
ical Marijuana Committee
learned some lessons Thurs-
day on how Oregon operates
its dispensary program as it
begins to consider restrictions
it could put in place when the
shops are allowed to reopen.
Erin Kennedy, one of Ore-
gon’s three medical marijua-
na dispensary inspectors, and
Pete Edlund, a policy analyst
with the dispensary program,
answered questions that have
swirled in county meetings
for months.
Security and inspection
issues dominated the conver-
sation. When do inspections
take place? How frequently
do inspectors check dispensa-
ries? Can a felon work there?
Kennedy said there are
plenty of cardholders: 69,865
statewide as of Jan. 1, accord-
ing to the Oregon Medical
Marijuana Program’s online
statistics, and 618 card hold-
ers in Umatilla County alone.
The state also has approved
213 dispensaries. (The web-
site still shows the Releaf
Center operating outside
Hermiston, but that dispensa-
ry is closed.)
Dispensaries use an FBI
criminal background check
on owners, Kennedy said,
problems rather than “bring-
ing the hammer down.”
So far, Kennedy said, the
health authority has revoked
three dispensary permits and
three more revocations are
pending.
Kennedy said plenty of
communities are asking the
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
A medical marijuana patient lights a bowl of marijua-
na in March 2014 in Hermiston. The Umatilla County
Medical Marijuana Committee met over the phone
with representatives of the Oregon Health Authority to
discuss the state’s medical marijuana program Thurs-
day in Pendleton.
and convictions of certain
drug crimes ban some peo-
ple from opening a business.
But she said there is no state
requirement to check em-
ployees. Undersheriff Jim
-
ney Dan Primus both pressed
Kennedy with questions on
the topic.
Dispensaries cannot oper-
ate in residential zones, she
said, and must be more than
1,000 feet from a school.
Once the state gives the OK
-
spection happens within six
months.
“The mandatory inspec-
tions are once a year,” she
said. “We personally feel that
is too infrequent.”
The program also gives
no notice of when an inspec-
tor will come knocking, she
said, and everything is up
for inspection: proper instal-
lation of security cameras,
bookkeeping, testing for pot’s
potency, or presence of pesti-
cides, mold and mildew.
dictate consequences, she
said. The state would give a
dispensary 10 days to make
sure its testing documenta-
tion, for example, was in or-
der. But a business that does
out what works best, such
as limiting operating hours
for dispensaries or tightening
zoning regulations.
That is also the direction
the Umatilla County commit-
tee is heading. Tamra Mab-
bott, the committee chair-
woman and county planning
director, gave the group some
proposals she worked up,
including allowing the dis-
pensaries only in commer-
cial and industrial zones and
requiring growth facilities to
have conditional use permits.
The group plans to meet next
on Feb. 11 and Mabbott said
the goal is to have land use
standards in place. The rest of
the committee agreed.
———
Contact Phil Wright at
pwright@eastoregonian.com
or 541-966-0833.
MISSION
ArtWORKz opens fourth annual youth show
East Oregonian
Sculpture, painting, draw-
ing, printmaking, glass, mixed
media, photography digital
art and traditional tribal work
are featured in a youth art
competition and show.
The ArtWORKz 2015 ex-
hibition opens Friday, Jan. 23
at Tamástslikt Cultural Insti-
tute. Located near Wildhorse
Resort & Casino, the muse-
um gallery is open Mondays
through Saturdays from 10
a.m. to 5 p.m.
In its fourth year, Art-
WORKz features the artistic
endeavors of youths under the
age of 19 from throughout the
region. Both individual and
collaborative projects will be
on display.
“This art show and com-
petition has grown every year
and the caliber of art is incred-
ible,” said Randall Melton,
collections curator. “Young
artists are excited to display
their artwork in a true gallery
Photo contributed by Tamastslikt Cultural Institute
Alexis Sharpe received the Best Emerging Artist award
with her drawing of Mountain Man in the ArtWORKz
2014 youth art competition. The 2015 show opens Fri-
day, Jan. 23 at Tamastslikt Cultural Institute in Mission.
setting.”
The competition is divided
into three age categories: 10
and under, 11-14 and 15-18.
It is being judged by recog-
nized professional artists and
is based on artistry, creative
vision, technical merit and
presentation. Young artists are
competing for grand prizes,
awards of excellence, awards
of merit, honorable mentions
and best emerging artist. In
addition, an Artist’s Choice
award will be a new form of
recognition determined by the
participants themselves.
Prizes will be announced
during an awards reception
Saturday, Feb. 14 at 1 p.m.
The event is free and open to
the public.
Regular admission to the
museum, which is good for
two consecutive days, is $10
for adults, $9 for seniors, $6
for youths ages 6-17, free for
ages 5 and under or $25 for
a family of four. There’s no
charge for First Fridays. Also,
many area libraries have fam-
ily passes that can be checked
out and Tamástslikt is a Blue
Star Museum, admitting fam-
ilies of active military free of
charge all year long.
For more information,
contact Melton at 541-429-
7720,
randall.melton@ta-
mastslikt.org or visit www.
tamastslikt.org.
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
FRIDAY, JAN. 16
PENDLETON MASTERS SWIM
CLUB, 5-6 p.m., Roundup Athletic
Club pool, 1415 Southgate, Pend-
leton. Fees are $5 per session
coaching fee; non-RAC members
pay $8 pool fee per session. (Tania
Wildbill 541-310-9102).
PENDLETON EAGLES LADIES
AUXILIARY KITCHEN, 6-8 p.m.,
Pendleton Eagles Lodge No. 28,
428 S. Main St., Pendleton. (541-
278-2828).
COLUMBIA GRANGE, 6:30 p.m.
potluck; 7:30 p.m. meeting, at The
Hall, 32339 Diagonal Blvd., Herm-
iston.
SATURDAY, JAN. 17
WHITE EAGLE GRANGE POT-
LUCK AND MEETING, 5:30 p.m.,
grange hall between Pendleton
and Pilot Rock on Highway 395.
Public welcome. (Gail Wilson 541-
276-3778).
PENDLETON EAGLES STEAK
AND LIVE MUSIC, 6-8 p.m. dinner,
music 8 p.m. to midnight, Pendle-
ton Eagles Lodge No. 28, 428 S.
Main St., Pendleton. Open to mem-
bers and guests. (541-278-2828).
SUNDAY, JAN. 18
HERMISTON EAGLES BREAK-
FAST, 8-11 a.m., 160 N.W. Second
St. Members and guests welcome.
PENDLETON EAGLES BREAK-
FAST, 9 a.m. to noon, Pendleton
Eagles Lodge #28, 428 S. Main St.,
Pendleton. Open to members and
guests. (541-278-2828).
MONDAY, JAN. 19
BLUE MOUNTAIN PIECEMAK-
ERS, 12 noon, Thimbles Fabric-
HERMISTON TEEN LIBRARY
ADVISORY COUNCIL, 4-5 p.m.,
(Steve Fisher 541-276-1509).
BLOOMER GIRLS GARDEN
CLUB, 7 p.m., meeting site varies,
No. 154, 6:45 a.m., Pendleton City
Hall community room, 501 S.W.
Emigrant Ave. (toastmasterdarle-
nesue@gmail.com).
TOPS CHAPTER OR 1110,
8 a.m. weigh-in, meeting starts
at 8:45 a.m., Missionary Baptist
Church, 125 E. Beech St., Hermis-
ton. (Margaret Wetterling 541-720-
0276).
BIBLE STUDY, 10 a.m., First
United Methodist Church, 352 S.E.
Second St., Pendleton. (Sandy
Kimbrow 541-276-2616).
downstairs Hermiston Public Li-
brary, 235 E. Gladys Ave.
Hermiston. (Marge Timmons 541-
567-4069).
INLAND NORTHWEST MUSI-
CIANS CHORALE, 7 p.m., Harris Jr.
Academy gym, 3121 S.W. Hailey
Ave., Pendleton. (Teresa Best 541-
289-4696).
OREGON EAST SYMPHONY
CHORALE, 7 p.m., Pendleton High
School band room, 1800 N.W.
Carden Ave., Pendleton. Rehears-
al CDs and scores are available at
S.W. Fourth St., Pendleton. (541-
276-0320).
OREGON TRAIL GEM & MINER-
AL SOCIETY, 6 p.m., First Church of
God, 712 S.W. 27th St., Pendleton.
TUESDAY, JAN. 20
PENDLETON TOASTMASTERS
11:45 a.m., Desert Lanes, 1545 N.
First St., Hermiston. No-host lunch.
All women welcome. (541-567-
0006).
PENDLETON
TOASTMAS-
TERS, 12 noon, Roosters Restau-
rant, 1515 Southgate. (Jim Mar-
quardt 541-969-4845).
East Oregonian
Page 3A
BRIEFLY
White Eagle
Grange offers
monthly dinner
PENDLETON — The
White Eagle Grange will
add a monthly dinner to its
twice-monthly fundraising
breakfasts.
The dinners will be
served on the second
Saturday of each month,
beginning Feb. 14, from
5:30-7:30 p.m. at White
Eagle Grange, 43828 White
Eagle Road, located 11
miles south of Pendleton
off Highway 395 between
Pendleton and Pilot Rock.
The Saturday breakfast
is this weekend from
6-10 a.m. The suggested
donation is $7 for ages 8
and older, $4 for ages 5-7
and free for under 5. Bring
two items of non-perishable
food to donate and receive
$1 off the cost of breakfast.
The menu includes
pancakes, French toast,
ham, sausage, hash browns,
eggs, ham & cheese omelet,
biscuits & gravy, and
beverages.
Also, the grange is
accepting donations for its
Words for Thirds program,
which provides dictionaries
to area third graders.
For more information,
contact Gail Wilson at 541-
276-3778 or g.wilson@q.
com.
Cay-Uma-Wa
Toastmasters host
open house
PENDLETON — Cay-
Uma-Wa Toastmasters will
host an open house from
noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday,
Jan. 21 in the Birch Room
of Wildhorse Towers Hotel
at Wildhorse Resort &
Casino.
Guests are invited to ob-
serve a regular Toastmasters
meeting, including prepared
speeches and Table Topics,
where members and visitors
alike are selected at random
to speak for one to two
minutes. The theme will be
“New Year’s Resolutions.”
Snacks and drinks will
also be provided. For more
information, email Leigh
Pinkham-Johnston at
LeighPinkham-Johnston@
ctuir.org.
regional musicians
PENDLETON — A
local eight-piece band will
Wine & Coffee Co.
Brass Fire’s unique
sound provides a listening
experience featuring jazz,
blues and jazz/rock. The
free event is Wednesday
from 7-8:30 p.m. at 403
S. Main St., Pendleton.
There’s no cover charge for
the all-ages show.
Brass Fire Band includes
Jill Scanlan, a music teacher
in the Pendleton School
District, Paul Dunsmoor,
the Hermiston High School
band director, and Josh Rist,
the HHS choir director.
Rounding out the band are
local professionals.
For more information,
gmail.com. To listen
to a 2013 demo, visit
www.youtube.com/
watch?v=B0EUYPnNiJo
Class focuses on
make-ahead meals
PENDLETON —
Crockpot meals is the
focus of an upcoming class
offered through Pendleton
Parks & Recreation.
As part of the Back To
Basics Series, participants
can plan meals ahead
of time. The session is
Wednesday, Jan. 28 from
6:30-8:30 p.m. in the
Foundation Room at the
Pendleton Recreation
Center, 500 S.W. Dorion
Ave. It’s open to ages 16
and up.
The $49 fee, which
includes all ingredients to
create four meals feeding
approximately four persons
each, is due by Wednesday,
Jan. 21.
To register, go to www.
pendletonparksandrec.com
865 Tutuilla Road. For
more information, call 541-
276-8100.
Presentation
includes free skin
cancer screening
HERMISTON — A
presentation and free skin
cancer screenings will be
dermatologist.
Melanoma & Funny
Moles is the topic of a free
presentation by Dr. Robert
Hopp. The event is Friday,
Jan. 23 from 1-4 p.m. at
Good Shepherd Medical
Center, 610 N.W. 11th St.,
Hermiston.
To reserve a free
appointment time, call 509-
735-1100 or 855-525-4677.
History program
highlights railroad
TROUTDALE — The
Oregon Historical Railroads
Project is the topic of
discussion at an Oregon
Encyclopedia History Night
event.
Edward J. Kamholz,
a forest historian and
author, will make the free
presentation Tuesday,
Jan 27 at 6:30 p.m. at
2126 S.W. Halsey St.,
Troutdale. The discussion
highlights the historical
survey of Oregon’s private,
public, urban and interurban
railroads.
For more information,
call 503-669-8610 or visit
www.mcmenamins.com/
history.
GREENFIELD GRANGE PI-
NOCHLE, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Green-
(Jane Dean 541-481-5223).
GREATER HERMISTON AREA
REPUBLICAN WOMEN’S CLUB,
His Way of
Hope Series
Every Saturday,
Sunday, Wednesday,
and Friday @ 6:30 pm
MIKE SHORT
Loan Officer
Seventh-Day Adventist Church
855 W. Highland Ave.
Hermiston, OR.
For Info call (541) 567-9000
N-More, 1849 Westgate Place,
Pendleton.
PENDLETON ROTARY, 12
noon, Pendleton Elks Lodge, 14
S.E. Third St.
SUBMIT
COMMUNITY NEWS
Submit information to:
community@eastorego-
nian.com or drop off to
the attention of Tammy
Malgesini at 333 E. Main
St., Hermiston or Renee
Struthers at 211 S.E.
Byers Ave., Pendleton. Call
541-564-4539 or 541-966-
0818 with questions.
Term Loans. Lines of Credit. Ag & Commercial Real Estate Loans.
202 SE Dorion, Ste. #102 • 541-276-6509 • beobank.com