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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 20, 2015)
REGION Tuesday, January 20, 2015 East Oregonian BAKER CITY Black ice causes massive pile-up East Oregonian A massive early morn- ing pile-up on icy Interstate 84 near Baker City closed 160 miles of the freeway for much of Saturday as emer- gency crews responded to multiple driver injuries and two vehicles carrying hazard- ous materials. According to state police, 12 people were treated for in- juries related to the pile-up at St. Alphonsus Hospital, Bak- er City. Of those people, two were transported to other hospitals for serious injures; one to Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, and the other to St. Alphonsus Hospi- tal, Boise, Idaho. Two others were taken to Grande Ronde Hospital in La Grande for further treatment. OSP reported 26 vehicles were involved in the pile-up, with an estimated 50 to 70 ve- hicles either directly involved or trapped between crashes. The vehicles collided while traveling eastbound Photo contributed by Oregon State Police Both lanes of Interstate 84 were closed Saturday after an estimated 20 vehicles collided on the freeway near Baker City. on a patch of black ice near Milepost 318 just before 5 a.m. Saturday, according to an OSP press release. The westbound lanes opened at about 3:30 p.m., but ODOT didn’t report the until about 10:30 p.m. Eastbound travel at Pend- leton and La Grande has been reopened, while the site of the accident near Baker City still was restricted to one lane on Monday. An ODOT release states the clean-up effort may last “a few days,” and the depart- ment is asking travelers to watch for crews and equip- ment in the closed lane of the freeway near the crash site, about 33 miles east of Baker City. Two of the vehicles in- volved in the crash were car- rying hazardous materials. After hazmat crews assessed the scene, they determined there were no leaks. PENDLETON DA charges white supremacist gang members Gregory Charles Tinnell, 43, of Pendleton, also remains in the coun- ty lockup. Police arrested him Jan. 13. Roberts reported Tinnell is associated with or a member of Mauer’s gang. The By PHIL WRIGHT East Oregonian The man Pendleton police claim is the founder of a white supremacist gang pleaded not guilty last week to weapons charges. The Umatilla County District At- - rome Mauer, 30, of Pendleton, with four counts of felon in possession of show Mauer gave not guilty pleas to all charges Friday in Pendleton, and Cir- cuit Court Judge Christopher Brauer set Mauer’s bail at $40,500. District Attorney Dan Primus report- ed Mauer could face more charges. Pendleton police on Jan. 10 arrested Mauer the day after a female reported someone shot her car north of Pend- leton. The Umatilla County Sheriff’s with unlawful use of a weapon against another, unlawful discharge of a weapon Mauer Tinnell Pendleton police Chief Stuart Roberts said her information helped detectives capture Mauer, the founder of the Unit- ed Aryan Empire. Jan. 12 in Pendleton via video from the Umatilla County Jail. Mauer acted up, according to court records, and Brauer found him in contempt for disruptive and unruly behavior. The judge then slammed Mauer with 10 days in jail. a Pendleton residence the night of Nov. 23, 2014. No one was injured, but court records show there were two victims of the crimes. Steven Ray Grangood, 32, of Pendle- ton, is another gang member, according to Roberts, and he remains out of jail but faces a charge of unlawful possession of 15 in Pendleton before Brauer. Roberts also said the investigation into the Aryan gang is on-going and more arrests could come. HEPPNER Morrow Co. crowns Macy Gibbs as 2015 queen By TAMMY MALGESINI East Oregonian The kindness of a pair of Morrow County Fair & Or- egon Trail Pro Rodeo court members nearly a decade ago left a lasting impression on Macy Gibbs. Showing sheep with 4-H, Gibbs always looked forward to the fair each year. How- ever, in 2005 she got really sick. A visit by Jessica Wain- wright-Schiller, the 2005 queen, and princess Heather (Yocom) Tritt raised the spir- its of the youngster. “I had to go home ... I couldn’t show lambs and was really disappointed,” Gibbs recalled. “The queen and princess came over and signed a poster and a special They were really nice and en- couraging.” Over the years, that kind gesture has stuck with Gibbs, who is now 18. As she’s em- barking on her own journey “I want people to see why it’s important to keep agriculture alive.” — Macy Gibbs, 2015 Morrow County fair and rodeo queen Gibbs as the 2015 fair and rodeo queen, Gibbs looks forward to opportunities to make an impression on the lives of girls who may want to serve as court royalty in the future. The coronation of Gibbs was held Thursday during the Town & Country Community Awards at the Morrow Coun- ty Fairgrounds. Kristin Pow- ell, the 2013 queen, crowned Gibbs during the program. Born in Pendleton and raised in Heppner, Gibbs is the daughter of Jay and Sue Gibbs. She has two brothers, Garrett, who attends Eastern Oregon University, and Kee- gan, an eighth grader in Hep- pner. A Heppner High School senior, Gibbs has been active with 4-H, FFA and FBLA. Also, she has participated in basketball, cheer leading and golf. Gibbs and Rookie, her 9-year-old quarter horse, are gearing up for an active pa- rade and rodeo season. Gibbs is especially looking forward to meeting other royalty court members and traveling around Oregon “I really enjoy the envi- ronment of rodeos, so it will be a lot of fun,” she said. Another bonus during her reign as queen, Gibbs said, is being able to hang around with her mother. In addition to acting as the court chaper- one, Sue Gibbs competes in barrel racing. “It will be a cool bonding time for us,” the queen said. After high school, Gibbs plans to attend Oregon State University, where she will pursue a degree in agricultur- al business management. She hopes to eventually work in - tural related items. “I want people to see why it’s important to keep agri- culture alive,” Gibbs said. “It makes the world run.” ——— Contact Community Edi- tor Tammy Malgesini at tmal- gesini@eastoregonian.com or 541-564-4539 PENDLETON Pioneer Park improvements on the city council agenda East Oregonian More than two years af- ter an arson destroyed Pio- neer Park’s playground, the Pendleton City Council will consider putting leftover insurance money toward further improvements at a meeting Tuesday. A report from Donnie Cook, parks superinten- dent, states the Pioneer Park Steering Committee is re- questing the city approve the installation of a picnic shelter on the west side of the park, additional seating and landscaping for the park path and the replacement and relocation of a water fountain compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The excavation needed for the project would take place at the site of the his- toric Pioneer Cemetery. To get the required ap- proval of the state Histor- committee commissioned a ground penetrating radar study, which revealed no objects related to the ceme- tery under the park. approval, the committee will pay an archaeologist $600 a day to be on site during the excavation. If an object is found during the excava- tion, work will be forced to halt until the archaeologist can assess the object. Using money obtained from the park’s insurance company, the committee has already paid for the ra- dar study and would be on the hook for retaining an archaeologist. The cost of labor and equipment will be handled by the city’s Park and Recreation Depart- ment at an estimated cost of $13,000. Cook wrote in his re- commitment for the two to three day project could be reduced depending on the use of volunteer labor. The committee made use of volunteer labor when the park’s playground needed to be rebuilt following an in- 2012. Even after the play- ground was rebuilt, the steering committee has continued to fund improve- ments for the park. Cook’s report states addi- tions like security cameras, safety mats and ADA signs has already been installed, with more on the way. SENTIMENTAL B a ck Page 3A BRIEFLY Group promotes single-payer health care LA GRANDE — A presentation on the effect of implementing a single- payer health care system on small businesses in Oregon is planned in La Grande. Oregon Rural Action Health Care for All Oregon action team is hosting the event Wednesday at 7 a.m. at the Cook Memorial Library, 2006 Fourth St., La Grande. Lee Mercer, an executive team member of Main Street Alliance of Oregon, will talk about why some small business owners want a publicly- funded single-payer health care program. For more information, contact Jim Kreider at 541- 975-2411 or healthcare@ oregonrural.org or visit www.hcao.org. M-F chamber seeks banquet sponsors MILTON- FREEWATER — With the Milton-Freewater annual awards banquet only a month away, organizers still have sponsorships available. Table sponsorships for the Feb. 19 event are $35 plus decorations. For more information, contact Cheryl York at mfmdfrog@mfchamber. com, 541-938-5563 or visit www.mfchamber.com. Tot Time offers twice the fun PENDLETON — Colorful play things and silly music are included as Tot Time offers twice the fun during the week. Offered through Pendleton Parks & Recreation Mondays from 10:30-11:30 a.m. and Wednesdays from 1-2 p.m. at the Pendleton Recreation Center, 501 S.W. Dorion Ave. The activity time is for children not yet in school. The cost is $1 per participating child. Also available are a bouncy house, trampoline and tumbling mats. For more information, go to www. pendletonparksandrec.com or call 541-276-8100. Pumpkin seeds could be future cash crop ONTARIO (AP) — Eastern Oregon and western Idaho already produce many of the nation’s decorative pumpkins. Now an economic exploring whether the area could support production of pumpkin seeds for healthy snack foods. Kit Kamo of the Snake River Economic Development Alliance tells The Argus Observer that at least one food company is seeking a U.S. producer of pumpkin seeds. She says American retailers prefer to buy domestic foods, but most pumpkin seeds in snack foods come from China. Kamo says she met Kathie’s Kitchen, which produces the SuperSeedz brand of seasoned or Kamo says there are local farmers interested in growing the seeds, and a researcher from Oregon State University is developing a cost estimate for producing and handling them. HERMISTON Speech and debate club members win honors By JADE MCDOWELL East Oregonian Fear of public speaking is Americans’ most com- mon phobia, but two of Hermiston High School’s speech and debate club members overcame that fear to place in a state competition last weekend. Beckie Wyse placed third in novice prose read- ing and Stephen Evans Renteria placed fourth in open prose reading at the Hap Hingston Foren- University. More than 400 students from 25 different Oregon high schools com- peted in the tournament. Wyse, a high school senior, said she has plenty of experience onstage as an actress but this was the hand at speech and debate. “In drama often you’re acting with someone, so you have someone to go off of, but in speech and debate it’s all on you,” she said. For the prose reading competition Wyse read a satirical version of Little Red Riding Hood from “Politically Correct Bed- time Stories” by James Finn Gardner, making up unique voices for each of the characters. She also competed in a category called “Humorous Interp,” where she recited from memory a version of the Three Little Pigs re-imag- ined as a Shakespeare play. “That was probably the harder one, because it was a lot of words I haven’t used before,” she said. “I couldn’t ad-lib if I got off track.” She said she is glad she joined the club this year. “Speech and debate is tons of fun, but it scares people because they think they’re going to be judged,” she said. “But re- ally it’s just a warm expe- rience that teaches you to speak better.” Megan Green, Made- line Bartley and Mary Baumeister also represent- ed Hermiston in the com- petition. ——— Contact Jade McDow- ell at jmcdowell@eastore- gonian.com or 541-564- 4536. SKIN CANCER SCREENING January 23rd • 1:00 -4:00 p.m. Good Shepherd Medical Center • Conference Room #2 Hermiston, OR FREE J O U R N E Y to th e 4 0 's When: Friday, February 27th • 6-9 pm Where: Hamley’s Slickfork Saloon What: • no-host bar • hors d’oeuvres • silent auction • music by the PHS Jazz Band • dressing up optional but encouraged Cost: $40 pre-registration • $50 at-the-door Tickets: Armchair Books & Heritage Station Museum (541) 276-0012 Presented by: “Melanoma & Funny Moles ” Center for Excellence in Dermatology is proud to announce we will be hosting a FREE skin cancer screening. Dr. Robert Hopp, Board Certified Dermatologist, will be giving a presentation and will follow up with skin exams! Please call 509-735-1100 to reserve your appointment time! CENTER FOR EXCELLENCE IN DERMATOLOGY (509) 735-1100 or 1-855-525-4677 toll free
