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