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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 7, 2015)
PENDLETON DOMINATES HOOD RIVER WEEKEND EDITION Orphans sing out despite painful lives LIFESTYLES 1C GIRLS BBALL/1B REGION: Bird fl u makes debut in Eastern Oregon 3A ENTERTAINMENT: Warrant to headline Umatilla County Fair 3C FEBRUARY 7-8, 2015 139th Year, No. 82 WINNER OF THE 2013 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD $*FRQVLGHUV.LW]KDEHU+D\HVLQYHVWLJDWLRQ By HILLARY BORRUD Capital Bureau More inside SALEM — Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said KHURI¿FHLVORRNLQJLQWRZKHWKHU WRODXQFKDQLQYHVWLJDWLRQRI¿UVW lady Cylvia Hayes’ private con- sulting business and Gov. John Kitzhaber’s possible involvement in securing some of those con- tracts. “Recent allegations relating to Governor Kitzhaber and Ms. Records reveal more overlap between Hayes’ private work, public policy See page 11A Kitzhaber Hayes Hayes are very serious — and troubling,” Rosenblum said in a statement emailed to the EO Media Group/Pamplin Media Group Capital Bureau Friday PRUQLQJ³0\RI¿FHLVFRQVLG ering all of our legal options to ensure that we are best serving the state.” Rosenblum issued the state- ment after Republican state lawmakers called for her to in- vestigate Kitzhaber and Hayes’ activities. News has continued to trickle out in recent months that Hayes used state resources to fur- ther her consulting business and was paid by groups with an inter- est in state policy. :LOODPHWWH:HHN¿UVWUHSRUWHG in October that Hayes was paid See INVESTIGATION/12A County’s warming stations shelter the homeless on frosty nights $1.50 Diploma GH¿FLHQF\ Alternative schools focus on completion, not just four-year graduation By JADE MCDOWELL East Oregonian Their names often include buzzwords like “opportunity,” “innovation” or “suc- cess,” but on paper most alternative schools don’t look like they’re accom- plishing any of those things. That’s because when it comes to alter- QDWLYH VFKRROV VXFFHVV LV GH¿QHG D OLWWOH differently. Hermiston and Pendleton’s alternative schools both graduated 10 percent of their senior class on time in 2014, a combined 12 students out of 131 that took classes there. That rate is in line with the state av- erage for alternative schools, though the GH¿QLWLRQ LV ORRVH DQG DSSOHVWRDSSOHV FRPSDULVRQVDUHGLI¿FXOW+HUPLVWRQ¶V,Q novative Learning Center started with 89 seniors and Pendleton’s Hawthorne Jr./Sr. High had 42. When combined with the rest of the student body, Hermiston had a 68 percent graduation rate and Pendleton was at 72 percent, with the state of Oregon also at 72 percent. Hermiston said. Burns was a former state leg- islator, representing northeast Oregon during the 1971 special legisla- tive session after being appointed to a vacant position. In 1986 Burns received the state Vol- unteer of the Year award from Governor Vic Ati- yeh. He also served on the Oregon State Board of Health and was trea- surer of the Oregon State Repub- lican Party for three years. At home Burns had an exten- sive résumé of civic engagement, including time as a Hermiston city Ryan Keefauver, principal of Herm- iston’s Innovative Learning Center, said last year’s 10 percent graduation rate isn’t quite as bleak as it seems. Yes, only eight of the school’s 81 se- niors that were still living in the district at the end of the year earned a high school diploma on time. But he said 58 percent of ILC students were “com- “It’s a pleters,” mean- ing they got a battle we’re GED or diploma continuing ZLWKLQ¿YH\HDUV of starting high to fi ght and school. That com- I think we’re pletion rate has been ticking making more steadily upward progress each year from a zero percent every year.” completion rate — Ryan Keefauver, in 2010. “It’s a battle principal of Hermiston’s Innovative Learning we’re continu- Center LQJ WR ¿JKW DQG I think we’re making more progress every year,” Keef- auver said. The completer rate will likely never reach the high school average because of the nature of the school. Included on its UROOV DUH VWXGHQWV ZLWK VLJQL¿FDQW PHQWDO disabilities learning life skills at the Kik Center and students studying online be- cause issues like poor health or acute anx- iety make sitting in a classroom every day untenable. Others enter with a record of failed classes, poor attendance and behavioral issues. Keefauver said 70 percent of ILC stu- dents transferred into the program partway through their high school career, some- times with so few credits that a regular diploma is out of reach. In those cases the ILC works to help them achieve their GED before they turn 19. In cases where graduation is still with- in reach, Keefauver said that’s where the ILC’s true successes lie: Often students re- turn to the main campus to earn a diploma there (and be counted in HHS’s graduation rate) after being told they can go back to school with their friends if their atten- dance, grades and behavior improves. Keefauver said the true dropouts who never complete a diploma or GED are often supporting themselves and possibly a child. He said they eventually get lured away by the thought of the extra money they could make if they traded school for more hours of work. “For a lot of them it comes down to ¿QDQFHVDQGWKHLPPHGLDWHQHHGRI¿QDQ cial support,” he said. See BURNS/12A See SCHOOL/12A Staff photo by E.J. Harris Volunteer Trish Rossell and Board of Directors Chair Carol Johnson help run the Hermiston Warming Station on Main Street in Hermiston. The facility offers spots for 13 guests on nights the temperature drops below freezing. Out in the cold By KATHY ANEY East Oregonian Keeping humans from freezing to death — that’s the goal. In 2011, two warming stations started operating in Umatilla Coun- ty with the notion of getting home- less people off the streets when tem- peratures drop below 32 degrees. Last year’s point-in-time homeless count reported at least 239 home- less individuals in Umatilla County. The Pendleton Warming Station opened in a city-owned house on Southeast 12th Street. The Herm- iston Warming Station recently moved into a tiny downtown store- front on East Main Street. The two unrelated facilities face similar trials and tribulations, but also have different challenges. The Pendleton shelter served 69 different homeless individuals last season in a small bi-level house near Washington School that can accommodate 20 guests. While it has no showers, guests can clean their clothes in a washer and dryer located in the basement. The warm- ing station has a pool of about 40 volunteers. Twice this season, the See SHELTER/12A Staff photo by Kathy Aney Lonnie Abbott smokes a cigarette and laughs with friends after eating a meal at the Salvation Army. He and his wife Cassie, who are homeless, sleep at the Pendle- ton Warming Station when the temperature drops be- low freezing. HERMISTON )RUPHUOHJLVODWRUORFDO¿[WXUHGLHVDW “Joe was a driving force be- hind that thing for years and years,” said Chet Pri- Hermiston lost a communi- or, who served as the W\ ¿[WXUH ZKHQ -RVHSK (GZDUG corporation’s president “Joe” Burns died at his home on after Burns eventually stepped down. Thursday at age 90. He said Burns was a Burns, who operated Burns Mortuary in Hermiston for al- “born leader” who was most 50 years, was involved in XQVHO¿VKO\ SDVVLRQDWH local and state politics throughout about helping his com- his life and was Hermiston Man munity grow. Some of his efforts — such as Burns of the Year in 1988. One of his most prominent a trip to the Wal-Mart roles in the community was as a headquarters in Arkansas to con- founding member and president vince the corporation to locate a of the Hermiston Development distribution center in Hermiston Corporation for 29 years. The — bore fruit that has had a sig- QRQSUR¿W ZRUNV WR EULQJ QHZ QL¿FDQW LPSDFW RQ +HUPLVWRQ¶V economic development and jobs growth. “He was quite a guy,” Prior to the area. By JADE MCDOWELL East Oregonian