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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (March 10, 2015)
73/47 Bunney resigns IRRIGON WINS 2ND STRAIGHT STATE TITLE REGION/3A BASKETBALL/1B TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2015 139th Year, No. 103 WINNER OF THE 2013 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD One dollar Tribes can now prosecute non-Indians for certain crimes By FELICIA FONSECA Associated Press FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — American In- dian tribes that meet certain criteria — the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation is one — now have the authority to prosecute non-Indians for a limited set of domestic violence crimes, a shift supporters hope will re- duce the high rate of violence on reser- vations. CTUIR and two other tribes in Ari- zona and Washington state have exer- cised that power for more than a year under a pilot project approved by the U.S. Department of Justice. Together, the tribes have brought more than two dozen domestic violence cases against non-Indians who live or work on their reservations, according to the National Congress of American Indians. That authority — extended Saturday to all tribes — seeks to close a gap in jurisdiction that meant many non-Indi- an suspects who committed less-serious acts of violence never were prosecuted. “On most reservations there are a KDQGIXORIEDGDFWRUVZKRKDYH¿JXUHG out how to slip between jurisdictional boundaries,” Juana Majel, chairwoman of the NCAI Task Force on Violence Against Women, said in a news release. Staff photo by E.J. Harris “They need to get the message. If they Chief Judge William Johnson presides over the courts for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Res- ervation in Mission. See TRIBES/8A Group prepares for renovation of Pendleton theater HERMISTON Electric rates raised by 11 percent By JADE MCDOWELL East Oregonian Staff photo by E.J. Harris Rivoli Restoration Coalition board member James Kindle stands underneath a scaffolding on the stage at the Rivoli The- ater on Monday in Pendleton. Rivoli restoration revs up awareness campaign, the coalition is coor- dinating the Pendleton Real West Festival April 16, 17 and 18. The festival will feature classic Westerns DQG ¿OPV PDGH E\ 1DWLYH $PHULFDQ DQG By ANTONIO SIERRA 93-year-old theater. 1RUWKZHVW¿OPPDNHUV East Oregonian 7KHGHVLJQVWDJHFRPSULVHVWKH¿UVWSKDVH Coalition member J.D. Kindle said open- of the restoration process, which Picken said ing night movies will include The Lusty After years of preparation, the effort to re- ZLOOKHOSGHWHUPLQHWKHH[DFWFRVWVRIWKH¿ Men, a 1952 Western featuring scenes shot in store Pendleton’s Rivoli Theater is ready for nal product. Pendleton, and The Winding Stream, a docu- LWV¿UVWDFW The coalition is currently estimating the mentary about the families of Johnny Cash The Rivoli Restoration Coalition recently entire project will cost $4.4 million, with the and June Carter directed by a woman based released its comprehensive plan, including ¿UVWDQGVHFRQGSKDVHFRVWLQJ out of Vancouver, Wash. initial details about a campaign to raise mon- Picken said the coalition has already spent Those movies and others will screen in H\IRUWKH¿UVWSKDVHRIWKHSURMHFW $200,000 to clear the property of asbestos, several venues throughout Pendleton — Coalition President Andrew Picken said old equipment and debris since obtaining Hamley’s Saloon, the Vert Auditorium and WKHQRQSUR¿WFRUSRUDWLRQZLOOVLJQDFRQWUDFW the building in 2010. And more cash will be Pendleton Cinema. with Opsis Architecture of Portland later needed to cover all phases of the project. this week to design a restored version of the As both a fundraising effort and a public See RIVOLI/8A 5HVWRUDWLRQFRDOLWLRQWRXVH¿OPIHVWLYDOWR boost project funds and public awareness Hermiston Energy Services customers will see an increase in their electricity bill after the city council voted Monday night to increase rates. Under the new rate schedule approved by the city council, rates will go up by an average of 11 percent for all power used after May 1. Mayor David Drotzmann said the city coun- cil does not take any rate increase lightly but felt that this one was necessary. ³,DPFRQ¿GHQWWKDWWKLVLVJRLQJWRKHOS us be sustainable and reliable for a long time,” he said. A typical residential customer, using 1,500 kilowatt hours a month, will go from paying an average of $101 a month to $112. The base charge for a residential account will go from $6.50 a month to $10.50 a month and the charge per kilowatt hour will also increase by 12.4 percent. Rates for small commercial accounts will in- crease 7.45 percent with a $16 base charge and large commercial accounts will increase 11.84 percent with a $160 a month basic charge. Hermiston Energy Services superintendent Nate Rivera said the rate increase will still give HES customers one of the lowest power rates in the state — a full 50 percent lower than Pa- FL¿F3RZHU+(6VHUYHVDERXWDFFRXQWV in Hermiston. The utility’s last rate increase was in 2003. Rivera said its operating costs have exceeded its revenues since 2011. City councilor John Kirwan said Hermiston has experienced two power outages recently and any time without power can feel like an eternity to people who depend on electricity to run things like medical equipment. “This is something that needs to happen to get that power grid up to snuff,” he said. ——— Contact Jade McDowell at jmcdowell@ea- storegonian.com or 541-564-4536. BOARDMAN Home buying incentive aims to keep workers local Six grants already awarded to new homeowners By GEORGE PLAVEN East Oregonian A program that offers $5,000 to Boardman homebuyers is gaining traction. Jill Parker, president of the non- SUR¿W%RDUGPDQ&RPPXQLW\'HYHO opment Association, said her phone is ringing with people interested in the local incentive, which was intro- duced in June 2014. The association’s Home Buy- ing Incentive Program is part of a broader effort in Boardman to cap- ture residential growth caused by in- dustry at the nearby Port of Morrow. Though port businesses now boast more than 4,000 jobs, an estimated 68 percent of those workers com- mute to Boardman, with 31 percent driving from more than 25 miles away. By offering grants to potential homebuyers, Parker said they hope to make Boardman a more attractive option to live and work. “Nothing is a better attractor than cash,” Parker said. “Thus far, it’s worked out very well for us.” So far, six households have re- ceived payments for purchasing homes in the area, and another sev- en are scheduled to close before May 30. In addition, 36 people at- tended homebuyer education classes “Nothing is a better attractor than cash. Thus far, it’s worked out very well for us.” — Jill Parker, president of the nonprofi t Boardman Community Development Association offered last year through CAPECO. Parker expects that interest will remain strong as the program builds momentum. “We just feel like we’re really starting to hit our stride,” she said. Funding for the Boardman pro- gram comes from the Columbia River Enterprise Zone, which ap- proved $100,000 on Jan. 1. The CREZ board also approved $50,000 for a similar effort in Irrigon. Homebuyers are eligible to re- FHLYH RQ D ¿UVWFRPH ¿UVW serve basis once they close on a house — so long as it is located in the Boardman ZIP code and it is their primary residence. Those thinking about buying a home can also complete a free CAPECO homebuyer education class, which will reserve their $5,000 grant for up to one year. Or, they can bypass the homebuyers class if they can provide the Boardman Commu- nity Development Association with a loan pre-approval letter, reserving See HOMEBUYERS/8A
