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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (June 13, 2015)
Page 12A OFF PAGE ONE East Oregonian MARIJUANA: Measure 91 won’t prohibit businesses from screening for marijuana Continued from 1A According to a 2014 survey by the Pendleton Chamber of Commerce, Keystone employees 565 people, second to only the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation as a source of jobs. Many of the 1,612 employees of CTUIR work for the Wildhorse Resort and Casino, which recently changed its policy to allow the hiring of workers who test positive for marijuana. Citing the length of time marijuana stays in a person’s system and the high percentage of workers that come from off the reserva- tion, Wildhorse CEO Gary George told the Confeder- ated Umatilla Journal that marijuana will no longer be a drug that prohibits a candi- date from getting a job at the resort and casino. This development comes as a surprise considering the tribal government’s steadfast ban on marijuana on the reservation. George wrote in an email to the CUJ that managers could test employees they suspected were high on marijuana, similar to the way they would test employees that were under suspicion for being drunk. “Personally, I don’t see any difference between marijuana and alcohol,” he wrote. “Except for Wildhorse and the Coyote Business Park, alcohol is illegal on the Umatilla Indian Reservation. At the present, marijuana illegal on the Umatilla Indian Reservation.” Although Wildhorse’s location on tribal land differentiates it from Keystone, all employers will be faced with internal policy questions as marijuana laws come into effect. Charlie Burr, the spokesman for the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industry, said Measure 91 VSHFL¿FDOO\ VWDWHV WKH OHJDO- ization of marijuana won’t prohibit businesses from screening for marijuana. Burr said the bureau recommends businesses adopt an explicit, written drug policy to prevent discriminatory practices. ——— Contact Antonio Sierra at asierra@eastoregonian.com. TESTING: Highest opt-out rates were in the Portland area Continued from 1A didn’t happen. Education is a state responsibility, Hansell said, not a federal one, and the federal government needs to let Oregon make changes to its system if it wants to see better results. “I don’t want to be held hostage to an education policy because the federal govern- ment threatens to withhold some money,” he said. “That doesn’t seem right to me.” School report card data shows schools where the opt-out rate is the highest are mostly concentrated in the Portland area. Umatilla and Morrow county schools’ participation rates were all over 95 percent in 2013-2014. Laura Miltenberger, assessment coordinator for Pendleton School District, said 10 students opted out across the entire district this year. She said she didn’t know how the new legislation would affect the district’s rates, but she did know that the district works hard to have plenty of public forums and other opportunities to educate parents about the Smarter Balanced test. “I think there were some parents who were thinking about opting out but changed their minds after we answered some of their concerns,” she said. Miltenberger said it helps when parents understand that data from the tests is used to pinpoint where instruction needs to be improved and to measure if changes in curric- ulum are effective. The larger the sample size, the more accurate the picture. Pendleton just wrapped XS LWV ¿UVW \HDU RI 6PDUWHU Balanced tests, and Milten- berger said most of the students she interviewed said they actually liked the test better than the old Oregon Assessment of Knowledge and Skills. It was longer, true, but they found the open-ended ques- tions more interesting than ¿OOLQJLQEXEEOHVDQGVDLGWKH\ liked the idea that they might get partial credit for an essay question where they didn’t know the exact answer. “They felt more successful, and more engaged,” she said. Raymon Smith, super- intendent of Echo School District, said his district had only one student not take the state tests this year, and that was for medical reasons. He said even though the district doesn’t fully agree with everything to do with the Smarter Balanced test, it administered the test as required by law, “under- standing that tests come and go.” Parents opting their chil- dren out isn’t the problem so much as how a child’s performance on a single test is used by the government to punish or reward schools and teachers, he said. “Who else in their job is evaluated on one thing a year?” Smith asked, comparing it to a journalist whose annual review is based on a single article. “Maybe something happened that day. Maybe mom and dad had a ¿JKW ODVW QLJKW RU WKH\ ORVW D grandparent the week before. It’s hard for a third grader to concentrate after that.” Next year, they might not have to. House Bill 2655 passed both the Senate and the House, with yes votes from Hansell, Rep. Greg Smith (R-Heppner) and Rep. Greg Barreto (R-Cove). It now heads to the governor’s desk. Saturday, June 13, 2015 BMCC: Got job with KUMA 60 days after starting college Continued from 1A ment with a special degree of his own to commemorate his remarkable achieve- ments.” The honor rendered the normally silver-tongued broadcaster somewhat speechless. “I’m still in shock,” he said at a reception after the ceremony. President Preus told the McRae Activity Center crowd that Thurman had taken what he learned at BMCC and carved out a successful broadcasting career. “From our point of view, he absolutely earned the diploma,” Preus said. During his speech, Thurman said he scored a job with KUMA 60 days after starting college. In 1981, he dropped all but his radio classes. He eventually left college to concentrate on his career. BMCC instructor Blaine Hanks mentored the young radio personality and the two co-hosted “The Big Band Show” weekly for 30 years. Hanks advised Thurman to stand out from others by having a gimmick or being different in some way. Thurman responded by creating his “Rodeo Sports chairs the BMCC Board of Education. Over his 35 years in the On Friday evening, Blue Mountain Community industry, the broadcaster College awarded degrees to 440 graduates — the earned some awards. school’s biggest graduating class ever. The graduates In 2000, Professional came from Oregon, California, Idaho, Nevada, North Bull Riders presented Dakota and Washington. Fifteen are veterans, and 125 Thurman with the George students graduated with honors. Michael Media Award for Despite the large graduating class, however, student his coverage of the PBR numbers are on a downward swing. Enrollment at Blue Tour. In 2006, he received Mountain Community College and other community the Professional Rodeo FROOHJHVDURXQGWKHQDWLRQHEEHGDQGÀRZHGZLWKWKH Cowboys Association’s economy, booming as unemployment rose and people Broadcast Journalism Award enrolled to update skills and falling as they left to rejoin for coverage of PRCA the workforce when the economy rebounded. Rodeo. In 2014, “Coffee “We had quite an increase in enrollment during the Hour” was named “Best recession,” said BMCC President Camille Preus. “Now, Radio Show” by the Oregon we’re receding from that.” Association of Broadcasters. Blue Mountain experienced an enrollment peak in Thurman credited BMCC 2010. The number of full-time equivalent students in for opening the door. 2010 numbered 880 compared with 710 for winter of “I wouldn’t be standing 2015. The actual headcount is much larger for both here today without this years, tabulating pure numbers of full- and part-time, college,” he said. credited and uncredited students. The headcount for Although BMCC’s 2012/13 (the most recent provided by the state) was broadcasting program shut- 9,258, down from the 2009/10 high of 10,823. tered in the early 1990s and Hanks died in 2013 at the Update,” a roundup of news station into a news-talk age 86, Thurman’s former from professional rodeo. He format and launched “Coffee mentor was still on his mind went out on his own in 1991 Hour.” In 2014, Thurman after the ceremony. With his degree in hand to do the syndicated show, became operations manager. which aired on 200 radio Thurman recalled that after several decades away stations around the nation. RQHRIKLV¿UVWLQWHUYLHZVDVD from school, Thurman Early on, Thurman practiced young broadcaster happened told Preus another wish he his interviewing skills with after a high-speed chase of ZDQWHGWRKDYHIXO¿OOHG “I wish Blaine was still BMCC rodeo contestants. two escaped convicts in a In 2004, Thurman stolen car. The chase ended here to see this,” he said. ——— returned to KUMA, now outside the KUMA studios. Contact Kathy Aney at owned by the Capps Broad- Thurman walked outside cast Group. As program and interviewed then-Police kaney@eastoregonian.com director, he revamped the Chief Ed Taber, who now or call 541-966-0810. 2015 yields largest class yet FIRE: )RXUSURMHFWVEHQH¿WVDJHJURXVHFRVWDFRPELQHG0 California. The project there aims to red-cockaded woodpecker. restore sagebrush and native The projects are part of perennial grass and forbs by the Interior Department’s controlling juniper expan- Wildland Fire Resilient sion. Among the participants Landscapes Program are the U.S. Fish and Wild- intended to unite federal life Service, U.S. Bureau agencies, tribes, states of Land Management, and other groups to create Summit Lake Paiute Tribe, ¿UHUHVLOLHQW ODQGVFDSHV county agencies, private The projects also are in line landowners, hunting and with Jewell’s secretarial conservation groups, and order in January requiring universities. projects include multiple Four projects on the list jurisdictions collaborating EHQH¿W JUHDWHU VDJH JURXVH on a large scale. and cost a combined $7.3 Of the $10 million, about million. The wide-ranging $4 million is designated for bird found in 11 states is the Greater Shelton Hart under consideration for Mountain project located federal protection, and in Oregon, Nevada and another giant habitat-con- Continued from 1A VXPLQJ¿UHFRXOGIDFWRULQWR the decision. Experts say an endangered-species listing could damage Western states’ economies. John Freemuth, a Boise State University professor and a public lands expert, VDLGWKHOLVWUHÀHFWV-HZHOO¶V business background and SHQFKDQW IRU WU\LQJ WR ¿QG ways to get things accom- plished despite differences among participants. “To me, the message is, ‘Sage grouse is the biggest issue right now, but we understand and know that there are issues in other places,” Freemuth said. One of those is the Santa Clara Pueblo project in New Mexico where $400,000 is being spent to restore the QDWXUDOIUHTXHQF\RI¿UHRQ mesa top lands to protect ancient cliff dwellings and traditional food sources. The Bureau of Indian Affairs is the lead agency on that project. Another is in California, where $89,000 is being spent on the Grants Grove Peninsula to restore ¿UH UHVLOLHQF\ LQ VHTXRLD groves and other forests needed by the weasel-like 3DFL¿F ¿VKHU D FDQGLGDWH for federal protections. The National Park Service and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection are taking part in that project.
