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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
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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
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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
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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.