Page 14A
OFF PAGE ONE
East Oregonian
PENDLETON
The four-time wiener
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dominates races
another year
East Oregonian
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contestants in the Wiener
Dog Races downtown shared
three qualities: they were
long, hot and in desperate
need of precipitation.
Anticipating the scorching
temperatures, organizers for
the Children’s Museum of
Eastern Oregon fundraiser
installed misters and kiddie
pools to help spare the
competitors too many Oscar
Mayer jokes. Organizer
Adam Woodiwiss said a last-
minute issue almost denied
the race its water supply until
the city of Pendleton came
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hydrant for the event.
Many dogs, wiener and
non-wiener alike, utilized
the water to cool down from
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Four-time wiener dog races winner Miss Fatty Patty.
the triple digit temperatures.
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two-year-old
dachshund
owned by Kerri Porter of
Walla Walla.
Porter said she saw an
ad for the race online and
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who can reach high speeds
when properly motivated.
“If there’s a treat at the
end, he will be (fast),” she
said.
David Scott preferred to
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Yoshi, a two-year-old pug, and Blake Self, 7, are both
dressed like the Pokemon character Pikachu for the
look alike contest before the start of the wiener dog
races on Friday in Pendleton.
use an empty plastic water
bottle as his tool to try to
urge his dog, Sinbad, across
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Scott said his canine was
also a capable runner as long
as he didn’t get distracted by
other dogs.
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started out strong only to
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nals.
In the end, the last dog
panting was a familiar one
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established
a
veritable
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Owner Candis McClure
said she almost considered
retiring the 10-year-old Patty,
only to change her mind and
take another shot at a trophy.
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McClure said she’ll continue
to enter the venerable cham-
pion as long as she can.
After years of success,
McClure didn’t play coy
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Patty’s success.
“Pepperoni,” she said.
“Hot dogs.”
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Continued from 1A
be ready right at 6 p.m. but
people should keep checking
back. Most of the evening
would be a simple live stream
of the event, but at the top of
every hour students planned
to do a 10 to 15 minute
newscast with interviews and
update on fundraising.
Doherty said he thought
producing the video feed
would be a good experience
for his students, not only in
terms of video production
skills but also in meeting
cancer survivors and hearing
about the things they have
overcome.
“This is going to be a fun
event but it’s also going to
be a serious event for a good
cause,” he said.
Doherty said when he
began looking for volunteers
to keep the video footage
coming during the 16 hour
event a few students he
contacted were going to be
out of town, but the rest were
more than willing to come
work for a good cause during
what was supposed to be
their summer vacation.
“I think that says a lot
about the kids,” he said.
Kylee Heppner, who was
wait-listed for the video
productions class last year
but has a spot in it for her
eighth grade year, said she
studied up and passed the
necessary quizzes to be qual-
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production.
“I don’t really think of it
as school stuff,” she said. “I
think of it as getting to learn
stuff most kids don’t know
how to do.”
She said two of her aunts
are cancer survivors and they
planned to watch part of the
live stream from their homes
in Salem and California.
Heidi Zuniga, who took
video production last year
as an eighth grader, said she
planned to stay the entire 16
hours, although she would
probably sneak in a nap
between interviews.
She and Jahayra Garcia
both said they came back
to their old middle school
to participate because they
missed the environment in
the press box.
“I wanted to live the
whole experience again,”
Heidi said.
The
school’s
video
production class gets plenty
of hands-on experience
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the morning announcements,
regular newscasts and acting
as producers and announcers
at sporting events.
Next year a similar class
will be added to Hermiston
High School, and an AV
Club of sorts will bring
students interested in video
production together across
grade levels.
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American Cancer Society
said none of the other 20
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done a live-streamed video
of their event online and she
hasn’t heard of one anywhere
else either.
“It’s kind of interesting,”
she said. “It’s a fun thing and
I’m excited about it.”
The idea came from local
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feed would be a helpful
service for people who
wanted to attend the Relay
but couldn’t, and it could
also be a good opportunity
for people who don’t know
PXFKDERXW5HOD\IRU/LIHWR
check it out.
The live feed from the
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can be accessed at http://bit.
ly/1Hl2mju. The event runs
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Middle School.
Saturday, June 27, 2015
CREDITS: ZeaChem sold $10M in credits
who continue to run tests.
Joe Regnery, ZeaChem’s
of a project that has not yet FKLHIFRPPHUFLDORI¿FHUVDLG
lived up to its promise, but in an interview Monday the
has provided a healthy return plant was always supposed
for investors who bought the to be a testing facility, despite
tax credits given the project a 2012 U.S. Department of
by the state.
Energy document that stated
ZeaChem told the state ³WKHELRUH¿QHU\ZLOOFRQYHUW
in 2009 that the plant would 10 bone-dry tons per day
employ 20 people, and the of cellulosic feedstock into
Oregon Employment Depart- ethanol.”
ment estimated that could fuel
“The demonstration plant
the creation of an additional does not generate income,”
154 jobs in Oregon, said state Regnery said. “It’s not a
employment economist Nick production asset. ... Selling
Beleiciks.
(the tax credit) was a better
In late 2013, ZeaChem ¿QDQFLDORXWFRPHWKDQXVLQJ
had a problem.
it against taxes because we
7KH VWDWH KDG FHUWL¿HG were not paying taxes in the
a $10 million credit for state at the time.”
ZeaChem’s
cellulosic
The sale of those credits
ethanol
demonstration was facilitated by the Energy
plant in Boardman, which Department and followed
was built to produce up to rules that allowed for a
250,000 gallons of cellulosic discount of up to 33.5 percent.
ethanol per year from wood
ZeaChem split up the
waste and other materials. $10 million Oregon business
But the company laid off energy tax credit and sold
employees in 2013 due to a pieces of various sized to
cash shortage and has since a handful of investors —
operated with a staff of Portland industrialist and
approximately 15 employees developer Jay Zidell, Union
Continued from 1A
3DFL¿FUDLOURDGDQG/HHDQG
Becky Holzman — for $6.7
million.
Zidell, whose family
plans to develop its former
Portland shipyard property
on the south waterfront,
purchased $500,000 worth
of the ZeaChem tax credit
for $335,000, according to
state data. In all, Zidell has
bought nearly $2 million in
renewable energy credits for
$1.4 million.
The credits have also
attracted much larger inves-
tors. U.S. Bank has spent
$30.7 million to purchase
tax credits that will allow
the bank to cut its Oregon
tax bill by approximately
$44.7 million. Wal-Mart paid
$30.2 million for credits that
will reduce its state taxes by
$43.1 million.
Other major investors who
are using the non-refundable
BETC to save millions on
their Oregon taxes include
Costco, Comcast, Trader
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list of other corporations and
wealthy individuals.
GAS: Committee members approved $5 utility fee
November ballot, preferring
to take more time to mount a
³, WKLQN LWV ¿VFDOO\ LUUH- successful campaign.
sponsible to go to (voters)
“We’ve got some very
and say, ‘We’re going to VSHFL¿F HYLGHQFH WR SRLQW
have this tax for this long to how steep this climb is,”
and then it sunsets,’” she she said. “If you look at the
said. “Because we’re saying (Blue Mountain Community
WR WKHP µ:H¶OO ¿[ \RXU College) bond, both times it
roads but then we’ll let them was run, it was a hard sell.
go to pot again.’”
And BMCC is popular. ...
The committee also It does not have the same
discussed lowering the perception that city council
gas tax to 4 cents if the does.”
state increased its own gas
While her opposition
tax by 4 cents as a part of wasn’t enough to sway
a transportation funding support for the gas tax, it
SDFNDJH %XW VWDWH RI¿FLDOV did resonate with enough
announced Thursday that committee members to
the transportation package affect opinion on the bond
was dead.
proposals.
Committee
members
Despite lengthy debate,
also approved a $5 utility each time City Manager
fee, which can be imposed Robb Corbett polled the
by the council without voter committee, the bonds
approval. The fee will rise couldn’t muster a majority.
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Without the requisite
tion.
support from the committee,
Councilwoman
Jane the bond proposals were left
Hill was uncomfortable RQ WKH FXWWLQJ URRP ÀRRU
with putting either the gas and won’t be recommended
tax or the bonds on the to the full city council.
Continued from 1A
The bond proposals
rankled the councilors who
wanted to seek the bonds as
soon as possible.
“I want to know where
this money is going to come
IURP WR ¿[ WKHVH WKLQJV´
said councilman Al Plute.
“Otherwise, it’s a waste for
me to go to go to another
budget meeting. I can go to
budget meetings and move
around chairs on the Titanic
but I’m not for that. If we’re
not going to try to at least
save ourselves, why am I
beating my head against the
wall?”
Councilwoman Becky
Marks was in disbelief.
“I cannot believe that
we’re doing this again,” she
said. “I cannot believe that
we are not stepping up and
saying, ‘This is what we
need to do for this commu-
nity’ and standing by it.”
The council will vote
to add the gas tax to the
November ballot at its next
meeting, which is scheduled
for July 7.