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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (July 23, 2015)
Page 8A OFF PAGE ONE (DVW2UHJRQLDQ FIRE: %ODVW¿UHZRXOGKDYHGDPDJHGZDWHUSLSHVVSULQNOHUV ¿QGWKHRULJLQRIWKHEODVWDQG ¿UH ,QYHVWLJDWRUV ¿QLVKHG His daughters, Rosemary their work Wednesday after- Garcia and Diana Quezada, noon. own the popular downtown 7KHUH ZDV QR RI¿FLDO eatery. He said there was word on what caused the the possibility the power destruction. Roberts in a company would install new VWDWHPHQW 7XHVGD\ VDLG transformers and have power QRWKLQJ LQGLFDWHG WKH ¿UH ÀRZLQJVRPHWLPH7KXUVGD\ was “the result of an active Arson investigators with methamphetamine lab as has 2UHJRQ ¿UH PDUVKDOV VWDWH been speculated.” SROLFH DQG 3HQGOHWRQ ¿UH Eduardo Quezada was were on the scene early in the building when the :HGQHVGD\)LUH¿JKWHUVXVHG explosion occurred. Casey chainsaws to cut away debris Severe and Christian Garcia from the collapsed roof of Pendleton rushed in and and ruined walls. Roberts helped bring Quezada out. explained they would need 7KH\ VXIIHUHG VPRNH LQKD- to clear away those chunks to lation and required medical Continued from 1A help at St. Anthony Hospital, Pendleton. Jared Pennington and Alfredo Lopez also helped bring Quezada out of the EODFNVPRNHDQGUDJLQJ¿UH they did not report injuries. 3HQGOHWRQ EXLOGLQJ RI¿- cial John Lindstrom said he SURYLGHG VWDWH ¿UH PDUVKDOV with the old city hall’s blue- prints to help with the inves- tigation, but what he saw in the remains of the burned out VHFRQGÀRRUGLGQRWVHHPWR match with the paperwork. 7KH PRVW UHFHQW EXLOGLQJ inspection was in 1997, according to city documents, after former Pendleton restaurateur Jim Sewell bought the building and UHQRYDWHG WKH VHFRQG ÀRRU IRU D UHVLGHQFH ,QVSHFWLRQV take place when someone ¿OHVEXLOGLQJSHUPLWVZLWKWKH city. Lindstrom said building inspectors lack the authority to simply check someone’s property whenever they want. +H DOVR VDLG DQ\ ¿UH suppression system in the old city hall would have failed in WKHLQIHUQR7KHLQWHQVHEODVW DQG¿UHZRXOGKDYHGDPDJHG water pipes and sprinklers, he said, and at best water would have poured out of them but probably not where it mattered. BIKERS: (YHQWPD\DWWUDFWDURXQGRYHU¿YHGD\V Continued from 1A 7D\ORU¶V VWRU\ IURP D VSRW at the base of the statue. Pendleton Police Chief Stuart Roberts, who had led the procession in the city’s vintage Ford police car, stood tall a bit outside the circle, wearing dress blues. 7D\ORUGLGQ¶WGLHLPPHGL- ately, Houk told the motorcy- clists. “He was taken to St. Anthony Hospital where he continued to direct his depu- ties in the search,” Houk said. 7D\ORU NQRZQ DV D lawman who could artfully coax a confession, arrested PHQ LQ KLV \HDUV as sheriff. He never killed anyone with his own gun. 7KHVWDWXHUHSUHVHQWHGWKH end of a long journey for some of the bikers who started at different law enforcement memorials that morning. One group began the day at the Washington State Law (QIRUFHPHQW 0HPRULDO LQ 2O\PSLD7KHRWKHUVWDUWHGLQ Salem at the Oregon Fallen /DZ(QIRUFHPHQW0HPRULDO 7KH\SUHVHQWHGSDWFKHVIURP SROLFH ¿UH DQG PRWRUF\FOH groups. Watching the ceremony were mother and daughter, Debra and Becky Carter ² 7D\ORU¶V JUHDWJUDQG- daughter and great-great- granddaughter. Neither ever met their famous relative, but they said the lawman has permeated family history. Debra has an album of news- paper clippings. Her grand- IDWKHU 6KHOGRQ ' 7D\ORU watched the condemned men die. ³, KDYH WKH SRVWFDUG VHQW to my grandfather inviting him to attend the hangings,” Debra said. 7KH 7D\ORU WULEXWH LV RQH of multiple events on tap during the rally. Organizers estimate the event will attract DURXQG SDUWLFLSDQWV RYHU ¿YH GD\V 7KH PRWRU- cycle rally, which kicked off Staff photos by E.J. Harris Motorcyclists gather at Til Taylor Park during the opening day of Pendleton Bike Week for a ceremony honoring fallen lawmen Wednesday in Pendleton. Jerry “Chop- per” Stock of Newberg, a member of the Willa- mette Valley chapter of Bikers Against Child Abuse, holds a flag during a ceremony honoring fallen law- men at Til Taylor Park on Wednes- day as part of Pendleton Bike Week. Wednesday at the Pendleton Convention Center, is in its ¿UVW\HDU 7KH VFKHGXOH LQFOXGHV organized rides, stunt shows, concert, tattoo competition, 0LVV 3HQGOHWRQ %LNH :HHN pageant, line dancing, poker run, tech talks, vendor village, bike show and other events. ——— Contact Kathy Aney at kaney@eastoregonian.com or call 541-966-0810. SOLAR: 7DNHVDERXWPRQWKVWR EXLOGDODUJHVRODUSURMHFWVWDUWWR¿QLVK Continued from 1A ,QYHVWPHQW 7D[ &UHGLW DQG ZLQG3URGXFWLRQ7D[&UHGLW wind farms need only break ground to qualify for the 37& ZKLOH VRODU SURMHFWV must be completed and in VHUYLFHWRTXDOLI\IRUWKH,7& Generally speaking, it takes about 18 months to build a large solar project IURP VWDUW WR ¿QLVK 0LOOHU VDLG7KDWSXWVGHYHORSHUVXS against a tight deadline for WKHHQGRI “We’re simply trying to get equal treatment with the 37&´0LOOHUVDLG As a ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, tried to amend the tax extenders bill to treat solar more like wind XQGHU WKH ,7& +LV DPHQG- ment was not included in the bill’s mark-up, which passed 7XHVGD\ Lindsey Held, a chief Wyden advisor, said the senator has consistently VXSSRUWHGWKHVRODU,7&RYHU WKH \HDUV ,W LV QRW FHUWDLQ whether the amendment will be discussed again on the full 6HQDWHÀRRU “Right now, it’s out of committee where the core work is done on the bill,” Held said. 0LOOHU ZKR DOVR ZRUNV as vice president of public policy and power markets for Sunrun, a solar company based in San Francisco, said DGYRFDWHV UHPDLQ FRQ¿GHQW “We’re simply trying to get equal treatment with the PTC.” — Bryan Miller, co-chair of the Alliance for Solar Choice they can get something done to extend or amend the credits. 7KHVRODU,7&ZDVLQLWLDOO\ SDVVHG LQ GXULQJ WKH George W. Bush adminis- tration and enjoys bipartisan VXSSRUW 0LOOHU VDLG +H LV optimistic they can get some- thing done, but knows they face tough competition from industry opponents and GOP lawmakers. ³7KRVH DUH SRZHUIXO HQHPLHV´KHVDLG³,W¶VJRLQJ to be a tough battle.” 7KHUH DUH ¿YH VRODU SURM- ects either proposed or in the permitting process in Oregon. One proposed by Columbia (QHUJ\ 3DUWQHUV DQG 3DFL¿- &RUS ZRXOG JHQHUDWH kilowatts in Arlington. ——— Contact George Plaven at gplaven@eastoregonian. com or 541-966-0825. Sidewalk Sales Friday and Saturday Up to 70% off 207 & 217 SE Court, Pendleton 7KXUVGD\-XO\ WAGE: Oregon’s current PLQLPXPDWLVQDWLRQ¶V second highest statewide rate Continued from 1A requirement for paid sick leave, a state-sponsored plan for retirement savings, a ban on criminal-history inquiries on initial job applications – Chamberlain described inaction on the minimum wage “the one glaring exception.” Lawmakers will meet for D GD\ VHVVLRQ VWDUWLQJ LQ February. +RXVH 6SHDNHU 7LQD Kotek, D-Portland, has laid out a plan to raise the PLQLPXP WR LQ VWDJHV E\DQGWRDOORZFLWLHV and counties to raise it more. Although it did not advance past the House Rules Committee, Kotek said she SODQVWRSUHVVDKHDGLQ Unlike the pending ballot PHDVXUHIRUDPLQLPXP the proposal advocated by the Raise the Wage coalition also would allow cities and counties to set higher levels EH\RQG 7KH FRDOLWLRQ UHOHDVHG a report, prepared by the union-funded Our Oregon, WKDWVDLGDPLQLPXP wage would be adequate in most rural counties to support a single adult with a preschool-age child. But in the three metropolitan Portland counties, the report said that level would have to EHDURXQGSHUKRXU 7R &\QWKLD 0XQR] RI Portland, who earns less WKDQ SHU KRXU DV DQ elementary school aide in Woodburn, a raise would allow her to better support KHUVHOI DQG KHU \HDUROG son. ³,W¶VQRWDERXWDYDFDWLRQ and it’s not about a night on WKH WRZQ´ 0XQR] VDLG ³, am talking about earning enough money at one job to pay my bills and make sure my son has the things he needs.” Opposition is expected from business groups, which note that Oregon’s FXUUHQWPLQLPXPDWLV the nation’s second highest statewide rate behind Wash- ington’s $9.47. 7KH\DOVRRSSRVHOLIWLQJ the ban on independent action by local governments. D.J. Vogt, speaking for the Oregon Business Associa- tion, said that proposal is a “nonstarter.” But Deborah Field, who VLWVRQWKHERDUGRIWKH0DLQ Street Alliance of Oregon, said an increase in the minimum wage is good for business. ³0\ HPSOR\HHV DUH P\ most important asset, and it makes good business sense to take care of them,” said Field, co-owner of Paperjam Press in Northeast Portland. “Raising the minimum wage is a smart business decision.” $OWKRXJK WKH 1RZ Oregon group and the Raise the Wage coalition differ in their priorities, there is FURVVRYHU VXSSRUW 7ZR of the chief petitioners for WKH PLQLPXP ZDJH are from the Oregon farm- workers union known as PCUN and Jobs with Justice — both organizations repre- sented in the Raise the Wage coalition. 7KH 1RZ 2UHJRQ JURXS KDV ¿OHG validated signatures, more WKDQ WKH UHTXLUHG WR REWDLQ DQ RI¿FLDO VXPPDU\ from the attorney general known as a ballot title. Once DEDOORWWLWOHLVFHUWL¿HG²LW can be challenged in the Supreme Court — sponsors can collect the rest of the 88,184 signatures required to qualify the measure for WKH1RYHPEHUEDOORW $QGUHD0LOOHUH[HFXWLYH director of Causa, Oregon’s immigrant-rights group, said the Raise the Wage coalition will have to set in motion the process for its own ballot measure this fall, DKHDGRIWKHVHVVLRQ 8QOLNHWKHVHVVLRQ when individual organiza- tions had multiple priorities, 0LOOHU VDLG UDLVLQJ WKH minimum wage will be a IRFDOSRLQWLQ “Our job as a coalition is to mobilize constituents and community members across the state to tell their legislators this needs to be at the top of their ticket in ´VKHVDLG