Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (July 24, 2015)
REGION Friday, July 24, 2015 East Oregonian West Nile virus detected in Umatilla County PENDLETON East Oregonian Staff photo by E.J. Harris Stunt rider Michael “Mad Mike” Tindall, of Titusville, Florida, rides a wheelie between the Pendleton Bike Week girls during a performance of the Xtreme Fury Stunterz on Thursday in Pendleton. The fast and the ‘Fury’-ous Stunt riders perform wheelies, stoppies, burnouts, and more West Nile virus has been found in Umatilla County for the ¿rst time this year. Health of¿cials say mosquitoes trapped along Bensel Road east of Highway 395 in Hermiston tested positive for the virus. Con¿rmation testing will take place later this week at the Oregon State University Veterinary Diagnostic Labo- ratory in Corvallis. Residents can expect to see an increase in mosquito control based on the sample. Workers will use truck- mounted sprayers to apply insecticides, which is done typically after sunset when mosquitoes are most active. West Nile is primarily a bird disease. Magpies, blue jays and crows are especially susceptible. Mosquitoes become infected by feeding on an infected bird and can spread the virus to humans, horses and other hosts when they bite. The risk of West Nile is low, but people should take precautions to protect themselves against mosquito bites. Most people infected with West Nile do not become sick, though some may develop mild Àu-like symptoms, such as fever, headache and body aches. In rare cases, the virus may cause encephalitis, or inÀammation of the brain. Anyone experiencing rare or unusual headaches should contact their doctor as soon as possible. Because horses are also at risk for West Nile, health of¿cials encourage horse owners to check with their veterinarians for vaccina- tion. To report dead birds or mosquito infestations, call the West Umatilla Mosquito Control District at 541-567- 5201. For more information about West Nile, call Umatilla County Public Health at 541-278-5432. Housing Authority awarded vouchers for homeless vets About 50 homeless veterans in the four eastern counties By ANTONIO SIERRA East Oregonian Although it is open to all bikers, Pendleton Bike Week has cultivated a certain image — Harley Davidson, country-western and classic rock and long highway rides. In contrast, the Xtreme Fury Stunterz mostly ride lightweight Kawasakis, play dubstep during their shows and spend a lot of their time in parking lots. Despite not ¿tting into the traditional image of a motorcycle enthusiasts, Xtreme Fury will play a prominent role in Pendleton Bike Week. By the time Pendleton Bike Week rolls out of town Sunday, Xtreme Fury members Jeremy Block, Mike Tindall and Nate Krosser will have performed roughly a dozen times at the Pendleton Convention Center parking lot. While the term “stunt riding” may remind people of Evel Knievel and his ilk, Xtreme Fury stages a very different type of show. With tire marks evidence of previous performances, Xtreme Fury performed a series of wheelies, stoppies and burnouts in front of a small but curious crowd Thursday afternoon. Block, the owner of Xtreme Fury, said this is his team¶s ¿rst trip to the Page 3A By ANTONIO SIERRA East Oregonian Staff photo by E.J. Harris Jeremy “J-Block” Block, of Arcadia, Florida, performs a trick called the chainsaw with his motorcycle on Thursday during a performance of the Xtreme Fury Stunterz in Pendleton. “If it moves your soul, it’s like ‘Wow, I want to do that.” — Jeremy “J-Block” Block, stunt rider for Xtreme Fury Stunterz west after mostly sticking to their home base in Orlando, Florida. Block hopes the increased exposure and media coverage will help Xtreme Fury take off. The team hopes to parlay their gig in Pendleton into a performance at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota, one of the biggest motorcycle events in the world. Block has been stunt riding for 11 years and has been performing profession- ally for eight. Tindall has been performing for just as long while Krosser joined just a year ago. Block said he wanted to start stunt riding as a young child when he saw someone in the neighborhood doing wheelies. “If it moves your soul, it’s like ‘Wow, I want to do that,” he said. The 2,800-mile trip to Oregon hasn’t been without its challenges — when the 38-foot long Xtreme Fury tour bus became unavailable at the last minute, Block had to scramble to buy a new truck. Xtreme Fury members also have to sometimes convince skeptics that their sport is legitimate, with Block saying that every performance promotes stunt riding as much as it promotes the Xtreme Fury brand. That’s not to say they don’t have a taste for the traditional. Among the many bikes Xtreme Fury brought on the trip was a Harley Davidson. ——— Contact Antonio Sierra at asierra@eastoregonian. com or 541-966-0836. Thanks to a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, a handful of homeless veterans in Eastern Oregon will have new homes. According to a Monday press release, HUD granted the Umatilla County Housing Authority 10 vouchers that will cover vets in Umatilla, Morrow, Gilliam and Wheeler coun- ties. HUD spokesman Lee Jones said the VA Supporting Housing vouchers work similarly to the Housing Choice Voucher Program, better known as Section 8 — veterans gain access to a subsidy they can then use in the open rental market. Eligible veterans in the four counties will be recom- mended for a voucher by a case worker at the Walla Walla VA Medical Center, who will have assessed the length of their homelessness and their need for housing. The 10 vouchers are valued at $44,578, which means each veteran would receive roughly $372 a month if the total subsidy was divided evenly. Jones said individual subsidy amounts will vary depending on how much a veteran can contribute, which can go as high as 30 percent of the rental cost. While 10 vouchers may not seem suf¿cient, they could make a signi¿cant dent in the homeless veteran population if fully utilized. Jones said there are about 50 homeless veterans between the four Eastern Oregon counties, with most of them residing in Umatilla County. The Umatilla County Housing Authority joins Portland, Bend, Corvallis, Medford, Roseburg, Klamath Falls, Coos Bay, St. Helens and Clackamas and Washington counties as HUD VA voucher recipients, providing a total of 217 vouchers to Oregon veterans. “Today’s award to the Umatilla Housing Authority as well as those awarded to other Oregon housing authorities in April 2015 are part of more than $65 million has awarded in ¿scal year 2015 to help more than 9,300 homeless veterans ¿nd a home,” the release states. HUD has awarded 79,000 vouchers and served approximately 90,000 veterans through the VA voucher program since 2008. ——— Contact Antonio Sierra at asierra@eastoregonian. com or 541-966-0836. PENDLETON DA puts Aryan gang member’s lawyer on notice Irrigon man dies in Last core member of United Aryan Empire without a plea deal By PHIL WRIGHT East Oregonian A core member of a Pendleton white supremacist gang remains in jail without a plea deal or trial dates. And his attorney received a stern warning Thursday to get to work. Robert Klahn told Umatilla County Circuit Judge Christopher Brauer during a pre-trial hearing Thursday in Pendleton that he continues to wait for tran- scripts of police interviews of his client, 35-year-old Warren Gerald Browning, who faces multiple felony counts, including for rack- eteering and conspiracy to Nancy and Bill Acoustic Duo featuring soft rock, country and easy listening Sat., July 25, 2015 8 pm - 11 pm Browning murder. Browning appeared via video from the county jail. He is the last core member of the United Aryan Empire without a plea deal. Pend- leton police dismantled the gang in January. There are 23 discs containing record- ings of police interviews Browning. Klahn also said the complexity of the case and number of co-defendants prompted the state to approve of an investigator to help him with the case, but that agent has a main of¿ce is in Vancouver, Washington, so he needs more time. Klahn also said the district attorney’s of¿ce is threatening to go to trial if he ¿les any pre-trial motions. He asked Brauer to give him 30 more days to get the transcripts and wrap up his investigation. But Umatilla County District Attorney Dan Primus objected to giving the defense more time. He said Klahn made the same claims about the transcripts at a hearing in May and again in June. Primus said the case needs to get moving. Brauer agreed to give Klahn his 30 days but said he was concerned his investigation is on-going. The judge told the public defender he better have some work to show at the next court date and to bring his calendar to set dates for motions hearings and a trial. Klahn and Browning go before Brauer again on Aug. 27. ——— Contact Phil Wright at pwright@eastoregonian. com or 541-966-0833. Sidewalk Sales Friday and Saturday Up to 70% off 207 & 217 SE Court, Pendleton Tom Phelan Auto Health Home Life Tom Phelan, CISR Family Insurance Agent 304 SE Nye Pendleton 541-276-6111 541/276-2302 • 800/225-2521 The Stratton Agency Pendleton / Hermiston • stratton-insurance.com motorcycle crash East Oregonian STARBUCK, Wash. — An Irrigon motorcyclist died Thursday afternoon in an Eastern Washington crash. William S. Hill V, 65, was pronounced dead at the scene of a crash about 8 miles north of Starbuck, Washington on Highway 261 in Columbia County. According to a news release from the Washington State Patrol, Hill was driving a 2004 Harley Davidson SE2 and attempted to pass another northbound vehicle when he drove off the roadway and over a 30-foot embankment, coming to rest on a gravel access road. Hill was wearing his helmet and police are investigating the exact cause of the crash. It is not known whether drugs or alcohol were involved. Morrow County Sher- iff’s Of¿ce noti¿ed Hill’s next of kin.
