NEW LOOK T-WOLVES It’s time to be neighborly REGION/3A VOLLEYBALL/1B 92/61 TUESDAY, AUGUST 4, 2015 139th Year, No. 208 WINNER OF THE 2015 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD One dollar Elgin on evacuation alert aV ¿ re EurnV in tKe %lueV +RPHVOLYHVWRFN¿VKKDELWDWWKUHDWHQHG homes along Ruckle Road and Sand- HUVRQ6SULQJV5RDGPHDQLQJUHVLGHQWV By GEORGE PLAVEN 7KH 3KLOOLSV &UHHN )LUH VWDUWHG should be ready to leave at a moment’s East Oregonian Saturday afternoon and has grown to QRWLFHGHSHQGLQJRQ¿UHDFWLYLW\7KH more than 1,100 acres, burning in tall ¿UHLVWKUHDWHQLQJVWUXFWXUHVOLYHVWRFN Hazy skies settled over the Blue grass, heavy timber and logging slash. ¿VKKDELWDWDQGSULYDWHODQG “There’s not imminent danger, 0RXQWDLQV0RQGD\DVZLOG¿UHVSUHDG ,WLVFRPSOHWHO\XQFRQWDLQHGDQGWKH but there is cause to begin thinking quickly on the Umatilla National cause is under investigation. 8QLRQ &RXQW\ RI¿FLDOV LVVXHG DERXWDSODQWRJHWPRYHG´VDLG-DPLH Forest near Indian Point, about seven a Level 1 evacuation notice for 37 See FIRE/10A miles northwest of Elgin. Staff photo by E.J. Harris A column of smoke rises from the Phillips Creek fi re on Monday over Gordon Creek Road outside of Elgin. MILTON-FREEWATER Racehorses survive wild ride, baking temperatures Man gunned down in driveE\ 20-year-old died Saturday after Friday night shooting By PHIL WRIGHT East Oregonian Police continue to search for the NLOOHU RI *XDGDOXSH -RVH 'LD] 7KH 20-year-old Milton-Freewater man was shot Friday night and died the next morning. 0LOWRQ)UHHZDWHU 3ROLFH &KLHI Doug Boedigheimer in an email FRQ¿UPHG'LD]ZDVWKHORQHYLFWLPLQ what looks to be a gang-style drive-by shooting. Members of the Umatilla/Morrow 0DMRU &ULPHV WHDP FRQVLVWLQJ RI GHWHFWLYHV DQG RI¿FHUV IURP ORFDO agencies, is investigating the homi- cide. Boedigheimer said there are no VXVSHFWV EXW WKHUH DUH ³SHUVRQV RI LQWHUHVW´ LQYHVWLJDWRUV ZDQW WR WDON with. 0LOWRQ)UHHZDWHU GLVSDWFKHUV UHFHLYHG D FDOO )ULGD\ DW SP RI VKRWV ¿UHG ZLWK D SHUVRQ RQ WKH ground near 62 N.E. 13th Ave. Police found citizens caring for the victim DQGRQHSHUIRUPLQJ&35 'LD] VXIIHUHG PXOWLSOH VKRWV WR KLV WRUVR IURP DQ XQNQRZQ ¿UHDUP according to Boedigheimer. An ambulance from the 0LOWRQ)UHHZDWHU 5XUDO )LUH 'HSDUW ment took Diaz to Providence St. 0DU\ 0HGLFDO &HQWHU :DOOD :DOOD for emergency surgery. From there he went to Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, where he succumbed to his wounds Saturday morning. “This event is likely a drive-by VKRRWLQJLQYROYLQJSHUKDSVULYDOJDQJ DI¿OLDWHVRUPHPEHUV´%RHGLJKHLPHU See SHOOTING/9A Staff photo by Kathy Aney Gary Morris, a racehorse owner and trainer from Bend, smiles at one of his thoroughbreds Sunday in Pendleton at the NEIGH-bors horse hotel. The brakes and transmission on Morris’ truck failed as he descended Cabbage Hill Saturday afternoon towing a horse trailer with three thoroughbreds. Trouble down the stretch By KATHY ANEY East Oregonian After a harrowing ride down &DEEDJH +LOO ZLWK IDLOHG EUDNHV and three thoroughbreds, a Bend man won’t soon forget his Pend- leton adventure. Gary Morris, a racehorse owner and trainer, was winding KLV ZD\ GRZQ WKH VWHHS VHFWLRQ of Interstate 84 Saturday after- noon in a three-quarter-ton truck hauling a horse trailer. Morris ZDVWUDQVSRUWLQJWKHWULRRIKRUVHV from a race in Boise and heading to another in Tillamook. As he QHDUHG D PLOHSHUKRXU FXUYH KHDSSOLHGKLVEUDNHV “The brakes just left. I pumped them and nothing happened.” — Gary Morris, racehorse owner Nothing. ³7KH EUDNHV MXVW OHIW´ 0RUULV VDLG³,SXPSHGWKHPDQGQRWKLQJ KDSSHQHG´ 0RUULV GURSSHG LQWR VHFRQG gear, but slowed little. He down- VKLIWHG WR ¿UVW RQO\ WR KHDU DQ ear-shattering squeal as the Ford’s transmission gave out. “I had no transmission and no EUDNHV´KHVDLG Fortunately, his trailer brakes and emergency brake still func- tioned. Morris, 78, managed to NHHS WKH VSHHG EHORZ PLOHV SHUKRXU DV KH PDGH LW VDIHO\ to Pendleton exit 216 near the Arrowhead Travel Plaza. As soon as his adrenaline subsided, he turned his attention to his cargo. :LWKWKHPHUFXU\KRYHULQJDURXQG 105 degrees, the valuable thor- oughbreds were at risk. Morris, a ¿QDQFLHUWXUQHGUDFHKRUVHRZQHU worried about the well-being of his horses. ³7KH\ ZHUH QXPEHU RQH´ KH said. About that time, Morris got the ¿UVWRIVHYHUDOGRVHVRI3HQGOHWRQ KRVSLWDOLW\ ³$JX\DQGKLVZLIHVWRSSHGE\ LQ WKHLU SLFNXS DQG SXOOHG PH WR .HQZRUWK´KHVDLG :LWK GLVDSSRLQWPHQW KH OHDUQHGWKHWUXFNVDOHVDQGUHSDLU business worked on only large commercial trucks. Service 0DQDJHU -RVK 3D\QH KRZHYHU JDYH DSSURYDO WR PRYH WKH KRUVH WUDLOHULQWRWKHUHSDLUVKRS “The horses were drenched with sweat. The (Kenworth SHRSOHSXOOHGPHLQWRRQHRIWKH See HORSES/10A Disconnected classroom 'LVWULFWVORRNIRUZD\VWRNHHS WHDFKHUSXSLORQOLQHLQWHUDFWLRQ SURIHVVLRQDOSURGXFWLYH MITCHELL Tiny town adds cell service for all with new technology By ANTONIO SIERRA East Oregonian By GEORGE PLAVEN East Oregonian The method may vary but the results are the same. Kevin Nice, a former teacher convicted of sexually abusing several Pilot Rock High School students in 2010, exchanged text messages with his victims. 7LPRWK\ )UH\ XVHG 6QDSFKDW D PHVVDJLQJDSSWKDWGHOHWHVYLGHRSLFWXUH or text messages after they are watched, to communicate with a 17-year-old Pendleton student. Frey, a former longterm substitute WHDFKHUUHFHQWO\SOHDGHGJXLOW\WRWKUHH counts of second-degree sexual assault &HOOSKRQH VHUYLFH LV JHWWLQJ a boost from willing residents in the tiny Eastern Oregon city of Mitchell using in-home devices called network extenders to increase local coverage. 6ROG E\ 9HUL]RQ :LUHOHVV network extenders act as mini cell towers with enough signal strength to reach several blocks. :KHHOHU&RXQW\RI¿FLDOVUHFHQWO\ bought four of the devices for 0LWFKHOO ² SRSXODWLRQ ² which were installed at strategic locations around town. AP fi le photo Online contact between teach- ers and students can be tricky for school districts to navigate. after an investigation revealed Frey had VH[ZLWKWKHVWXGHQW¿YHWLPHVEHWZHHQ 0DUFKDQG$SULO :LWK VRFLDO PHGLD DQG HOHFWURQLF PHVVDJLQJ SOD\LQJ D NH\ UROH LQ ORFDO cases as well as other sexual abuse cases across the country, local school districts See DISCONNECTED/9A Volunteers agreed to have WKH HTXLSPHQW SXW LQ WKHLU RZQ homes and businesses, creating a makeshift wireless network that now covers most of the old SLRQHHUVHWWOHPHQW Though AT&T has an existing cellular tower east of Mitchell, it faces the wrong ZD\ WR FDUU\ UHFHSWLRQ LQWR WKH FRPPXQLW\7KDW¶V OHG WR SXEOLF safety concerns for locals and WRXULVWVDOLNHHVSHFLDOO\DIWHUWKH nearby Painted Hills National Monument was named one of the ³6HYHQ:RQGHUVRI2UHJRQ´ Mitchell is considered the See EXTENDERS/10A