Ten years of
Rock & Roll
Camp REGION/3A
HERMISTON RACETRACK
LOOKS TO ATTRACT FANS
SPORTS/1B
82/52
THURSDAY, AUGUST 6, 2015
139th Year, No. 210
WINNER OF THE 2015 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD
One dollar
West Nile abuzz in Umatilla Co. Countywide
No human cases yet reported by mosquito control
By GEORGE PLAVEN
East Oregonian
West Nile virus has turned up unusually
early in Umatilla County mosquitoes this
summer, and health of¿ cials are on high alert
for potential human cases.
Randy Gerard, manager of the West
Umatilla Mosquito Control District, said
the ¿ rst positive sample came July 21 on
Bensel Road in Hermiston — the earliest the
district has ever detected the disease. Two
more pools of infected mosquitoes were later
found off Spearman Road just east of the city.
So far, no residents have become sick,
though the Tri-City Herald reports seven
people have West Nile in nearby Benton and
Franklin counties in southeast Washington.
A À edgling gray owl also recently died
of the virus at Blue Mountain Wildlife in
Pendleton, which director Lynn Tompkins
said was brought to the sanctuary from near
Wallowa.
A twin engine airplane sprayed for
mosquitoes July 30 over 15,000 acres in the
Hermiston area, including portions of land
near Diagonal Road, Hat Rock and Power
City. Since spraying, Gerard said he has
noted a 90 percent decrease in mosquitoes in
those areas.
West Nile is almost always spread through
mosquitoes that have fed on infected birds,
with crows, magpies and robins especially
susceptible. No humans have tested positive
anywhere in Oregon, according to the state
Health Authority.
Umatilla County hasn’t had a person
See WEST NILE/8A
PENDLETON
pot ban still
in effect
By PHIL WRIGHT
East Oregonian
Marijuana businesses remain against the law
in Umatilla County.
The county board of commissioners voted 3-0
Wednesday in favor of continuing the moratorium
on medicinal marijuana dispensaries and other
pot-related businesses. The local law went into
effect as soon
as the board
More inside
adopted it.
The
vote Residents speak in
came during a favor of dispensaries
public hearing to Umatilla city
and supported council. Page 3A
the recommen-
dation from the
county’s marijuana study committee, which also
wanted the county board to adopt new land use
regulations. The board also plans to do that.
Commissioner and board chair George
Murdock said no one spoke against the morato-
rium, which the board ¿ rst implemented in April
2014. That shut down the two medicinal pot
dispensaries that were operating in the county’s
jurisdiction.
Murdock also shared a statement he presented
during the hearing.
In spite of encouragement from the media and
some local citizens to approve marijuana sales,
Murdock said, the oath of of¿ ce commissioners
take binds them to uphold state and federal laws,
and commissioners represent the interests of the
county’s voters.
“Roughly 70 percent of those voters indicated
See MARIJUANA/8A
Unmanned aerial photography by Ron Cooper
The old Pendleton City Hall was gutted by fi re on July 21, but owner Jose Quezada may restore the building.
Old city hall could see new restoration
By ANTONIO SIERRA
East Oregonian
The old Pendleton city hall has stood for
more than 100 years at 34 S.E. Dorion Ave.,
and it could stand a few more, despite a
July 21 explosion that scarred the building.
Although its future is still tenuous,
Marco Quezada, the son of owner Jose
Quezada, said the family is looking into the
possibility of restoring the building.
Some of the bricks are damaged, all the
windows are shattered and the roof is gone
— but the actual structure is in relatively
good condition.
Pendleton building of¿ cial John Lind-
strom said he evaluated the structure and
concluded it was sound in the short-term.
“Barring any catastrophic acts of nature,
it’s not going anywhere,” he said.
After the Quezadas hired their own
engineer to do a longer term evaluation,
the engineer told them they could restore
“Barring any catastrophic
acts of nature, it’s not
going anywhere.”
— John Lindstrom,
Pendleton building offi cial
the former city hall.
In addition to a solid structure, the
building contains only a small amount
of asbestos according to an email from
Oregon Department of Environmental
Quality air quality specialist Tom Hack to
the city.
The old city hall was damaged in an
explosion caused by homemade ¿ reworks,
killing Eduardo Quezada, the son of Jose
and the brother of Marco.
Marco Quezada said funding is the
primary obstacle to a restoration.
At a façade committee meeting
Wednesday, permit technician Julie Chase
said the Quezadas picked up a façade grant
application.
The façade restoration program is run
by the Pendleton Development Commis-
sion and can grant up to 40 percent of the
cost of façade restoration for a commercial
building between S.E. Sixth Street and
S.W. Sixth Street.
Quezada said his family intends to sit
down with the city soon and discuss what
sort of funding they would have access to.
“We’re at the mercy of the city,” he said.
In the meantime, the Quezadas have
spent the week clearing debris from the
building. Local volunteers have organized
a cleanup day Saturday at 8 a.m. to help
expedite the process.
Once the debris is cleared, Quezada said
he will start requesting estimates for the
restoration cost.
———
Contact Antonio Sierra at asierra@
eastoregonian.com or 541-966-0836.
College credit
costs triple for
high schoolers
By SEAN HART
East Oregonian
In the upcoming school year, the cost of
college credits for local high school students
will more than triple.
Blue Mountain Community College Vice
President of Instruction Jim Whittaker said the
school is raising the price from $10 to $31 per
credit because of the loss of state funding.
To help establish Eastern Promise, Whittaker
said temporary funding was provided to the
collaboration between Eastern Oregon Univer-
sity, Treasure Valley Community College,
the InterMountain Education Service District
and school districts in Eastern Oregon. He
said college of¿ cials knew the funding would
eventually be discontinued but were unaware it
would happen this year until the conclusion of
the legislative session.
Even with the increase, the cost will be
substantially less than the $94 per credit
charged for classes at the college. Whittaker
said the new price was based on his calculations
that it costs BMCC about one-third as much to
administer the credits for classes taught at high
See COLLEGE/8A
Judge turns tragedy
into testimony
Work in suicide prevention leads to national honor
By KATHY ANEY
East Oregonian
Judge Cris Patnode wears a black
robe. She can be tough and gritty
and resolute.
But those who know the Gilliam
County Justice of the Peace and
municipal judge in Arlington and
Condon say Patnode also has kind-
ness in her veins. The quality isn’t
a liability for a judge, but rather
an asset, according to the National
Judges Association. It recently
named Patnode as the group’s
national non-attorney judge of the
year, partly because of her compas-
sion in and out of court.
Patnode attributes much of her
heightened empathy to her daugh-
ter’s suicide in 2007, which knocked
her off center and increased her
awareness of the struggles of others.
On the day of the NJA banquet
Aug. 24 in Albuquerque, New
Mexico, Patnode had been thinking
about her daughter Devin. Patnode
had come home that horrible day to
See JUDGE/8A
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Gilliam County Justice of the Peace and municipal court judge Cris
Patnode has been named the national non-attorney judge of the year
by the National Association of Judges.