Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 15, 2015)
REGION Saturday, August 15, 2015 East Oregonian HERMISTON UMATILLA Council could send pot ban to the ballot Windy weather blows fair wares away By JADE MCDOWELL East Oregonian Umatilla County Fair vendors were forced to get creative Friday when high winds started to steal the show. Buckets of water, tent stakes, ladders and even a four-wheeler were called into service to keep booths from Àying away, but holding down individual wares was trickier. “The little kid tattoos we had blew all the way to the front gate,” West Umatilla Mosquito Control District booth worker Jake Flyg said. “It’s been a mess.” He and Ashli Roberts said they had to collect rocks to keep all of their stacks of Àiers from being whisked away as gusts of wind whipped through the fairgrounds. “We had to put up our awning,” Roberts said. “It was like a kite.” By the afternoon food vendors around the fairgrounds had given up on their awnings, too, and the service clubs were rolling up the tarps they had been using to shade the picnic tables near their stands. Other booths, like the one selling Àags, had battened down the hatches and put up a sign announcing they had gone to get more supplies and would be back. Liisa Schrank said she was watching the Walk on the Wild Side display of exotic animals for her friend Julie Moore, who had run to the store to get more stakes. She said earlier in the day some of the big cats had seemed agitated by the hearty gusts that caused the tent to Àap and shake but they were settling down. “The tiger was walking around a little upset, but now she seems to be By JADE MCDOWELL East Oregonian A ballot measure to ban marijuana dispensaries from Umatilla could be headed to the voters this fall if the city council fails to act unani- mously Tuesday night. The city’s temporary moratorium on dispensaries runs out on Thursday, and the council has yet to pass a permanent ban. Under House Bill 3400, passed by the Oregon Legis- lature this year, cities and counties can ban marijuana dispensaries within 180 days of the passage of HB 3400 if at least 55 percent of voters in that jurisdiction voted against legalizing recreational marijuana last year and the council votes unanimously. An ordinance banning marijuana dispensaries in Umatilla is on the agenda again Tuesday night after being tabled by a city council that has shown split opinions on the issue. The council also rejected a set of commercial zone Staff photo by Jade McDowell Customers at the Umatilla County Fair are asked to stand back as a food vendor goes to get a ladder and remove a set of banners whipping dangerously in the high winds on Friday. taking it in stride,” Schrank said. Moments later she jumped up to grab a tent pole as the top of the tent began whipping back and forth violently. Yesica Castillo was selling jewelry and hair accessories at the fair, and she said she had to jump up and chase things sometimes when a particularly hard gust of wind came through. “After putting my display up, I took and turned it on different sides,” she said, showing how she had moved some of her racks of accessories so that they faced inward instead of hanging outside the tent to draw in passerby. “That’s just the way it is. There is nothing I can do.” Ashley Wheeler and Barb Martin Page 3A from the Hermiston Chamber of Commerce said they had lost a few watermelon slices as the wind caught the paper plates they were sitting on. “We had a couple Ày away,” Martin said. She said the wind didn’t seem to deter fairgoers, though, who generally know that the occasional windy day is “just part of living in Eastern Oregon.” Like most people working a booth, Martin and Wheeler just removed their shade covering, added a few buckets of water as weights and kept going. “You just kind of laugh at the things that come up and then come up with creative ideas to ¿x it,” Martin said. regulations earlier in the summer that the planning commission put forth. The regulations would have laid out speci¿c rules for siting various businesses, including adult entertainment and marijuana dispensaries. City manager Bob Ward said in a memo to the council that the issue of dispensaries could head to a city-wide vote if the council doesn’t approve Ordinance 805 unanimously. “With no zoning regu- lations in place for these types of businesses, any commercial area in Umatilla could potentially be vulner- able to the establishment of such businesses, subject only to state law, considering the way commercial zones are currently constructed,” he wrote. “A vote to ban marijuana is revocable in the future.” The council meets Tuesday, August 18, at 7 p.m. at city hall, 700 Sixth St. in Umatilla. ——— Contact Jade McDowell at jmcdowell@eastorego- nian.com or 541-564-4536. Pulling Royal family of the county fair power HERMISTON By SEAN HART East Oregonian Abraham Stahl, 4, of Stanfield brac- es his arm on the steering wheel for extra leverage while competing in the RDO Kid’s Tractor Pull on Thursday at the Umatilla County Fair in Hermiston. Stahl took home the first place trophy of a John Deere toy tractor in the four and under category. Staff photo by E.J. Harris BRIEFLY Aerial spraying to target Hermiston mosquitoes HERMISTON — The West Umatilla Mosquito Control District will conduct aerial spraying after sunset Monday, Aug. 17 over several areas near Hermiston. A twin engine airplane will Ày over a target area of 20,000 acres, including: Diagonal Road between East Townsend Road and the Highway 730 junction; portions of the Power Line Road area; and the Power City area. Spraying is being done to protect against mosquitoes carrying West Nile virus in the county. The district now has seven con¿rmed positive samples of West Nile virus and is awaiting word on three more samples collected Thursday and sent to the Oregon State Univer- sity Veterinary Diagnostic Lab in Corvallis. So far, no humans have become sick. Residents in the target area can expect to see low-Àying airplanes that will spray Dibrom, a type of insecticide widely used for mosquito control. The spray rate is 0.7 ounces per acre, or 30 percent below the amount approved for safe application by the Environmental Protection Agency. While Dibrom is considered safe with little to no risk of toxicity, the Umatilla County Health Department recommends children and pregnant women avoid exposure if possible by remaining inside or avoiding the area until about 30 minutes after spraying. West Nile is primarily a disease of humans, birds and horses. Only one in ¿ve people infected with the virus will show symptoms, and less than 1 percent of those patients come down with potentially serious complications. For more information about West Nile virus, contact the West Umatilla Mosquito Control District at 541-567-5201 or the Umatilla County Health Department at 541-278- 5432. Council to consider airport lease PENDLETON — After a spate of meetings with drawn-out discussions on hot topics like infrastructure and marijuana, the Pendleton City Council will pull back the reins for its next meeting Tuesday. The meeting agenda has only one action item — consideration of a ground lease to WCCL Trucking & Repair for a property at the Eastern Oregon Regional Airport. Immediately preceding the 7 p.m. meeting will be a Pendleton Development Commission meeting at 6 p.m. The council recently decided to move commission meetings from the second Tuesday of the month to the third Tuesday of the month before the city council meeting. The council will use the commission’s old time slot for work sessions. ——— Briefs are compiled from staff and wire reports, and press releases. Email press releases to news@ eastoregonian.com Eagle Cap Excursion Train Train Ride & Lookingglass Hatchery Tour Saturday, August 29 Departs from Elgin at 10 a.m. From handing out ribbons to riding 2,300-pound long- horns, the 2015 Umatilla County Fair court participated in almost every aspect of the fair, while forging strong relationships with the other princesses. “I didn’t know these three girls,” princess Catie Krumbah Kuhar said. “I was kind of scared and skeptical to begin fair court, but as the year has gone over, I have enjoyed their presence ... As a team, we work better, but separate, we’re not quite the same.” The 17-year-old from Milton-Freewater said all the activities at the fair have brought the group even closer together than the previous events in which they partici- pated. Being on the court, she said, is far different than only participating in FFA, providing experience in public speaking and meeting people. “It’s just been an amazing experience,” she said. “I’ll never forget it.” Princess Kaleigh Waggoner, a 17-year-old from Pilot Rock, said working with the other princesses and meeting so many people was a great experience. “It’s been an awesome opportunity to be a fair court princess and a huge honor,” she said. “I really like handing Corn Staff photo by Sean Hart From left, 2015 Umatilla County Fair court princesses Sevana Patrick, 16, Hermiston, Kaleigh Waggoner, 17, Pilot Rock, Elizabeth Olsen, 17, Pendleton, and Catie Krumbah Kuhar, 17, Milton-Freewater, pose in front of the Legendary Longhorns of Sweet Home Friday. out the livestock ribbons. It’s really cool to support the 4-Hers and FFA kids and see all the hard work that they’ve been doing.” She said she enjoyed participating in the jalapeño eating contest with princess Sevana Patrick, a 16-year-old from Hermiston. Together, they placed third and won a piñata. Patrick said she enjoyed supporting the FFA and 4-H participants and riding on the Legendary Longhorns of Sweet Home, 2,300-pound steers with “horns that are as big as your body.” She said it also felt great making people smile just by walking by or waving. “The fair court has been such a great opportunity,” she said. “You get to have your personality bursted throughout the whole county and then on top of that you spend a year with girls that you’ve never met in your life, turn around and leave as family,” she said. “It’s so great to know that, no matter what, they’re there for you.” Princess Elizabeth Olsen, a 17-year-old from Pendleton, said each of the other prin- cesses “has a fantastic person- ality.” She said they worked well together and participated in many interesting activities. “To represent the fair has been an honor this year,” she said. “Introducing the entertainment has been really fun. We got to go to the rodeo last night, and that was a blast. And just being around the fair, helping out where needed, I really enjoy that.” Hammer Toe Bunion Diagnosis & Treatment: • Ingrown/Fungal Toenails • Bunions/Bone Spurs • Ankle & Foot Injuries/Fractures • Ulcers/Skin Disorders • Warts • Corns/Calluses • Hammertoes • Ankle Pain & Instability • Routine Toenail Care • Orthotics/Arch Supports Special Services: • Board Certified Care • X-rays - In Office • Sports Medicine • Hospital & Office Based Surgery S TACEY J. C LARKE , DPM & T RAVIS T. H AMPTON , DPM Pendleton Medical Center Suite 11 • Pendleton, OR 97801 (541) 963-0265 • (888) 843-9090 800.323.7330 eaglecaptrainrides.com See the fall season schedule online. Seeing Patients in Pendleton Starting September 8 Also Seeing Patients in La Grande