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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 18, 2015)
CHRISTMAS EXPRESS READY TO ROLL REGION/3A BULLDOGS CLUB KAVEMEN Kick in the pants to Abeinsa WRESTLING/1B OPINION/4A FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2015 140th Year, No. 46 WINNER OF THE 2015 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD Your Weekend • • • Spaghetti fundraiser for GrosJacques family Folk Night at Pendleton Center for the Arts Paul Gorham Memorial Scholarship Breakfast For times and places see Coming Events, 5A Catch a movie One dollar PENDLETON Round-Up revels in remarkable year By KATHY ANEY East Oregonian After a year like 2015, who could EODPH 3HQGOHWRQ 5RXQG8S D¿FLR nados for indulging in a little remi- niscing and braggadocio? About 175 of them gathered on Thursday at the Round-Up Grounds to replay some of the sweeter moments of the year and gaze upon the spoils of victory. The rodeo got plenty of respect this year in the form of two major awards. This month, the Round-Up was named the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association’s Large Outdoor Rodeo of the Year. The honor came on the heels of receiving the Remuda Award for having professional rodeo’s most consistent pen of bucking stock. Round-Up’s close sibling, Happy See ROUND-UP/8A Staff photo by E.J. Harris Happy Canyon President Jason Hill and Round-Up President Bill Levy cut cakes during a party celebrating the awards the Pendleton Round-Up won this year and the 100th anniversary of the Happy Canyon Night Show on Thursday in Pendleton. Film Frame/Lucasi lm via AP The highly-anticipated sequel fi nally arrives. “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” For showtime, Page 5A For review, Weekend EO Weekend Weather Fri Sat Sun 46/28 37/28 42/36 Watch a game vs. Enterprise vs. Pilot Rock Friday, 7:30 p.m. at Pilot Rock Cannabis research task force begins work By PARIS ACHEN Capital Bureau SALEM — A new cannabis research task force began work Monday to try to clear the way for more research in Oregon on the PHGLFDOEHQH¿WVRIFDQQDELV Created by legislation earlier this year, the task force is laying the groundwork for a state-backed medical mari- juana research program that might include participation by state universities and the private sector and establish- ment of a state garden. “Hopefully, at the end, we can put some kind of program See CANNABIS/10A Staff photo by E.J. Harris William Wehrli, left, and Matthew Titus face off with light sabers dresses as Star Wars characters in the lobby of the Wildhorse Cineplex before the premiere of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” on Thursday in Mission. )25&($:$.(16)$16 Star Wars fanatics flock to theaters for midnight premiere &DLWOLQ %DOO ZDV VXUSULVHG WR ¿QG KHUVHOIWKH¿UVWSHUVRQLQOLQHZKHQVKH arrived at the theater at 1:15 p.m. A cineplex employee, Ball was 7KXUVGD\ PDUNHG DQ XQRI¿FLDO issued the third ticket when the addition to the 2015 holiday season. The Pendleton faithful convened pre-tickets were made available more at the Wildhorse Resort and Casino than a month ago. For Ball, waiting in line for block- Cineplex for the premiere showing of buster movies is a tradition all its own. “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” In addition to waiting in line to Large crowds lined the cineplex’s main hall for the long anticipated see the “Harry Potter” and “Twilight” seventh installment of the “Star Wars” franchises, Ball remembers waiting franchise, covering all ages and demo- See STAR WARS/10A graphics. By ANTONIO SIERRA East Oregonian Staff photo by E.J. Harris Carrie Bohnenkamp, from left, Zach Batterton, Scott Smith and Caitlin Ball play the Star Wars: Episode I Monopoly game while waiting in line for the premiere of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” Umatilla family looking to start over after house fire By JADE MCDOWELL East Oregonian A week after their home burned down in Umatilla, Courtney Sullivan and her three children are still trying to adjust to the reality of everything they lost. The furniture. The clothes. The television. The Christmas presents. The new washer and dryer. All of that pales in comparison to the items that no amount of dona- tions will ever replace. “I think the most I’ll miss is my son’s baby blanket and all the kids’ baby stuff and the pictures,” Courtney said. The single mom and her three children — Josslynne, 6; Braden, 4; and Vincent, 1 — are living with her mother Christina Sullivan for the moment but are hoping to ¿QG D SODFH WR UHQW VRRQ DQG VWDUW rebuilding their life. Umatilla Rural Fire Protection 'LVWULFW¿UHPDUVKDO6WHYH3RWWVVDLG WKH FDXVH RI WKH PRELOH KRPH ¿UH is undetermined. Courtney said she has no idea how it started. All she knows is that at about 9:30 p.m. on Dec. 10 Josslynne and Braden came running down the hallway yelling “Mommy! Mommy! Fire!” She ran out into the living room, VKHVDLGWRVHHÀDPHVGHYRXULQJWKH wall and the couch, just feet from where Vincent was sleeping in his See FIRE/10A Contributed photo by Rob Tooley Firefi ghters battle the blaze that burned down Courtney Sullivan’s home on Wildwood Lane in Umatilla on Dec. 10.