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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 9, 2016)
WEEKEND EDITION STATE CHAMPS FALL TO HEPPNER PHOTO CONTEST TOP SHOTS BASKETBALL/1B LIFESTYLES/1C INSIDE: PROGRESS IN UMATILLA CO. JANUARY 9-10, 2016 140th Year, No. 61 $1.50 WINNER OF THE 2015 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD Crash cover-up attempt cost cops their jobs By PHIL WRIGHT East Oregonian McBride Two local cops lost their jobs in 2015 for trying to cover up a crash after a night of drinking. Allen “Al” Plum resigned his deputy position with the Umatilla County Sheriff’s Offi ce on Aug. 31. Ryan McBride held on to his job with the Stanfi eld Police Department until he was fi red Oct. 5. Then in November he threatened to sue the city, claiming he lost his job after reporting the misconduct of his department administrators Lt. Monte Toombs and Chief of Police Bryon Zumwalt. Stanfi eld city manager Blair Larsen this week confi rmed McBride’s role in the Aug. 5 events led to his fi ring. The East Oregonian obtained a 36-page copy of the administrative investigation Boardman police Lt. Loren Dieter conducted of McBride and fellow Stanfi eld offi cer Dan Poffenberger. The report includes the Oregon State Police investiga- tion of the crash and summaries of interviews Dieter and Umatilla County sheriff’s Sgt. Josh Roberts made together of McBride, Plum, Poffenberger and others. More online For the full 36-page investigation report head to eastoregonian.com The crash Plum, McBride and Poffenberger, all off duty, met in Pendleton around 5 p.m., Aug. 5. Poffenberger told investigators he was the desig- nated driver and the trio spent time at two bars in Pendleton and one in Echo. Plum and McBride drank at some or all of the stops, depending on the account, but Poffenberger said no one “was making an ass of themselves.” They stopped at McBride’s house around 9 p.m., ate See CRASH/10A BOARDMAN Work resumes at Carty Former contractor fi red last month By GEORGE PLAVEN East Oregonian Employees are slowly getting back to work on the Carty Generating Station after Portland General Electric fi red the project contractor last month. In a fi ling Thursday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, PGE confi rms construction has resumed at Carty along Tower Road near the Boardman Coal Plant. Abeinsa, an affi liate of the Spanish multinational corpo- ration Abengoa, was origi- nally chosen by PGE to build the natural gas-fi red power plant in 2013. Abengoa is now fi ghting for its fi nancial life, and risks becoming the largest bankruptcy ever in Spain. A spokesman for PGE previously said they weren’t aware of any issues at the time with Abengoa, though at least one competing company foresaw trouble on the horizon. Calpine Corporation, based in Houston, appealed to the Oregon Public Utility Commission in 2013 that Abengoa did not appear to be a creditworthy contractor. Calpine had also submitted a bid for the project, and later provided comments as part of a petition to the PUC. In its comments, Calpine noted Abengoa’s credit rating had been downgraded from B+ to B with a negative outlook See CARTY/9A Staff photo by E.J. Harris Pamela Lund looks through a plastic bin full of personal items while sitting in her car Friday near Wal-Mart in Hermiston. Piecing together life without a home Many Hermiston residents are without a permanent roof over their heads By JADE MCDOWELL East Oregonian When Pamela Lund’s apartment burned down more than two years ago, she thought it wouldn’t be long before she had a roof over her head again. Holding down a job long enough to make enough money to get into an apartment was made diffi cult, however, by anxiety and lingering health problems Lund said were caused by a severe allergic reaction to mold. She said family members, living in other parts of the Pacifi c Northwest, helped her purchase a vehicle months later but didn’t offer to let her move in with them. The weeks quickly turned into months, the months into years. “I’m living in my car,” she said. “But at least I’m not walking the streets anymore. I’m so grateful for that.” She has particular reason to be grateful this winter. Several local spots that have traditionally been a haven for those without permanent shelter are no longer available to campers. Trees on private property along the Hermiston Ditch behind Wal-Mart were burned down and homeless See HOMELESS/10A Staff photo by E.J. Harris Pamela Lund, right, talks to Taco’s Xaxi taco truck owner Gabriela Rodriguez about work while getting some food Friday in Hermiston. Lund will often work odd jobs for Rodriguez in exchange for food or cash. Armed group not ready to leave wildlife refuge By MANUEL VALDES Associated Press AP Photo/Rick Bowmer Ammon Bundy, center, one of the sons of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, arrives for a news conference with supporters at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge Fri- day near Burns. Bundy the leader of a small, armed group occupying a national wildlife refuge in Oregon says the activists have no immediate plans to leave. BURNS — The leader of an armed group occupying a national wildlife refuge to protest federal land manage- ment policies said Friday he and his followers are not ready to leave even though the sheriff and many locals say the group has overstayed their welcome. “How long will this go on?” said Ammon Bundy, leader of the group that seized the headquarters of the refuge in southeastern Oregon last Saturday. “We say to you, ‘not a minute too early.” Bundy met a day earlier with Harney County Sheriff David Ward, who asked Bundy to heed the will of locals and leave the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. Ward also offered to escort Bundy and his group out of the refuge to ensure safe passage. “We will take that offer,” Bundy said on Friday. “But not yet.” A few hours later Ward said via Twitter that because of Bundy’s stance he was calling off plans to have another meeting with him. “During this morning’s press conference, the people on the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge made it clear See REFUGE/9A
