STEWART
A SELFLESS
LEADER
CONVERTER
STATION GETS
UPGRADE
Kick in the
pants to the
Bundy Bunch
REGION/3A OPINION/4A
BASKETBALL/1B
FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2016
140th Year, No. 70
One dollar
WINNER OF THE 2015 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD
Your Weekend
•
•
•
UEC tabs
Echenrode
as new GM
By GEORGE PLAVEN
East Oregonian
James Dean Kindle & The
Eastern Oregon Playboys
AARP Smart Driver
classes Friday, Saturday
Charity Bingo for Relay
for Life at Prodigal Son
For times and places
see Coming Events, 5A
Weekend Weather
Fri
Sat
Sun
53/38
48/35
46/32
HERMISTON
6herLII¶s oI¿ ce
investigating
serious assault
East Oregonian
A
serious
assault
Wednesday in Hermiston had
the attention of law enforce-
ment for most of Thursday.
Even still, little information
on the incident was available
by press time.
Umatilla County Under-
sheriff Jim Little¿ eld said
the assault was ¿ rst reported
by Good Shepherd Medical
Center, Hermiston after a
patient was brought to the
hospital. But Little¿ eld said
few other details were known.
According to sources, at
least one man was hospital-
ized with severe, life-threat-
ening injuries.
Little¿ eld and several
other deputies were at the
former Parkins Garage Door
Company building at 81252
Highway 395 on Thursday
morning, where the assault
allegedly took place. The
parking lot was roped off
with police caution tape and
Little¿ eld said of¿ cers were
waiting for an af¿ davit to
enter the building.
Later in the afternoon an
Oregon State Police forensics
unit arrived and examined
the property and the building
assisted by Umatilla County
deputies. At one point a
ladder truck from Hermiston
Fire & Emergency Services
was brought in and a deputy
used it to survey the scene
from above.
Authorities remained at
the scene into the night, but
Sheriff Terry Rowan said
his of¿ ce didn’t have much
information to release at the
time.
The Umatilla County Sher-
iff’s Of¿ ce and Hermiston
Police continue to investigate.
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Pendleton High School Spanish teacher Kathryn Youngman goes over some Spanish phases with her
fourth year students on Wednesday in Pendleton.
That bully cancer
Teacher takes on third battle as students work to get her on ‘Ellen’
By KATHY ANEY
East Oregonian
Kathryn Youngman treats
her third bout with cancer as she
would a mean playground bully
who regularly shoves her to
the ground and steals her lunch
money.
Those who know the Pend-
leton High School Spanish
teacher say Youngman concedes
no power to the bully. She deals
with the tyrant when she must
and quickly switches her focus
to things that matter more: her
family, her students and her
faith.
On a recent day, the veteran
teacher worked her Pendleton
High School classroom with the
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
precise timing of a Vegas come-
Kathryn Youngman greets junior Cade Anderson before the start
dian or Fortune 500 CEO. She Teacher
of her advisory period Wednesday at Pendleton High School.
wandered among the students
Wimbledon.
cancer. They realize Youngman’s
¿ ring questions and instructions.
Though her style is fast and strawberry blonde hair with wispy
“Turn to your partner and ask, ‘Are
you hungry?’” Señora Youngman furious, her students say she is kind bangs is a wig that covers a head bare
directed. “Answer in a complete and inspirational. If someone falls from multiple rounds of chemo. Her
behind or fails a test, Youngman older students traveled down this
sentence.”
The volume in the room rose and spends time encouraging and road with their teacher two years ago
fell. Youngman plunged back into the coaching the student. She stands at the when a tumor was discovered in her
fast-paced dialogue with her students. doorway before each class greeting sinuses. This time, it popped up as
They dared not daydream, lest they pupils as they enter and taking the breast cancer.
When Youngman learned she
be left in their teacher’s wake. Their effort to know them personally. She
eyes followed the constantly moving posts a fresh motivational quote in the would face yet another cancer battle,
Youngman with the concentration of classroom each day.
See CANCER/12A
Her students know all about the
a tennis crowd watching the ball at
“I don’t want to die. I’m not ready to die. But if I have to die, I hope to accept it
graciously. I know I’m going to a better place. I will leave life with no regrets.”
— Kathryn Youngman, Pendleton High School Spanish teacher
The Umatilla Electric Coop-
erative has found a new general
manager from within its own
ranks.
Engineering Manager Robert
Echenrode will be promoted to
the co-op’s
top job begin-
ning March
8. Echenrode
takes
over
for
Steve
Eldrige, who
announced
his retirement
last spring.
Echenrode
“It was an
honor to be considered to follow
such a distinguished group of
leaders,” Echenrode said in
an announcement Thursday.
“I want to help build on the
See UEC/12A
Ed board
passes
exception
to Indian
mascot ban
By PARIS ACHEN
Capital Bureau
SALEM — The Oregon
Board of Education approved
a compromise Thursday that
makes an exception to its
strict ban on American Indian
mascots.
The rule allows Oregon’s
15 school districts with Indian
mascots to keep the mascot if
the district obtains approval
from one of the state’s nine
federally recognized tribes.
A previous proposal put
out for a public hearing in
December also would have
required the mascot to include
the name of one of the state’s
federally recognized tribes,
which would have limited the
exception to only three of the
15 districts.
The ban, enacted in 2012,
is due to take effect July 1,
2017. Fifteen school districts
are affected, including Mollala
River.
Legislation in 2014 forced
the Board of Education to
develop rules by January 2017
providing for an exception to
See MASCOT/12A
Grazing fee protest may
have long-term impact
By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI
EO Media Group
EO Media Group i le photo
Cattle graze in this fi le photo. Ranchers and legal
experts worry that withholding government grazing
fees could have a long-term impact on ranches.
Harney County rancher Travis Williams
says he’s “riding the fence” on a recent
anti-government proposal to stop paying fees
for grazing on public lands.
Armed protesters occupying the Malheur
National Wildlife Refuge headquarters in
Southeast Oregon have urged local ranchers
to tear up their grazing contracts with federal
agencies to challenge the government’s
control over the area.
Williams said he doesn’t support the
protesters’ actions, such as removing fences at
the refuge, but thinks the grazing fee proposal
may be a legitimate form of protest.
“If there’s enough people involved, I think
it would work,” he said.
On the other hand, Williams is concerned
about how violating grazing contracts with
More inside
Leader of armed group at wildlife
refuge is speaking with FBI
Page 2A
the federal government would affect his two
sons and daughter, who hope to run the family
ranch someday.
“My actions right now are going to play
over to their future,” he said.
The consequences of using federal grazing
allotments without paying the required fees
can be serious and long-lasting, said Scott
Horngren, an attorney with the Western
Resources Legal Center who has represented
ranchers in grazing lawsuits.
While the penalties would not be criminal,
serious breaches of grazing contracts may
See GRAZING/12A