REGION
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
East Oregonian
Page 3A
Local restaurant inspection scores getting better
By JADE MCDOWELL
East Oregonian
Fuimara said another issue is
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surfaces, such as crumbs on the
Check out the full list of
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Restaurants in Umatilla County
restaurant scores online at
the wall.
and Morrow County are safer and
www.eastoregonian.com
“That isn’t a huge issue by itself,
more sanitary than they were three
but it can become one,” he said,
years ago, according to the latest
round of restaurant inspection GXULQJDVLQJOHYLVLWLQDVL[PRQWK noting that not cleaning up spills
promptly can attract pests.
scores published by the health time period.
“It’s a snapshot,” he said. “Good
Although the vast majority of
department.
Of all 213 establishments, 47 restaurants can have a bad day when restaurants in Umatilla County and
percent achieved a perfect score we’re there, and bad restaurants can Morrow County usually pass with
when subjected to an unannounced have a good day, so you have to take À\LQJFRORUVLQWKHVHFRQGKDOIRI
2015 Ye Olde Pizza Shoppe, Panda
inspection between June and it with a grain of salt.”
Fuimara has only been with Inn and Ruty’s in Hermiston did not.
December 2015. During the same
During its initial inspection
time period three years earlier, only Umatilla County Public Health for
26 percent of the 185 restaurants a month, but he spent eight years Ye Olde Pizza Shoppe received
before that performing inspections a score of 46 after an inspector
had a perfect score.
spotted violations that included
During the second half of 2015 in Walla Walla County.
Probably the biggest issue most food stored past its expiration date,
three local restaurants — Ruty’s,
Panda Inn and Ye Olde Pizza restaurants have, he said, comes no paper towels near the hand
Shoppe in Hermiston — failed with the guidelines for holding food washing sink, improperly labeled
or mixed cleaning chemicals, burn
their initial inspections. Ruty’s and at certain temperatures.
Another common issue is cream stored above food, a broken
Ye Olde Pizza Shoppe passed by
D VLJQL¿FDQW PDUJLQ ZKHQ UHLQ separating different types of foods. thermometer, surfaces not being
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spected about a week later. There is He said sometimes in their bid to cleaned as often as required and
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pack cooling and freezing areas so hands after taking a customer’s dirty
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The latest release of restaurant tightly that raw meat or eggs end up plate back to the kitchen.
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inspection scores have been making sitting on top of vegetables or fruit,
the rounds on Facebook as people ZKLFKFRXOGFDXVHFURVVFRQWDPLQD enough of the issues to score an
tion.
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“Just because we write a viola later and was in the process of
from certain eateries, but Umatilla
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Joseph Fuimara said it’s important tamination) has happened, it just new thermometer and proper light
means that the conditions are there covers.
c to keep in mind that the scores come
During its initial inspection
from what an inspector observed that it could,” he said.
More online
Ruty’s received a score of 55 after
violations including missing paper
towels and soap at a handwashing
sink, vegetables stored at 44 degrees
instead of 41, uncooked meat stored
next to other foods and employees
not washing their hands as often as
required by law.
On its second inspection less
than a week later Ruty’s passed with
a score of 95.
Panda Inn received a 62 on
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including employees not washing
hands as often as required, chicken
sitting out at room temperature,
items in the salad bar being kept
at 44 degrees instead of 41 degrees
and mouse droppings in the back
storage room.
A second inspection was sched
uled to be completed by another
county during the gap between the
former health inspector’s depar
ture and Fuimara’s start date, but
Fuimara said he merely has a note
marking the inspection completed
without giving a score.
Several restaurants that had
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of 2015 improved in the second to a
95 or better during their most recent
inspection, including Sub Zero
Restaurant and Lounge in Irrigon,
Golden Village Restaurant in
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LVWRQDQG(O(UUDGHURLQ6WDQ¿HOG
Establishments must score at
least a 70 to pass. If they don’t they
are given up to two weeks to correct
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If they fail again the health depart
ment will shut them down.
Umatilla County Public Health
director Meghan DeBolt said that
it’s very rare for a restaurant to be
shut down, because in her experi
ence health violations are nearly
always an oversight that owners are
more than willing to correct when it
is pointed out to them.
She said the department’s desire
is to protect public health and safety
without impeding economic devel
opment.
“We really take an education
approach,” she said. “We try not to
be punitive and slap on a bunch of
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She did say the department was
looking at possibly adding a fee
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of inspectors coming back out a
second time, but if fees were raised
it wouldn’t happen until 2017.
DeBolt said it is rare to see
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Umatilla and Morrow Counties,
something she said local restaurant
owners deserve a lot of credit for.
———
Contact Jade McDowell at
jmcdowell@eastoregonian.com or
541-564-4536.
c
BRIEFLY
PLUTE: Back taxes have incurred heavy interest
the city’s coffers because of
the heavy interest his back
started making tax payments taxes have incurred.
and expects to settle his debt
“They penalize you like
by May.
hell to pay your taxes late,”
Plute also refused to back he said.
off from his steadfast and
Pendleton
Citizens
vocal support for more tax United, the group that is
revenue for the city, despite campaigning to recall Plute,
his delinquency.
noted the unpaid taxes were
“I’m not changing my a reason for their action.
mind just because I owe a
In a Feb. 15 letter to the
few bucks,” he said.
East Oregonian, committee
Plute said his delinquent member James Humphrey
WD[HVZLOOXOWLPDWHO\EHQH¿W decried that Plute’s limited
Continued from 1A
liability companies were
up to four years behind in
their property tax payments,
including on the Bowman
and the St. George.
“A person who is in
a position of deciding if
new fees and taxes are to
be levied on the citizenry
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Humphrey wrote.
———
Contact Antonio Sierra
at asierra@eastoregonian.
com or 541-966-0836.
COUNCIL: Councilor Brown said Chalmers was a friend
Street Diner and a member of
the committee trying to recall
Unfortunately, we live in a Councilor Al Plute, said he
time where government isn’t was a “good salesman” but
well trusted but that has to be also admitted he opposed the
something that’s established FHQWJDVWD[VRPHWKLQJKH
through relationships.”
“retroactively” supports.
Despite
seeing
his
Retiree Paul Rabitaille
department shrink from 33 said he wants to bring
employees in 1990 to 17 in ³IDPLO\RULHQWHGEXVLQHVV´WR
2016, Chalmers said they Pendleton and said he won’t
still consistently collected be detriment to the council.
WD[HVDWSHUFHQWUDWH
“I don’t know that it
Recurrent
themes would be better, but I don’t
throughout the interviews think it would be any worse,”
included housing, industrial he said, spurring laughter
growth and communication from the council.
with the public.
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Jim Swearingen touted his ployed computer repairman
H[SHULHQFH DV WKH FRRZQHU convicted of a hate crime,
of J & B Automotive and his continued to pitch his tech
QLQH\HDUVRQWKH5RXQG8S savvy and his desire to
Board of Directors, where increase the town’s computer
he more than quadrupled literacy.
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While none of the coun
he was in charge of that cilors announced why they
department.
were voting for Chalmers,
Larry Anderson, the familiarity was on his side.
retired owner of the Main
In addition to serving on
Continued from 1A
SUBMIT COMMUNITY NEWS
Submit information to: community@eastoregonian.com
or drop off to the attention of Tammy Malgesini at 333 E.
Main St., Hermiston or Renee Struthers at 211 S.E. Byers
Ave., Pendleton. Call 541-564-4539 or 541-966-0818
with questions.
the Pendleton Development
Commission
Advisory
Committee, Councilor Neil
Brown said Chalmers was a
friend, Councilor Tom Young
praised him for his customer
service and Councilor Al
Plute said they played golf
together.
The appointment makes
Chalmers
the
nominal
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UDFHIRUWKHDWODUJHVHDW
Right now, Chalmers will
face Rabitaille, Swearingen
and Rick Rohde in the
May 17 municipal election.
Anderson and Tibbets have
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¿OLQJGHDGOLQHLV0DUFK
———
Contact Antonio Sierra at
asierra@eastoregonian.com
or 541-966-0836.
Daren Strong appointed
Irrigon mayor pro tem
IRRIGON — The Irrigon City Council
appointed councilor Daren Strong as mayor
pro tem at its meeting Tuesday evening.
Strong was nominated by fellow coun
cilors, along with Michelle Hagen. Strong
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Matlack was absent from the meeting.
As mayor pro tem, Strong will assume
mayoral duties when the current mayor,
Sam Heath, is unavailable. The mayor
presides over city council meetings and is a
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Strong takes over as mayor pro tem for
Christine Sorenson, who died Jan. 18 of
congenital heart failure. She was 72.
City Manager Aaron Palmquist said the
council vacancy left by Sorensen has been
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0DUFK:KRHYHULVDSSRLQWHGZLOO¿QLVK
the remainder of Sorensen’s term, which
runs through the end of the year.
Smith takes seat on Small
Business Advisory Cabinet
SALEM — Republican Rep. Greg
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Brown’s Small Business Advisory Cabinet.
Brown, a Democrat, created the cabinet
earlier this month and on Tuesday afternoon
KHURI¿FHDQQRXQFHGLWVPHPEHUVKLS6PLWK
is one of nine in the cabinet.
Brown charged the group with devel
oping recommendations to her on how state
government can support small business
owners, new entrepreneurs and advance
statewide economic growth. The cabinet will
deliver recommendations on three priorities
by Oct 1: How state government can
support and promote small business owners
and prospective entrepreneurs; how state
government can increase access to capital;
and how the state can streamline regulations.
EOU honors three local
teachers with awards
Three local teachers have been honored
by former students in the “Inspirational
Teacher Awards” from Eastern Oregon
University.
(28¿UVW\HDUKRQRUVWXGHQWVZKR
maintained dean’s list standing during fall
term nominated 26 teachers from Oregon,
Washington, California and Nevada.
Students were asked to choose teachers
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education and academic excellence.
At Hermiston High School, 2015 grad
uates Shay Lovejoy and Breeanna Hughes
nominated Paul Dunsmoor, a member of the
band staff.
Makayla Mangione, also a 2015 graduate
of Hermiston High, nominated Tim Zacha
rias, a former member of the English staff.
“Tim Zacharias goes out of his way to
challenge his students, giving them the tools
they need to succeed,” Mangione said via
email. ”He encouraged me to think deeper,
write better and to engage in a myriad of
disciplines beyond my preferred course of
study. His mentorship inspired me to pursue
a career in English education so that I too
can help students succeed.”
.DUOD%HGROODDJUDGXDWHRI
8PDWLOOD+LJK6FKRROQRPLQDWHG.HLWK
Gebers, business communication and
computer systems teacher at UHS.
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dents is high praise and means a lot to me. I
have been fortunate to work with some of
the best and brightest the state of Oregon has
to offer,” Gebers said Tuesday.