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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 17, 2016)
Wednesday, February 17, 2016 OFF PAGE ONE RAMM: 8rged people to Tuit smoNing FIRE: +ouse also passed bill to double 6aturday, a portable microphone driIted from 1A state’s reneZable energy mandate by 200 Continued around among the guests as tears Iell and his bacN Zith cupped hands to dislodge memories ÀoZed Page 8A East Oregonian Continued from 1A could no longer respond to those ¿res Zithout additional Iunding 7Zo years later, Wheeler &ounty Fire and 5escue Zas created, essentially setting the tePplate Ior +% 007 7he department is an all-volunteer out¿t under the Wheeler &ounty Emergency Management department ETuipment Zas provided by the noZ-deIunct Wheeler Point Volunteer Fire 'epartment out oI 6pray ,n its ¿rst month, Wheeler County Fire and Rescue responded to ¿res and directly saved seven homes, +umphreys said %y 201, residents had donated more than $20,000 to support the program and neZ vehicles Zere picNed up through Iederal donations Wheeler County Fire and Rescue has groZn its volunteer base and Zas one oI the ¿rst departments to respond to the massive Canyon CreeN Complex in Grant County last summer ³,t¶s hard to believe Zhat they¶ve done in tZo years,´ +umphreys said ³,t¶s some- thing ,¶m really proud oI´ 'oug GraIe, chieI oI the Oregon 'epartment oI Forest- ry’s Fire Protection Division, said there are currently 20 rangeland protection associa- tions across the state, protecting 6 million acres 8nder +% 007, rangeland protection associations Zill still be reTuired to submit annual budgets to the %oard oI Forestry and enter into cooperative agreements Zith ODF 7hose agreements detail the state’s ability to assist Zith training and additional expenses +% 007 noZ goes to the 6enate Ior Iurther consideration Clean Power Plan Also on Monday, the Oregon +ouse passed a more contro- versial bill to double the state’s reneZable energy mandate Ior Paci¿c PoZer and Portland General Electric by 200 +% 06 reTuires the utilities phase out coal to serve their Oregon customers by 200 The bill passed 39-20, including support Irom a handIul oI Republicans 6mith Zas not one oI them ³, thinN all oI us Zant a clean environment,´ 6mith said ³,t’s also important to note Ze live on a hydro system that produces the cleanest, most dependable poZer on the planet´ As it stands, existing hydro- electric poZer does not count toZard utilities’ mandate under Oregon’s reneZable portIolio standard +ydro maNes up the maMority oI Oregon’s electricity mix, at 7 percent, due in large part to the system oI Iederal dams on the Columbia River ReneZable energy advocates argue the RP6 is meant to trigger investment in neZ Zind and solar proMects 6mith said ratepayers are leIt to Ioot the bill, especially iI the reneZable standard is raised to 0 percent Irom 2 percent as proposed in +% 036 ³As soon as , NneZ hydro Zouldn’t be considered in the bill, , Zas out,´ 6mith said ³,n my vieZ, Ze’re going to Iocus on expanding Zind and solar technology, all the Zhile Ze have a proven, loZ-cost source oI poZer in hydro´ Paci¿c PoZer and PGE insist they already have plans to phase coal out oI their energy mix, and this bill ² negotiated Zith a coalition oI environmental groups ² Zill result in rate increases oI Must approximately 1 percent per year The legislation Zas ZorNed out in response to a proposed ballot measure ¿led by ReneZ Oregon that Zould accomplish the same goals, but include IeZer protections Ior the utili- ties ,n an intervieZ earlier this month Zith the East Oregonian, Paci¿c PoZer CEO 6teIan %ird said the company has already added 2,000 megaZatts in reneZables since %erNshire +athaZay bought Paci¿Corp in 200 MeanZhile, the cost oI reneZable technology is Ialling signi¿cantly, maNing them more competitive to replace retiring coal plants ³We can maNe this transition happen We Must need time and Àexibility,´ %ird said +% 036 Zas reIerred to the 6enate Transportation and %usi- ness Committee on Tuesday 6mith said the bill appears liNe it Zill move IorZard beIore the end oI the short session ³,n the end, , thinN ratepayers are going to spend more money,´ he said ³,t’s going to get more expensive, but Zon’t do anything Ior the environment´ ——— Contact George Plaven at gplaven@eastoregonian.com or 541-966-0825. thicN mucus Irom the Zalls oI his lungs As a teenager, he regularly Zore an inÀated percussion vest hooNed to an air compressor that perIormed the same Iunc- tion +e had nebuli]er and CPAP contin- uous positive airZay pressure treatments +e missed plenty oI school over the years and considered medical staII and other CF patients at O+68’s Doernbecher Children’s +ospital as Iamily ³+e spent over a ¿Ith oI his high school career in the hospital,´ +ascall said ³+e still graduated Zith high honors´ Ramm also received the coveted P+6 Citi]enship Cup in 2009 +e attended %lue Mountain Community College, planning to ultimately earn degrees in computers and electrical engineering at Oregon 6tate 8niversity %ecause oI his doZntime, he oIten hunNered at his computer Zearing Zireless headphones, crushing his Ioes at Call oI Duty and other computer games +e loved ¿shing, ZorNing out at a martial arts studio, ¿xing computers, perIorming magic, eating macaroni and cheese and spending time Zith his mom and three siblings +e Zas a sticNler Ior good grammar +e volunteered ¿xing computers Ior a time at Domestic Violence 6ervices Zhere +ascall is program manager Ramm nurtured online Iriendships Zith IelloZ CFers, many oI Zhom he never met +is dry sense oI humor oIten emerged On 1ov 17 he posted on Face- booN, ³PoZer Must Zent out , have no oxygen We shall see iI , die tonight´ +e advocated Ior people Zith lung issues +e urged people to Tuit smoNing or change to e-cigarettes, saying ³you save lives oI those around you´ On Dec 1, he posted, ³+ave tissue ready… the doctors and I have come to a decision that it is time to ease into comIort care I’m taNing the Zheel at the end here and driving into a beautiIul sunset´ %eIore he Zent, he orchestrated the celebration oI liIe that Zould taNe place about a month aIter his death On ³+e loved liIe,´ said Candice Creger, Mat’s aunt ³+e read people really Zell +e did things to bring people together´ ³It Zas his theme to breathe deeply and inhale liIe,´ said O+68 chaplain Cody 6chuman ³Each oI us can carry on his legacy oI breathing deeply, regardless oI our lung Iunction´ Daelee McCormicN, Zho has CF, leIt her bed at O+68 to travel to Pendleton Ior the day 6he ¿rst met Ramm Zhen both Zere young patients at Doernbecher and remembered Zheelchair races and riding scooters in the hallZays 6he recalled young Mat maNing bracelets Ior the nurses, then maNing more to sell in the lobby during shiIt changes ³+e must have sold 0 or 60,´ she said, Ziping a IeZ tears ³+e Zas Tuite the young entrepreneur´ The microphone Iound its Zay bacN to +ascall at the end +er son’s liIe, she said, oIIered lessons ³TaNe care oI your lungs /ooN at each day as a giIt /ive your day Iully and Zith purpose,´ +ascall said ³MaNe connec- tions Zith other people Forgive them 1ot everyone Zas nice to Mat, but even Zhen people Zeren’t nice, he Iound a Zay to Iorgive them´ +ascall had cried Zhen she learned Mat had CF 6he recalled a high school class- mate Zho had died oI the disease shortly aIter their graduation Mat’s doctors told her not to plan Ior a Iuture, Must live Ior the day /ooNing bacN, she Ieels ama]ed ³I alZays NneZ death Zas coming There’s only one ending to cystic ¿brosis I NneZ he had tZo mutations oI the Zorst gene,´ +ascall said ³+e did things I’d never thought he’d do I never expected him to drive a car or have a girlIriend or graduate high school, let alone go to college +e exceeded all the milestones I thought he’d never get´ ——— Contact Kathy Aney at kaney@eastore- gonian.com or call 541-966-0810 FEBRUARY 2016 TWO LUCKY WINNERS GUARANTEED TO WIN a 2016 Harley-Davidson motorcycle! 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