REGION
Thursday, March 3, 2016
East Oregonian
Page 3A
HERMISTON
TRCI inmates
Dictionaries get the job done
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while school’s Internet is down Feb. stabbing
By JENNIFER COLTON
East Oregonian
Third-graders
across
Hermiston received dictio-
naries this week, and the
donation couldn’t have come
at a better time.
While the class iPads and
SmartBoards had no Internet
connection on Wednesday,
the paper-and-ink dictionaries
were up and running.
The Hermiston School
District lost all outside Internet
and telephone service around
9 a.m. Wednesday when a
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Hermiston and Tri-Cities.
Schools could call between
buildings, but all calls from
numbers outside the district
were met with busy signals.
School and district websites
were down as well. The
school district is a customer
of Charter Communications,
which had network outages
across the area on Wednesday.
For elementary school
students, the technology
downtime provided a few
hiccups.
While
lessons
involving technology were
put on hold, the third-graders
were able to learn old fash-
ioned research skills through
the dictionaries, delivered
by Columbia Grange 867
members Doris Reid and Dan
Serface.
Reid and Serface gave
the books to each Hermiston
third-grader as part of the
Staff Photo by Jennifer Colton
Third-grade teacher Kaitlin Woodward works with Anterrio Hughes and his new
dictionary, Wednesday at Sunset Elementary.
One of those classrooms
“We don’t know much about dictionaries yet.
was Kaitlin Woodward’s
A few students this morning didn’t even know at Sunset Elementary. As
what they were. We will deinitely use these.” soon as students received
— Kaitlin Woodward, Sunset Elementary third-grade teacher
annual ‘Words for Thirds’
program.
The grange purchased 600
dictionaries to distribute, and
in addition to the Hermiston
School District, the grange
purchased dictionaries for
students at both Hermiston
private schools as well as
McNary Heights Elementary
in Umatilla.
In each class, the volun-
teers gave a book to each
student and left extras with
teachers for absent students.
“We’ve had some classes
where we’re still handing
them out and the teacher starts
teaching with them,” Serface
said. “It’s great.”
the dictionaries, they started
putting them to use.
“We don’t know much
about dictionaries yet. A few
students this morning didn’t
even know what they were,”
Woodward said. “We will
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While the Internet and
phone service was down, most
school operations continued
as scheduled, according to
area principals.
PENDLETON
Eighth Street Bridge project moves forward
By ANTONIO SIERRA
East Oregonian
The city of Pendleton is
proceeding into the second
phase of the Eighth Street
Bridge project, but not
without some resistance.
At a meeting Tuesday,
council directed staff to
enter into an agreement with
the Oregon Department of
Transportation to negotiate
right-of-way
acquisitions
with nearby property owners
and pay upfront to expedite
the process.
The city received a $7.42
million grant from the federal
government to replace the
bridge, contingent on the city
putting up a 10.27 percent
match. Since then, Umatilla
County agreed to cover half
of the match.
In order to start construc-
tion, the city needs to acquire
temporary
construction
right-of-ways from Eighth
Street property owners and
some of the surrounding
Although Taylor came to
TRCI on Sept. 2, 2015, his
experience with the Oregon
A former Portland police Department of Corrections
informant was the victim goes back decades. Taylor’s
in a recent stabbing at Two inmate record includes
Rivers Correctional Institu- aliases of Bobby Dunkin,
Bobby
Manny,
John
tion, Umatilla.
Oregon State Police Jacobsen, Bob Manning
is investigating and has and Bobby Manning. His
released few details about criminal record, out of Mult-
the Feb. 21 attack on nomah County, includes
George Robert Taylor, 53, cases for vehicle theft in
perpetrated by another November 2007; attempt
to elude police, hit and run
inmate.
prostitution,
Hermiston
Fire
& (property),
Emergency
Services ¿UVWGHJUHH VH[XDO DEXVH
responded to TRCI at in April 2010; delivery and
12:40 p.m. that Sunday and possession of heroin in June
an ambulance helicopter 2011; second-degree theft
transported Taylor, who in April 2013; harassment
suffered serious injuries. in May 2013; and coercion,
He was hospitalized but strangulation and harass-
returned to TRCI Feb. 23 ment in April 2015.
That case led to his
and to his housing unit at
the prison two days later, conviction and incarcera-
according to Betty Bernt, tion at TRCI.
TRCI
spokeswoman
communications manager
for the Oregon Department Sherry Iles said Taylor’s
assault is unrelated to the
of Corrections.
6WDWH SROLFH LGHQWL¿HG death of another TRCI
Joe Daniel Robinson, 42, inmate last weekend. On
as the suspect in Taylor’s Feb. 27 Joel Abbot, 60, was
assault. Robinson entered found unresponsive in his
TRCI on Nov. 21, 2013 on cell. He was transported
a count of second-degree off-site for medical care at
assault out of Linn County. 10:30 a.m. and died at 5:05
His earliest release date is p.m. Abbott was serving a
life sentence for murder.
August 2019.
Abbot, originally incar-
Taylor was the subject
of a 2015 exposé in Willa- cerated in 1993, had been
mette Week that revealed transferred to TRCI for
he was as an informant for medical care.
———
the Portland Police Bureau
Contact Jennifer Colton
while
simultaneously
working for a Detroit crime at jcolton@eastoregonian.
com or 541-564-4534
syndicate.
By JENNIFER COLTON
East Oregonian
areas, as well as permanent
right-of-ways along the river,
in order to build a retention
pond for water runoff and an
underpass for the Pendleton
River Parkway.
*RYHUQPHQW
RI¿FLDOV
don’t expect the cost of right-
of-way acquisition to exceed
$300,000. But Public Works
Director Bob Patterson
said grant funds cannot be
disbursed until the permitting
process is complete, which
will take another year.
To meet the project’s
summer 2017 target start
date, staff recommended the
city pay the acquisition costs
upfront, out of the street
fund, and receive the 90
percent grant reimbursement
next year.
The step into the next
phase caused some confusion
and consternation among the
city council.
“We are truly adversely
affecting the residents in that
area, especially in parking
and frontage in front of their
homes,” Councilor Becky
Marks said.
Eighth Street residents
Ben and Rachel Dagley
said city and ODOT staff
had worked with property
owners to make the project
more palatable than the
original designs, but they
were confused about certain
elements of the project and
were interested in trying to
mitigate the adverse effects
of construction.
“I’m never going to love
this,” Rachel Dagley said.
“I guess that’s probably
the biggest thing. I don’t
understand it. I’m not under-
standing the need for even 10
percent of the city’s budget
to be expended on this.”
Councilor Chuck Wood
said accepting the federal
grant was necessary because
the bridge is deteriorating
and the city doesn’t have the
money to replace it or tear it
down.
Marks voted against a
resolution that declared the
city’s intent to acquire the
right-of-ways, but joined
the rest of the city council
in approving an agreement
between ODOT and expe-
diting the acquisition process
by paying for right-of-ways
upfront.
The council also unan-
imously approved an ordi-
nance to return minimum
density standards to one unit
per acre in low density resi-
dential zones, four units per
acre in the medium density
zones, and 10 units per acre
in high density zones.
A consultant had recom-
mended the city increase its
density levels to correspond
with population projections.
But Pendleton’s population
growth has far underper-
formed the projections and
developers complained the
higher standards made it
harder to build housing.
———
Contact Antonio Sierra at
asierra@eastoregonian.com
or 541-966-0836.
0RUURZ&RXQW\FODUL¿HVµMXGJH¶HOHFWLRQ
Position to become part-time commissioner
District
Circuit
Court,
———
which covers both Morrow
Contact George Plaven
By GEORGE PLAVEN
appears on the ballot. After and Umatilla counties. On at gplaven@eastoregonian.
East Oregonian
consulting with the state average, Morrow County com or 541-966-0825.
Elections Division, Nelson has about 10 juvenile delin-
As of Wednesday, two said they can’t put a third quency cases every year and
SHRSOH KDYH ¿OHG WR UXQ IRU commission seat on the ballot between 50-60 dependency
Morrow County judge in this since the position technically cases referred by the Depart-
ment of Human Services.
doesn’t exist yet.
year’s general election.
Shifting those cases to
“There was no other way
But in reality, the candi-
circuit
court is estimated
dates are vying for a different around it,” Nelson said. “We
want to make sure the public to save the county around
seat altogether.
$40,000 per year in attorney
On Sept. 16, 2015, the is aware.”
So far, Greg Sweek and costs. Judge Tallman voted
county court voted 2-1 to
drop the judge position in Melissa Lindsay, both of against the transition, while
favor of having one full-time +HSSQHU KDYH ¿OHG WR UXQ commissioners Don Russell
county administrator and for a six-year term on the and Leann Rea voted in favor.
three part-time commis- county commission. Sweek 7DOOPDQ ZDV ¿UVW HOHFWHG DV
sioners. The change will is a former county property county judge in 1999.
According to the Oregon
take effect Jan. 1, 2017, after appraiser and assessor, while
current Judge Terry Tallman Lindsay is owner and presi- Blue Book, only six counties
dent of Turner Ranch. The still have local elected judges
retires.
with any judicial authority:
Until then, however, GHDGOLQHWR¿OHLV0DUFK
For years, the Morrow Gilliam, Sherman, Wheeler,
candidates for the newly
created third commission seat County judge has served as Grant, Harney and Malheur.
KDYHWR¿OHIRUFRXQW\MXGJH a county administrator and
— even though they will be presided over juvenile court
sworn in as a commissioner cases. With the local govern-
as soon as their term begins ment shakeup, the county has
and the judge position is since hired Jerry Sorte as a
full-time administrator, who
abolished.
Morrow County District will report to the board of
Attorney Justin Nelson said three commissioners.
Part-time commissioners
the transition has created
some confusion among make $37,284 per year.
Juvenile court cases will
residents who are wondering
Processor,
why “county judge” still be handled by the Sixth
Sierra Webb
a valued member of our team!
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.
A Division of:
NMLS #471758-1850
505 E. Main St. Suite A,
Hermiston, OR 97838
541-564-5900
hermistonhomeloans.com
PILOT ROCK
Sex abuse case
lingered for months
small town struggled to
¿QG D UHSODFHPHQW 3LORW
Rock then struck a deal to
A Pilot Rock man faces pay Pendleton for police
a charge of felony sex abuse services. In November,
of a child in a case that sat Lehnert discovered a
memorandum from the
open since January 2015.
Pendleton police Chief GLVWULFW DWWRUQH\¶V RI¿FH
Stuart Roberts said in an requesting a follow-up
email the work of police investigation on the sex
Cpl. Ryan Lehnert led to the abuse case.
Lehnert called deputy
arrest of Scott MacFadden
Monty
Allen, 58, of 148 S.E. prosecutor
Elm St. Allen pleaded not Ludington, who sent that
guilty Monday in Umatilla memo.
“At that time the
County Circuit Court in
3HQGOHWRQ WR ¿UVWGHJUHH decision was made to start
sexual abuse, according to the investigation from the
beginning,” Roberts said.
court records.
Lehnert
completed
Roberts said not all the
details are in, but the victim the investigation, and a
ZDV¿YH\HDUVROGLQHDUO\ grand jury considered
May 2014 when the family the evidence and indicted
suspected “inappropriate Allen, which led to a
activity.” Then there was a warrant and his arrest
“communication/confron- Sunday.
Allen remains in the
tation” among family
members before someone Umatilla County Jail in lieu
reported Allen as the of $150,000 bail.
———
suspect in January 2015.
Contact Phil Wright at
Darrin Richman retired
around then as Pilot Rock pwright@eastoregonian.
police chief, and the com or 541-966-0833.
By PHIL WRIGHT
East Oregonian