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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (March 29, 2016)
REGION Tuesday, March 29, 2016 East Oregonian Page 3A IRRIGON BOARDMAN Father pleads guilty to killing infant daughter Driver killed in milk truck crash ÀLJKWWRDFKLOGUHQ¶VKRVSLWDO in Spokane where she died. The ensuing criminal led the Travis Michael Martin investigation of Irrigon admitted in court Morrow County Sheriff’s he killed his 10-month-old 2I¿FH WR DUUHVW 7UDYLV Martin the night daughter. His of May 29 and sentencing is next book him into week. the Umatilla Savannah died County Jail, May 27, 2015, Pendleton, the night after her where he has 22-year-old father remained. threw her to the KaSandra ground. Martin Martin worked pleaded guilty on nights, Nelson March 3 in Morrow said, and knew County Circuit Martin nothing about Court, Heppner, to RQH FRXQW RI ¿UVWGHJUHH any abuse and mistreatment at the time. Court records manslaughter. Morrow County District show the couple divorced Attorney Justin Nelson said after Travis Martin’s arrest. Martin also faced the plea came after a settle- ment conference. Those charges of assault and negotiations often can drag criminal mistreatment, but on for several hours or those counts came from longer, but Nelson said this his admissions to police of was short in comparison. harming his daughter on He credited that to a united other occasions. Nelson front from Savannah’s said proving those crimes mother, KaSandra Martin, at trial would have been PRUH GLI¿FXOW EHFDXVH RI and her parents. Nelson said he and his the lack of evidence, such deputy prosecutor, Richard as medical records. He also Tovey, set the plea deal bar said even if a jury convicted DW¿UVWGHJUHHPDQVODXJKWHU on all counts, a judge could which carries a mandatory have run all the sentences minimum prison sentence concurrent with the 10-year in Oregon of 10 years. The mandatory minimum. Circuit Judge Christo- family agreed not to back off that charge, Nelson said, pher Brauer presided over and the strategy from there the negotiations, and he will was direct: They wanted preside over the sentencing Martin to plea to what he on Friday, April 8. Nelson said Martin will be in court, did. Martin pleaded guilty along with members of his family. He said he did not that day in court. KaSandra Martin took know if KaSandra Martin her daughter with her on and her family would be May 27, 2015, to Pendleton. there, though they would When the infant would have the right to make not wake up, she called statements to the court. Nelson also said the 9-1-1. An ambulance took the child to St. Anthony plea deal is not done until Hospital, Pendleton, which the judge pronounces the sent her on an emergency sentence. By PHIL WRIGHT East Oregonian PGE: Claims unsafe defects at the plant came under Abeinsa’s watch Continued from 1A PUC would allow them to raise rates. “We would have to demonstrate through the (PUC’s) public process that the costs were prudently incurred,” Corson said. Bob Jenks, executive director of the Citizens’ Utility Board, said they would likely oppose such a request. But he said the process still has to play out in court. PGE hired Abeinsa as the general contractor for Carty in 2013 from among 12 different proposals. On Nov. 25, 2015, Abeinsa’s parent company, Abengoa, entered into pre-insolvency talks with its creditors to try and restructure its massive debt. In its lawsuit, PGE says it agreed to advance more than $5 million in payments to Abengoa during the month of November to pay workers. Then, on Dec. 14, 2015, workers were turned away from the Carty site because Abengoa claimed it didn’t have the money to pay subcontractors or vendors. An attorney for Abengoa told PGE during a meeting that day it would need ³LPPHGLDWH ¿QDQFLDO DVVLV- tance” to continue working on Carty. Terms for another advance stalled, and on Dec. 18, PGE terminated the contract. Abengoa had previously stated in writing it was unable to pay debts, and in one case owed Apollo Sheet Metal of Kennewick, Washington nearly $400,000. That amount has since become a lien on Carty, and still has not been paid. PGE assumed construc- tion of Carty in January, and Corson said workers continue to make progress on the plant. However, PGE states there are several instances of unsafe defects at the plant that came under Abeinsa’s watch — from construction debris left in water pipes, to improper installation of a cooling water system. Abengoa is still seeking arbitration what it says was a breach of contract. PGE claims it did not breach the contract, and the two insur- ance companies are still responsible for payments under the performance bond. Corson said they are still targeting an in-service date for Carty by July 2016, but that schedule could change based on work to correct defects. Construction was DERXW SHUFHQW ¿QLVKHG EHIRUH $EHQJRD ZDV ¿UHG from the project. ——— Contact George Plaven at gplaven@eastoregonian. com or 5641-966-0825. Hermiston hazmat, Morrow Co. respond East Oregonian A Kennewick man died Monday after crashing his semi truck hauling a double tanker of milk on Interstate 84 just west of Boardman. At 5:41 a.m., the Morrow &RXQW\ 6KHULII¶V 2I¿FH received multiple 9-1-1 calls reporting a Milky Way semi truck had overturned west- bound on I-84 near milepost 167. The driver, James W. Crow, 62, was trapped in the vehicle when paramedics arrived, and the truck was leaking milk and diesel fuel. It took two hours for the Boardman Fire Department to remove Crow from the wreckage. He was taken by ambulance to Good Shepherd 0HGLFDO&HQWHUWKHQÀRZQWR Legacy Emmanuel Hospital, Portland, where he died. Crow’s 2016 Freightliner drifted off the roadway before rolling onto its side, according to a press release from Oregon State Police, but the cause of the crash is Photo contributed by Oregon State Police James W. Crow, the driver of a semi hauling a double tanker of milk, was killed Monday morning when his truck crashed on Interstate 84 just east of Boardman. unknown. The hazardous materials crew from Hermiston Fire and Emergency Services were dispatched about two hours after the crash to assist in the clean up, as about 7,000 gallons of milk had VSLOOHG DQG ZHUH ÀRZLQJ into the nearby Coyote Springs Wildlife Area. Milk Ward 1 candidate ends city council campaign PENDLETON — As the municipal elections get closer, the Pendleton City &RXQFLOFDQGLGDWH¿HOG continues to shrink. Ward 1 candidate Renee Caubisens said Monday that she was ending her campaign because of a recent injury. Because the withdrawal deadline has long since passed, Caubisens’ name will still be listed on the ballot although she’s no longer seeking the seat. She will be listed along with incumbent Becky Marks and challenger James Tibbets. Ward 1 includes the downtown area, South Hill and Riverside. Caubisens, a former public defender for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, isn’t the ¿UVWFDQGLGDWHWRPDNH an early exit from a city council race. At-large candidate Jim Swearingen also decided against campaigning for his seat, but was on vacation during the withdrawal period and missed the deadline. Former Ward 3 candidate Tom Phelan was the only RQHWRRI¿FLDOO\ZLWKGUDZ from the election, pulling out the day after the GHDGOLQHWR¿OHIRUDVHDW BMCC approves contractor for Ag center project PENDLETON — Blue Mountain Community College has selected an Enterprise-based company to build the new Precision Irrigated Agriculture Center in Hermiston. The project is being funded through a $23 million bond voters approved in May 2015. The BMCC Board of Education approved issuing an intent to award a contract to Wellens Farwell Inc., of Enterprise. %0&&UHFHLYHG¿YHELGV for the project. The Precision Irrigated Agriculture center, slated for property off Feedville Road in Hermiston, will EHWKH¿UVWRIWKUHHPDMRU bond construction projects to break ground for BMCC. The college expects to issue a bid request for construction of its Workforce Training Center in Boardman in April, followed by the updated Facility for Agricultural Resource Management (FARM) on the Pendleton campus. Other bond projects to make safety and security improvements on the Pendleton campus have already started. This summer, BMCC will replace HVAC units and electrical systems in several of its Pendleton campus buildings. Emergency drill Thursday in downtown Pendleton PENDLETON — Local responders will hold an emergency drill Thursday starting around 9 a.m. in Pendleton. “Pendleton police and ¿UHZLOOSDUWLFLSDWHDORQJ with other local agencies, including the Umatilla &RXQW\6KHULII¶V2I¿FH The drill is to help local agencies practice their emergency response plans, communications and the ability to handle a mass casualty incident,” according to Fully Digital Enya 3 Series Hearing Aid Spring $ Special 995 • Enhances Speech • Reduces Noise Call 541-276-3155 Ruud’s Hearing Aid Service SATURDAY, APRIL 2 – 6 PM AT THE ROY RALEY ROOM Dinner with the Conductor Monday, April 18th Music by the OES String Quartet. Tickets available at Armchair Books & Symphony Office (345 SW 4th). $40/person indication of loss of life to ¿VK RU ZLOGOLIH &UHZV DUH awaiting a recommendation for any further clean up. The Morrow County 6KHULII¶V 2I¿FH %RDUGPDQ SROLFH ¿UH DQG DPEXODQFH and the Oregon Department of Transportation also responded. OSP is in charge of the investigation. BRIEFLY Sale price valid on the Resound Enya 3 series. Limit two at the promotional price. No other offers or discounts apply. Discount does not apply to prior sales. A five-course meal with conductor Beau Benson as he unveils the 2016-2017 season. is considered a hazardous material once it reaches the water system because it displaces oxygen and may NLOO RU KDUP ¿VK DQG RWKHU aquatic life. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Department of Environ- mental Quality responded to the scene but found no An evening of fun, food, and friendly competition Prizes and bragging rights! Build a team and win the day! 108 SW Frazer Avenue Pendleton, Oregon 97801 541-276-0012 • Fax 541-276-7989 info@heritagestatonmuseum.org Tickets available at Heritage Station, Armchair Books, and at the door $20 each; $120 for a table of six an announcement from Umatilla County Public Health Department, which will hold the drill at its building on the corner of Southeast Court Avenue and Third Street, Pendleton. People in the area may see emergency vehicles, LQFOXGLQJSROLFHFDUV¿UH engines and ambulances. “Training signs will be in place to ensure the public that the activity is a drill, not an actual emergency,” according to the statement. The health department also reminded people not call 9-1-1 unless you need assistance for an HPHUJHQF\VXFKDVD¿UH crime or car crash. Walden to visit Pendleton on Saturday PENDLETON — U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon, will visit Pendleton on Saturday, April 2 as part of a ZKLUOZLQG¿YHFRXQW\WRXU through Eastern Oregon. Walden will meet with hunters and anglers at the Pendleton Convention Center to provide an update on the Sportsmen’s Heritage and Recreational Enhancement, or SHARE, Act, which recently passed the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill is designed to protect access to public lands and strengthen Second Amendment rights for sportsmen, according to Walden. That meeting is set to begin at 2:45 p.m. Earlier in the day, Walden will be in Klamath Falls and Lakeview. He will end the day in Enterprise, and KROGRQH¿QDOWRZQKDOOLQ Jordan Valley on Sunday. Topics will include input on the revised Blue Mountains Forest Plan, as well as the proposal for a national monument in Malheur County. The SHARE Act proposes revisions to a number of existing federal programs, including the Hunting, Fishing, and Recreational Shooting Protection Act; the Target Practice and Marksmanship Training Support Act; and the Recreational Lands Self-Defense Act of 2015. Full text of the bill can be found online at www. congress.gov. ——— Briefs are compiled from staff and wire reports, and press releases. Email press releases to news@ eastoregonian.com BRAIN HEALTH & HEALTHY AGING FREE class to learn about research in the areas of diet and nutrition, exercise, cognitive activity and social engagement—hands on tools to help incorporate the recommendations into a plan for healthy aging April 6 • 6:00 - 7:30pm Call 541-668-6247 to pre-register KNOW YOUR NUMBERS! FREE blood pressure checks at Hermiston and Stanfield Senior Centers. One in three adults has high blood pressure, we encourage everyone to know their numbers. Open to everyone! 11:00am - 12:00pm Third Wednesday of each month STANFIELD SENIOR CENTER Fourth Thursday of each month HERMISTON SENIOR CENTER FREE HELP WITH MEDICARE: The Hermiston SHIBA (Senior Health Insurance Benefits Assistance) Office has trained volunteers to help you with Medicare questions. One on One Consultation: GSMC Education Department. Call 541-667-3507 to schedule an appointment. HEALTHY FRIDAYS FREE health screenings & health coaching: Blood pressure checks, weigh-ins, body mass index, cholesterol and glucose. First Friday of each month 9:30 - 11:30am Third Friday of each month 2:00 - 4:00pm GSMC Conference Center 7 (by Education Dept) Information or to register call (541) 667-3509 or email healthinfo@gshealth.org
