REGION
Tuesday, March 29, 2016
East Oregonian
Page 3A
IRRIGON
BOARDMAN
Father pleads guilty to
killing infant daughter
Driver killed in milk truck crash
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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from the election, pulling
out the day after the
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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.
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for the project.
The Precision Irrigated
Agriculture center, slated
for property off Feedville
Road in Hermiston, will
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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
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with other local agencies,
including the Umatilla
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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
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awaiting a recommendation
for any further clean up.
The Morrow County
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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
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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,
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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
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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
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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