BLAZERS
DEFEAT
CLIPPERS
IN GAME 5
AGRICULTURE
TODAY
BASKETBALL/1B
UDDERLY
ORGANIC
KENNEWICK MAN
TO RETURN
TO TRIBES
Hermiston dairy
grows to meet
demand for organic milk.
REGION/3A
DROUGHT KILLER
Pendleton aquifer recharge project
shows potential for farmers.
PAGES 8-11A
A line of Holstein dairy cows eat in the feed barn on
Tuesday at the Cold Springs Dairy east of Hermiston.
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 2016
140th Year, No. 139
WINNER OF THE 2015 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD
One dollar
Wildfi re
season
expected
to be less
severe
By DAN ELLIOTT
Associated Press
DENVER — The upcoming
wildfi re season across the U.S. isn’t
expected to be as bad as last year’s
infernos, when a record 15,800
square miles burned, the nation’s
top wildland fi refi ghting offi cial said
Wednesday.
But parts of the nation should
expect a rough season after a warm,
dry
winter
or
because
“So where
of long-term
drought, U.S. we anticipate
Forest Service
the severity
Chief
Tom
Tidwell said.
of the fi re
Southern
California,
season will
other
parts
of the South- not be at the
west, Alaska same level as
and Montana
are all vulner- last year, we
able, he said.
still expect to
“So where
we anticipate
have some
the severity of
areas that
the fi re season
will not be at will be really
the same level
active.”
as last year,
we still expect
to have some — Tom Tidwell,
areas
that forest service chief
will be really
active,” Tidwell said.
Tidwell discussed the fi re outlook
with The Associated Press four days
before the federal government issues
its wildfi re outlook for the summer
season. He was in Denver for a
conference on forest health.
California is vulnerable because
much of the state remains in a drought,
See WILDFIRE/12A
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Riverside sophomore Andruw Sorensen and Irrigon sophomore Josh Myers assemble a computer tower during the STEP
Tech Expo on Wednesday in Pendleton.
Getting a STEP up
IMESD hosts tech expo for students
By ANTONIO SIERRA
East Oregonian
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Dell account executive Pleschette Fontenet takes a selfi e
with a group of high school students during the STEP Tech
Expo on Wednesday in Pendleton.
Career technical education has
become a buzzword in teaching
circles, as local districts expand
their focus outside academics to
include vocational training and
professional skill development.
Continuing with that trend,
the InterMountain Education
Service District hosted its fi rst
STEP Tech Expo at the Pendleton
Convention Center Wednesday,
inviting 125 high school students
from across Eastern Oregon to
get hands-on experience with
local professionals.
STEP stands for Student
Technology Expanded Programs
and is one CTE-focused project
covered by a $198,000 state
grant.
In a convention center
conference room, IMESD staff
instructed students to take apart
and reassemble a computer
before quizzing them on common
error messages.
That exercise was one
of several sessions around
the convention center. Other
students were studying computer
hardware, there was a session
See EXPO/12A
Walla Walla dog show
fi nds home in Pendleton
By KATHY ANEY
East Oregonian
The Pendleton Convention
Center has gone to the dogs. Or is
about to.
Hundreds of canines will strut
their stuff at the Walla Walla
Kennel Club Dog Show this
weekend. Though this is a new
event for Pendleton, this competi-
tion will be the club’s 100th dog
show since 1934.
“This is a signifi cant show for
us,” said Jan Robles, the club’s
obedience chair.
Robles said club members got
frustrated with their last venue,
the Walla Walla County Fair-
grounds. Conditions outside were
rough enough to require orange
cones strategically placed next to
possible hazards. Inside “fuses
blew all the time.” Then one of
the members ran into Pendleton
Convention Center Manager Pat
Kennedy who asked: “Would
you be interested in coming to
Pendleton?”
They were and Kennedy
couldn’t be more over the moon.
“Ever since I took this job, I’ve
been trying to get a major league
dog show here,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy shows dogs himself,
though not in American Kennel
See DOGS/12A
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Pendleton Convention Center manager Pat Kennedy poses with is two Shi-
loh shepherds, V and Sebastian, outside of the Pendleton Convention Cen-
ter. Kennedy helped to bring this weekend’s AKC Dog Show to Pendleton.