WEEKEND EDITION
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THE ART OF POWWOW VIOLENCE AWARENESS
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APRIL 30-MAY 1, 2016
140th Year, No. 141
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WINNER OF THE 2015 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD
PENDLETON
Finding a
fire station
location
Despite global declines, local banks still value branches
Staff searching for new site
for proposed $8.4M building
East Oregonian
The Pendleton Fire Department is going
back to the drawing board to fi nd a new loca-
tion for a proposed replacement to Fire Station
No. 1, but city staff still wants to move ahead
with a bond campaign for the November ballot.
The council will consider a resolution
to create the ballot
measure for the $9.85
million bond at a More inside
meeting Tuesday.
Council could
In a report to the lift EOCI work
city council, Fire Chief ban Page 3A
Mike Ciraulo wrote
negotiations between
the city and St. Anthony Hospital have broken
down over donating land at the old hospital site
on Southeast Court Avenue to build a new fi re
hall.
While neither completely closed the door
on placing the fi re station on the property, both
See FIRE/12A
PENDLETON
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Sunridge Estates
properties could
cost the city
Teller Mirna Angulo places cash into an envelope for a drive-thru customer Wednesday at the Bank of Eastern Oregon
branch offi ce in Boardman.
Property tax bill about $151,000
A former Barclays executive made a bold
prediction last fall that the world could lose
half of its neighborhood bank branches in the
next decade, but local banks say don’t expect
them to start closing down branches anytime
soon.
Antony Jenkins made the case that the rise
of online banking apps would cause 20 to 50
percent of local bank branches to close in the
next 10 years.
Whether that proves to be true globally,
banks based in and around Eastern Oregon
take a different view when it comes to their
own branches.
Gary Propheter, executive vice president
and chief operations offi cer for Bank of
Eastern Oregon, said the rise of online
banking services has had an effect on the
bank, but not in a way that causes branches
to close.
“I would say it has changed the way we’ve
See BANKS/12A
Online banking not a detriment to Eastern Oregon branches
By JADE MCDOWELL
East Oregonian
By PHIL WRIGHT
East Oregonian
The city of Pendleton needs almost $1.1
million to recoup its losses on 21 foreclosed
empty properties that were part of a 2011 local
improvement district.
The city, however, might get back only a
portion of the amount.
The lots are in the Sunridge Estates devel-
opment in the south part of Pendleton off
Tutuilla Road. As people bought lots and built
houses there, they paid the property tax. But
these 21 lots have not sold, grass and weeds
are about the only the thing growing on them
and the property taxes are four years past due.
County tax assessor Paul Chalmers, who also
is a Pendleton city councilor, said the property
tax bill for all the lots is about $151,000.
See TAXES/12A
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Regional banks, like this Banner Bank in Stanfi eld, have been able to
maintain a small-town presence long after larger banks have pulled out of
smaller markets.
MILTON-FREEWATER
PENDLETON
Offi cer-involved shooting
sends suspect to hospital
East Oregonian
A high-speed chase ended
with shots fi red Thursday night
in Milton-Freewater, sending
one suspect to the hospital with
non-life threatening injuries,
according to a press release
from Umatilla County District
Attorney Dan Primus.
The incident started with
a traffi c stop at about 7:15
p.m., when offi cers from
the Milton-Freewater Police
Department pulled over a 2007
Ford Focus on Grant Road and
Turbyn Road. The driver failed
to comply and sped away,
fi ring a weapon back at the
pursuing offi cers.
Police disabled the vehicle
on North Main Street between
Northwest Sixth and North-
west Seventh Avenues, and the
suspect got out and continued
to shoot at offi cers. At that
point, offi cers shot back at the
suspect and he was hit in a
lower extremity. The suspect
was taken into custody and
transported to Providence St.
Mary Hospital in Walla Walla.
Three offi cers from the
Milton-Freewater
Police
Department have been placed
on administrative leave while
Oregon State Police investi-
gates the use of deadly force.
No other information was
immediately available on the
suspect.
Agencies assisting in the
investigation include the OSP
Criminal Services Division,
Pendleton Police Department,
Hermiston Police Department,
Boardman Police Department,
Umatilla County Sheriff’s
Offi ce, Morrow County Sher-
iff’s Offi ce, Walla Walla Police
Department and Walla Walla
County Sheriff’s Offi ce.
Goating all out
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
A goat rears up on its hind legs preparing to head-butt another goat as the
animals graze along the River Parkway on Friday. The goats have returned for
their annual brush abatement duties along the Umatilla River in Pendleton.