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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (May 12, 2016)
Hot on their heels Runners in the girl’s 3,000-meter run turn the corner Wednesday during the Columbia Basin Conference district track in Hermiston. For more on the district track meet see page 1B. Staff photo by E.J. Harris THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2016 140th Year, No. 149 WINNER OF THE 2015 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD One dollar PENDLETON Council discusses utility discounts Assistance program to help fixed and low-income residents By ANTONIO SIERRA East Oregonian The city of Pendleton is currently in the midst of a ive-year water and sewer rate hike. To help alleviate the burden of the rate increase to ixed and low-income residents, city council has discussed revamping the city’s utility assistance program. The latest discussion was at a council workshop Tuesday, where Public Works Director Bob Patterson presented the council with some recommendations. The city currently offers up to $150 in utility assistance per year to qualiied resi- dents through the nonproit Helping Hand program, which Patterson recommended the city keep in place. Patterson suggested further expanding the city’s assistance program to apply a 25 percent discount to ixed and low-income residents, provided they take a budget class offered by the Community Action Program of East Central Oregon and reapply on an annual basis. Pendleton has no shortage of people in need of assistance. According to data compiled by city intern Haley Meisenholder, between 20 and 25 percent of households in Pendleton are low-income, earning $24,000 or lower a year. Additionally, about a third of households receive Social Security income and 22.5 percent receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program beneits, better known as food stamps. Some councilors balked at the idea of making assistance applicants take a budgeting class. “If I qualiied for this, I would be really insulted to have somebody say, ‘If you want See PENDLETON/8A Staff photo by E.J. Harris CAPECO driver Oscar Garcia hands a bin of frozen meats to volunteers Kayella Simons and Larry Chvilicek at the St. Mary’s Outreach during a run for the Rural Produce Program on Wednesday in Pendleton. Food to the frontier Rural Produce Program lands grant to expand By GEORGE PLAVEN East Oregonian Staff photo by E.J. Harris CAPECO driver Oscar Garcia moves a stack of plastic bins on a dolly while preparing to make a pickup run to Hermiston for the Rural Produce Program on Wednesday at the CAPECO warehouse in Pendleton. Oscar Garcia’s day begins with a stop at Wal-Mart in Pendleton, followed by a trip to Safeway and then Grocery Outlet. He pulls up behind each store in a large refrig- erated van, which he will load with donations of fresh fruit, vegetables, meat and dairy that would otherwise be thrown away. The food is all perfectly good to eat but past its shelf life, meaning grocers can no longer sell it. Rather than let it go to waste, Garcia makes the rounds picking up donations for CAPECO to distribute free to local food pantries and low-income residents through the Rural Produce Project. Wednesday’s haul includes everything from milk and juice to ground beef, chicken, mushrooms, bagged salad, avocados, kale and asparagus. “Usually, I get all kinds of vegetables and dairy,” Garcia said. “If I get too much, I’ll call another truck in.” CAPECO, which serves Umatilla, Morrow, Gilliam and Wheeler counties, received a three-year grant from the Oregon Community Foundation to launch the Rural Produce Project, deliv- See CAPECO/8A ROUND-UP HALL OF FAME Coreys, Burke selected for 2016 class Class includes roping legend, well-rounded horse By KATHY ANEY East Oregonian The newest inductees to the Pendleton Round-Up and Happy Canyon Hall of Fame include two volunteers, an Indian chief, a roper and a beloved horse. The announcement came during the Hall of Fame’s annual meeting on Tuesday night. Inductees are J.D. Yates, Doug and Heather Corey, Chief Bill Burke and Smokey. Doug and Heather Corey Doug and the late Heather Corey are treasured volunteers. Before Heather died in 2012, she accu- mulated a long résumé of volunteerism. She broke new ground during the Round-Up’s 100th year as the irst woman to serve as a director on the Round-Up Association Board, ending a century of all male directors. As a director, she followed in the footsteps of her father Bob Hales, grandfather John Hales and brother Mark Hales. She was royalty, serving as Round-Up princess in 1973 and queen in 1974. She served as court chaperone for several years. She volunteered in the Hall of Fame ofice, chaired the Buckle Club dinner for many years and served on the Round-Up Royalty Reunion Committee. Doug is one of only ive men who have served as president on both the Round-Up and Happy Canyon boards. While serving as court director, Doug, along with Heather, brought back the leather fringed outits of See ROUND-UP/8A Contributed photo Heather and Doug Corey both have long histories with the Round-Up. Heather was a princess and queen of the court, and in 2010 became the rodeo’s irst female director. Doug has also served on the board and is a member of the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame as a veterinarian.