82/50
CATTLE BARONS,
ONE-ACT PLAYS,
PROM AND MORE
HERMISTON
GIRLS WIN
DISTRICT TITLE
SEE COMING EVENTS/6A
TRACK & FIELD/1B
FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2016
140th Year, No. 150
One dollar
WINNER OF THE 2015 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD
Hansell,
Barreto
seek Dem.
write-in
votes
No Democrats fi led
to unseat incumbents
By GEORGE PLAVEN
East Oregonian
With Tuesday’s primary
election less than a week
away, state Sen. Bill Hansell,
R-Athena, and Rep. Greg
Barreto, R-Cove, are reaching
out to secure both the Demo-
cratic and GOP nominations
for their respective seats in
the Oregon Legislature.
Hansell, who represents
Senate District 29, and
Barreto, of House District
58, are registered Republi-
cans running unopposed in
their party’s primary. Since
no Democrats fi led for
either position, they have
run advertisements asking
for write-in votes on the
Democratic ticket, meaning
they could carry both parties
heading into November.
The move would also
prevent any other Demo-
cratic write-in candidate
challenging for their seat,
effectively paving the way
for victory.
“It gives you basically a
better chance of running the
board,” said Barreto, who is
seeking his second term in
offi ce.
Union County Commis-
sioner Jack Howard hopes to
prevent that from happening.
He is also seeking write-in
votes from Democrats and
Independents in order to
wage a contested race against
Barreto in November. In a
Facebook post announcing
his intention to run, Howard
said it would be a mistake
to simply re-elect Barreto
without any debate.
It only takes a simple
majority for write-in candi-
dates to score the nomination.
If Barreto comes out on top,
he would have both “Repub-
lican” and “Democrat” listed
next to his name on the elec-
tion ballot, which he admits
has already caused some
confusion among constitu-
ents. However, he said he’s
not overly concerned, and it
gives him another chance to
talk about his platform and
politics.
“It gives you the opportu-
nity to basically explain what
you’re doing,” Barreto said.
Hansell has adopted the
See WRITE-IN/12A
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Weston-McEwen junior Hayden Scott fl ies a Cessna 172 with fl ight instructor Jon Ball of Walla Walla on Thursday in the skies over
the Walla Walla River Valley. Scott will test for his pilot’s license soon and wants to provide Honor Flights for veterans.
Such great heights
Weston-McEwen’s Hayden Scott
excels on land and in the sky
By KATHY ANEY
East Oregonian
Hayden Scott lives life at full throttle.
By the time he graduates next year from
Weston-McEwen High School in Athena,
Hayden will likely have his pilot’s license, an
EMT certifi cation, state track and fi eld titles
and a formal invitation to attend a United States
military academy.
The teenager takes time out to sleep, but has
few other idle moments. An experience at age
11 gives a glimpse into his single-mindedness.
Hayden had competed his way to the
national Hershey’s Youth Outdoor Track and
Field Championships in Pennsylvania, only to
come down sick on the day of the competition.
To see video of our
photographer’s fl ight
with Hayden visit
eastoregonian.com
Despite nausea and a high fever, the young
athlete gave it all he had in the 400-yard dash
and fi nished in the middle of the pack. When he
bobbled at the fi nish line, Olympic sprinter and
Hershey ambassador Carl Lewis rushed to help.
“When Hayden came across the fi nish line,
he nearly collapsed,” recalled Paul Scott. “Carl
Lewis caught him.”
As Paul and Kara Scott watched their son
from the stands, Lewis kneeled down and asked
Hayden how he was doing. The boy admitted
feeling ill and said he thought he had a fever.
Weston-McEwen’s Hayden Scott, right,
Lewis reached out a big hand and pressed it
leads the pack in the boys’ 1,500-meter run against Hayden’s forehead.
during a track meet recently in Pendleton.
See HAYDEN/12A
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Pole painter in high demand
75-year-old travels country
climbing and coloring
By ANTONIO SIERRA
East Oregonian
Warren Hinrichs works in a niche industry. And he’s
still hanging on.
A few months each year, Hinrichs, 75, leaves his
home in Spokane, Washington, and hops on the road
with his dog Stitch. Hinrichs paints fl agpoles, light
poles and any other structures that might inspire fear
of heights.
Aided by a rope and harness, Hinrichs was shim-
mying up the fl ag pole at the Umatilla County Court-
house in Pendleton Thursday.
Hinrichs started the job at the top, spray painting the
ball atop the fl agpole a fresh coat of gold. Then, with a
brush, he painted the pole silver as he made his descent.
Hinrichs does about 100 jobs per year in states west
of the Mississippi River. He is currently in the midst of
a swing through Eastern Oregon, stopping in Pendleton
before moving on to other cities like John Day, Canyon
City and Burns.
High altitude painting runs in Hinrichs’ blood — his
father started doing such paint jobs in 1935.
Hinrichs joined the family business when he was
18 and took over in 1976, around the time he started
working on the courthouse in Pendleton.
See PAINTER/12A
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Warren Hinrichs, 75, of Spokane uses gold
spray paint to coat the ball on the top of
the fl agpole in front of the Umatilla County
Courthouse on Thursday in Pendleton.
Trump, Ryan
pledge to
work together
WASHINGTON (AP) — Straining to
mend their party after months of chaos,
Donald Trump and House Speaker
Paul Ryan declared themselves “totally
committed” to working together after
a fence-mending personal meeting on
Thursday. Ryan praised Trump as “very
warm and genuine,” and suggested that
after initial hesitance he may well end
up endorsing the GOP candidate for
president.
“We will have policy disputes. There
is no two ways about that. The question
is, can we unify on the common core
principles that make our party?” Ryan
said. “And I’m very encouraged that the
answer to that question is yes.”
Trump, who used the day to launch a
robust charm offensive with members of
Congress, broadcast his own enthusiasm,
on Twitter and on TV. “I really think we
had a great meeting today, and I think we
agree on a lot of things and it’ll be a little
process but it’ll come along . I’m pretty
sure,” he said in an interview recorded for
Fox News Channel’s “Hannity.”
The surprisingly fervent show of unity
See GOP/12A