Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (May 20, 2016)
SOFTBALL/1B WORLD/10A TERRORISM SUSPECTED IN CRASH OF EGYPTIAN JET HOME RUNS GIVE BUCKS BIG WIN FRIDAY, MAY 20, 2016 140th Year, No. 155 Your Weekend • • • Bark for Life fundraiser at McKenzie Park “All Over the Map” at Bob Clapp Theatre Cystic Fibrosis 5K run/walk in Boardman For times and places see Coming Events, 5A Catch a movie Warner Bros. Entertainment via AP Ryan Gosling, Russell Crowe star in the crime caper comedy, “The New Guys.” WINNER OF THE 2015 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD PENDLETON Art magnate buys long-vacant bank Schnitzer considers gallery, connecting with local nonprofi ts By TIM TRAINOR East Oregonian Jordan Schnitzer, one of Oregon’s most prominent and successful real estate developers and arts supporters, recently purchased a long-va- cant property on Pendleton’s Main Street. His plans for the former bank building at 256 S. Main are not yet decided, but Schnitzer said he is considering it for gallery space and pop-up stores, and forging partnerships with Crow’s Shadow Institute for the Arts, Pendleton Center for the Arts and OMSI. There are plenty of possibil- ities for the building, he said, and only one idea has been ruled out: It will not remain empty. “It hurt me to see those vacancies (on Main Street),” said Schnitzer. “It doesn’t refl ect well on the community that’s so proud. This may be crazy, (but I bought it) as another way of giving back.” Schnitzer said he has been visiting Pendleton since the early 1980s, attending just about every Round-Up since. His ties to the rodeo began when he arrived in town with a date but no hotel reservation. Luckily, Pendleton hospitality saved the trip by putting him up for the night. “It was so exciting and so See SCHNITZER/12A Jordan Schnitzer, a well-known art collector and real estate developer, purchased the old bank building at the corner of Main Street and Dorion Avenue at an auction. For showtime, Page 5A For review, Weekend EO Staff photo by E.J. Harris PENDLETON Occupier pleads guilty Weekend Weather Fri Sat Sun 63/47 60/48 63/46 One dollar First guilty plea among 26 defendants Hot scams and how to avoid them Associated Press and EO Media Group It only took one try for a group of students to set up a 16-foot-tall canvas teepee on the front lawn of Pendleton High School on Thursday morning. Kim Minthorn, Indian education teacher at the school, said that’s not always the case. “I’ve had to take (my teepee) down six times to get it right,” she said about her experience at the Pendleton Round-Up Indian Village. “You have to have the poles just right before it will work.” The teepee on the lawn, a modern-day version of the portable shelter used by migrating Indian tribes across the plains, is part of American Indian Week in Oregon, a week of celebrating the state’s native population and its culture. Gov. Kate Brown PORTLAND — A Nevada man who participated in the armed occupation of an Oregon bird sanctuary has pleaded guilty to a federal conspiracy charge. In exchange for Corey Lequieu’s plea, prosecutors agreed to drop weapons charges. A federal judge scheduled sentencing for Aug. 25. “Damned if I A s s i s t a n t do, damned U.S. Attorney if I don’t.” Craig Gabriel says prose- Corey Lequieu, cutors will when asked why recommend he pleaded guilty 2 ½ years in prison. The Ammon Bundy-led takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge began Jan. 2 and lasted nearly six weeks. The occupiers wanted the government to relinquish public lands to locals and free two imprisoned ranchers. Lequieu is the fi rst guilty plea among 26 defendants charged with conspiracy. The trial for the other 25 is set for Sept. 7. Asked why he pleaded guilty, he said: “Damned if I do, damned if I don’t.” In another case related to the refuge takeover, Scott Alan Willingham, 49, Leadville, Colo- rado, pleaded guilty to theft of government property in excess of $1,000, which carries a maximum punishment of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fi ne. In the signed plea, Willingham admitted he stole federal govern- ment cameras in mid-January during the refuge occupation. See TEEPEE/12A See REFUGE/12A By GEORGE PLAVEN East Oregonian When it comes to avoiding scams and fraud, education and awareness are key. That’s why the Oregon Department of Justice spon- sors Scam Jam events across the state to teach residents — primarily seniors — how to recognize scammers, and ways they can protect themselves. More than 60 people attended Thursday’s conference at the Pendleton Convention Center, which featured presentations by the DOJ, Oregon Department of Business and Consumer Services, AARP Oregon and Pendleton Police Chief Stuart Roberts. Roberts opened by discussing local trends and scams making the rounds, including phone calls from fake IRS agents and the classic “grandparent scam,” where someone calls Staff photo by E.J. Harris (From left) Freshman Kaiya Spencer and Katie Bradt use a pole to close a ventilation fl ap as Kimberley Minthorn, Native American education coordinator with the CTUIR, and freshman Brooke Zander look on. The students learned how to put up a teepee Thursday at Pendleton High School. Gov. Kate Brown proclaimed that May 14 marked the beginning of American Indian Week in Oregon. Teepee brings Indian culture to high school’s front lawn Part of American Indian Week East Oregonian See SCAMS/10A Staff photo by E.J. Harris Students watch as Kimberly Minthorn, Native American education Coordinator for the CTUIR, lashes teepee poles together while teaching how to put up a teepee Thursday at Pendleton High School. HERMISTON City developing plan to increase public art By JADE MCDOWELL East Oregonian As the city of Hermiston sets its sights on increasing the amount of public art in the community, there is plenty of room to grow. Here and there a piece of art pops up — a small water feature in front of city hall, a sculpture in front of the library — but the city is mostly devoid of the statues and historic murals that grace many Eastern Oregon down- towns. Assistant city manager Mark Morgan said he didn’t know why more public art had not sprung up around Hermiston as it grew, but the public art plan and policies currently in the works should help encourage more projects in the future. “This is really to facilitate place- ment of art,” he said. “Without any plan in place, it’s really easy for the city to err on the side of caution and say, ‘We don’t want to do that,’ when opportunities do come up.” The city does have some pieces of art. In 2007 the Centennial Plaza was installed at McKenzie Park. It included a 26-foot-tall clock tower, a bell and a stone globe that was once a water feature but now sits dry. A pair of abstract statues by Michael G. Booth of Pendleton stand in front of the Hermiston Public Library and Hermiston Conference Center. Chamber of Commerce director Debbie Pedro said she wasn’t sure the history of “Companions” in front of the conference center, and library director Marie Baldo said library staff couldn’t remember exactly when the city had placed “Marriage” in front of the library. “I know it was here in early 2000s See ART/12A
