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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (June 7, 2016)
PIONEERS FALL SHORT OF 3-PEAT 99/67 CLASS OF 2016 GRADUATES SOFTBALL/1B REGION/3A TUESDAY, JUNE 7, 2016 140th Year, No. 167 One dollar WINNER OF THE 2015 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD COLUMBIA GORGE OIL TRAIN WRECK Anger as trains resume after derailment, fire By GILLIAN FLACCUS and PHUONG LE Associated Press MOSIER — Local politicians and residents reacted with shock and anger Monday as Union Pacifi c began running trains through this tiny Columbia River Gorge town just three days after a fi ery derail- ment forced residents to evacuate and water and sewage systems to shut down. Residents shot video from an overpass of trains sliding past crum- pled and burnt oil tankers, some of them still dripping oil onto the tracks. The town’s mayor and fi re chief expressed deep concern about the trains running again before a full investigation was complete and before the damaged tankers were See TRAIN/8A Burning questions from local leaders By GEORGE PLAVEN East Oregonian It was never a question of if, but when. That’s how Hermiston Fire Chief Scott Stanton reacted to Friday’s oil train derailment near Mosier, which prompted Union Pacifi c to temporarily halt oil Bagpipers head to Manhattan Weston-McEwen students to play USS Intrepid, Statue of Liberty By KATHY ANEY East Oregonian trains through the Columbia River Gorge while crews continue to remove damaged tank cars from along the tracks. The fi ery wreck could have happened much closer to home. Reports indicated the train was headed from the Bakken region See OIL/8A Woman cuts man’s throat after asking for ride By PHIL WRIGHT East Oregonian Bagpipers need a fair amount of room to play their notoriously loud instruments. So the Weston-McEwen High School Pipes, Drums & Military Band from Athena might just have found the perfect venue — the fl ight deck of the USS Intrepid. On Wednesday afternoon, the band will entertain visitors at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum docked on the Hudson River at Pier 86 on Manhattan’s West Side. Then on Friday, the musicians will take the Staten Island Ferry to Ellis Island and perform at the base of the Statue of Liberty. Saturday, they will play the Plimoth Plantation, a living history museum in Boston. The Intrepid concert is some- thing of a warm-up, said director Rob McIntyre. “The Air & Space Museum has a high profi le, but not a lot of people,” he said. “We can get the bugs worked out.” The 40 band members got some of the kinks out last week during a concert in their school gymnasium. They stood on the polished gym fl oor wearing kilts, glengarries (hats), ghillies (shoes), fi eld hose, fl ashes (garters to hold stockings in place) and sporrans (leather bags). The latter is useful since A woman seeking a ride Saturday morning with her four children near Pilot Rock cut the throat of the driver who picked her up, Umatilla County Sheriff Terry Rowan reported. Vanessa Logman, 30, of Pendleton, now faces charges of attempted murder, second-degree assault and attempted unlawful use of a weapon. The victim, Bill Porter, 48, of Herm- iston, needed several stitches to close the cut Logman and was released from St. Anthony Hospital, Pendleton, later that day. Rowan said Porter was driving a silver Dodge pickup on East Birch Creek Road near Indian Lake with his ex-wife Brenda Porter when Logman waved them down a little before 11:30 a.m. She was with her four See ASSAULT/8A PENDLETON Developer seeks city money for 100-unit complex See BAGPIPES/8A East Oregonian “We’ve noticed over the years that Amer- ican audiences fi nd the bagpipes to be remarkable. We’re treated like celebri- ties in some places.” — Rob McIntyre, Pipes, Drums & Military Band director Staff photo by Kathy Aney Freshman Stephen Reitz plays the bagpipe at a concert last Wednesday at Westen-McEwen High School in Athena, shortly before the Pipes, Drums and Military Band left for the East Coast. Also playing with the group is Reitz’s grandfather Steve Pyle, a veteran bagpipe player who directed the group for many years. Pendleton Heights developer Saj Jivanjee will go before the Pendleton City Council with a monetary request and a change of plans. The council will consider contributing $176,651 to provide infrastructure to a planned 100-unit apartment complex at the Pendleton Heights development. The ask is comprised of $93,519 to cover less than half of the construction costs of building public infrastructure and another $83,132 to extend the infrastructure through See APARTMENTS/8A PENDLETON Three parks losing their playgrounds By ANTONIO SIERRA East Oregonian The city of Pendleton is sending letters to homes near Vincent, Aldrich and May parks, notifying residents that the playgrounds at those parks are closed. Parks and Recreation Director Donnie Cook said his department closed the playgrounds two weeks ago and will eventually dismantle the equipment. Cook attributed the closures to more stringent government requirements and aging equipment. According to Cook, former playground mainstays like concrete fl oors, teeter totters, merry-go-rounds and spring horses are no longer allowed under modern regulations. Replacing the playgrounds with more modern equipment isn’t an option either — Cook said even low-end playground sets cost between $10,000- $11,000, and there’s not enough room in the parks See PARKS/8A Staff photo by E.J. Harris An orange construction barrier surrounds the play structure at Vincent Park on Monday in Pendleton.