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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (June 7, 2016)
REGION Tuesday, June 7, 2016 216 graduate from PHS Class speakers offer inspiration, humor Woman on pavement overnight before someone called police Lynda Kinney of Pend- leton spent hours face down on the pavement before police received a call to check on her. Pendleton Police Chief Stuart Roberts said he wants the public’s help to determine if Kinney was the victim of a crime. Roberts in an email said oficers Saturday at 8:55 a.m. responded to the parking lot of Harris Jr. Academy, 3121 S.W. Hailey Ave., on a report of a woman who had been on the pavement there over- night. They found Kinney, 49, alive but unresponsive. seen from the roadway, but the daughter of a neighbor who does not reside in the neighborhood readily admitted seeing Kinney the night before.” Roberts also reported that person “did not get overly concerned until she saw Kinney the next day when she returned to her family’s residence.” Roberts said this is an active investigation and encouraged anyone with information concerning Kinney to call the Pend- leton Police Department at 541-276-4411 or the county’s 24-hour dispatch at 541-966-3651. Staff photo by Kathy Aney time. When they caught wind of Youngman’s desire to meet Ellen DeGeneres because of the comedienne’s positivity, the students launched a Twitter campaign. The campaign eventually trended, attracting tweets from around the world and the notice of Ellen’s staff. In February, Youngman traveled to Los Angeles to appear on “The Ellen Show.” Youngman laughed at O’Hanlon’s remark from where she sat in the shade. The teacher would later read names of graduates as they received their diplomas. O’Hanlon wrapped it up. “As my time draws to a close and this tassel lies into my mouth for the 100th time, I would like to conclude with a question I have posed many times,” he said. “Can I have a ride?” Principal Dan Greenough took over the microphone as the laughter died out. He praised graduates for their impressive array of honors and awards. The grand total, at least for the moment, amounted to $2,948,410. Finally it was time for the seniors to walk. One by one, they received a diploma and a hug from Pendleton School Board Chairwoman Michelle Monkman and handshakes from Greenough and Pendleton Superintendent of Schools Jon Peterson. After the last grad settled back into his seat, the seniors competed the inal step of the commencement exercise, moving their tassels from right to left en masse. It was done. In a lurry of lying mortar- boards and high ives, the Class of 2016 headed out. ——— Contact Kathy Aney at kaney@eastoregonian.com or call 541-966-0810. Old iron of all kinds Staff photos by Kathy Aney Merrick Tarter, 3, and his dad Sean Tarter check out a display of old faucets at Sat- urday’s Old Iron Show at Roy Raley Park. A nearby 1930-vintage engine owned by Jim and Jeanne Bronson, of Boise, pumped water from a tub through the faucets. PILOT ROCK Proposals to ban pot, establish RV park The Pilot Rock City Council will hear the irst reading Tuesday night of a change to city zoning rules to prohibit marijuana businesses. The council in November passed a local law to ban marijuana businesses from within the city limits, and the council then discussed amending the zoning regula- tions along the same lines. The proposal covers all zones in the city. City reporter Teri Porter said this is another layer the council wanted to take to block out marijuana operations. The council meets Tuesday at 7 p.m. at city hall, 144 N. Alder Place, and also will hear the irst reading of a city law to establish rules and She received initial medical treatment at St. Anthony Hospital, Pend- leton, he said, then was transported to a Walla Walla hospital. Kinney showed signs of injury but also suffered from health problems that could account for that, Roberts said, and the hours she was on the asphalt could have played a signiicant role in her condition. “We now know that Kinney was seen as early as 7 p.m. the previous evening in pretty much the same location/condition as she was found,” the police chief stated. “She could not be Pendleton High School senior class president Cecelia Hoffman shakes the hand of Principal Dan Greenough after receiving her diploma Saturday at the Pendleton Round-Up Arena. Farewell to high school regulations for a recreational vehicle park. The city has no ordinance for developing and main- taining an RV park, according to a memo from Porter to the council, and there has been interest in putting in a park. The proposal covers permits, restrictions, sanitation and utilities and more. If the council approves the irst readings, it can vote on the zoning change and the RV park rules at its next meeting. The council also will attend to other bookkeeping, including establishing the public safety surcharge at $3.50 a month for iscal year 2017-17. The city has kept the fee at $3 in recent years due to lack of oficers in the three- member police department, but soon that will be at full staff. And Brad Baird, pres- ident of the engineering irm Anderson Perry and Associates Inc., La Grande, will start the meeting with an update on the city’s waste- water treatment plan, which the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has approved. BRIEFLY Council to consider $58.6M budget PENDLETON — The Pendleton City Council will consider adopting a $58.6 million budget Tuesday, up from the $53.8 million the city budgeted the year before. The $15.8 million general fund, the city’s sole discre- tionary fund that pays for services like public safety and parks and recreation, is down slightly from the year before. The council meeting will be held Tuesday at the council chambers in city hall, 500 S.W. Dorion Ave. PENDLETON — The InterMountain Education Service District is offering middle school students a chance to return to the classroom this summer. The IMESD is hosting a summer tech camp at Sunridge Middle School in Pendleton June 20-24. The free camp includes adult supervision and lunch and is open to all sixth, seventh and eighth grade students living in Umatilla, Morrow and Union counties. Free busing is being organized to transport children to Pendleton from Boardman, Umatilla, Stanield, Milton-Freewater, Athena-Weston and La Grande. For more information and to register, please visit http://step.imesd.org or the IMESD website at www. imesd.k12.or.us. PENDLETON — With air conditioning out of service and temperatures reaching 96 degrees inside the building, Pendleton closed city hall at 3:30 W e’ve Got YOU covered! 541-720-0772 Visit our showroom: 102 E Columbia Dr. Kennewick, WA 99336 www.mybackyardbydesign.com p.m. Monday. The Pendleton Public Library, which was relatively cooler at 86 degrees, closed at 5 p.m. The city is currently replacing the building’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, which required them to shut off cooling Monday. City Manager Robb Corbett said he expects city hall to open Tuesday, and although the National Weather Service is forecasting a high of 98 degrees, he’s hoping some possible thunderstorms will cool conditions enough to keep the building operating. The HVAC project will be completed Wednesday. The city council agreed to purchase two HVAC systems for the library and city hall in February at a cost of $153,372. Parks & Rec. kicks off Wild Wednesdays PENDLETON — Everything from bubble bump soccer, dodgeball and 3-on-3 basketball to pickleball and human hungry hippo are featured during Wild Wednesdays in the Helen McCune Gym. The free activity is open to ages 12-15. The kick-off event is Wednesday from 7-9 p.m. at the Pendleton Recreation Center, 510 S.W. Dorion Ave. The activity continues weekly during the month of June — and may continue, depending on interest. Participants will receive a ticket during each session and a prize drawing will be held on the last Wild Wednesday. While there’s no charge to participate, parents need to sign a waiver/ registration form during their child’s irst visit. For more information, visit www. pendletonparksandrec.com or stop by the parks ofice, 865 Tutuilla Road. For more information, call 541-276- 8100. Artist’s reception includes presentation PENDLETON — An artist who chronicled her journey of renewal though sorting books will make a presentation during a reception at the Pendleton Public Library. Teresa Rae spent time in a historic barn on the Columbia River and documented her process through a series of photos. “Book Sort” is currently on display at the library and will continue through the month. The presentation is Thursday from 6-7 p.m. at the library, 502 S.W. Dorion Ave., Pendleton. Refreshments will be served. The public is invited to the free event. For more information, call 541-966-0380 or visit www. pendletonlibrary.weebly.com. When they say “Summer in the city!” and you say “The weather is pretty?” Pendleton closes AC-free city hall, library early Need Shade or Outdoor Living Space? FREE estimates! Staff photo by Gary L. West Soia Gispert Tello presents the farewell address during the Saturday, June 4, commencement ceremony at Hermiston High School before instructing the new graduates to turn their tassels to signify their status as graduates. IMESD offers free tech summer camp East Oregonian Page 3A PENDLETON By PHIL WRIGHT East Oregonian By KATHY ANEY East Oregonian Class speakers Timothy O’Hanlon and Tiffany Armstrong took different tacks as they addressed their fellow Pendleton High School graduates Saturday morning at the Round-Up Arena. As the graduates fanned themselves in the heat, Armstrong thanked the supporters in her life and prof- fered motivation to her class. “When life gets cold, you can’t give up,” she said. “And when you feel alone, you must persevere through it. To get out of a rut, you have to keep climbing up.” She quoted Dr. Seuss. “You’re off to great places. Today is the Day. Your moun- tain is waiting, so get on your way.” O’Hanlon veered away from inspiration and instead offered a humorous look back at high school. “We’ve survived many hardships,” O’Hanlon said. “We survived the swim team’s mono outbreak. We took the Smarter Balanced test. We survived a senioritis epidemic that was so bad they literally had to construct a fence around our school to keep us safe and contained.” The latter, he failed to mention, was a scheduled district security upgrade paid, but O’Hanlon was rolling. The class excelled, he said, performing at the state level in basketball, track, golf, choir and other arenas. He described the 216 members of the Class of 2016 as witty, eclectic and sophisticated. “We even got Youngman on Ellen,” O’Hanlon said. The braggadocio drew wild applause from the hundreds of family and friends in the crowd. 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