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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (June 9, 2016)
THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2016 A large storm cell moves north toward Pendleton Wednesday as an area of low pressure rushed into the region. Thunderstorms rolled through Eastern Oregon Wednesday afternoon, breaking the heat wave and dropping golf ball-sized hail in some places. Staff photo by E.J. Harris 140th Year, No. 169 78/51 Rain is welcome sight, wheat farmers seek more Crop is maturing ahead of schedule By GEORGE PLAVEN East Oregonian Eastern Oregon wheat fi elds are already turning shades of amber in the wake of unusually warm weather that kicked off the month of June. Temperatures in Pendleton reached 96 degrees on Sunday and 100 degrees on Monday, which has the crop maturing about two weeks ahead of schedule. ALI AND PACIFISM One dollar WINNER OF THE 2015 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD But Mike Flowers, extension cereal specialist for Oregon State University, said there’s still time before harvest and the next few weeks could go a long way toward making or breaking this year’s production. “This is a critical period,” Flowers said. “If we get cooler temperatures, I think we’ll end up much better than we did last year.” So far, the forecast looks promising. Marilyn Lohmann, hydrologist with the National Weather Service in Pendleton, said a low pressure system has moved in for the weekend, which should push temperatures back down into the 60s and 70s through the end of next week. Lohmann said the system could also bring rain, though how much is still to be determined. “It looks like everybody should get something,” Lohmann said. Every drop of June water counts for dryland farmers. Flowers said this is what’s known as the grain-fi ll period for wheat, when plants divert moisture and nutrients to make plump, healthy kernels. Without precipitation, the grain becomes pinched, resulting in a lower test weight and overall yield. “We need to have moisture during that grain-fi ll period,” Flowers said. “That’s the million dollar rain.” Pendleton typically See WHEAT/8A Staff photo by E.J. Harris Heads of wheat turn from green to gold Wednesday in a fi eld outside Mission. OPINION/4A CAVS GET WIN IN GAME 3 NBA FINALS/1B UMATILLA HERMISTON Graduating senior ready to leave cancer behind Family loses home to fi re after graduation and receive a diploma on time, just like the rest of the class of 2016. For Kuykendall, By JADE MCDOWELL returning his life to normal East Oregonian after so much time at the hospital was important to him, and today he has Graduating from high the hallmarks of a typical school always involves teenage boy. He likes overcoming some obstacles, hanging out with friends, but Umatilla High School he procrastinates his math grad Tieler Kuykendall homework as long as overcame a pretty big one: possible and he can’t wait to a softball-sized tumor in his Kuykendall get out of high school. brain. “I just want my During his sophomore year, while friends were sitting in class- diploma,” he said. “That’s all I want.” Some cancer survivors embrace rooms and playing sports, Kuykendall was undergoing a series of surgeries the label after they go into remission, to remove that tumor. On Saturday, See CANCER/8A however, he will walk across the stage Kuykendall overcomes brain tumor, surgeries By JADE MCDOWELL East Oregonian Community members are collecting donations for a Hermiston family working to rebuild their lives after losing their home to a fi re on Saturday. Ayden Prewitt, a Herm- iston High School senior, had walked with his class earlier in the day and was going home to get ready for the school-wide graduation party when he was greeted by a wall of thick black smoke at his front door. He called 9-1-1, then his parents, Cyndi and Jeremie Prewitt, who were at another graduation party a half-mile away. His parents drove home, arriving before the fi re department got there. They ran into the house to tried and grab what they could and search for the family’s two dogs, but the smoke and fl ames pushed them back out again before they could save the Pomeranians. “There was just nothing we could do,” Cyndi said. The insurance adjuster has ruled the house a total loss, although the family is still working to salvage a few items the fi re skipped over or they pulled out when they fi rst arrived. “We lost a lot of photos, but there are still some left,” See FIRE/8A