Page 8A
East Oregonian
RAIN: Downpour could
delay local wheat harvest
Continued from 1A
July and August also
tend to be the hottest
months on average, with
daytime high tempera-
tures hovering around 90
degrees. But temperatures
over the weekend dipped
down to the mid-70s at
the Pendleton Airport, and
Hull expects it will remain
cooler through the week.
That’s a welcome relief
from heat stress and ire
danger, though the sudden
downpour of rain could
delay or interrupt the
local wheat harvest. Don
Wysocki, with Oregon
State University Exten-
sion Service in Umatilla
County, said it all depends
on how much moisture fell
in a given area and how
quickly it dries out.
If a crop has more
than 15 percent moisture,
Wysocki said it can’t be
stored due to the risk of
growing mold. In rare
circumstances, prolonged
rain can also cause pre-har-
vest sprouting of wheat,
which vastly decreases the
quality of the grain.
However,
Wysocki
doesn’t see that happening
this year. He igures
growers might be delayed
by a few days.
“It just depends on how
damp the grain is,” he said.
Hull said the area is
seeing more of a westerly
low of cooler air coming
in from the Paciic, as
opposed to last year when
a ridge of high pressure
settled in and pushed
storms away.
Overall,
the
U.S.
Drought Monitor still lists
almost all of Umatilla
and Morrow counties in a
moderate drought.
———
Contact George Plaven
at
gplaven@eastorego-
nian.com or 541-966-0825.
ROEMARKS: Will add value
to the urban renewal district
Continued from 1A
two separate properties
at 201 and 203 E Main
Street, so Spencer said
Simmons Insurance Group
is interested in eventually
applying for another facade
grant to put in windows on
the western side too.
Assistant city manager
Mark Morgan said putting
windows in the upper loor
will make it more attractive
ofice space and add value
to the urban renewal district
by improving one of its only
second-story properties.
“We’re making sure all
of the downtown buildings
are utilized to their fullest
extent,” he said.
Simmons
Insurance
Group
purchased
the
RoeMarks buildings in May
after it sat empty for four
years. They plan to move
their ofices into the eastern
portion once renovations
are inished and are looking
to lease out the western side
on the corner of Main Street
and Second Street to a cafe,
winery or other business.
During their regular city
council meeting earlier in
the night, the Hermiston
city council approved a
reinance of the bond that
formed Hermiston Energy
Services in 2005.
The reinance will save
the city $2.66 million in
interest payments. The city
also saved an additional
$1.136 million after the
council voted to change
the bonds’ backing from an
insurance model to the full
faith and credit of the city.
HES Superintendent Nate
Rivera told the council that
he had worked with legal
council to determine that
the move would not have
any effect on the city’s
credit rating or its ability to
borrow in the future.
He said the turbulent
effect of Great Britain’s exit
from the European Union
on the markets was working
in the city’s favor because
people were rushing to buy
relatively safe municipal
bonds.
As part of the reinance
Hermiston Energy Services
will build $4.5 million in
additional
construction
funds into the bond issu-
ance. That money will go
to upgrades including a
new substation and smart
meters that will automati-
cally notify crews when the
power goes out in a portion
of town.
Rivera said the new
20-year bond issuance will
be about $14.25 million
total.
———
Contact Jade McDowell
at jmcdowell@eastorego-
nian.com or 541-564-4536.
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
OFF PAGE ONE
SCHOOL: Will take ield trip to John Day Fossil Beds
Continued from 1A
The district is able to
provide summer learning
through no cost to the district
thanks to Federal Migrant
Funds, summer library
funding from the state of
Oregon and money from a
21st Century Community
Learning Centers grant.
The 21st CCLC program
supports
the
creation
of community learning
centers with the purpose
of providing academically
enriching opportunities for
children outside of regular
school hours.
This year, Umatilla
Summer School has 13
teachers in 13 classes from
preschool to middle school.
There are also nine assistants
and one secretary that work
during the six-week-long
program.
“I’m lucky to have
teachers willing to teach
in the summer, to give up
their summers,” Coyle said,
“It’s great having quality
educators who already know
the kids.”
leton Convention Center.
When Wildbill booked the
Convention Center last July
for the 2016 dates, staff there
didn’t communicate with
the Round-Up until after
the Round-Up booked the
Pendleton Whisky Festival,
Thomas said. Pendleton
Whisky Festival organizers
Doug Corey and Andy
McNally reserved both the
July 15-16 and 22-23 week-
ends last October to ensure a
workable date with headliner
Zac Brown Band.
Representatives
from
the Pendleton Convention
Center and city of Pendleton
declined to comment on the
booking process.
Wildbill still wants to
continue the event in Pend-
leton, but not until there’s
a policy that ensures event
planners don’t encounter the
same situation she did.
However, this year’s
cancellation has allowed
her to expand the annual
retreat beyond Pendleton. In
fact, the event was initially
called the “Pendleton Yoga
Round-Up” before Wildbill
dropped the city’s name,
because she didn’t want to
limit its location.
In June, she decided to
rebrand Yoga Round-Up to
Wellness Wave and opened
two studio locations under
the new name: one in down-
town Pendleton at 33 S.E.
Court Ave. and the other on
the Umatilla Indian Reserva-
tion at 46440 Kusi Rd.
Wellness Wave is rooted
in yoga but Wildbill said
the studio incorporates other
itness programs including
P90X, PiYo and Zumba.
Wildbill is nearing an
agreement to host a yoga
retreat in Hawaii later this
year, which she plans to name
“Wellness Wave Festival.” In
September during Pendleton
Round-Up week, she will
travel to Kalani Retreat
Center, in Pahoa, Hawaii,
with the hope of reserving
the space for a yoga retreat
in Pendleton later this fall.
The Hawaiian retreat will
cost $500 plus airfare, room
and board for ive days,
according to Wildbill.
This would be a signiicant
increase from the $50 cost of
previous Yoga Round-Ups.
Wildbill expects the event
to be smaller than the usual
200-300 people who attended
Yoga Round-Up in past
years, but is excited about
a change of scenery. Still,
she is open to returning the
event to its original location,
where participants get the
opportunity to practice yoga
outdoors at the Round-Up
Grounds in addition to the
Convention Center.
“What made our event so
special was having access
to the Round-Up Grounds,”
“It’s great having
quality educa-
tors who already
know the kids.”
— Nicole Coyle,
Umatilla summer school
program administrator
during the regular school
year.”
The Girl Scouts program
is providing some of the
varied activities. Kimberly
Macias is a Girl Scout
outreach leader and focuses
on
hands-on
instruc-
tion involving science,
technology,
engineering
and math. Any girl, K-5,
attending Umatilla summer
school can attend the STEM
classes twice a week.
Activities also include
ield trips. David Lougee,
the Umatilla School District
ELL director and a summer
school teacher this year, will
be taking the middle school-
aged kids to the John Day
Fossil Beds this week.
Summer school runs
Monday through Friday
from 8 a.m. to noon. Students
are fed breakfast and lunch.
But the learning doesn’t end
with lunch. Umatilla also
offers the “After Summer
School” program, which is
an extended day opportunity
focused on STEM-based
learning. There is a cost of
$10 per day for a student to
attend this program, but it
includes a snack and dinner.
When asked if the students
like summer school, Coyle
said, “They must, because
they don’t have to be here.”
She says students enjoy
getting to see their friends,
and the safety and security
that comes from having a
routine and structure.
For more information
on Umatilla’s summer
school program, contact the
Umatilla School District at
541-922-6500.
———
Contact Alexa Lougee
at alougee@eastoregonian.
com or 541-564-4534. She is
the daughter-in-law of David
Lougee, who is mentioned in
this story.
DOGS: No funds allocated speciically toward animal control
Continued from 1A
the animals for 10 days.
Quarantining the animals
was the responsibility of the
pet owner.
Sergeant Joshua Roberts
with the Umatilla County
Sheriff’s Ofice said his
department handles, on
average, seven to 10 calls
a week involving dogs.
Sgt. Roberts noted there
are currently no county
ordinances addressing dogs
and so the county follows
Oregon Revised Statutes.
Most commonly dog
issues fall under the citation
of “Dog as a Nuisance.” If a
loose dog has identiication,
deputies usually track down
the animal’s owner. If the
dog has attacked a person
or destroyed property, the
caller has the option of iling
a complaint which then gets
sent off to the county court.
So what about dogs with
no tags running loose around
the county? Sgt. Roberts
said unfortunately the sher-
iff’s ofice does not have a
contract with any of the local
shelters and if they aren’t
breaking any state statutes
— like chasing livestock —
they are often left to roam.
“Many of the incidents
we’ve handled this year
involved reporters that just
wanted the dog owners
spoken to. Others were
YOGA: Event rebranded to Wellness Wave
Continued from 1A
Valerie May is one of
those educators. During the
regular school year she’s
a third grade teacher at
McNary Elementary School.
This is her second year in a
row teaching summer school
and she said her main reason
is to help the kids and to
know they’re getting what
they need to be successful
the following school year.
She likes the lexibility of
summer school instruction,
too. “There’s a little more
art, a little more science,
more curriculum,” May said.
These sentiments were
shared by Trista With-
erspoon, an educational
assistant for summer school
working one-on-one with
a student needing extra
attention. “Summer school
is more relaxed,” Wither-
spoon said. “Teachers can
teach different content, use
different activities and do
more group work.”
Why is summer school
more
lexible?
Coyle
explains, “People (educa-
tors) just don’t have time to
do the extended activities
Wildbill said. “Being able to
do yoga on a rodeo ground
was this beautiful merging of
East meets West. I absolutely
want to stay positive that we
can bring the event back.”
Local organizers would
also like the event to return.
Although the Yoga Round-
Up’s impact on tourism is
relatively small, Travel Pend-
leton’s Pat Beard believes it
provides a rich Pendleton
cultural experience for those
who do attend.
“I love the event and hope
it comes back,” he said. “I
will work with (Wildbill)
next year to bring it back.”
Corey and McAnally
offered Wildbill and her
husband, Cedric, tickets
to the Pendleton Whisky
Festival Saturday, which they
plan to use. Wildbill said it
will be bittersweet without
the event, but looks forward
to inding a compromise for
future Pendleton events.
“When that policy is clear,
let’s get a date,” Wildbill
said. “Let’s get the party
going back in Pendleton.”
reported, but when the
deputy responded, the dog
had left the area and was
nowhere to be found,” Sgt.
Roberts explained. He said
of the incidents reported
this year, 15 required a case
report.
A review of the Umatilla
County Sheriff’s Ofice
budget shows there are no
funds allocated speciically
toward animal control, and
Sgt. Roberts said there is no
deputy or oficer designated
for animal cases.
In neighboring Union
County, Animal Control is a
division of the Union County
Sheriff’s Ofice and provides
services to rural Union
County and the outlying
cities. The city of La Grande
contracts 50 percent of the
time of the Union County
Animal Control Oficer and
pays into the budget.
The Hermiston Police
Department
does
not
have a speciic animal
control oficer or division.
According to the city
website, on-duty oficers
“handle dog complaints,
whether it is loose dogs or
barking dogs.” In the irst six
months of 2016 the Herm-
iston Police Department
received 200 calls involving
dogs, averaging more than
one call every day. The city
contracts with Pet Rescue to
take in dogs the city police
department picks up. Beau
Putnam, executive director
of the non-proit animal
shelter, said in 2015 the city
brought in 226 stray or loose
dogs to the facility. While
that number may seem high,
Putnam said he has done
research and toured other
facilities and Hermiston’s
numbers are “right there
with other cities.”
Pendleton Police Chief
Stuart Roberts said his
department has one full-
time code enforcement
oficer who handles most
of the non-criminal animal
complaints. The city of
Pendleton brings the stray
and loose dogs it picks up to
Pendleton Animal Welfare
Shelter.
Pet Rescue sees approx-
imately 2-3 dogs a year
brought in by the sheriff’s
ofice, according to Putnam.
PAWS has received no dogs
from the sheriff’s ofice in
the last 18 months, according
to their records.
Since Cook’s attack in
June she said she’s had
several people, including
neighbors, strangers and
even a member of Umatilla
County Fire District 1 ire
department share with
her similar experiences
involving dogs in the area.
That’s not likely to change
anytime soon. “If there is a
dog just running loose (in
county jurisdiction) with
no tags, there’s no law that
prohibits that,” Sgt. Roberts
said.