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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (July 29, 2016)
REGION Friday, July 29, 2016 East Oregonian Tribes mark 20th anniversary of Kennewick Man’s discovery By JADE MCDOWELL East Oregonian Members of ive tribes gathered Thursday along the Columbia River to mark the 20th anniversary of the discovery of the Kennewick Man. The moment was bittersweet for the members of the Umatilla, Nez Perce, Yakama, Colville and Wanapum tribes, who were there to honor their ancestor but also to lament that they have not yet been able to lay him to rest. “As we recognize the Ancient One’s discovery, we also mourn for him,” said Armand Minthorn, board of trustees member for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, in a statement. “He is our ancestor, and yet he lies in a museum rather than at rest with his people. It’s been 20 years, and he is still being denied “We need Congress to pass this legislation be- cause 20 years of delay have demonstrated that there is no guarantee that the law will prevail.” — Aaron Ashley, CTUIR board of trustees and cultural committee member his right to a proper burial.” The ancient skeleton was discovered near Kennewick in 1996, triggering a lengthy legal battle between scientists wanting to study the 8,500-year-old remains and the tribes that wanted to imme- diately bury them. In 2015 Eske Willerslev, Director of the Centre of Excellence in GeoGenetics at the University of Copenhagen, released indings from a team of scientists who used new DNA techniques to determine that the Kennewick Man’s DNA most closely matches the Native people of the Columbia Plateau. In April, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which controls the land where the skeleton was found, also announced that a different team of scientists had conirmed the man was, indeed, an ancestor of modern American Indian tribes. The deter- mination gives the tribes claim on the remains of the man they call the Ancient One, under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. As the ive tribes work together to gain physical custody of the Kennewick Man, Congress is also considering a more situation-spe- ciic bill known as the Bring the Ancient One Home Act. “We need Congress to pass this legislation because 20 years of delay have demonstrated that there is no guarantee that the law will prevail,” Aaron Ashley, board of trustees and cultural committee member for the Umatilla Tribes, said in a statement. “The Ancient One’s Native American identity has been proven beyond a doubt. It is time to expedite the return process so he can properly be laid to rest.” Currently the Ancient One’s remains are located at the Burke Museum in Seattle, where they are not on public display but have been accessed by scientists for research purposes. The skeleton is one of the oldest and most complete found in North America, offering clues to the origins of the continent’s early inhabitants. ——— Contact Jade McDowell at jmcdowell@eastoregonian.com or 541-564-4536. HERMISTON Youth oficer position deemed a success after one year By ALEXA LOUGEE East Oregonian In 2015 the Hermiston Police Department created a new youth services oficer position in an effort to create better community connec- tions. “It’s an area the police have been extremely remiss on,” said police Chief Jason Edmiston at a public safety committee meeting Monday. He said the closest thing he could think of was the previously used D.A.R.E. program, where police oficers went into ifth and sixth grade classrooms to address drug use. The youth oficer position works much like a school resource oficer, only the focus is on grades K-5. It is a new title for oficer Erica Sandoval. “I was not fully 100 percent sold on the change in my position,” Sandoval said at the meeting, but that has changed over the year. “I love it and getting to meet the kids.” The youth services position is the result of a brainstorm between Hermiston Superintendent Fred Maiocco, Edmiston and Captain Travis Eynon. In conjunction with EO ile photo In this December 2015 ile photo, Erica Sandoval of the Hermiston Police Department visits with students at Highland Hills Elementary School as part of her duties as youth services oficer. the Hermiston School District, Sandoval is working to address truancy issues at a young age. Efforts include meeting with families and working to identify and assist with barriers that lead to absence from school. Sandoval also spends time at the elementary schools during the lunch period, gives presentations, participates in home visits and is a presence after school. She described the last year as “eye-opening” and said she is looking forward to the new school year. The school district pays 50 percent of the Youth Services Oficer wage and beneit package. Sandoval has been involved in juvenile crime prevention since 2008 and the city has seen a steady decline in juvenile crime since that time, according to Edmiston. “It made perfect sense to engage Erica with younger kids that we normally have limited contact with,” Edmiston explained. Much of the contact the department has with elementary-aged kids comes as a result of calls for service that are not always positive, like those related to domestic incidents. “I irmly believe the role Erica is fulilling will be one of the most signiicant changes our department has made in the last decade,” Edmiston said. Also at Monday’s meeting, the committee looked at crime rates which, for the most part, were on a decline or remained lat. One area that jumped out to Chief Edmiston and the committee was aggravated assaults, which have seen a spike this year. Edmiston did not have an explanation for the increase, but said his department would be looking at ways to address the issue. He noted the department has really been focused on burglaries and has seen a steady decline since 2012. Condon teen dies in crash on Hwy 206 East Oregonian A 17-year-old Condon girl died after a two-vehicle wreck Wednesday afternoon on Highway 206. The teen was driving eastbound when she collided with a truck towing a grain trailer east of Condon. She was extricated from her vehicle and lown by air ambulance to Mid-Columbia Medical Center in The Dalles, where she died from her injuries. Her name has not been released. The truck driver, 35-year-old Benjamin McElligott of Ione, was not injured. An investigation into the crash is underway. Oregon State Police were assisted on scene by authorities from Gilliam and Sherman counties, as well as the Oregon Department of Transportation. Anyone needing counseling to cope with this death is asked to contact Community Counseling Services at 541-384-2666. New Holiday Inn Express expected to open Oct. 31 Hermiston’s newest hotel is expected to open on Oct 31. The four-story Holiday Inn Express, currently under construction on Highway 395, was originally expected to open this month. But InnSight Hotel Management Group President Richard Boyles said there was about a three-month delay on starting construction after the bank that the company had used in the past was acquired by another inancial institution. “They were unable to get that loan closed before the merger,” he said. Starting over on the inancing process cost the company time, but Boyles said since then construction has been going well. The general contractor is Integ- rity Structures, with subcon- tractors hired from various places, including some local businesses. The 90-room hotel will be Holiday Inn’s new Formula Blue model, which includes amenities such as a spacious lobby, indoor pool, itness area, meeting rooms, continental breakfast, guest laundry and innovations like curved headboards designed to reduce noise between rooms. The hotel is expected to employ an average of 25 people, with some seasonal luctuation. Boyles said it’s a little early for InnSight to start advertising for most hotel positions, but they have hired Steven Arrasmith as general manager. Boyles said one of InnSight’s pillars of corpo- rate culture is community involvement, including volunteer work with educa- tion programs like SMART (Start Making a Reader Today). “I would expect we will be very involved in the community of Hermiston,” he said. Boyles said the company looks forward to helping revitalize the downtown area. “I think the building itself is a lovely addition to the city of Hermiston,” Boyles said. The new hotel is in Hermiston’s Urban Renewal District, meaning extra tax revenue generated through the boost in property value Clues lead to golden medallion HERMISTON — The annual National Night Out Treasure Hunt continues in Hermiston. The rules and irst clue were printed in Wednesday’s East Oregonian and another clue in Thursday’s edition. A bonus clue appeared on the front page of Wednesday’s Hermiston Herald. The person who inds the golden medallion will win an ice cream social block party Tuesday, Aug. 2 as part of the National Night Out activities. When you ind the medallion, you must immediately turn it in to the Hermiston Police Department. If it’s after 6 p.m., call 541-966-3651 or 541-567-5519 and ask dispatch to notify Erica Sandoval, Hermiston Police Department crime prevention/ youth services oficer. Clue No. 3 Roger Waters says you don’t need it. But in 2010, golden shovels moved some dirt. All’s fair in inding the prize. Don’t go too far, it’s just a little drive. Oh hec(k), you should be close. Health district expansion to include ambulance area PENDLETON — The East Umatilla County Health District is seeking to expand its boundaries. The Umatilla County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday in Pendleton held the irst of two public hearings on the matter. Health district adminis- trator Mark Moore told the commissioners the taxing area covers the Athe- na-Weston School District, but the local ambulance service handles calls all the way west past Holdman on Highway 37. The district, though, receives no taxes from that area. Moore explained the district wants to redraw its lines to include that area, as well as east to the county border that would exclude a portion of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. It also would not infringe on the Milton-Freewater district. Tribal Fire Chief Rob Burnside told the commis- sioners the tribes agreed with the health district on the need to change the boundaries, but ambulance services would not change due to the mutual aid agreement between the tribes and the health district. Gina Miller with the Milton-Freewater Ambulance District Board also spoke in favor of the change. She said it would be beneicial if the taxing district and the ambulance service district covered the same area. The board set Aug. 16 for the second public hearing to make the deadline for putting this on the November ballot. FRIDAY, JULY 29 Mark Holt 6:00-9:00 pm H AMLEY S TEAK H ouse & S aloon COURT & MAIN, PENDLETON • 541.278.1100 Route work pays for my children’s activities. will support the district’s downtown revitalization projects, including a planned festival street in front of city hall. The hotel received a $36,400 façade grant from the Urban Renewal Agency. ——— Contact Jade McDowell at jmcdowell@eastorego- nian.com or 541-564-4536. Friday Night D inner July 29th • 5:30 pm • $15.00 Ham Dinner Music on the Lawn BRIEFLY Photo contributed by Oregon State Police A 17-year-old from Condon died Wednesday after a two-vehicle crash on Highway 206. HERMISTON By JADE MCDOWELL East Oregonian Page 3A • Pineapple Orange Sauce • Scalloped Potatoes • Green Beans with Bacon & Onions • Complete Salad Bar • Dessert Proceeds to benefit Pendleton Elks’ Charities Pendleton Elks Lodge #288 14 SE 3rd, Pendleton 509-948-2163 • 541-276-3882 Become an East Oregonian Carrier. 211 SE Byers Ave. Pendleton or call: 541-276-2211 1-800-522-0255