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Lead found at three schools
offered to
keep rural
coverage
PENDLETON
East Oregonian
The Pendleton School
District reported elevated lead
levels in three drinking water
sources at school buildings.
The district commissioned
an initial batch of 27 samples,
which indicated that the
McKay Creek Elementary
School staff room (27.4 parts
per billion), Lincoln Primary
School staff room (41.4 parts
per billion) and the Pendleton
High School concessions stand
faucet (24.3 parts per billion)
all tested for high levels of
lead.
The Environmental Protec-
tion Agency states that action
should be taken if lead levels
exceed 15 parts per billion,
and emphasizes there is no safe
level of lead in drinking water.
The district has submitted
an additional 154 samples for
testing and is closing those
drinking water sources until
the plumbing and faucets are
replaced and retested.
According to the EPA,
exposure to lead can cause a
variety of health problems,
ranging from stomach distress
to brain damage.
There are no state or federal
requirements for lead testing,
but the state recently estab-
lished guidelines for water
testing, which the district states
it followed.
Pendleton Superintendent
Andy Kovach said in a state-
ment that the samples cost $25
each, meaning the initial round
of samples cost $675 and the
next round will cost $3,850.
Kovach said reimburse-
ments from the state could be
available this fall for districts
that conducted water tests over
the summer.
By ALEXA LOUGEE
East Oregonian
The state of Oregon has sought to suture rural
Oregon’s growing health care coverage wound.
The Oregon Department of Consumer and
Business Services announced an agreement
between the state and several health insurance
companies last week. As part of the agreement,
some companies will continue providing coverage
in counties they had originally planned to leave in
2017.
In exchange, the state will allow the carriers
to increase health care premiums even more than
initially planned.
Umatilla County currently has access to
coverage from seven companies. Four companies,
Lifewise, Pacifi cSource, Providence and Regence,
had all planned to withdraw coverage from the
county and several neighboring counties next year.
The agreement with the state will see two
of those companies, Providence and Regence,
remain in Umatilla County along with Bridgespan,
HealthNet and Moda.
The county will now have fi ve options, instead
of three, for individual health care coverage in
2017.
“We are concerned about the shrinking number
of options in certain areas of the state, and we
asked insurance companies to reconsider their
decisions to withdraw,” said Patrick Allen, director
See INSURANCE/8A
PENDLETON
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Olivia Warner of Pilot Rock rests on the back of her market lamb, Blue, while preparing the animal for the youth live-
stock auction Saturday at the Umatilla County Fair in Hermiston.
Smiles and tears at
youth livestock auction
By ALEXA LOUGEE
East Oregonian
For many Umatilla County
youth, a year’s worth of plan-
ning and work come down to
one day — the youth livestock
auction at the county fair.
The auction began Saturday
at 10 a.m. and continued
non-stop until the last animal
sold at 3:42 p.m.
The morning started off
with the auction of 168 market
hogs, followed by rabbits, sold
together in two groupings.
After the rabbits came the
43 head of market steers.
“Once you get to
my age, it’s not cute
to cry anymore.”
See LIVESTOCK/8A
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Olivia Warner of Pilot Rock washes her market lamb,
Blue, and he protests his bath Saturday before the
youth livestock auction Saturday at the Umatilla
County Fair in Hermiston.
Stanfi eld teen dies after collision
East Oregonian
A 17-year-old girl from
Stanfi eld died Monday morning
at the Kadlec Regional Medical
Center in Richland after her
car was struck head-on Friday
while she was on her way to
work in Walla Walla.
Raychel J. Campana was
headed westbound on U.S.
Highway 12 near milepost 316,
at Nine Mile Hill just west of
Touchet, at about 10:59 a.m.
when a 1997 Cadillac Seville
traveling east crossed the
centerline and struck her car,
according to the Washington
State Patrol.
First new mayor in 12 years to
be joined by new look council
By ANTONIO SIERRA
East Oregonian
— Olivia Warner,
of Pilot Rock
Hermiston FFA member
Brady Linnell’s steer won
grand champion at this year’s
fair, and Linnell won the
championship for steer show-
manship. His 1,323-pound
steer was the fi rst auctioned
and went for $3.30 a pound.
Then there were the turkeys,
the chickens, 13 market goats,
and fi nally 61 market lambs.
Turner’s panel
to provide list
of priorities for
incoming council
Walla
Walla
from the vehicle at
resident Kasey R.
the scene and was
Parsons, 25, was
taken by helicopter to
driving the east-
Kadlec.
bound vehicle, and
All three were
27-year-old Brandon
wearing seat belts,
J. Bultman-Lowe of
according to State
Walla Walla was in
Patrol. What caused
the passenger seat.
the Cadillac to swerve
Walla
Walla
into on-coming traffi c
Fire District 6 and Campana
was still under inves-
ambulances from the
tigation and charges
Walla Walla city Fire Depart- remained pending on Saturday.
ment responded. Parsons and
The teen graduated from
Bultman-Lowe were taken to Stanfi eld Secondary School in
Providence St. Mary Medical June.
Center and were discharged
A GoFundMe page has been
Saturday, offi cials said.
set up by friends to help support
Campana had to be cut Raychel’s family.
When the Pendleton City Council convenes
Jan. 3, 2017, it’ll look very different from the
one that sat behind the dais a year ago.
Since January 2016, four new people have
either been appointed or elected to seats on
the council, meaning half the council will have
turned over by the beginning of the year.
The city also will get its fi rst new mayor
in 12 years when former
Blue Mountain Community
College president John
Turner takes offi ce.
In anticipation of a new
era on the council, Turner
put together a committee to
create new goals for 2017-
2019, which met for the fi rst
time Monday.
The city has goals in Turner
place for 2013-2015, but
they range from defi n-
itive (increase quality
housing by 100 units) More inside
to broadly generalized For an initial list of
(create a vibrant busi- the committee’s
ness and community goals for 2017-19
environment). During See page 8A
the opening of the
meeting, Turner said he
wanted to create tangible goals with measurable
outcomes and wanted to involve a wide variety
of people to help create them.
While the committee is comprised of many
people already involved with city government,
some of the new faces invited to the group
tended to refl ect their areas of expertise.
One of those new faces is Ben Buchert, a
fi nancial adviser from Edward Jones Invest-
ments, who wanted the committee to consider
increasing offi ce space as one of its goals.
Buchert said the area around Edward Jones’
has declined in recent years, but there isn’t much
See GOALS/8A