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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 18, 2016)
REGION Friday, November 18, 2016 By PARIS ACHEN Capital Bureau Staff photo by Phil Wright Umatilla County sheriff’s deputies Nathan Good and Nathan Rankin investigate this rollover Thurs- day morning on McClintock Road just south of In- terstate 84. Pendleton and Echo fire and other emer- gency agencies also responded. Rollover sends two to hospital Emergency crews responded to a single-ve- hicle rollover Thursday morning on McClintock Road west of Pendleton. The Jeep Cherokee rolled onto its roof just south of the intersection with Interstate 84. Initial radio reports indicated at least two people were in the vehicle, including a child. Umatilla County undersheriff Jim Little- field reported the driver over-corrected on the gravel road, and the vehicle caught the shoulder of the road and rolled. A woman and child were in the vehicle, he also said, and the driver suffered some “bumps and bruises on the head and face and a cut on her nose.” The child did not appear hurt and still was in a safety seat. Echo fire reported it was the first medical responders on the scene, and two fire- fighters freed one occupant. Pendleton Fire Chief Mike Cirualo said his agency also responded and took the two “non-critical patients” to St. Anthony Hospital, Pendleton. PENDLETON Building official put on paid leave East Oregonian Pendleton building official John Lindstrom has been put on paid leave, according to city attorney Nancy Kerns. “I can confirm that Mr. Lindstrom is presently on paid leave status,” she wrote in an email Thursday. “It is the city’s policy not to otherwise comment in personnel matters.” City manager Robb Corbett and Tim Simons, who supervises Lindstrom as the community develop- ment director, did not return requests for comment. Although Kerns declined to provide when Lind- strom started his leave of absence, Lindstrom gave a public presentation to the Pendleton City Council at a workshop Nov. 8. An Ione native, Lindstrom worked in the construction trade and spent more than five years as a building inspector and building official for the city of Newburg and Yamhill County before he was hired by Pendleton in 2004. As the building official, Lindstrom has final say over whether a construction project meets building codes. According to the city’s salary scale, Lind- strom earns $80,892 per year. Through an intergovern- mental agreement between Wallowa County and Pendleton, Lindstrom also serves as Wallowa County’s building inspector. Lindstrom could not be reached as of press time. IRRIGON Burglary suspect in jail East Oregonian The Morrow County Sheriff’s Office reported a deputy caught the suspect of multiple vehicle break-ins and home burglaries in Irrigon. Ty Cody Davies, 23, of Arlington, is in the Umatilla County Jail, Pendleton, on a slew of charges. Residents of the town reported the criminal activ- ities occurred on Southeast Fourth, Utah, Division and California streets and Southwest Second and Third streets, according to the written statement from the sheriff’s office. Witnesses told law enforcement the suspect was dressed all in black and entered yards and went behind houses. Page 3A Yes on 97 group will push Hermiston Legislature to boost taxes leads county PENDLETON By PHIL WRIGHT East Oregonian East Oregonian Deputy Nathen Braun spotted someone wearing black while riding a pink bicycle, according to the sheriff’s office. Braun contacted the rider, who dropped the bike and took off on foot. Davies raced through two yards and over four fences before Braun cornered him at the shocking end of a stun gun behind the Sub Zero Restaurant & Lounge, 100 West Highway 730, Irrigon. Davies put up no more resistance, the sheriff’s office reported. Davies now faces one count of first-degree burglary, two counts each of second-degree burglary and theft, eight counts of third-degree theft and nine counts of unauthorized entry of a motor vehicle. PORTLAND — In the wake of its defeat in passing a $3 billion corporate sales tax measure, A Better Oregon announced Thursday it plans to push for legislation next year to boost state revenue and increase corporate income transparency. During a press conference Thursday in Northeast Portland, the union-backed coalition, which sponsored Measure 97, released no details about possible proposals. Coalition leaders said the 10-to-15-percent cuts to state services that Gov. Kate Brown has said will be needed to balance the 2017-18 budget are unacceptable. “The issue is our largest corpora- tions are not paying their fair share,” said coalition leader Linda Roman, director of health policy and govern- ment relations for the Latino Health Coalition. “We cannot continue to tax working families and small businesses. That is just too large of a burden for Oregonians.” Coalition leaders’ messages Thursday seemed to echo many of its campaign slogans. But coalition leader Andrea Paluso, executive director of Family Forward Oregon, said A Better Oregon is willing to negotiate with businesses and corporations that opposed the ballot measure on a poten- tial revenue package. Lawmakers have said they plan to consider a revenue package next year to help fill a nearly $1.4 billion revenue shortfall on maintaining existing services. Coalition leaders said they plan to unveil A Better Oregon budget in coming weeks, revenue package proposals and legislation to disclose what corporations pay in taxes to the state. Some of the revenue proposals already exist, but A Better Oregon has not yet released them, Roman said. The coalition hopes to work with a bipartisan group of lawmakers on the legislation but was not prepared Thursday to name any sponsors. The coalition has no existing plans to propose another ballot measure to raise revenue. Leaders are waiting to see what the Legislature will come up with next year. Coalition leaders will be looking for “real attempts at and success in raising revenue that closes some of our budget shortfalls but also looks to the future,” Paluso said. “It’s not enough anymore to just stop cutting,” she said. “We actually need to invest in the future.” One of A Better Oregon’s proposals will aim at making public the amount of taxes corporations pay the state, Roman said. “Time and time again in this debate as we were really asking corporations to pay their fair share for the common good, as they should, we came up against the fact that there really was a dearth of information about what they actually pay,” said coalition leader Brian Rudiger, deputy executive director for SEIU Local 503. “And we think as we move forward into this 2017 legislative cycle and beyond, that it is going to be critical for legislators and the general public to have more information.” The coalition is working with lawyers to explore legal options for greater transparency, Paluso said. “We feel confident there are ways we can require corporations to disclose more about their profits and tax rates,” she said. ——— The Capital Bureau is a collabo- ration between EO Media Group and Pamplin Media Group. in population growth By JADE MCDOWELL East Oregonian Hermiston’s slogan may no longer be “You can GROW here,” but the city is still growing. According to preliminary estimates released by Portland State University’s Population Research Center, Herm- iston’ population grew by 210 people between July 2015 and July 2016. The university estimates Hermiston’s population at 17,730 this year. The growth should come as no surprise to anyone in the Hermiston School District, which saw an extra 141 students in September enrollment counts. Overall, Umatilla County grew by 725 residents for just under a 1 percent increase in growth over 12 months. Umatilla also had a significant jump in growth, going from 7,060 residents to 7,220. Pendleton grew by an estimated 30 residents, from 16,845 to 16,880. Echo and Milton-Freewater’s popu- lations held steady, while Stanfield’s dipped by five residents. Neighboring Morrow County grew by a full one percent, jumping from 11,630 residents in July 2015 to 11,745 this July. Half of the increase was inside the city limits of Boardman, which is now at 3,555 people, and most of the rest was in the unincorporated parts of the county. Irrigon’s population dipped by 30 residents, down to 1,900. Oregon as a whole grew 1.6 percent and is now up to 4,076,350 people living in the state. DISTILLERY: Eventually expand into restaurant, bar Continued from 1A lower to below 100 degrees and yeast is added, an neces- sary step to converting those sugars into alcohol. Following three to five days in the fermenter, the mixture is transferred to the still, a brassy, steampunk contraption that Bullington calls “Sputnik.” The still strips the alcohol and boils, guiding and condensing the resulting steam back into a liquid in a separate vessel. If the intended product is vodka, which starts out at 190 proof, the distillers will add filtered water to bring the proof level down to 80. The assembly team made quick work of bottling the vodka, creating a jovial atmo- sphere in the process. Judy Bracher told her assembly mates about her days at Eastern Oregon University, where she and her friends would take an Oregon-exclusive brand of wine to the eastern border where they would exchange it for Coors Light with college students from Idaho. Judy said she and her husband saw contributing their grain to Oregon Grain Growers as a way to add value to their crops and were impressed by the Bullingtons’ vision. That vision includes a unified aesthetic that evokes Eastern Oregon from the early to mid-20th century. Hanging on one of the walls is an old movie screen from a local grange hall that features old painted ads from the East Oregonian and Hal’s Hamburgers, in addition to countless other businesses that have long since gone defunct. Many of the materials used in Oregon Grain Growers’ tasting room not only evoke the era but embody it. The tables are made of the wood mezzanine the owners tore out when they bought the The Museum Store at Tamástslikt Cultural Institute Holiday Sale Up to 70% off! Free admission to exhibits with purchase of $25 or more. Staff photo by E.J. Harris Kelli Bullington uses a hand-crank labeling machine to put labels on bottles of Ouragon Vodka on Thursday at Oregon Grain Growers Brand Distillery in Pendleton. Staff photo by E.J. Harris Filled and labeled bottles sit on a pallet during the bottling process of a batch of Ouragon Vodka at the Oregon Grain Growers Brand Distillery on Thursday. property. And a bar previously served as a bench in a former speakeasy in Athena. A carpenter by trade who used to work on high-end tract homes, Bullington’s cousin Hugh Tucker said designing the furniture was a breath of fresh air compared to the exactitude of his old projects. “It’s perfectly imperfect,” Tucker said. Those invested in Oregon Grain Growers are hoping for a perfect grand opening, and their previous sales point to success. During the brief time it was open during Round-Up week, Oregon Grain Growers sold 260 bottles of liquor. After the grand opening, the Bullingtons plan to open the tasting room a few days a week, with plans to eventually expand it into a full-service restaurant and cocktail bar. But until then, Oregon Grain Growers seems to be heading toward what Rodney and several others mentioned was the ultimate goal of the distillery — a fun hangout spot. The grand opening is Saturday from noon until 9 p.m. ——— Contact Antonio Sierra at asierra@eastoregonian.com or 541-966-0836. We will be at the Altrussa Bazaar Bazaar Altrussa 1601 Westgate Pendleton, Or Nov. 19, 2016: 9-4 November 27 & 28 FREE gift wrapping too! 1915 Washington St. Baker City 541-523-3288 FIRST FRIDAYS ARE FREE! www.merlenormanstudio .com/mn-9053 Museum, Store, Kinship Cafe Open Mon-Sat 541.429.7700 www.tamastslikt.org 0D\QRWEHFRPELQHGZLWK RWKHUGLVFRXQWVRIIHUV
