BRUCE NAUGHER
OF STANFIELD
Enjoy a
free coffee
at Obie’s
Express in
Hermiston
WINTRY
ROADS A
HASSLE
FIREWORKS
EXPLOSION
KILLS 29
REGION/3A
WORLD/6A
36/22
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2016
141st Year, No. 47
One dollar
WINNER OF THE 2016 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD
HERMISTON
PENDLETON
Green
light
given
to pot
shops
Council settles
on fees to open a
business in town
By PHIL WRIGHT
East Oregonian
“Christmas isn’t about toys. It’s about loving and helping other people.”
Pendleton is open for mari-
juana businesses. But it will be
a while before any marijuana
businesses actually open in
town.
The city council Tuesday
night approved provisions to
regulate the sale of marijuana
on a 6-2 vote, with councilors
Paul Chalmers and Tom Young
opposing. Two issues drew the
most discussion before the vote:
city licensing fees for pot busi-
nesses and background checks.
Small businesses in Pend-
leton pay $100 a year for a city
license. But the city will charge
recreational marijuana business
owners $1,550 for the initial
business license application and
a $950 renewal fee. Non-retail
pot business, such as grow oper-
ations, have to pay $1,000 for
the license and $500 to renew.
And the license for medical
marijuana business costs $600
with a renewal fee of $300.
City attorney Nancy Kerns
told the council the higher fees
were so the city could recoup
what the Oregon Department of
Revenue will charge the city to
collect taxes.
Brandon Krenzler during the
public hearing portion told the
council he was “95 percent” in
favor of the city’s proposal. He
and potential business partner
Brad Olson, owner of Cadillac
Jack’s Saloon & Grill, Pend-
leton, plan to open a recreational
marijuana shop at 1733 S.W.
Court Ave. Krenzler suggested
the city “dramatically” increase
its fees for marijuana businesses
while being more specifi c in the
criteria that could disqualify
someone from having a license.
Kerns in response said she
drafted the language to allow for
“local discretion” when it comes
— Brayden Fine, fourth grader at West Park Elementary
See POT/8A
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Santa Claus, Richard Scarlett, gives a hug to fourth-grader Brayden Fine after passing out gifts in the class Tuesday at West Park
Elementary School in Hermiston.
SANTA SURPRISE
St. Nick visit helps students transition to new classroom
By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN
East Oregonian
Students in West Park Elementary’s Social
Communications classes were delighted to get
a visit from Santa, who stopped by Tuesday
morning to deliver some Christmas gifts.
And some couldn’t believe their eyes.
“This is the fi rst time I ever met Santa before,”
said Jackson Ryan, a fourth grader wearing a
Sonic the Hedgehog cap under his Santa hat.
The surprise was furnished by the Hermiston
Board of Realtors, who collected funds and
purchased gifts for the class. All the students in
the class are autistic.
Santa and Mrs. Claus, played by Richard
Scarlett and Wanda Hunt, individually greeted
each child in the class, handing out a candy cane,
a hat, and a gift. They also read the students
a classic holiday story — “The Night Before
Christmas.”
Christmas spirit was high in the classroom,
with students singing carols and eagerly opening
gifts on the last day before holiday break.
Brayden Fine, a fourth grader, was excited
about his gifts, but told Santa what he thinks the
See SANTA/8A
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Students open the presents they received from the Hermiston Board of Realtors on
Tuesday at West Park Elementary School in Hermiston.
PENDLETON
Shopping relief comes in time for Christmas
Special needs shopping cart
makes difference for mother
By PHIL WRIGHT
East Oregonian
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Courtney Bissinge looks for items on the shelf while
shopping at Wal-Mart as her daughter, Ember, rests in
a new Caroline’s Cart, a shopping cart for special needs
children, on Tuesday in Pendleton.
The new shopping cart carrying
3-year-old Ember glided through the
aisles. Mother Courtney Bissinger hadn’t
found grocery shopping at the Pendleton
Wal-Mart so easy in a while.
Ember has seeing and hearing problems,
cerebral palsy and severe neurological
damage. Bissinger, 31, a Pendleton native,
said pushing her daughter in a wheelchair
and maneuvering a grocery cart at the same
time made shopping a pain.
“Not everybody has the luxury of an
extra set of hands or a caregiver,” she said.
“I needed something that would let me shop
more than her wheelchair.”
Ember’s wheelchair can accommodate
only a small basket, and she is getting
too big for the seat that fi ts into regular
shopping carts. The solution was Caroline’s
Cart, a shopping cart for special needs chil-
dren. The six-wheeled cart has a rear-facing
seat with a harness that can secure a person
weighing up to 250 pounds, according to
manufacturer information, while the basket
is almost the size of a regular shopping cart.
Bissinger said she found out about the
helpful carts from friends on social media
who alert her to contraptions that could
make life easier for her and Ember. She
shops at Wal-Mart, so several weeks ago
she asked the company about getting some
of the carts for the Pendleton store.
Shawna Nulf has 23 years with Wal-Mart,
See CART/8A