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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 23, 2016)
OF HERMISTON NATION/6A JUDY ANDREWS Enjoy a free peppermint mocha at Bloomz Coffee Bar in Hermiston THREE RECOVERING AFTER CRASH OLDEST GORILLA IN U.S. TURNS 60 REGION/3A FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2016 141st Year, No. 49 Your Weekend Water deal reached for depot Land likely to transfer to CDA in 2017 • • • One dollar WINNER OF THE 2016 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD BMCC Christmas Eve Dinner in Pendleton “A Christmas Story: The Musical” in Elgin Welcome Santa Drive in Boardman For times and places see Coming Events, 5A Catch a movie By JADE MCDOWELL East Oregonian One of the biggest hurdles to the transfer of the former Umatilla Chemical Depot land to local control has fi nally been cleared. The Army’s Base Realignment and Closure division sent an offi cial letter to the Columbia Development Authority Thursday announcing the Army is “now in agreement with the division of water rights” worked out between the Oregon Military Department and the CDA. “This is a major milestone in the transfer of the real estate,” said CDA director Greg Smith, who is also a state representative. Per the agreement, the National Guard will retain water rights to pump 1,186 gallons per minute for the training base it will maintain on a portion of the property, while the Columbia Development Authority will have the rights to the other 73 percent. After the last of the depot’s chemical weapons were destroyed in 2014 the plan was to return the almost 20,000 acres to control by a local reuse authority — made up of a partnership between Umatilla County, Morrow County, Port of Umatilla, Port of Morrow and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reser- vation — as early as 2015. The Columbia Development Authority always stressed, however, that it would only take the land off the Army’s hands if it was free, clean and with enough water to support industrial development on the portions of property zoned as much. Negotiations over those three points have led to multiple delays, but Smith said with the water deal in hand he is optimistic that the land will fi nally be transferred to the CDA in 2017. Taking the time to do it right, Smith said, and get enough water to support a variety of industrial uses on the land was important. The fi nal deal is “probably one of the biggest economic development wins for Umatilla County and Morrow County for the next 10 years,” he said. Large corporations have already been contacting the CDA offi ce about when the industrial land on the depot will be available and even conducting tours of the property. “This is going to be huge for our region,” Smith said. PENDLETON Universal Pictures via AP A koala tries to save his theater with a singing competition in “Sing.” For showtime, Page 5A Weekend Weather Fri Sat Sun 33/28 32/24 30/14 Trump: U.S. must ‘greatly strengthen’ nuclear capability WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday abruptly called for the United States to “greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capa- bility” until the rest of the world “comes to its senses” regarding nuclear weapons. His comments on Twitter came hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin said strengthening his country’s nuclear capabilities should be a chief military objective in the coming year. The president-elect’s statement also followed his meetings a day earlier with top Pentagon offi cials and defense contrac- tors. Trump, who is spending the holidays at his palatial private club in Florida, did not expand on the actions See TRUMP/8A Staff photo by E.J. Harris Randy and Sharon Bigot won the best classical residential display in the Pendleton Chamber of Commerce’s Christmas lighting contest. The Bigots use classical incandescent bulbs and hard-shelled lawn ornaments in their decorations. A CHRISTMAS CLASSIC By DANIEL WATTENBURGER East Oregonian Randy Bigot is fan of the clas- sics when it comes to Christmas decorations. Randy moved his family to Pendleton 12 years ago and hauled with them a collection of decorations from their previous home in Troutdale. While the world of Christmas decorating has changed over the years, Randy’s tastes have not. He prefers blow mold plastic snowmen to their infl atable cousins, and incandescent lights over the in vogue (and cheaper) LED alternative. He also cringes when he sees shows like ABC’s “The Great Christmas Light Fight” with gaudy displays that See LIGHTS/3A WINNERS CLASSIC First: The Bigots 1317 SW Gamma Court Second: The Andersons 1851 SW 18th Third: The Solomons 541 NW 21st Street CONTEMPORARY First: The Joneses 376 NE Owen Court Second: The Grays 1819 SW 45th Street Third: The McGirrs 1884 SW Runnion Lane Staff photo by E.J. Harris Harper and Kimberly Jones won the best contemporary residential display in the Pendleton Chamber of Commerce’s Christmas lighting contest. The lights are timed to music that viewers can listen to on the radio. BUSINESS First: Hamley Steakhouse 30 SE Court Ave Second: The Great Pacifi c 403 S Main Street Third: Bella Cosa 133 S Main Street Eastern Oregon gets voice in legislative policy Representatives join 13 committees By JADE MCDOWELL East Oregonian Smith Barreto Hansell Umatilla County will have representation on 13 different legislative committees during the 2017 legislative session. Committee assignments for the House and Senate released on Wednesday show Rep. Greg Smith (R-Heppner), Rep. Greg Barreto (R-Cove) and Sen. Bill Hansell (R-Athena) serving on a total of 13 different committees that will help make policy and budget decisions for the state. Committees, according to the Oregon Legislature’s website, are where “the majority of the work to shape legislation and public policy is done.” Small groups of legislators hear public testimony, study proposals in depth, craft budgets, make See COMMITTEES/8A
