DYLANN ROOF
SENTENCED
TO DEATH
23/9
SGT. CLARK
PROMOTED
TO CAPTAIN
NATION/5A
REGION/3A
Trump briefed
on potentially
compromising
report NATION/7A
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2017
141st Year, No. 62
WINNER OF THE 2016 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD
One dollar
ENOUGH ALREADY
Wrecks shut down I-82, snowfall doubles local average
East Oregonian
Another wave of winter hit
eastern Oregon and Washington
on Tuesday, shutting down
Interstate 82 in two places and
snarling traffi c elsewhere.
Most Eastern Oregon high-
ways remained open Tuesday
after heavy snow forced
their closure for much of the
weekend, but icy conditions led
to a wreck on the Interstate 82
bridge at Umatilla and the east-
bound lanes near Coffi n Road in
Washington.
Oregon State Police Sgt. Seth
Cooney said the bridge closure
started when a blue Chevrolet
Silverado pickup was heading
into Washington, hit a patch of
ice at the apex of the bridge,
spun out and blocked traffi c.
“It is a parking lot out there
all the way over to the Wash-
ington side,” he said late in the
afternoon.
And at 6 p.m., Cooney said
See SNOW/8A
Photo contributed by Caroline Jared
A multi-vehicle pileup near Coffi n Road on Interstate 82 in Washington shut
down the freeway for much of the afternoon on Tuesday.
PENDLETON
HERMISTON
Ranch &
Home gets
incentive
to build by
end of year
City could reimburse $300k
if grocery store also builds
By JADE MCDOWELL
East Oregonian
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Brandon Krenzler stands in the main retail area of Kind Leaf Pendleton marijuana dispensary on Monday in Pendleton.
Krenzler, a co-owner of Kind Leaf Pendleton, says the store will be ready for inspection by the end of the month.
Taking a shot at pot
Race is on to bring retail marijuana to Round-Up City
By ANTONIO SIERRA
East Oregonian
With the table now set for a
legal cannabis market, two Pend-
leton businesses are working
toward offering the main course.
Two months after Pendleton
legalized marijuana sales, the
owners of Kind Leaf Pendleton
and Pendleton Cannabis are
currently navigating the state and
city’s regulatory process.
Both businesses took an
important fi rst step when the
Pendleton planning commission
The Hermiston city council approved an
agreement with Ranch & Home on Monday
to reimburse the retailer for a slew of devel-
opment costs if it fi nishes building a store in
Hermiston by Jan. 1, 2018.
Those incentives will increase if the
company also convinces a grocery store to
build next door by Oct. 1, 2018.
City manager Byron Smith said economic
development, particularly bringing more
retail opportunities to Hermiston, is one
of the top goals the city council has set.
After a “long process” working with owner
George Dress in the planning stage, Smith
said the city felt it would be worth offering
some incentives to get the ball rolling on
construction of a Hermiston location.
“This is a new approach,” he told the city
council.
Ranch & Home currently has two
locations in the Tri-Cities and one in
Milton-Freewater, and sells supplies for
home and garden, livestock, pets, sporting
goods and clothing. As a retailer, it is not
eligible for the property tax breaks given to
some businesses that build in Hermiston’s
enterprise zone.
According to the agreement approved
Monday, if Ranch & Home gets a building
permit by April 1 and an occupancy permit
See HERMISTON/8A
Closures for Wednesday
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Brandon Krenzler, owner of the Kind Leaf Pendleton, paints a coat of primer on the wall of
an offi ce space for his marijuana dispensary on Monday in Pendleton.
approved their locations at a
meeting Thursday.
While previous public hear-
ings on marijuana occasionally
attracted resistance, no one
publicly testifi ed against either
business.
And although there was some
confusion as to whether Kind
Leaf’s 1733 S.W. Court Ave.
location’s proximity to the Pend-
leton Convention Center violated
the city’s zoning rules — a
cannabis retailer can’t be within
a 1,000 feet of a school, park or a
public facility primarily attended
by minors — both businesses
faced little resistance in receiving
approval from the commission.
Despite the early victories,
a signifi cant amount of the
licensing process lies ahead of
them before they can open up
shop.
“It’s a steep learning curve,”
said Shawn Pace, a co-owner
of Pendleton Cannabis on 816
Southgate. “It’s heavily regu-
lated.”
Pace originally was thinking
about opening a coffee shop
when ballot measures legalizing
recreational and medical mari-
juana passed in November.
That development spurred
him to make his fi rst foray into
the cannabis industry.
Once Pace fi nishes reno-
vating the former lube shop into
a marijuana retail space in about
two weeks, he said he’ll request
an inspection from the Oregon
Liquor Control Commission.
See BUSINESS/8A
Numerous schools will be closed
Wednesday. They include:
• Hermiston School District
• Pendleton School District
• Stanfi eld School District
• Echo School District
• Athena-Weston School District
• Helix School District
• Pilot Rock School District
• Milton-Freewater School District
• Umatilla School District
• Morrow County School District
• Harris Junior Academy
In addition, other postponements and
cancellations are in effect:
• Head Start has canceled Wednes-
day classes in Hermiston, Boardman,
Irrigon.
• ECSE preschool classes are can-
celed Wednesday in the following
districts: Milton-Freewater, Morrow
County, Pendleton, Umatilla, Hermiston
• Lifeways Day Treatment in Pendleton
is closed Wednesday.
• Non-emergency Umatilla County
offi ces will open at 10 a.m.
• Umatilla and Morrow circuit courts
will open at 10 a.m.
• The Irrigon Chamber of Commerce
luncheon scheduled for Wednesday
has been canceled.