REGION Tuesday, January 17, 2017 East Oregonian Page 3A BRIEFLY Third pot business seeks approval for store at old car dealership PENDLETON — A third, unnamed recreational marijuana retailer is applying for a conditional use permit from the city, which will be considered by the Pendleton Planning Commission at a meeting Thursday. The applicant — Michael Ekblad of Hermiston — wants to open the store at 2003 S.W. Emigrant Ave., formerly a Tom Denchel Ford dealership. Ekblad’s proposed store is in close proximity to Kind Leaf Pendleton, another prospective pot shop at 1733 S.W. Court Ave. that was recently approved by the commission. City staff considered whether Ekblad’s store would be in violation of the city’s zoning rules prohibiting marijuana facilities from being located within 1,000 feet of each other, but their measurements showed that a little more than 1,200 feet separates them. In addition to Ekblad’s store and Kind Leaf, Pendleton Cannabis at 816 Southgate is also seeking to open a marijuana retailer. All three will have to obtain licenses from the city and state before they can open. SAGE Center hosts job fair Staff photo by Kathy Aney Rep. Greg Smith dances and his partner, Trina Morago, react to being named winners of Dancing with the Hermiston Stars on Saturday at Hermiston High School. Smith struts to win at fundraiser By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN East Oregonian Hermiston saw a lot of star power on Saturday night, when six local business and community leaders competed for the title in the fifth annual Dancing With the Hermiston Stars event. State Representative Greg Smith took home the top prize, dedicating his winnings to the Hermiston Warming Station. Local businesswoman LuAnn Davison was the runner-up, with her funds going toward Hermiston Campus Life, a mentorship and Chris- tian organization for local teens. The other contestants were city councilor Clara Beas Fitzgerald, county commis- sioner Bill Elfering, retired firefighter Spike Piersol, and business owner Eva Swain. Smith and his partner Trina Morago danced the Paso Doble, with a “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” theme. Davison and her partner Anthony Whipple danced the Cha Cha with a hard rock twist — to AC/DC’s “You Shook Me All Night Long.” The six contestants raised a total of $11,347 for their charities — though earnings for each charity have yet to be announced. Last year the event raised Staff photo by Kathy Aney Rep. Greg Smith dances with his partner, Trina Morago, during Danc- ing with the Hermiston Stars on Saturday at Hermiston High School. about $15,000 for charities, event director Mary Corp said. “This is the second highest amount we’ve raised, after last year,” Corp said. “We’re very pleased.” The contestants faced a panel of judges — Phil Hamm, Erika Sandoval and Tyler Hansell — who judged them based on skill, enthusiasm and audience engagement. The final scores were taken from a combination of audience votes, judge scores and funds raised by each individual for their charity of choice. The crowd loved the dances from both the stars and the professionals of the Utah Ballroom Dance Company, cheering mid-song and clapping along to songs they knew. “I was shocked to win,” Smith said after the announcement. “I just came out to have a good time. Everyone who danced was phenomenal.” Smith said he felt raising money for the warming station was important now more than ever, with the unusually cold winter, and thanked all who contributed to the event. Smith had spent several hours this week driving back and forth between Salem and Hermiston for rehearsals — but said it was worth it. “It was a blast,” he said. The event is organized by the Desert Arts Council, and was sponsored by the Hermiston Breakfast Kiwanis Club. Snow forces roof collapses at Treasure Valley onion plants EO Media Group PAYETTE, Idaho — Severe weather and snow buildup has caused the roofs of about 18 onion storage and packing facilities to collapse in southwestern Idaho and eastern Oregon. Roof collapses in the Treasure Valley have wiped out 25 percent of the region’s total onion processing capacity, leading to soaring onion prices, The Capital Press reported. A 50-pound bag of yellow jumbo onions cost $3.50 before the damage and now costs about $6.50. There are about 300 onion farmers and 30 onion shippers in the region, which produces about 25 percent of the nation’s storage onions. Heavy snowstorms starting in December followed by near-freezing rain and then more snow have caused many structures in the area to collapse. At least four onion packing facilities have had their roofs collapse beneath the weight of snow and ice and at least 14 storage facilities have collapsed as well. Murakami Produce General Manager Grant Kita- mura, who is also chairman of the Idaho-Eastern Oregon Onion Committee’s promo- tion committee said the region’s weather is having a serious impact on onions. “This is major. There are a lot of them down,” he said. Partners Produce’s main onion packing facility in Payette, Idaho, collapsed and will be out of commission for at least seven months, said co-owner Eddie Rodriguez. “I have 25-30 million pounds of onions that were destined to run through that line,” he said. The company’s empty inventory holding facility also collapsed. Kitamura said at least three of the four onion packing facilities impacted will be out of commission for the rest of the season. Paul Skeen, president of the Malheur County Onion Growers Association, said the disruption will also cause problems for onion growers. “When a shipper loses their packing line, it’s not just him but all his growers have to figure out what to do as well,” he said. “All those onions have to go somewhere.” BOARDMAN — More than 30 immediate career opportunities are available at Lamb Weston. People can participate in interviews and get information during the Lamb Weston Sage Center Job Fair. The event is Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the SAGE Center, 101 Olson Road, Boardman. People are encouraged to bring a copy of their resume. For more information, visit www.lambweston.com/about/ careers or call 855-216-9551. Business luncheon to get water update HERMISTON — An overview of Northeast Oregon Water Association’s progress on new, mitigated water development from the Columbia River will be discussed during the Hermiston Chamber of Commerce B2B Luncheon Director J.R. Cook also will unveil the new Oregon Water Coalition focus and structure, and will introduce Marika Sitz, a Stanford graduate and paid intern of the Oregon Water Coalition. The no-host event is Tuesday, Jan. 24 at 11:45 a.m. at the Hermiston Conference Center, 415 S. Highway 395. The meal, catered by Pudding on the Ritz, is $10 for members and $13 for non-members. People are asked to register by Saturday, Jan. 21. For more information or to RSVP, contact 541-567- 6151, info@hermistonchamber.com or visit www. hermistonchamber.com. Car fire extinguished in Stanfield STANFIELD — No one was injured in a car fire in Stanfield Saturday morning. The owner of the red Plymouth Breeze was trying to leave her driveway on Main Street, when the front of the vehicle caught fire. The driver got out of the vehicle and was not injured. “She was trying to get out of the driveway, when some- thing happened — an overheated engine, or something,” said Eldon Marcum of Umatilla County Fire District 1. Juniors race moved to Thursday JOSEPH — The 22-mile juniors race at this week’s Eagle Cap Extreme sled dog race has been moved from Friday to Thursday, according to race organizer Troy Nave. Nave said the juniors race will be the last to leave Thursday from Ferguson Ridge Ski Area. Fifteen- year-old Christina Gibson, of Riverside, Washington, is the only participant in this year’s juniors race. Race start will be noon Thursday for the 200-mile and 100-mile races, with the first leg of the two-day pot race and juniors race to follow. A shuttle bus will be available at 9:45 a.m. to bring spectators up to Ferguson Ridge. Phone and Internet Discounts Available to CenturyLink Customers The Oregon Public Utility Commission designated CenturyLink as an Eligible Telecommunications Carrier within its service area for universal service purposes. CenturyLink’s basic local service rates for residential voice lines are $15.80-$17.80 per month and business services are $28.00-$32.00 per month. Specific rates will be provided upon request. CenturyLink participates in a government benefit program (Lifeline) to make residential telephone or broadband service more affordable to eligible low-income individuals and families. Eligible customers are those that meet eligibility standards as defined by the Federal Communications Commissionand OPUC. Residents who live on federally recognized Tribal Lands may qualify for additional Tribal benefits if they participate in certain federal eligibility programs. The Lifeline discount is available for only one telephone or broadband service per household, and can be on either wireline or wireless service. Broadband speeds must be 10 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload or faster to qualify. A household is defined for the purposes of the Lifeline program as any individual or group of individuals who live together at the same address and share income and expenses. Lifeline service is not transferable, and only eligible consumers may enroll in the program. Consumers who willfully make false statements in order to obtain a Lifeline discount can be punished by fine or imprisonment and can be barred from the program. POWERFUL TOOLS FOR THE CAREGIVER: Caring for Children with Special Needs: Build a toolkit for taking CH11115 13th Annual Cattleman’s Workshop Navigating the Future in the Cow/Calf Industry Saturday, January 21st, 2017 Blue Mountain Conference Center • 404 12th Street, La Grande, OR 9:00 - 9:15 Workshop Introductions & Overview Kevin Ochsner, Host Cattlemen to Cattlemen TV; Kersey, CO FREE! No Pre-Registration Required. Lunch Included. 9:15 - 10:00 Cattle Market Challenges and Opportunities in 2017 Dr. Derrell Peel, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 10:00 - 10:45 Genetic Technologies in the Poultry Industry, The Other Protein Dr. Mitch Abrahamsen, Senior VP Research & Development; Cobb-Vantress, Siloam Springs, AR 10:45 - 11:15 Break (provided by sponsors) 11:15 - 12:00 Ethics, Values & Science. Finding the Right Mix For Building Consumer Trust Donna Moenning, Center For Food Integrity; Gladstone, MO 12:00 - 1:15 Lunch (provided by sponsors) 1:15 - 2:00 Keys to a Successful Heifer Development Program Dr. Che Trejo, Zoetis Beef Technical Services Veterinarian; Malad, ID 2:00 - 3:00 Navigation Tools for the Cow/Calf Producer Kevin Ochsner, Host Cattlemen to Cattlemen TV; Kersey, CO NOTE: For more information, please contact Kim McKague at (541) 562-5129 • http://oregonstate.edu/dept/eoarcunion better care of yourself while caring for your child, grandchild or other child with special needs. Learn how to reduce stress and relax, communicate effectively, reduce guilt and anger, make tough decisions, set goals and problem solve. FREE. Tuesdays • 4:30 - 6:30pm Starting Jan. 24 through Feb. 28 Call 541-667-3509 GSMC Conference Room 7 (by the GS Education Dept) includes book "The Caregiver Help" LIVING WELL: BETTER CHOICES, BETTER HEALTH Have you been diagnosed with high blood pressure, heart disease, arthritis or another long-term health condition? Find practical ways to living well by making a step-by-step plan to improve your health...and your life. 6 weekly FREE classes, open to patients, caregivers/support person or both. Pre- registration required. 6 weekly sessions Starting Jan. 26 • 4:30-6:30pm Must pre-register, call 541-667-3509 Information or to register call (541) 667-3509 or email healthinfo@gshealth.org www.gshealth.org Internet Basics may also be available to Lifeline eligible subscribers and provides reliable home high-speed Internet service up to 1.5Mbps for $9.95* per month for the first 12 months of service. 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