FORMER STANFIELD COP SUES CITY/3A
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A herd of nearly 100 elk graze Wednesday in a
stubble field off Tutuilla Church Road near Mission.
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 2017
141st Year, No. 68
Hansell hopes to end
‘game of chicken’
with Real ID bill
Legislators prepare
transportation bills
for upcoming session
By PHIL WRIGHT
East Oregonian
Oregon’s deadline for
complying with the federal
Real ID Act is ticking down,
and state Sen. Bill
Hansell of Athena
has proposed a bill
to beat that clock.
“This is one of
my major bills,”
the Republican and
former
Umatilla
County commis-
sioner said. “We
can’t just keep
kicking this can
down the road, and we can’t
ignore it.”
Without a Real ID bill,
Hansell said, Oregonians
“will no longer be able to
use your driver’s licenses to
fly domestically, or enter a
federal facility that requires
ID, such as Hanford.”
Hansell is the chief
sponsor or co-sponsor on
27 bills and resolutions for
the 2017 Legislature, which
convenes Feb. 1. Rep Greg
Smith, R-Heppner, is the
chief sponsor on eight bills.
And Rep. Greg Barreto,
One dollar
WINNER OF THE 2016 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD
R-Cove, gave his name as the
chief sponsor on four bills
and co-chief on nine more,
including Senate Bill 374
with Hansell to authorize the
Oregon Department of Trans-
portation to “issue driver
licenses, driver permits and
identification cards that meet
requirements of federal Real
ID Act of 2005.”
Over the next
several days, the
East
Oregonian
will look at the
local
legislators’
key proposals by
category, starting
with transportation.
The Real ID Act
came out of the
9/11 Commission’s
recommendation
to enhance the security
of state-issued driver’s
licenses and identification
cards. While 25 states have
complied with the act,
according to the Department
of Homeland Security, the
rest have not. That means
federal agencies, including
the Transportation Security
Administration at airports,
do not have to accept driver’s
licenses and identification
cards from those states.
The 2009 Oregon Legis-
lature considered the act
See BILLS/10A
Ice storm freezes highways
Interstate 84 remains
closed into evening
By GEORGE PLAVEN
East Oregonian
EO staff photos
TOP: About 40 semitrailers were stopped at exit 193 on Interstate 84
Wednesday morning after freezing rain shut down the freeway. BOTTOM: A
line of semitrailers backed up for more than a mile in the eastbound lane of
Interstate 84. Much of the snow melted in the Pendleton area as tempera-
tures reached the high 40s, while the Hermiston area stayed below freezing.
The winter beatdown continues
across Eastern Oregon.
High winds, snow drifts and
freezing rain once again throttled
the area Wednesday, forcing
schools and government offices to
close for the day while also shut-
ting down most local highways
— at least temporarily.
Interstate 84 stayed closed
between Pendleton and Ontario
late into the evening, and Tom
Strandberg, spokesman for the
Oregon Department of Transporta-
tion, said it likely wouldn’t reopen
until sometime Thursday morning.
“Unfortunately, there’s just not
a lot we can do,” Strandberg said.
“It’s just too dangerous to be out
there.”
I-84 also remained closed in the
Columbia River Gorge between
Hood River and Troutdale due to
slick and hazardous driving condi-
tions. As thousands of rigs backed
up along the road, Strandberg said
ODOT was desperately trying to
get the word out as far as Idaho for
drivers to stay off the interstate.
“The motels are filling up.
There’s no more room for trucks to
park anywhere,” Strandberg said.
“We’re just encouraging people to
stay home, stay safe and wait for
the storm to pass.”
In some cases, Strandberg said
See FREEZE/10A
PENDLETON
Women prepare to march in support of human rights
Demonstration is one of
several hundred satellite
marches around world
By KATHY ANEY
East Oregonian
The crowd attending this Saturday’s
Women’s March on Washington will
likely outnumber the inauguration crowd.
According to the event website, the
expected 200,000 marchers will rally near
the Capitol to communicate the message
that “we stand together, recognizing that
defending the most marginalized among
us is defending all of us.” Honorary
co-chairs include activist Gloria Steinem
Staff photo by Kathy Aney
and singer Harry Belafonte.
Mariah Hinds works on a sign to carry in Saturday’s Women’s
About 2,500 miles away from the
March on Pendleton. Hinds and others met Monday afternoon Capitol, another group, albeit a much
at the Great Pacific Wine & Coffee Co. to plan the event and
smaller one, will take to the streets of
work on signs.
Pendleton. Marchers will gather at the
flagpole at the Pendleton City Hall for
a prayer, reading from the First Amend-
ment, Pledge of Allegiance and a short
overview of the purpose of the march.
Marchers will make stops along the way
at Centennial Park, Prodigal Son, Sisters
Café and the Great Pacific Wine & Coffee
Co. for speakers and music. The route will
take marchers past Pendleton’s collection
of bronzes on Main Street, which will
serve as visual aids for remarks on human
rights.
The women-led movement is one of at
least 370 sister marches around the world,
including 18 in Oregon. Participants in 32
other countries will march in solidarity
with American women. Saturday’s march
won’t be the first inauguration-related
demonstration in American history.
Thousands of supporters of the women’s
See MARCH/10A