REGION
Wednesday, February 8, 2017
Oregon lawmakers urged to boost
noxious weed spending by $1M
By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI
Capital Bureau
SALEM — Oregon farm
groups are urging lawmakers
to boost noxious weed control
funding by $1 million,
arguing the investment will
prevent even costlier future
battles against invasives.
House Bill 2043 would
appropriate $1 million from
the general fund to carry out
the Oregon Department of
Agriculture’s noxious weed
programs in the 2017-2019
biennium.
“It’s penny-wise and
pound-foolish to cut ourselves
short now,” said Peter Kenagy,
a Benton County farmer
who testified in support of
HB 2043 at a Feb. 7 hearing
before the House Agriculture
Committee.
Under Gov. Kate Brown’s
proposed budget for the next
biennium, ODA is slated to
cut its biocontrol program
for invasive weeds, which
relies on predatory insects to
suppress unwanted plants.
Eliminating the weed
biocontrol position, which
is currently vacant, would
save the ODA $250,000 at a
time when state agencies are
under financial pressure due
to a looming $1.8 billion state
budget shortfall.
“If we don’t keep funding
these things, we’re going to
pay for it later,” Kenagy said.
“Cutting money out of the
budget for this, we’ll pay for
it and our kids will pay for it.”
Representatives of the
Oregon Farm Bureau, the
Courtesy Oregon Department of Agriculture
Poison hemlock is a common noxious weed in Oregon.
House Bill 2043 would appropriate $1 million from the
general fund to carry out the Oregon Department of
Agriculture’s noxious weed programs.
Oregon Cattlemen’s Associ-
ation, Oregonians for Food
and Shelter and the Oregon
Association of Conservation
Districts also testified in favor
of the bill.
Noxious
weeds
are
estimated to cost Oregon’s
economy about $83 million
per year, said Katie Fast,
executive director of the
Oregonians for Food and
Shelter agribusiness group.
Lawmakers should not
consider adding new natural
resource programs until “base
programs” such as noxious
weed control are funded, Fast
said.
Invasive species don’t
recognize boundaries and the
problem with noxious weeds
will get worse if ignored, said
Michelle Delepine on behalf
of the Oregon Association of
Conservation Districts.
“This isn’t something you
PENDLETON
City council open to
a veterans memorial
By ANTONIO SIERRA
East Oregonian
An effort to turn an
unused decorative fountain
at Highway 11 and Southeast
Emigrant Avenue into a
veterans memorial received
some early support from the
Pendleton City Council at a
meeting Tuesday.
Although the idea for
the memorial started with a
proposal from Korean War
veteran Ken Garrett to dedi-
cate a Southeast Court Place
bridge, conversation seemed
to revolve around a separate
proposal from Veterans of
Foreign Wars “Let ‘er Buck”
Post 922.
The post’s vision involves
two components — repur-
posing the Highway 11 foun-
tain for a veterans memorial
and renaming the section of
Court Place in front of the
VFW hall “Veterans Way.”
VFW member Johnny
Blagg presented one of
the concepts, which would
remove the irrigation from
the fountain and install new
landscaping and a 40-foot
flag pole surrounded by
emblems representing the
five branches of the military.
Blagg said his rough
estimate for the project is
$20,000.
Councilor Neil Brown
said the fountain was high
maintenance and hadn’t been
in use for several years.
Blagg said the VFW was
still in the early stages of
planning the memorial and
there was another member
who was looking into the
possibility of erecting statues
at the fountain site.
While the council was
verbally supportive of the
Highway 11 memorial
concept, the new street name
didn’t get as much traction.
Brown mentioned that
other buildings on the
street, namely the Pendleton
Woolen Mills, might oppose
changing their address.
Additionally, “Veterans
Way” would conflict with
an ordinance that requires
streets that go from east to
west have historic names in
alphabetic order.
City manager Robb
Corbett said he would look
into the street name issue
and help facilitate the VFW
project.
The council took no action
on the memorial concept.
The council did take
action on several other
issues.
• The council unani-
mously voted to accept the
city’s 2016 financial audit.
Among accounting firm
Dickey and Tremper’s find-
ings was that the interfund
loan paid to the airport was
still too large.
“We recommend that the
city review repayment of the
old outstanding loans and
if the airport will require
additional subsidy or perhaps
other revenue sources or rent
payments for public facilities
on airport property,” the
audit states.
• Councilors unanimously
approved $370,609 for a
“combo truck” for the public
works department.
Public works superin-
tendent Jeff Brown said the
truck is equipped with a
vacuum that is used to clean
the city’s sewer system
• The council amended
some of the uses in the central
mixed use zone, which now
has land-use regulations for
food trucks.
City planner George
Clough said 3 or 4 people
were in the queue to open
food trucks in Pendleton, but
the city didn’t have any rules
for them to follow.
• The council unani-
mously approved declaring
19 lots it owns at Sunridge
Estates surplus, a move that
allows the city to sell them.
The city had local
improvement district liens on
the properties and obtained
them when Umatilla County
foreclosed on the properties.
———
Contact Antonio Sierra at
asierra@eastoregonian.com
or 541-966-0836.
Winter White Sale
for the entire month of February
30%
OFF
SELECTED BOTTLES
Riesling • Chardonnay • Pinot Gris
H AMLEY S TEAK H OUSE & S aloon
Court & Main, Pendleton • 541.278.1100
can just put on hold,” she said.
Aside from weeds that
already
afflict
Oregon
farmers, the state is facing an
incursion of new invasives,
such as the flowering rush
that’s been found growing
along the Columbia river, said
Sen. Bill Hansell, R-Athena.
The weed spreads by
pieces of root breaking off and
traveling downstream, with
the populations in Oregon
and Washington thought to
have originated in Montana’s
Flathead Lake, he said.
Flowering rush threatens
to clog up irrigation systems
and disrupt ecosystems to the
detriment of native fish.
“We need all the help we
can get,” said Hansell.
During the Feb. 7 hearing,
the
House
Agriculture
Committee also heard testi-
mony on several other bills:
• House Bill 2327 would
require the recipients of grants
from the Oregon Watershed
Enhancement Board to obtain
liability insurance for projects
aimed at improved water
quality and riparian habitats.
The cost would be covered
by grant funds, so the added
expense wouldn’t be borne by
recipients.
The bill would also repeal
statutory language related to a
“healthy streams partnership”
that’s no longer operational
and add a representative of the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
as a non-voting member of
OWEB’s board, among other
provisions.
• House Bill 2254 would
allow individual containers
of Oregon fresh produce to
be unlabeled if they’re headed
for export to foreign markets.
Under current law, all such
containers must be labeled for
sale, which imposes an added
burden for exporters. The
change would allow foreign
buyers to label Oregon farm
goods when they arrive in
another country.
• House Bill 2255 would
update Oregon’s milk-related
statutes to align with federal
rules for pasteurized milk
safety, because current stat-
utes are outdated and don’t
conform with the federal
requirements.
• House Bill 2256 would
clarify that nutritional supple-
ments are regulated as food
by the Oregon Department of
Agriculture, which will ensure
the agency has the authority
for potential enforcement
actions.
COMING EVENTS
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 8
ADULT OPEN GYM, 6 a.m.,
Pendleton Recreation Center,
510 S.W. Dorion Ave., Pendle-
ton. Half-court basketball. Adults
only.
WALKING FOR WELL-
NESS, 8:30-9:30 a.m., Pendle-
ton Recreation Center, 510 S.W.
Dorion Ave., Pendleton. (541-
276-8100)
BABY BOOGIE & TAPPIN’
TODDLERS, 10-10:45 a.m.,
Hermiston Public Library, 235
E Gladys Ave, Hermiston. (541-
567-2882)
CONVERSATION
PROJ-
ECT: HOMELESS IN THE
LAND OF PLENTY, 11 a.m.,
Blue Mountain Community Col-
lege, 975 S.E. Columbia Drive,
Hermiston. Ryan Stroud hosts.
Free and open to the public. (Ali-
son Timmons 541-289-2832)
STORY TIME, 11:15 a.m.,
Hermiston Public Library, 235 E.
Gladys Ave., Hermiston. (541-
567-2882)
STANFIELD SENIOR MEAL
SERVICE, 12 p.m., Stanfield
Community Center, 225 W. Roo-
sevelt, Stanfield. Cost is $3.50
for seniors, $6 for others. (541-
449-1332)
PENDLETON
SENIOR
MEAL SERVICE, 12 p.m., Pend-
leton Senior Center, 510 S.W.
10th St., Pendleton. Costs $3.50
or $6 for those under 60. Pool,
puzzles, crafts, snacks, Second
Time Around thrift store 9 a.m. to
1 p.m. For Meals On Wheels, call
541-276-1926. (541-276-7101)
ADULT BEGINNERS’ COM-
PUTERS, 3-4 p.m., Pendleton
Public Library meeting room, 502
S.W. Dorion Ave., Pendleton.
Registration is required. Classes
tailored to the needs of the at-
tendees. (541-966-0380)
VEGAN/SUSTAINABLE
LIVING POTLUCK SUPPER,
7 p.m., location varies, location
varies, Pendleton. Bring a veg-
an dish and recipe. Gluten-free
friendly group. Call to RSVP and
for driving directions. (541-969-
3057)
THURSDAY, FEB. 9
ADULT OPEN GYM, 6 a.m.,
Pendleton Recreation Center,
510 S.W. Dorion Ave., Pend-
leton. Half-court basketball.
Adults only.
WALKING FOR WELL-
NESS, 8:30-9:30 a.m., Pendle-
ton Recreation Center, 510 S.W.
Dorion Ave., Pendleton. (541-
276-8100)
PRESCHOOL
STORY
TIME, 10:15-11 a.m., Pendleton
Public Library, 502 S.W. Dorion
Ave., Pendleton. Stories and ac-
tivities for young children. (541-
966-0380)
PRESCHOOL STORY AND
CRAFT TIME, 10:30 a.m., MIl-
ton-Freewater Public Library, 8
S.W. Eighth Ave., Milton-Freewa-
ter. (Lili Schmidt 541-938-8247)
PENDLETON
SENIOR
MEAL SERVICE, 12 p.m., Pend-
leton Senior Center, 510 S.W.
10th St., Pendleton. Costs $3.50
or $6 for those under 60. Pool,
puzzles, crafts, snacks, Second
Time Around thrift store 9 a.m. to
1 p.m. For Meals On Wheels, call
541-276-1926. (541-276-7101)
BOARDMAN
SENIOR
MEAL SERVICE, 12 p.m.,
Boardman Senior Center, 100
Tatone St., Boardman. Cost is $4
for seniors 55 and over or $5 for
adults. (541-481-3257)
HERMISTON
SENIOR
MEAL SERVICE, 12 p.m.,
Hermiston Senior Center, 435 W.
Orchard Ave., Hermiston. Cost
is $4 for adults, free for children
10 and under, $4 for Meals on
Wheels. Extra 50 cents for uten-
sils/dishes. Bus service to Senior
Center by donation. (541-567-
3582)
SENSORY STORY TIME,
12:30 p.m., Boardman Public
Library, 200 S. Main St., Board-
man. For children from birth to
age 4. (541-481-2665)
SKILLS FOR LIFE, 3-5 p.m.,
Pendleton Recreation Center,
510 S.W. Dorion Ave., Pendle-
ton. Gym activities and life skills
for middle and high school stu-
dents. Registration requested.
(Danny Bane 541-379-4250)
ARTIST’S
RECEPTION:
WHITNEY MINTHORN, 5:30-7
p.m., Pendleton Center for the
Arts, 214 N. Main St., Pendleton.
Meet Whitney Minthorn and view
his artwork and commercial proj-
ects in the East Oregonian Gal-
lery. Refreshments available by
donation. Free admission. (Ro-
berta Lavadour 541-278-9201)
East Oregonian
Walden to host pair
of town hall meetings
The majority of ques-
tions during Monday’s
U.S. Rep. Greg Walden teleconference were about
and
how
(R-Oregon) will hold a healthcare,
pair of town hall meet- Republicans plan to repeal
and replace the
ings Friday in
Affordable Care
Umatilla
and
Act.
Walden
Morrow counties,
also addressed
following up on a
President Donald
telephone confer-
Trump’s recent
ence Monday that
order temporarily
drew more than
banning refugees
4,000 people who
and immigrants
listened in on the
from
seven
call.
Muslim-majority
Walden will Walden
countries,
and
meet with constit-
Trump’s proposal
uents at 11:30
a.m. at Weston Memorial to build a wall along the
Hall, 204 E. Main St. in Mexican border.
Friday’s meetings are
Weston, before heading
west for a town hall at 2:15 open to the public. For
p.m. at the Port of Morrow more information, contact
Riverfront Center, 2 Marine Walden’s office at 202-225-
6730.
Drive in Boardman.
East Oregonian
HERMISTON
Photo contributed by Maureen Roy Photography
Kids in kindergarten through fifth grade are invit-
ed to participate in a Missoula Children’s Theatre
production of “The Princess and the Pea.” Auditions
are Feb. 20 at the Hermiston Conference Center.
Missoula Children’s Theatre
to stage ‘Princess and Pea’
East Oregonian
A kingdom of snow has
the prince looking for a
proper princess to share the
throne during an upcoming
Missoula Children’s Theatre
presentation in Hermiston.
Parts are plentiful in
“The Princess and the Pea,”
as residents of the kingdom
include
Winter
Wind
Workers, Blizzard Bringers,
Icicle Sharpeners and Snow
Smoothers, who are ruled by
the Storm King and the Snow
Queen. Presented by Desert
Arts Council, kids in kinder-
garten through fifth grade are
invited to participate.
Auditions are Monday,
Feb. 20 from 3-5 p.m. at
the Hermiston Conference
Center, 415 S. Highway 395.
There is no charge to partici-
pate. Rehearsals are Tuesday,
Feb. 21 through Friday, Feb.
24 from 5:15-7:15 p.m., also
at the conference center.
The week-long rehearsals
will crescendo with a pair
of performances, which are
Saturday, Feb. 25 at 3 p.m.
and 5:30 p.m. at the confer-
ence center. Tickets are $15
for adults and $5 for students.
Tickets are available at
the conference center, Herm-
iston Parks & Recreation,
180 N.E. Second St., or via
www.desertartscouncil.com/
tickets.
For more information,
contact 541-667-5018 or
parksandrec@hermiston.
or.us.
SUBMIT COMMUNITY NEWS
Submit information to: community@eastoregonian.
com or drop off to the attention of Tammy Malgesini at
333 E. Main St., Hermiston or Renee Struthers at 211
S.E. Byers Ave., Pendleton. Call 541-564-4539 or 541-
966-0818 with questions.
Mom has always been so patient, but now
when I ask her questions she gets angry.
IT’S NOT LIKE HER.
PART-TIME
DRIVER
Pick up an application at
211 SE Byers, Pendleton
or e-mail resume and
cover letter to
hr@eomediagroup.com
Part-time driver needed
to deliver East Oregonian
publications throughout
Eastern Oregon. Must be
able to lift up to 50 pounds,
have a valid driver’s license
and a good driving record.
Shifts vary but will regularly
include Tuesday nights.
Duties may include non-
driving work if extra hours
are desired. Drug test,
driving record and criminal
background checks will be
completed before hire.
Page 3A
WE CAN HELP.
Call us with questions
about aging and Alzheimer’s.
1-855-ORE-ADRC
HelpForAlz.org
OREGON DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES PROGRAM