REGION
Friday, March 31, 2017
East Oregonian
BRIEFLY
Senators urge support for rural air service
SUV theft in Hermiston leads
to pursuit
“Without this service, Eastern Oregon
lacks any commercial air service, put-
ting these communities at a serious
competitive disadvantage when working
to attract or retain business.”
Pendleton airport cited
as example of benefits
By GEORGE PLAVEN
East Oregonian
Oregon Sens. Ron Wyden
and Jeff Merkley are going to
bat for rural air service, citing the
Eastern Oregon Regional Airport
in Pendleton as one facility
that benefits strongly from the
program.
In his budget proposal, Pres-
ident Donald Trump has called
for eliminating the Essential
Air Service, part of a 13 percent
decrease in the U.S. Department
of Transportation budget. The
program provides federal subsi-
dies to guarantee small commu-
nities maintain a minimum level
of scheduled air service.
Eastern Oregon Regional
Airport is the only EAS airport in
Oregon, with the subsidy paying
for daily flights to Portland.
Wyden and Merkley, both Demo-
crats, wrote a letter Wednesday to
Elaine Chao, secretary of the U.S.
Department of Transportation,
and Michael Huerta, adminis-
trator of the Federal Aviation
Administration, urging them to
support an adequate budget for
EAS.
“Without this service, Eastern
Oregon lacks any commercial air
service, putting these commu-
Wyden
HERMISTON — A Hermiston man is
in custody after stealing a 1999 gold Ford
Explorer SUV from Hermiston and leading
police on a car chase through Hermiston,
Helix, Pendleton and Milton-Freewater
before ending near Burbank, Washington.
Bradley Griffin-Hadley, 30, was arrested
on counts of driving while suspended,
malicious mischief, possession of a stolen
vehicle and attempting to elude a police
officer, according to Deputy Shanda Zessin
of the Walla Walla County Sheriff’s Depart-
ment. He is currently lodged in the Walla
Walla County Jail.
L. Chuck Byram of the Pendleton Police
Department said an officer saw the vehicle,
which had been reported stolen out of
Hermiston earlier that morning, passing by
on Highway 207 at 5:31 a.m., and an officer
started following the vehicle.
A Tribal police officer attempted to stop
the vehicle, which then fled, leading the
officer on a chase on Highway 11.
Byram said the officer terminated the
pursuit after determining the thief was
driving erratically. Griffin-Hadley was
arrested east of Burbank after running out of
gas.
— Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley,
in a letter to DOT and FAA
Merkley
nities at a serious competitive
disadvantage when working to
attract or retain business,” the
senators wrote. “Air service is
also a safety and health care
concern. Many rural seniors
travel for specialty health care,
and the flights to Portland create
opportunity for them to remain in
their homes and communities and
still access the care they need.”
Pendleton is one of 113 rural
communities across the country
that receive a EAS subsidy to
provide flights to and from a
“hub” airport in a larger city,
according to a previous East
Oregonian report. The Depart-
ment of Transportation is paying
Boutique Airlines $2.3 million
to operate flights between Pend-
leton and Portland through 2018.
“The airport has been quite
responsive, and in recent
months contracted with a new
provider to improve enplane-
ments and ensure that federal
investments are well spent,”
the senators wrote.
Wyden and Merkley also
pointed to the Contract Tower
Program as a crucial investment.
In addition to commercial air
service, the senators wrote that
the program has supported
the creation of the Pendleton
Unmanned Aerial Systems
Range, part of the UAS Pan-Pa-
cific Test Range.
The Contract Tower program
has averaged around 10,000
operations per year in Pendleton,
but is forecast to see around
50,000 operations because of
the increased traffic due to drone
tests, according to the senators.
That includes the ArcticShark, an
$800,000 system owned by the
Department of Energy that will
eventually gather climate data
over the Arctic coast of Alaska.
Drones may also provide
future uses in application,
business, package delivery and
search and rescue, say Wyden
and Merkley.
“The state of Oregon has
invested in airport infrastructure,
and the airport is beginning to
forecast significant revenues,
not only for the airport and test
range but also for the city, which
is hosting UAS companies and
events,” they write.
Greg Walden, Oregon’s lone
Republican congressman, also
represents Pendleton’s district
in Washington, D.C. In an email
Thursday to the East Oregonian,
Walden’s spokesman, Andrew
Malcolm, said they have worked
many years to preserve commer-
cial air service in Pendleton.
“(Walden) will continue to
work closely with the Trump
administration and his colleagues
in the House to preserve this
important economic link for
northeast Oregon,” Malcolm
said.
———
Contact George Plaven at
gplaven@eastoregonian.com or
541-966-0825.
Flashing stop signs
installed in Hermiston
HERMISTON — New flashing stop
signs have been installed at two intersections
on Orchard Street, aimed at keeping drivers
more alert.
The new signs are at South First Street
and Orchard, across from the police station,
and at Seventh and Orchard, next to West
Park Elementary School.
Hermiston street superintendent Ron
Sivey said the signs were installed by the
state, a result of some federal grant money
for safety corridors.
“We’ll see how well they last,” Sivey
said. “They’re solar-powered, so they’re
supposed to be maintenance-free.”
If those signs hold up well, Sivey said the
city may look at putting in some more.
Sivey noted those intersections are both
busy when school gets out, warranting some
additional safety measures.
Sivey said if other flashing signals
at four-way stops start to fail, they may
be replaced with these, but the signs are
expensive at $2,500 each.
“The other flashers lasted 40 to 50 years,
so we’ll see how these do,” Sivey said.
———
Briefs are compiled from staff and wire
reports, and press releases. Email press
releases to news@eastoregonian.com
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
FRIDAY, MARCH 31
PENDLETON EAGLES BREAK-
FAST, 9 a.m.-12 p.m., Pendleton Ea-
gles Lodge, 428 S. Main St., Pendle-
ton. Open to members and guests.
(541-278-2828)
PFLAG PENDLETON, 4 p.m.,
location varies, Pendleton. No-host
lunch followed by meeting. Everyone
welcome. (Vickie Read 541-966-8414)
PENDLETON MASTERS SWIM
CLUB, 5-6 p.m., Roundup Athletic
Club pool, 1415 Southgate, Pendleton.
$5 per session coaching fee; non-RAC
members pay $8 pool fee per session.
(Tania Wildbill 541-310-9102)
PENDLETON EAGLES LADIES
AUXILIARY KITCHEN, 6-8 p.m.,
Pendleton Eagles Lodge, 428 S. Main
St., Pendleton. St. Patrick’s Day feast
includes corned beef, cabbage, sides
and dessert for $10 per person.Mem-
bers and guests welcome. (541-278-
2828)
MONDAY, APRIL 3
IRRIGON MOOSE LODGE TA-
COS AND BINGO, 6-9 p.m., Irrigon
Moose Lodge, 220 N.E. Third St., Irri-
gon. Tacos from 6-9 p.m., bingo from
6:30-9 p.m. Open to members and
guests. (541-922-1802)
UMATILLA COUNTY DEMO-
CRATIC PARTY, 6 p.m., Yellowhawk
Tribal Health Center conference room,
73265 Confederated Way, Pendleton.
All Umatilla County Democrats and
those interested in participating in the
Democratic Party are encouraged to
attend. (Sue Peterson 541-276-4569)
GREATER HERMISTON AREA
SATURDAY, APRIL 1
PENDLETON EAGLES STEAK
AND LIVE MUSIC, 6-11:30 p.m.,
Pendleton Eagles Lodge, 428 S. Main
St., Pendleton. Dinner from 6-8 p.m.,
music from 8 p.m. to midnight. Mem-
bers and guests welcome. (541-278-
2828)
SUNDAY, APRIL 2
TEA PARTY, 7 p.m., Stafford Hansell
Government Center, 915 S.E. Colum-
bia Drive, Hermiston.
HERMISTON CLASSICS CAR
CLUB, 7 p.m., 31120 Baggett Lane,
31120 Baggett Lane, Hermiston. (541-
571-5960 or 541-571-3252)
PENDLETON AMATEUR RADIO
CLUB, 7 p.m., Pendleton City Hall
community room, 501 S.W. Emigrant
Ave., Pendleton. (Michael Califf 541-
276-8132)
HEPPNER GARDEN CLUB, 7
p.m., St. Patrick’s Senior Center, 190
N. Main St., Heppner.
AMERICAN LEGION POST 37,
7:30 p.m., Hermiston VFW, 45 W.
Cherry Ave., Hermiston. Members,
transfers and interested veterans wel-
come. (Bob Daniel 541-571-5882)
TUESDAY, APRIL 4
PENDLETON TOASTMASTERS
NO. 154, 6:30 a.m., Pendleton City Hall
community room, 501 S.W. Emigrant
Ave., Pendleton.
Page 3A
TOPS CHAPTER OR 1110, 8 a.m.,
Missionary Baptist Church, 125 E.
Beech St., Hermiston. 8 a.m. weigh-in
followed by meeting at 8:45 a.m. (Mar-
garet Wetterling 541-720-0276)
GREENFIELD GRANGE PI-
NOCHLE, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Greenfield
Grange 579, 209 N.W. First St., Board-
man. (541-481-7397)
BIBLE STUDY, 10 a.m., First Unit-
ed Methodist Church, 352 S.E. Second
St., Pendleton. (Rev. Jim Pierce 541-
276-2616)
OREGON RETIRED EDUCA-
TORS ASSOCIATION UNIT 9, 11:30
a.m., Eastern Oregon Regional Airport,
2016 Airport Road, Pendleton. April
program: Steve Chrisman will give a
presentation on the drone program.
Everyone welcome. (Bill Mayclin 541-
276-4540)
“THE LIFE MODEL: LIVING
FROM THE HEART JESUS GAVE
YOU” BOOK STUDY GROUP, 1-2:30
p.m., Bowman Building, 17 S.W. Frazer
Ave., Pendleton. (Pat 541-276-6671)
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