REGION
Friday, April 28, 2017
East Oregonian
HERMISTON
Workplace deaths rose in 2016
in Umatilla County and the state
New counting method
leads to higher report
East Oregonian
Four people died on the
job in Umatilla County in
2016 compared to one in
2015, according to prelim-
inary data from the state.
Workplace deaths statewide
also rose during that span,
from 41 to 61.
The state Occupational
Safety and Health Division
(Oregon OSHA) and the
Oregon AFL-CIO will honor
Oregon workers who died on
the job with a public cere-
mony Friday at noon at the
Fallen Workers Memorial
outside the Labor and Indus-
tries Building, 350 Winter
St. N.E., on the Capitol Mall.
The ceremony will include
a reading of the names of
Oregon workers who died on
the job in 2016.
The Oregon Department
of Consumer and Business
Services
reported
the
numbers are based on a new
data collection program that
started in 2015 to provide
a more comprehensive
review of workplace deaths.
Previously, figures included
only those deaths the Oregon
workers’
compensation
system covered.
“The new Workplace Fatal-
ities in Oregon program tracks
on-the-job deaths, regardless
of workers’ compensation
status,” according to the
written
statement
from
Business Services. “As a
result, the program now also
includes workplace deaths
involving
self-employed
people, city of Portland police
and fire employees, federal
employees, and incidents
occurring in Oregon to
workers with out-of-state
employers.”
The data shows one
person in 2016 in Umatilla
County died in a transporta-
tion farming incident, one in
an explosion related to agri-
culture or forestry and two
after coming into contact
with objects.
Morrow County had one
workplace death in 2016 and
two in 2015, all transporta-
tion related.
Vehicle crashes killed 29
people on the job in 2016 in
Oregon, the leading cause
of death, while contact with
objects was No. 2, with 17
fatalities.
The agriculture, forestry
and fishing industries were
the most deadly in 2016,
Page 3A
Petersen selected as
Sunset Elem. principal
Educational Improvement.
Peterson worked as a
HERMISTON — The Title I teacher, coordinator
Hermiston School District and principal in the Hills-
has selected a new principal boro School District for nine
for Sunset Elementary years, and has also worked
as a teacher in
School. Christie
Virginia.
Petersen has been
Petersen said
chosen to fill the
she was looking
vacancy
when
forward to joining
current principal
the
Hermiston
Devin
Grigg
community.
leaves at the end
“I am so excited
of this school year.
to be serving
Petersen is the
with such an
school improve-
outstanding group
ment coach for Peterson
of distinguished
the
Education
colleagues in such
Northwest Network and
an assistant professor at a strong district,” she said.
Superintendent
Fred
Corban University, an
adjunct professor at George Maiocco will officially
Fox University and an recommend to the board
administrative consultant that Petersen be hired at the
for the Oregon Department school board meeting on
of Education’s Office of May 8.
East Oregonian
with 24 fatalities, including
three fishermen who died
when their boat sank.
Because the state started
the new tracking program in
2015, comprehensive data
— including total workplace
deaths and numbers specific
to industry, occupation, and
injury — are available only
for 2015 and 2016. However,
using Workplace Fatalities in
Oregon guidelines, the state
estimated total workplace
deaths for 2012 at 40, 2013
at 49, and 2014 at 63.
“Averaged over five
years, there were approxi-
mately 51 on-the-job deaths
annually,” according to
Business Services.
The WFO program
excludes workplace deaths
not directly linked to a work
activity or harmful work
exposure, such as suicides.
LA GRANDE
MISSION
Man killed, wife injured in I-84 rollover
Yellowhawk CEO resigns,
to return to Alaska
East Oregonian
A Washington man died
Wednesday in a crash near
La Grande. Oregon State
Police also reported his wife
suffered serious injuries.
Troopers
responded
Wednesday at 2:59 p.m. to
a single vehicle crash on
Interstate 84 near milepost
277, about 14 miles east of La
Grande. State police reported
preliminary
information
indicates a 2005 Dodge Ram
2500 pickup was westbound
on the interstate when it
crashed through guardrail into
the median and overturned.
Richard Arnold Cochrane,
77, was driving and died
from injuries. His wife
Joanne Kay Cochrane, 73,
suffered serious injuries
and was transported to the
Grande Ronde Hospital, La
Grande. The couple was from
Spokane Valley, Wash.
The wreck closed one
lane of the eastbound
and
westbound
lanes
Photo contributed by Oregon State Police
A crash near La Grande killed a Washington man and injured his wife Wednesday.
for approximately three
hours. The La Grande
Fire Department, North
Powder Fire Department
Changes coming for
Hermiston Police Dept.
HERMISTON
—
Hermiston police chief
Jason
Edmiston
on
Thursday
announced
several impending changes
to the department.
Two
long-time
employees will retire from
the department: Sandra
Werner will retire April
30 after 11 years with the
police records department,
and Capt. Darryl Johnson
will retire June 2 after 20
years of service.
As of May 1, Capt. Scott
Clark will assume charge
of all operations. Cpl. Chris
Martin will be promoted to
patrol sergeant.
Officer Victor Gutierrez
will rotate to investigations
as a general detective, and
will continue to assist with
coverage. Officer Tim
Miears will rotate out of the
schools and begin working
as a training and evidence
officer.
Officer
Chris
McMahon will step into
MISSION — The at 100 percent, representing
Yellowhawk Tribal Health the highest scores in the
Center’s CEO resigned region, as well as expansion
April 27, according to of services and relation-
a release from the The ships with referral partners
Confederated Tribes of the in the area.
Umatilla Indian
CTUIR health
commission chair
Reservation
Shawna Gavin in
Health Commis-
the statement said
sion.
the commission
Tim Gilbert’s
“appreciates the
last
day
at
hard work and
Yellowhawk is
positive impacts
May 31.
Tim has had on
“It has been
the patients at
my honor and
privilege to serve Tim Gilbert
Yellowhawk,”
as the CEO for
Gavin added
almost
exactly
it is “bittersweet
seven years,” he said in to make these kind of
a written statement. “We announcements, we wish
have accomplished much, Tim well.”
not the least of which is
The commission also
the development of the appointed Sandy Sampson
new health center. I have to the role of interim CEO.
struggled with this decision Sampson is an enrolled
but I have personal needs to member of the CTUIR
attend to back in Alaska.”
and brings more than 12
Gilbert was instrumental years’ experience working
in planning the new clinic on the commission and
and initial construction, has been involved with the
Medicaid
expansion, new clinic since its initial
sustaining quality measures planning.
the role of school resource
officer, and will start shad-
owing Miears at the schools
April 24.
Detective
Randy
Studebaker and Martin will
attend the Institute of Law
Enforcement Administration
School of Police Supervi-
sion in Plano, Texas in June.
Studebaker will be promoted
to lieutenant July 1.
On June 9, officer Betty
Nava will graduate from
the 16-week basic police
academy at the Department
of Public Safety Standards
and Training in Salem,
and will finish her field
training program during
the summer. She will then
rotate back to her duties as
a school resource officer.
On July 3, Cpl. Doug
Gill will fill the traffic
officer position.
On July 4, detective
Leonard Stokoe will rotate
to patrol and fill a corporal
position.
and Oregon Department of
Transportation.
State police also reported
the cause of the crash remains
unknown.
The
agency
stated it will release more
information when it becomes
available.
Superintendent candidate
meet-and-greet planned
PENDLETON — The
Pendleton School Board has
set a schedule for a meet-and-
greet of the finalists for the
school district’s superintendent
position, according to a district
press release.
From 3:30 p.m. to 5:30
p.m. on Wednesday, the
four candidates will rotate
between meetings with
the public, district staff,
union representatives and
administrators at Pendleton
High School.
The meeting is open to the
public will take place at the
high school commons, where
each candidate will get 30
minutes to make his case.
The school board will also
hold closed-door sessions for
an in-person interview with
each of the candidates.
Although none of the
candidates are from Oregon,
a departure from the 2016
superintendent interviews,
three out of the four finalists
are currently superintendents,
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includes evaluating competency, psychiatric diagnoses, behavior problems, and personality.
She joins Drs. Terry Templeman, Connie Umphred, and Natalie Kollross at Psychological Ser-
vices of Pendleton LLC.
DVS holds awareness event
something none of last year’s
finalists were.
The candidates are Aaron
Chavez, superintendent of
the Wahluke School District
in
central
Washington,
Chris
Fritsch,
assistant
superintendent of Longview
Public Schools in southwestern
Washington, J.T. Stroder,
superintendent of Gardiner
Public Schools in Montana, and
Jim Wagner, superintendent of
Kimball Area Public Schools
in Minnesota.
After superintendent Andy
Kovach’s contract ends June
30, the new superintendent
will take over July 1. The
school board expects to make a
decision May 5 and could make
a hiring announcement as soon
as the May 8 board meeting.
HERMISTON — As
part of Sexual Awareness
Month, Domestic Violence
Services is hosting a
fundraising event.
Walk a Mile “In Her
Shoes” provides participants
an opportunity to learn the
path survivors of domestic
violence and sexual assault
may take. The event is
Saturday from 9 a.m. to
noon at Riverfront Park, 302
S.W. 23rd St., Hermiston.
Refreshments are provided.
A fundraising walk begins
at 9:30 a.m. The registration
fee is $15 per person.
In addition, T-shirts will
be available for purchase.
Also, raffle tickets are $1
each, six for $5 or an arm’s
length for $10. All money
raised from the event will
go toward providing shelter,
meals and support services
to victims of domestic/
sexual violence in Umatilla
and Morrow counties.
Serving the area since
1977, Domestic Violence
Services has a 24-hour crisis
line. Its services include
an emergency shelter for
women and children, safety
planning, peer support,
community
resource
information,
emergency
transportation, emergency
medical help, prevention
education and referrals for
temporary shelter for men.
For more information,
call
541-276-3322,
541-567-0424 or visit
www.dvs-or.org.
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