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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (May 24, 2017)
REGION Wednesday, May 24, 2017 East Oregonian Page 3A PENDLETON Self-service gas Lybrand goes to court in wake of bust could go 24/7 More online in 15 rural Oregon counties were reasons for revocation. Lybrand began serving three years probation on Pendleton business owner April 4 after pleading guilty Jason Lybrand has a court in Umatilla County Circuit hearing Wednesday afternoon Court to one count each of to answer the charge of methamphetamine posses- sion, a felony, and violating his drug marijuana delivery, crimes probation. a misdemeanor. The local anti- Lybrand’s plea drug task force on deals also required May 17 arrested he write a letter Lybrand, 46, of apology to his during a sweep in mother, which the Pendleton. The next district attorney’s day Rick Partlow, office was required Umatilla County to approve. The parole and proba- Lybrand two-paragraph tion supervisor, letter arrived May asked the Umatilla County Circuit Court to 3 and the district attorney’s revoke Lybrand’s probation, victim assistance program rejected the letter. according to public records. “Unfortunately, your Partlow said that law enforcement officers letter is unacceptable,” wrote informed him they served a the program’s response. warrant to search Lybrand’s “A letter of apology should tattoo and adult business in express your remorse and downtown Pendleton and demonstrate your willingness found a scale with possible to accept responsibility marijuana residue and .40 for your actions. Under no caliber ammunition, both of circumstances should a letter which were prohibited condi- of apology offer excuses for tions of his probation and what you did, shift the blame By PHIL WRIGHT East Oregonian For a copy of Lybrand’s rejected letter of apology visit eastoregonian.com to others, should not ask for their forgiveness or make promises.” Lybrand in his letter thanked his mother for standing by him “through these trials and tribulations and mistakes.” “I know its been hard,” he continued, “with the press and the DA and general public demonizing your son.” He also apologized to her for “putting you in a situation where the DA ridiculed you and treated you so poorly like you were a red headed step child.” And he apologized “for the bad press this (has) created for the family and how it has disrespected the Lybrand name.” Lybrand also promised his mother and dead father “I will brush myself off, pull up my bootstraps and make it happen as you have taught me.” Lybrand had ten days to provide a new letter or face possible contempt of court. Court records show no new letter. The Blue Mountain Enforcement Narcotics Team, along with local, state and federal officers, served search warrants at two other locations the day they picked up Lybrand. Police arrested Michael Hamilton, 27, at his home at 409 S.W. 11th St., for possession of controlled substances, delivery of controlled substances, endangering the welfare of a minor and frequenting a place where controlled substances are used. And the team hit Thur’s Smoke Shop, 34 S.W. Emigrant Ave., where police arrested owner Bryson Thurman, 28, and his employee, Cody K. Servi, 26, for delivery of controlled substances and possession of marijuana products. Lybrand is the only one of the four to still be in the Umatilla County Jail, Pend- leton, and thus far the only one to face charges stemming from the raid. PENDLETON New Italian restaurant to open in June East Oregonian In the wake of the closure of Como’s Corner Bistro in 2013, another restaurant is attempting to make up for the lack of Italian cuisines in Pendleton. Across the street from the old Como’s location, Pend- leton resident Orley Grove plans to open a new Italian eatery, Fattonies (pronounced Fat Tony’s), at 105 S.E. Court, the restaurant space built into The Marigold Hotel that was formerly occupied by Govinda’s Garden Buffet. A 16-year veteran of the food service industry, Grove said it has long been his dream to open his own restaurant. With experience working in the kitchens at Red Lion Hotel and Oxford Suites, Grove is currently a food buyer for Wildhorse Resort & Casino. Grove said Fattonies will serve steaks, pasta, seafood and other dishes in Italian styles. His goal is to open the restaurant in June. Besides pizza parlors, Pendleton has been unable to sustain a sit-down Italian restaurant for several years. After nearly a decade of operation, Como’s closed its doors following a few years of sluggish sales. Former Pendleton city councilor Al Plute opened Giorgio’s Cucina Italiano at the St. George Plaza in 2014, only to close it nine months later when he decided to retire. Fattonies’ impending opening also seems to spell the end of Govinda’s Garden’s Pendleton location. When Stetson’s Steak- house moved to Hermiston in 2014, Govinda’s Garden opened the following year, specializing in vegetarian Indian cuisine. At the end of 2016, Govin- da’s Garden closed its Pend- leton restaurant as it moved to College Place. Although a note on the front door said the Pendleton restaurant could reopen, the space remained dormant until recently. Surya and Andra Das, the owners of The Marigold Hotel and Govinda’s Garden, could not be reached for comment as of press time. The Marigold Hotel has underwent multiple name changes in the past several years, having also gone by Knight’s Inn and Howard Johnson’s. By PARIS ACHEN Capital Bureau SALEM — A bill to expand the hours of self-serve gas stations in rural counties in Eastern Oregon is headed to Gov. Kate Brown’s desk, after the Senate passed it Tuesday, May 23, with a 26-to-1 vote. Oregon is one of only two states that prohibits customers from pumping their own fuel at gas stations. New Jersey is the other. Senate Majority Leader Ginny Burdick, D-Port- land, voted against the proposal. She is a strong believer in the Oregon way when it comes to gasoline service,” said Rick Osborn, a spokesman in the Senate Democrats Office. Two years ago, the Legislature passed a bill to allow self-fueling between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. in certain rural counties to prevent travelers from being stranded overnight. “In many of these smaller communities, people would get stuck without a full tank of gas” because no stations were open, said Sen. Rod Monroe, D-Portland, who carried the bill to the floor. The bill passed Tuesday expands that period to 24 hours in 15 counties with populations of less than 40,000. Stations would still be required to have at least one attendant between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., but customers could pump their own gas if the atten- dant is busy and a cardlock machine is available. In Eastern Oregon, some locally owned gas stations have been at risk of closure due to the expense of hiring fueling attendants to pump customers’ gas, said chief sponsor Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Ontario. “We are trying to preserve these stations out in the middle of nowhere so that we have fuel available,” Bentz said during a hearing on the bill in March. The proposed change affects 15 counties in Eastern Oregon: Malhuer, Union, Wasco, Hood River, Jefferson, Crook, Baker, Morrow, Lake, Grant, Harney, Wallowa, Gilliam, Sherman and Wheeler. The original proposal included Clatsop, Curry and Tillamook counties. However, opposition to expanding self-service hours prompted proponents to carve out those coastal counties. Opponents feared the change would threaten the jobs of those who pump fuel for a living in those coastal areas. ——— The Capital Bureau is a collaboration between EO Media Group and Pamplin Media Group. BRIEFLY Echo production splashes down May 31 District to spray for mosquitoes by airplane ECHO — Students from Echo Middle School have been swimming into the spring season as they prepare for a production of “The Little Mermaid.” The familiar Disney musical will be staged Wednesday, May 31 at 6 p.m. in the school’s gymnasium, 600 Gerone St., Echo. There is no admission charge. All students in sixth through eighth grade have a role in the production — from the stage crews to performing as the main cast. The publicity crew of Elliot Glenn, Caiden Harris and Ashley Mack provided information and photos for a press release about the show. The public is encouraged to help ensure the play is a splash by attending the performance. For more information, contact Emma Hubbard at emma. hubbard@echo.k12.or.us or 541-376-8436. To view a behind- the-scenes trailer of the production, search “my little mermaid behind the senses trailer” on Youtube. HERMISTON — The West Umatilla Mosquito Control District will spray for mosquitoes by plane Thursday after sunset, weather permitting. A total of 10,000 acres will be targeted, including the areas north and east of Hermiston; Highway 730 between Umatilla and the Morrow County line; and portions of East Loop Road. Already this spring, the district has responded to more requests for service than it did all of last year, primarily from those three areas. Ground trucks will be used to spray within city limits. For more information, contact the district office at 541-567-5201 or visit www.wumcd.org. Sheriff’s office IDs victim of deadly fire MILTON-FREEWATER — The Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office identified Marcos Jesus Gutierrez-Rodriguez, 29, as the Photo contributed by Emma Hubbard Xander Harsh creates a prop for a scene of “The Little Mermaid,” which will be performed May 31 in the Echo Middle School gym. man who died in a fire early Monday near Milton-Freewater. Milton-Freewater police and the Milton-Freewater Rural Fire Department found the body badly burned after extinguishing the outdoor fire around 2 a.m. Monday under the Eastside Bridge, along the Walla Walla River, according to written statements from the sheriff’s office. The scene and fatality were in the jurisdiction of the sheriff’s office, which handled the death investigation. The location had “earmarks of a campsite, including canned food, cooking and eating utensils and bedding materials,” the sheriff’s office reported. The evidence indicated a camp or cooking fire spread to where Gutierrez-Rodriguez was sleeping. Gutierrez-Rodriguez’s family assisted in the identification, the sheriff’s office stated, and nothing points to foul play. Hermiston School District selects new Desert View principal HERMISTON — The Hermiston School District officially selected a new principal for Desert View Elementary School. Superintendent Fred Maiocco will recommend Lauren Jacobsma to fill the position at the school board meeting on Monday, June 12. Jacobsma is currently an instructional coach at Oakridge Elementary and taught third through sixth grade at that school from 2006 to 2015. As an instructional coach, she has worked with teachers to help them use data to make decisions about students, and helped implement Smarter Balanced testing at the school. “I am very excited about the next step in my career,” Jacobsma said in a statement. “I am appreciative of my time in Oakridge, but I am looking forward to joining the Hermiston School District and Desert View community.” Library experiments with science night PENDLETON — An array of scientific tools and experiments are planned during the Family Science Night. The free event is Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Pendleton Public Library, 502 S.W. Dorion Ave. All ages are welcome to attend and there’s no registration required. For more information, call 541-966-0380. ——— Briefs are compiled from staff and wire reports, and press releases. Email press releases to news@eastoregonian.com
