REGION
Saturday, July 1, 2017
Storm helps shatter average June rainfall
By GEORGE PLAVEN
East Oregonian
Monday’s
severe
thunderstorm that rumbled
over northeast Oregon
and prompted flash flood
warnings across the region
set a record for rainfall and
helped to shatter the monthly
average for June precip-
itation, according to the
National Weather Service.
The storm dumped 1.1
inches of rain in a single
afternoon around Pendleton,
raising the total precipitation
for the month to 2.15 inches.
That’s exactly 1 inch more
than the area usually experi-
ences throughout the month
of June.
Janet Koch, who lives on
a ranch near Rieth, said the
storm made a mess of their
property, knocking down tree
branches and throwing patio
furniture all the way across
the street. It took multiple
trips with a loaded 14-foot
trailer to finish clearing out
the mess.
Fortunately, Koch said
they did not sustain any
property damage or vehicle
damage.
“This is a wind funnel
through here anyway, all the
time, but this was something
different,” Koch said.
With wheat harvest just
Staff photo by George Plaven
A severe thunderstorm Monday, June 26 knocked down tree branches and threw
patio furniture at a ranch near Rieth.
“This is a wind funnel through here anyway, all the time,
but this was something different.”
— Janet Koch, lives on a ranch near Rieth
around the corner, it does not
appear the storm produced
any widespread crop damage.
“If anything did happen,
it’s probably pretty local-
ized,” said Don Wysocki,
extension soil scientist
for Oregon State Univer-
sity Extension Service.
“Certainly, there’s no wide-
spread effect.”
July and August are typi-
cally the driest months of the
year for Pendleton, with just
a half-inch of precipitation
for both months combined
on average.
———
Contact George Plaven
at gplaven@eastoregonian.
com or 541-564-4547.
A Wallowa rancher
accused of killing 24 elk
on his property received a
hefty fine and supervised
probation after he pleaded
guilty to six of the killings
in Wallowa County Circuit
Court Wednesday. Judge
Thomas Powers presided.
Larry Michael Harshfield,
69, pleaded guilty to six
counts of taking, angling,
hunting, or trapping in
violation of wildlife law or
rule. The incidents occurred
between Dec. 1, 2016 and
Feb. 11 of this year when
Oregon State Police game
wardens appeared at the
Harshfield ranch after
receiving an anonymous tip
about the killings.
On April 14, Harshfield
was charged with the
killings. Law enforcement
officials arrested him, but
he was released on his own
recognizance later in the day.
After Harshfield’s plea,
Powers ordered the rancher
to pay $18,000 in total
restitution. The rancher lost
his hunting privileges for
three years and received
24 months of supervised
probation. He will also work
with the Oregon Department
of Fish & Wildlife and the
Wallowa County District
Attorney’s office to make
three public presentations
on programs available in
the county for landowners
to deal to with the elk
population.
Judge denies release
of Hermiston rape
defendant
s
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dr
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eum of Easte
Mus
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Motorcycle race coming
to Round-Up Grounds
One ejected in
fatal Irrigon crash
IRRIGON — An Irrigon
man died and a woman
was injured Thursday in a
single car crash in Irrigon,
according to the Morrow
County Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff’s dispatch
reported the vehicle was
traveling west on Columbia
Lane around 5:20 p.m.
Thursday when the driver
lost control for unknown
reasons near the intersection
with West Eighth Road.
The vehicle rolled twice,
and the crash ejected one
person, according to the
latest information from
the sheriff’s office, which
Thursday night reported two
people were ejected. The
victim was not wearing a
seatbelt.
Rafael Garza, 23, of
Irrigon, died at the scene.
Katelyn Tolar, 18, also
of Irrigon, suffered serious
injuries and was transported
to Good Shepherd Medical
Center, Hermiston.
The sheriff’s office said
the crash remains under
investigation and would not
specify who was driving or
what caused the crash.
State penalizes
contractor for
violations in
Gilliam County
ARLINGTON —
Eugene Graeme and his
company WCI Construction
of Madras agreed to pay
$20,000 for wage and
payroll violations while
working on Arlington High
School.
The Oregon Bureau
of Labor and Industries
also announced Friday the
company and Graeme are
ineligible to receive public
works contracts in the state
for 10 years.
The bureau previously
recovered $9,257 in wages
after a worker filed a
complaint in December
2015.
BOLI wage compliance
specialists found prevailing
wage violations and failure
to maintain timely, accurate
and complete payroll
records, according to the
announcement.
“It’s critical that contrac-
tors on taxpayer-funded
projects follow the rules,
pay fair wages and keep
accurate records for their
workforce,” said Labor
Commissioner Brad Avakian
in the written statement.
“Today’s settlement bars a
repeat offender from public
projects for a decade after it
once again failed to meet its
basic requirements.”
BOLI placed Graeme’s
previous company, Wrangler
Construction Inc., on the
debarment list from May
2012 to May 2015 for other
wage and hour violations.
The state agency
currently has barred 52
businesses, contractors and
individuals from receiving
payment on public contracts.
M-F man avoids
rape charge in deal
MILTON-FREEWATER
— A Milton-Freewater man
facing charges of rape filed a
plea to lesser crimes.
Richard Frank Duran, 26,
filed a petition Friday with
Umatilla County Circuit
Court to plead guilty to two
counts of coercion, a class
C felony in Oregon. He also
agreed to serve five years in
prison.
Duran has been in the
Umatilla County Jail,
Pendleton, since Milton-
Freewater police arrested him
in mid-February on a warrant
stemming from a grand jury
indictment on two counts
each of first-degree rape and
coercion.
Duran’s hearing to
change his plea is Monday
at 10 a.m. before Circuit
Judge Chris Brauer at the
Umatilla County Courthouse,
Pendleton. According to the
court schedule, the hearing is
three days before he would
start trial on all the charges.
———
Briefs are compiled
from staff and wire reports,
and press releases. Email
press releases to news@
eastoregonian.com
Sale In Progress
Saager’s Shoe Shop
Up to 50% Off
Milton-Freewater, OR
The rumble of Pendleton
Bike Week is getting a little
extra thunder this year.
To complement the
Nitro in the Blues hill climb
event, a promoter is adding
Thunder in the Blues, a July
21 flat-track motorcycle
race in the Round-Up arena.
Ron Dillon of Boise-
based R&R Promotions said
this was the first motorcycle
race at the Round-Up since
1940.
Dillon started organizing
the hill climb event last year
and thinks the motorcycle
race will be a good compli-
ment to Pendleton Bike
Week, which will be head-
quartered at the Pendleton
Convention Center next
door.
Although the race isn’t
officially affiliated with
Pendleton Bike Week, Dillon
said it should be a mutually
beneficial relationship —
Pendleton Bike Week has
another event it can send
attendees and Thunder in the
Blues has a built-in audience
of motorcycle enthusiasts.
“They’re going to kind of
scratch our back and we’ll
scratch theirs,” he said.
Dillon anticipates 3,000
people will watch 150
contestants race around
a hardened track in the
Round-Up arena, with the
“sacred” grass remaining off
limits.
The race will be divided
between amateurs in the
day and professionals in the
evening.
From 3:30 p.m. to
6:30 p.m., amateurs will
be competing in several
categories, including races
for kids, women and vintage
bikes.
As the sun begins to set,
the professionals will come
out to race for a $10,000
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SPONSORS:
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OFF
Hundreds of Men’s and Women’s
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Advanced Pediatric
Dentistry of Hermiston
Hill Law Offi ce
Wildhorse Resort Casino
GOLD SPONSORS:
Breiling & Van Kirk,
Attorney at Law
Columbia Orthodontics
Dr. McBee
East Oregonian
ISU The Stratton Agency
Les Schwab Tires
Main Street Cowboys
Master printers
O N L
Grocery Outlet
Hallman Law Offi ce
NW Construction Supply
Pediatric Specialists of
Pendleton
Pendleton Quicky Lube
PFLAG
SILVER SPONSORS:
Prodigal Son Brewery
Birch Creek Trophies
& Pub
Bissnet insurance Inc.
Round Up Athletic Club
Coldwell banker -
Safeway
Whitney and Associates Stan Henderer -
D&B Supply
Stare Farm Agent
Dr. Donald R. Benschoter Vision Source Pendleton
Dynamic Computer
BRONZE SPONSORS:
Consulting
Gordon’s Electric
Bank of the West
Grable, Hantke &
Chiropractic Associates
Hansen, LLP
Dr. Oyama & Dr. Walker
Great Pacifi c
Kline Landscaping and
Irrigation
Landmark Tax & Financial
Planning
McLaughlin Landscaping
Northwest Farm Credit
Services
Pendleton Veterinary
Clinic
Vintage Court Antiques
Wheatland Insurance
AUCTION DONATIONS:
Abby’s Legendary Pizza
Bi Mart
Cynthia Nelson
East Oregon Symphony
Man Cave
New York Richie’s
Oregon Grain Growers
Pendleton Art and Frame
Pendleton Athletic
Pendleton Center for
the Arts
Pendleton Country Club
Pendleton Fire Department
Pendleton Round Up
Pendleton Tire Factory
Saucy Mamma
Shari’s Restaurant
Sorbenots
Tamastslikt Cultural
Institute
Tasha Bow Basha
All proceeds from this event will be use to maintain and update the exhibits at the Children’s Museum.
F
50% O F
Wo men's
The CMEO would like to thank all of our sponsors
and the local businesses that contributed to the
success of the 11th Annual Dogtona 400.
Northeast Oregon Surgical
Clinic
Rotary Club of Pendleton
St. Anthony Hospital
Umatilla Electric
Cooperative
up to
Sav ings
Clearanc e
Apparel
THANK YOU FOR MAKING THE
D A C H S U N D S
SALE
Starts July 5th 8:00 a.m.
We will be c lo sed July 1st - 4th
to prepare fo r sale.
2017 DOGTONA 400 GREAT!
E
purse.
From 7:30 to 10:30,
professionals will race in
contests divided between
motorcycles with engines
750 cubic centimeters and
below and an unlimited
class.
The professional portion
of the contest will also
feature “hooligan” races,
which are centered around
larger, street-legal motorcy-
cles from brands like Harley
Davidson, Triumph and
BMW.
With the explosive
motors and vehicles that
will reach speeds of up to
80 miles per hour, Dillon
expects it to be a unique
event.
Thunder in the Blues
adds another event to a busy
July event calendar that
also features the Pendleton
Whisky Music Fest on July
15.
Pendleton Public Works
Director Bob Patterson
recently wrote to the Oregon
Department of Transpor-
tation to determine how
the road work on Westgate
might affect some high
congestion events.
Tyrel Burns, ODOT
assistant project manager,
wrote back that all paving
work on Westgage from
Airport Road to Southwest
19th Street should be
completed by July 14.
ODOT will continue
to work on Interstate 84
ramps through the evening
of July 15, but Burns wrote
that ODOT is instructing
the contractor to focus on
the eastbound on-ramp and
westbound off ramp on Exit
207, which would create the
least amount of impact for
concert attendees coming
from west.
———
Contact Antonio Sierra
at asierra@eastoregonian.
com or 541-966-0836.
CLEARANCE
Or
eg
on
C
HERMISTON — Rape
defendant Jose Marvin
Antonio Perdomo Funez
of Hermiston will remain
behind bars.
Funez, 31, has been in
the Umatilla County Jail,
Pendleton, since Hermiston
police arrested him on Nov.
30, 2016. He has filed two
requests seeking release
from jail, the most recent
on May 18, according to
court records. The Umatilla
County District Attorney’s
Office objected to his
release.
Circuit Judge Dan Hill
presided over Tuesday’s
hearing in Hermiston on
Funez’s release. Hill denied
the request.
The state accused Funez
of committing first-degree
rape and first-degree sexual
against one woman on Aug.
5, 2016. His next court
appearance is Oct. 30 for a
trial readiness hearing.
Editor’s note: An April
3 story on Funez incorrectly
stated he had been released
from jail.
Page 3A
PENDLETON
By ANTONIO SIERRA
East Oregonian
BRIEFLY
Wallowa County
rancher sentenced
for killing elk
East Oregonian
Family Fun!
Rotary Breakfast
Vendor Booths
Classic Car Show in the Park
Eastern Oregon Art Show
Club 24 Glow Run
Chain Saw Wood Carvers
KOHU/The Q Cash Machine
Kids Zone
Cultural Event to follow Fun Fest
