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Some Oregon
farm bills pass,
others die
NORTHWEST/2A
TUESDAY, JULY 11, 2017
141st Year, No. 191
One dollar
WINNER OF THE 2016 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD
Democrats test waters
in red second district
Van Dyke stops in Pendleton, considering run for Walden’s seat
By ANTONIO SIERRA
East Oregonian
Staff photo by Kathy Aney
Chris Van Dyke talks Monday evening during a
gathering of the Umatilla County Democrats at the
Community Room at Pendleton City Hall.
Democrats not only intend
to challenge Republican U.S.
Rep. Greg Walden, they’re
lining up to do it.
With 309 days remaining
until primary elections
are held in Oregon, Bend
communications consultant
Chris Van Dyke visited
Pendleton Monday while he
considers a run against the
longtime incumbent.
The self-described “life-
long Democrat” met with the
Umatilla County Democratic
Party at Pendleton City Hall
Monday, telling the nearly
40 people assembled for the
meeting that he was traveling
Oregon’s second congres-
sional district to listen to resi-
See DEMOCRATS/8A
HERMISTON
Maiocco to
leave for
active duty
School Board will select
interim superintendent
By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN
East Oregonian
Hermiston School District Superinten-
dent Fred Maiocco, who is also a brigadier
general with the U.S. Army Reserves,
announced Monday that he will take a
leave of absence to
serve a tour of duty.
He will leave July
24 and serve 15 to 18
months in Europe.
Maiocco
will
be assigned as the
commander,
7th
Mission
Support
Command,
a
forward-deployed,
Maiocco
consequence manage-
“I just bought ment and civil affairs
unit based in Kaiser-
a new house. slautern, Germany. He
will also serve as the
I certainly
deputy commanding
look forward general for the 21st
Theater Sustainment
to coming
Command,
coor-
dinating
logistical
back.”
support to U.S. forces
— Fred Maiocco, in Europe, Africa and
Hermiston
the Middle East.
School District
Maiocco
last
Superintendent
deployed overseas in
2011, to Kuwait and
Iraq for 18 months. He was promoted to
brigadier general in 2014.
Along with announcing his imminent
departure and requesting a leave of
absence, Maiocco advised the board of
their options for the coming months.
He said the board had the option to not
approve the leave of absence, at which
point they would enter negotiations, and
look for a full-time superintendent. The
board could also immediately appoint
an interim superintendent from within
the district, or open the position up for
See MAIOCCO/8A
N
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Staff photo by Kathy Aney
John Odden, of Bend, spins around and gets ready to release a 56-pound weight Saturday during the Caledonian Games.
Searching for Scottish heritage in Athena
By EMILY OLSON
East Oregonian
In a tartan-clad tent in “clan
village,” folks ask Dale Turnbull
about everything from castles
and the caber to haggis and the
highlands.
But the Pendleton resident’s
favorite questions, the ones that
make his eyes light up, center on
his genealogy.
“My great-grandfather immi-
grated from Scotland in 1828,”
he said. “My mother kept us
entertained by telling us those
stories — who we are, where we
came from. It built this sort of
linkage.”
Turnbull has had a passion for
researching family history ever
since. He’s read eight books on
Scottish history. He’s traveled to
Scotland twice. He even named
his dog “Callie” — short for
the Latin word for Scotland:
Caledonia.
“Your family, in every respect,
is your only link to the past and
your only bridge to the future,”
he said, quoting “Roots” author
Alex Haley. He’s constantly on
the lookout for members of his
clan. And at Athena’s Caledo-
nian Games, he often fi nds a few.
For over a century, the games
have been more than a way
to celebrate Scottish culture;
See ATHENA/8A
HERMISTON
Ready, set, mow
Lawnmower races,
music, art, car show
keep families busy
By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN
East Oregonian
While some used their lawn-
mowers to cut their grass Saturday
afternoon, others used them to drag
race down Main Street.
The Outlaw Lawn Dragsters took
over a block of the street on Saturday
to stir up a little excitement at Herm-
iston’s 11th annual Funfest.
“The fact that you can spend not a
lot of money and still go pretty dang
fast — it fulfi lls your need for speed,”
said James Buchanan, a Boise, Idaho
resident who has traveled to the
Funfest for several years to race.
Buchanan and his 17-year-old
son, Dakota, were two of fi ve racers
on Saturday. The two enjoy working
on their vehicles, which, at this point,
are lawnmower in name only.
“You use motorcycle or snow-
mobile motors,” Buchanan said.
“Basically the name is just for how it
used to be.”
Buchanan said he spent about
$2,000 on his vehicle, and it has been
running for 10 years.
He and his son lined up at the
starting line, revving their engines
in anticipation. When the announcer
See FUNFEST/8A
Staff photo by Kathy Aney
A racer roars down Main Street on a lawn mower dragster Saturday
during Hermiston’s Funfest.