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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (July 21, 2017)
REGION Friday, July 21, 2017 East Oregonian Forests increase public use restrictions Campfires now allowed only in designated areas By GEORGE PLAVEN East Oregonian Summer recreation season is in full swing, and forest officials in the Blue Moun- tains are ramping up precau- tions to avoid unnecessary human-caused wildfires. The Umatilla, Wallowa- Whitman and Malheur national forests have all implemented Phase B public use restrictions as of Thursday, which among other things limits the use of campfires to designated campgrounds and recreation sites. Phase B is the second level of public use restrictions, and are generally enforced when the fire danger is high. Large swaths of central and Eastern Oregon are now listed as “abnormally dry,” according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. In addition to restrictions on campfires, Phase B prohibits the use of chainsaws or other internal combustion engines on the forests. Gener- ators are allowed, but only if they are placed in a pickup truck bed or in areas cleared of flammable material within a 10-foot diameter. PENDLETON City creates rules for mobile vendors East Oregonian Photo contributed by U.S. Forest Service. The Umatilla, Wallowa-Whitman and Malheur national forests have implemented Phase B public use restrictions to protect against wildfire. Smoking is only allowed only in enclosed vehicles, buildings and developed recreation sites, or when stopped in an area cleared of flammable material. Driving off-road is prohibited, except when traveling to or from campsites located within 300 feet of an open road. As of Thursday, the Blue Mountain Interagency Dispatch Center reports there have been 25 total fires on Forest Service land — eight of which were caused by humans. Human-caused fires have burned just 1.5 acres within the district, while lightning fires have torched 1,010 acres. The largest wildfire in Oregon, the Ana Fire, is now fully contained after burning 5,874 acres near Summer Lake in rural Lake County. It has been ruled as human- caused, and remains under investigation. In Washington, the largest blaze is the lightning-sparked Snake River Fire, consuming 3,100 acres east of Pomeroy. Like the Ana Fire, it is now 100 percent contained. ——— Contact George Plaven at gplaven@eastoregonian. com or 541-966-0825. BRIEFLY Umatilla council approves annexation and rezone for Amazon subsidiary UMATILLA — The Umatilla City Council voted Tuesday night to annex 269 acres off of Lind Road into the city. The resolution, along with a rezoning of 190 acres of the property from farm use to industrial, was passed at the request of Vadata, the name under which Amazon does business in Umatilla and Morrow counties. City manager Russ Pelleberg said representatives of Vadata and Umatilla County planning director Tamra Mabbott testified in favor of the two resolutions. The land was originally zoned for F-1 exclusive farm use by the county and designated by the city’s comprehensive plan for residential and natural resource uses. The rezone covers a section of land stretching between Lind Road and Umatilla River Road just south of Power City. Pelleberg said Vadata is on a “pretty tight timeline” for its plans for developing the property, so the city is prepared to do what it can to help move things along for them. “We’re pretty stoked to have these folks in our town,” he said. EOU board retreat to be held in Pendleton PENDLETON — Members of the Eastern Oregon University Board of Trustees will meet in Pendleton on Tuesday, Aug. 1 and Wednesday, Aug. 2 for their annual retreat. The event will be at the Tamastslikt Cultural Institute, at 47106 Wildhorse Boulevard, Pendleton. Board members meet each year in a different location throughout the region. On both days of the retreat, trustees will hold meetings that are open to the public. On Tuesday from 1 to 4 p.m., the meetings will be related to the college’s philanthropic goals, and on Wednesday from 8:30 a.m. to noon, the meetings will cover a variety of subjects. On Tuesday, there will also be a reception for all community members at 4:30 p.m. at the Pendleton Center for the Arts, 214 N. Main St., Pendleton. EOU president Tom Insko and board chair David Nelson will address the group about the college’s partnerships in Umatilla County. “We’re grateful for the connection made at these community events,” Nelson said. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for the board to hear directly from leaders, community members and partners in the region.” More information about the event is available at 541-962-4101. White Eagle Grange sets planning meeting PENDLETON — A planning meeting for the White Eagle Grange will include discussion about fundraisers and grange activities. The event is Saturday at 8:30 a.m. at the grange hall, 43828 White Eagle Road, located off Highway 395 between Pendleton and Pilot Rock. The public is invited to attend and provide input about fundraisers for the Pendleton fireworks fund, ideas about a float entry for the Dress-Up Parade and other activities throughout the year. The group will fire up the grill to make pancakes, French toast, ham and eggs. Donations for the meal will be accepted. For more information, contact Gail Wilson at 541-310-9655, 541-276-3778 or gail11wilson@gmail.com. Heritage Station offers folklife conversation PENDLETON — Beadworker Margaret Johnson and folklorist Josh Chrysler will share about living cultural traditions of Eastern Oregon. The Oregon Folklife Community Conversation is Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Heritage Station Museum, 108 S.W. Frazer Ave., Pendleton. The program is free of charge. Johnson was born to a Scots father and Crow/Chippewa/Cheyenne mother, and grew up near the Colville Reservation in Washington. She learned to bead when she was about 14 from elders at Colville. Her husband and children are enrolled members at the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. Chrysler, staff folklorist at Four Rivers Cultural Center in Ontario, has been hired on contract through a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. His mission is to produce programs and exhibits that celebrate the traditional culture and folklife of Eastern Oregon. For more information, call 541-276-0012 or visit www. heritagestationmuseum.org. Meacham sets annual community yard sale MEACHAM — For a chance to find some treasures or sell items you don’t want, be sure to head to the Meacham Community Yard Sale. The event is Saturday, Aug. 5 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Oregon Trail Store & Deli parking lot, downtown Meacham. Located in the Umatilla National Forest, Meacham is about 30 miles southeast of Pendleton off Interstate 84 at Exit No. 238. Free spaces are available on a first-come, first-served basis for anyone wanting to sell items. Bring a sale table (or use your pickup tailgate), items and a chair. A parade is planned at 9:30 a.m. Those who would like to participate in the parade need to be ready to line up by 9 a.m. In addition, Mtn. Millie’s famous hamburgers will be sold on site during the event. After bills are paid, all proceeds will go to the Oregon Pioneer Cemetery at Meacham and publishing the monthly Meacham Gazette. For more information, call Karen Edmonds at 541-969-8227. Please Welcome Page 3A Pendleton’s mobile food vendors now have to answer to a set of rules created by the city. At a meeting Tuesday, the Pendleton City Council unanimously approved an ordinance that regulates mobile food vendors. City Attorney Nancy Kerns told the council that the ordinance applies to sidewalk vendors and mobile vendors like food trucks and trailers. Vendors at approved community events are exempted from this ordinance. The city’s law requires mobile food vendors to obtain a municipal busi- ness license and sets time and place parameters. A vendor won’t be able to park in a parking lot where their presence pushes a parking lot below the minimum number of parking spots. A vendor also won’t be able to locate their cart or trailer within 100 feet of a business that sells similar food. Kerns clarified that the 100-foot buffer zone only applied to brick and mortar businesses, a fact that the council asked staff to make explicit in the language of the ordinance. The ordinance desig- nates the Riverfront Plaza on Southwest Court Avenue as a “food vendor plaza” where multiple vendors could set up shop. Kerns said she was unsure how vendors would be supplied with water or electricity but would meet with staff to find out. During recent inter- views, two mobile vendors parked on the 300 block of Southwest Emigrant Avenue weren’t happy with the thought of paying for another business license, but didn’t seem too concerned about the other regulations. Although there are new rules imposed on mobile food vendors throughout the city, there could be more coming down the pike. The ordinance gives the city manager authority to create new rules, including a list or map of places where vendors can operate, a lottery for vendor spaces and specific rules for the different types of vendor licenses. The ordinance included a declaration of emergency and will go into effect immediately. HERMISTON Inmates raise $7,266 for backpack program East Oregonian The Agape House already has a third of its funding for the coming school year’s backpack program thanks to a fundraiser by inmates at Two Rivers Correctional Institution. TRCI chaplain Don Hodney presented a check for $7,266 to Agape House director Dave Hughes on Thursday. The money will go to a program that sends a backpack full of food home with students in poverty to help feed them through the weekend. Hughes said the money presented by Hodney is enough to get the program through about a third of the 2017-2018 school year. He said the donation is just the latest example of the prison staff and inmates being a “great support” to the Agape House. “We’re thrilled,” he said. “It’s just great. Two Rivers is such a great community partner.” Hodney said in the past, a committee of inmates has come up with fundraisers that have raised about $4,000 for the Agape House’s Christmas meals for families, so Thursday’s donation was almost double anything they’ve done before. The committee wanted to do another fundraiser sooner than Christmas and came up with the idea to let residents of the prison place orders of approved snack food like trail mix or candy from Wal-Mart, with the profits going to the back- pack program. Hodney said considering an incarcerated person’s paycheck may be $25 a month, most of which goes toward toilet- ries, the orders represented a significant investment for the more than 700 men who participated. “It’s not about the indulgence,” he said. “I’ve been told over and over again that they’re happy to be able to do something for someone else.” SUBMIT COMMUNITY NEWS Submit information to: community@eastoregonian. com or drop off to the attention of Tammy Malgesini at 333 E. Main St., Hermiston or Renee Struthers at 211 S.E. Byers Ave., Pendleton. Call 541-564-4539 or 541- 966-0818 with questions. The solar eclipse is coming August 21 Aimee Rogers, MD Urologist Now Scheduling Appointments 541-966-0535 Dr. Rogers is originally from Southern California and graduated from Loyola University in Chicago. She attended medical school at the University Of Louisville School Of Medicine, and completed her residency in Urology in Morgantown, West Virginia at West Virginia University. She then spent three years at Reid Hospital in Richmond, Indiana. Dr. Rogers is Board Certifi ed, American Board of Urology. Dr. Rogers has purchased a home in Pendleton and looks forward to being involved in the community. St. Anthony Clinic 3001 St. Anthony Way Pendleton, Oregon www.sahpendleton.org Come C o get the th he coole coolest olestt ecli eclipse ipse e glasses in town at your nearest g East Oregonian office, or come E visit us at our Umatilla County Fair booth, Aug. 8-12. $1 EACH Best deal in town! Pick some up for your friends and family while supplies last. East Oregonian 1-800-522-0255 211 SE Byers Ave. Pendleton 333 East Main St. Hermiston
