Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (July 22, 2017)
Page 6A East Oregonian OBITUARIES LeMoine Emery (Lee) Bittinger Lyle, Wash. April 4, 1939 - July 18, 2017 LeMoine (Lee) Emery degree in education from Bittinger of Lyle, Wash- University of Oregon and his ington, passed away peace- master’s degree in education fully July 18, 2017, in his from Portland State Univer- home surrounded sity. Lee spent by family. He was his professional 78 years old. Lee career teaching and will always be coaching at the high remembered as a school level. His wonderful husband fondest memories and father, enthu- are of the times that siastic elk hunter, he spent with his and a passionate children, students, basketball coach. athletes and the Lee is survived community in by his wife Ellen; which he lived and his stepbrother taught. Bob Kirtchen of Lee was Florence, Oregon; constantly a his children: friendly face Cloy Bittinger of to everyone he Prineville, Oregon, Bittinger met, willing to Steve Bittinger always help and of Hermiston, commit his time Oregon, Nathan Bittinger of to improving and bettering Hermiston, Oregon, and Cara those around him. Over the Ammons of Toledo, Oregon; years, he taught and coached and his stepchildren Kim in Union, Oregon (1967- Ward and Jodi Stevenson of 1969), Gervais, Oregon Ridgefield, Washington. Lee (1970-1973), Arlington, had 11 grandchildren and Oregon (1975–1988), The two great-grandchildren. Dalles, Oregon and Lyle, Lee was born on April 4, Washington school systems 1939, in Missoula, Montana, (1992-2004). to wonderful parents. From Services will be held an early age he spent time in Saturday, July 29, 2017, at 2 the mountains around Plains, p.m. at the Covenant Chris- Montana, with his uncles tian Church, 2630 E. 18th and cousins hunting and St., The Dalles, OR 97058. fishing. Upon graduating All friends and family are from high school Lee joined welcome to attend and cele- the U.S. Navy (1957-1961) brate Lee’s life. Memorial gifts can be where he served our country on a flight crew as an avia- made to Heart of Hospice tion electronics specialist Foundation (in memory of attached to Patrol Squadron LeMoine Bittinger), 2621 42 stationed in the Sea of Wasco St., Hood River, OR 97031 (541) 396-1942 Japan (East Sea). www.HeartofHospice- After leaving the Navy, he received his bachelor’s Foundation.com DEATH NOTICES Sharon Parker Pendleton July 20, 2017 Sharon Parker, 75, of Pendleton died Thursday, July 20, 2017. Funeral services will be held Thursday, July 27 at 1 p.m. at Burns Mortuary of Pendleton, with burial to follow at Olney Cemetery. Burns Mortuary of Pendleton is in charge of arrangements. UPCOMING SERVICES SATURDAY, JULY 22 ALBEE, SUSAN — Memorial services at 10 a.m. at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 323 Catherine St., Walla Walla. FRICKE, LOU — Graveside service at 10 a.m. at the Hermiston Cemetery. IRIBARREN, JACKIE — Service at 2 p.m. at Pendleton Pioneer Chapel, Folsom-Bishop, 131 S.E. Byers Ave., Pend- leton. Burial will follow at the old Pilot Rock Cemetery on East Birch Creek Road. An information gathering will follow at the Pilot Rock Community Center, 285 N.W. Cedar Place. SUNDAY, JULY 23 No services scheduled MONDAY, JULY 24 No services scheduled TUESDAY, JULY 25 No services scheduled OBITUARY POLICY The East Oregonian publishes paid obituaries. The obituary can in- clude small photos and, for veterans, a flag symbol at no charge. Obituaries may be edited for spelling, proper punctuation and style. Expanded death notices will be published at no charge. These in- clude information about services. Obituaries and notices can be submitted online at www.eastorego- nian.com/obituaryform, by email to obits@eastoregonian.com, by fax to 541-276-8314, placed via the funeral home or in person at the East Oregonian office. For more information, call 541-966-0818 or 1-800-522-0255, ext. 221. MEETINGS MONDAY, JULY 24 MORROW COUNTY PARKS PLAN SUBCOMMITTEE, 1:30 p.m., Bartholomew Government Building, 110 N. Court St., Hep- pner. Morrow County Parks Mas- ter Plan regarding recreation, projections, tourism and a review of the OHV Park will be discussed. (Kirsti Cason 541-989-9500) UMATILLA BASIN WATER- SHED COUNCIL, 6 p.m., Pendle- ton City Hall community room, 501 S.W. Emigrant Ave., Pendleton. (Michael T. Ward 541-276-2190) HERMISTON CITY COUNCIL, 7 p.m., Hermiston City Hall council chambers, 180 N.E. Second St., Hermiston. (541-567-5521) MILTON-FREEWATER CITY COUNCIL, 7 p.m., Milton-Freewa- ter Public Library Albee Room, 8 S.W. EIghth Ave., Milton-Freewa- ter. (541-938-5531) IRRIGON COMMUNITY PARKS & RECREATION DIS- TRICT, 7 p.m., Irrigon Fire Station, 705 N. Main St., Irrigon. (541-922- 3047) TUESDAY, JULY 25 WEST UMATILLA MOSQUI- TO CONTROL DISTRICT, 3 p.m., district office, 3005 S. First St., Hermiston. (Janie Cuellar 541- 567-5201) IONE SCHOOL DISTRICT, 4:30 p.m., Ione Community School, 445 Spring St., Ione. (541- 422-7131) MORROW COUNTY PLAN- NING COMMISSION, 7 p.m., Bartholomew Government Build- ing upper conference room, 110 N. Court St., Heppner. (541-922- 4624) Saturday, July 22, 2017 RECORDS Raining needles: Drug crisis creates pollution threat By MICHAEL CASEY Associated Press LOWELL, Mass — They hide in weeds along hiking trails and in playground grass. They wash into rivers and float downstream to land on beaches. They pepper baseball dugouts, sidewalks and streets. Syringes left by drug users amid the heroin crisis are turning up every- where. In Portland, Maine, offi- cials have collected more than 700 needles so far this year, putting them on track to handily exceed the nearly 900 gathered in all of 2016. In March alone, San Fran- cisco collected more than 13,000 syringes, compared with only about 2,900 the same month in 2016. People, often children, risk getting stuck by discarded needles, raising the prospect they could contract blood-borne diseases such as hepatitis or HIV or be exposed to remnants of heroin or other drugs. It’s unclear whether anyone has gotten sick, but the reports of children finding the needles can be sickening in their own right. One 6-year-old girl in Cali- fornia mistook a discarded syringe for a thermometer and put it in her mouth; she was unharmed. “I just want more aware- ness that this is happening,” said Nancy Holmes, whose 11-year-old daughter stepped on a needle in Santa Cruz, California, while swimming. “You would hear stories about finding needles at the beach or being poked at the beach. But you think that it wouldn’t happen to you. Sure enough.” They are a growing problem in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, two states that have seen many overdose deaths in recent years. “We would certainly characterize this as a health hazard,” said Tim Soucy, health director in Manchester, New Hamp- shire’s largest city, which collected 570 needles in 2016, the first year it began tracking the problem. It has found 247 needles so far this year. AP Photo/Charles Krupa In this June 7 photo, activist Rocky Morrison, of the “Clean River Project”, holds up a fish bowl filled with hypodermic needles, that were recovered during 2016, on the Merrimack River next to their facility in Methuen, Mass. Morrison leads a cleanup effort along the Merrimack River, which winds through the old milling city of Lowell, and has recovered hundreds of needles in abandoned homeless camps that dot the banks, as well as in piles of debris that collect in floating booms he recently started setting. Needles turn up in places like parks, baseball diamonds, trails and beaches — isolated spots where drug users can gather and attract little attention, and often the same spots used by the public for recreation. The needles are tossed out of carelessness or the fear of being prosecuted for possessing them. One child was poked by a needle left on the grounds of a Utah elementary school. Another youngster stepped on one while playing on a beach in New Hampshire. Even if adults or children don’t get sick, they still must endure an unsettling battery of tests to make sure they didn’t catch anything. The girl who put a syringe in her mouth was not poked but had to be tested for hepatitis B and C, her mother said. Some community advo- cates are trying to sweep up the pollution. Rocky Morrison leads a cleanup effort along the Merrimack River, which winds through the old milling city of Lowell, and has recovered hundreds of needles in abandoned homeless camps that dot the banks, as well as in piles of debris that collect in floating booms he recently started setting. He has a collection of several hundred needles in a fishbowl, a prop he uses to illustrate that the problem is real and that towns must do more to combat it. “We started seeing it last year here and there. But now, it’s just raining needles everywhere we go,” said Morrison, a burly, tattooed construction worker whose Clean River Project has six boats working parts of the 117-mile river. Among the oldest tracking programs is in Santa Cruz, California, where the community group Take Back Santa Cruz has reported finding more than 14,500 needles in the county over the past 4 ½ years. It says it has gotten reports of 12 people getting stuck, half of them children. “It’s become pretty commonplace to find them. We call it a rite of passage for a child to find their first needle,” said Gabrielle Korte, a member of the group’s needle team. “It’s very depressing. It’s infuri- ating. It’s just gross.” Some experts say the problem will ease only when more users get treatment and more funding is directed to treatment programs. Others are counting on needle exchange programs, now present in more than 30 states, or the creation of safe spaces to shoot up — already introduced in Canada and proposed by U.S. state and city officials from New York to Seattle. Studies have found that needle exchange programs can reduce pollution, said Don Des Jarlais, a researcher at the Icahn School of Medi- cine at Mount Sinai hospital in New York. But Morrison and Korte complain poor supervision at needle exchanges will simply put more syringes in the hands of people who may not dispose of them properly. After complaints of discarded needles, Santa Cruz County took over its exchange from a nonprofit in 2013 and implemented changes. It did away with mobile exchanges and stopped allowing drug users to get needles without turning in an equal number of used ones, said Jason Hoppin, a spokesman for Santa Cruz County. Along the Merrimack, nearly three dozen riverfront towns are debating how to stem the flow of needles. Two regional planning commissions are drafting a request for proposals for a cleanup plan. They hope to have it ready by the end of July. “We are all trying to get a grip on the problem,” said Haverhill Mayor James Fiorentini. “The stuff comes from somewhere. If we can work together to stop it at the source, I am all for it.” COMING EVENTS For a complete listing of regional events, visit easternoregonevents.com SATURDAY, JULY 22 PENDLETON ON WHEELS RELAXED BIKE RIDE, 7 a.m., Chamber of Commerce Parking Lot, 501 S. Main St., Pendleton. Weekly casual ride. Meet with those taking a longer ride, but take a shorter route that match- es participant interests that day. Usually in the 10 to 20 mile ride as participants desire. (Pete Wells 541-379-2180) POW SATURDAY BIKE RIDE, 7 a.m.-1 p.m., Informa- tion kiosk at Museum Park, 108 S.W. Frazer Ave., Pendleton. Weekly bike ride by Pendleton on Wheels. Rides are open to the public, as far and at a speed comfortable for you. (Pete Wells 541-379-2180) PENDLETON BIKE WEEK, 8:30 a.m.-11:59 p.m., Pendleton Convention Center, 1601 West- gate, Pendleton. Motorcycle rally includes Bagger Shootout, Seattle Cossacks Precision Motorcycle Drill Team, Grand Funk Railroadin concert, tattoo contest, West Coast Bikini Bike Wash, .45 Caliber Poker Run, Wounded Warriors bike show, Rattlesnake 400, Blue Mountain Nitro National Hill Climb, Hard- tail Saloon, vendor village and more. Tickets are $85 for a week pass, $125 for a VIP pass, avail- able at www.pendletonbikeweek. com/shop. Tent camping and RV spaces (limited) also available. (360-606-5763) PARKING LOT SALE, 8:30- 11:30 a.m., Agape House, 500 W. Harper Road, Hermiston. Clothing 5 items for $1, furniture priced as marked and knick- knacks you-name-the-price. (Dave Hughes 541-567-8774) HERMISTON FARMERS MARKET, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Festival Plaza, Northeast Second Street and Main, Hermiston. Local pro- duce, baked goods, crafts, jew- elry, art, live music, food vendors and more. FREE FOR ALL, 9:30-10:15 a.m., Pendleton Center for the Arts, 214 N. Main St., Pendle- ton. Free art classes for children up to age 12. Children under 8 should be accompanied by an adult. (Roberta Lavadour 541- 278-9201) YARN CLUB, 10 a.m.-12 p.m., Hermiston Public Library, 235 E. Gladys Ave., Hermiston. (541-567-2882) CELEBRATE OREGON AG- RICULTURE, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., SAGE Center, 101 Olson Road, Boardman. Learn about the kinds of foods and other crops grown in Oregon with free activ- ities for all ages. (Stefanie Swin- dler 541-481-7243) HIP & HANDMADE, 11 a.m.- 12 p.m., Pendleton Center for the Arts, 214 N. Main St., Pend- leton. Free drop-in project class for adults. (Roberta Lavadour 541-278-9201) DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SERVICES BOWL-A-THON FUNDRAISER, 6-8 p.m., Des- ert Lanes Bowling Alley, 1545 N. First St., Hermiston. Proceeds benefit Domestic Violence Ser- vices. (Jeanne Bedolla 541-276- 3322) MUSIC IN THE PARK, 6-8 p.m., Ione City Park, Main Street, Ione. Corey Peterson Band will perform. Concessions for pur- chase by Tacos Hometown; pre- order by calling 541-561-7397. Bring a lawn chair or blanket. SUNDAY, JULY 23 PENDLETON BIKE WEEK, 9 a.m.-12 p.m., Pendleton Con- vention Center, 1601 Westgate, Pendleton. Motorcycle rally in- cludes Bagger Shootout, Seattle Cossacks Precision Motorcycle Drill Team, Grand Funk Railroa- din concert, tattoo contest, West Coast Bikini Bike Wash, .45 Caliber Poker Run, Wounded Warriors bike show, Rattlesnake 400, Blue Mountain Nitro Nation- al Hill Climb, Hardtail Saloon, vendor village and more. Tickets are $85 for a week pass, $125 for a VIP pass, available at www. pendletonbikeweek.com/shop. Tent camping and RV spaces (limited) also available. (360- 606-5763) CELEBRATE OREGON AG- RICULTURE, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., SAGE Center, 101 Olson Road, Boardman. Learn about the kinds of foods and other crops grown in Oregon with free activ- ities for all ages. (Stefanie Swin- dler 541-481-7243) ADULT OPEN GYM, 6:30 p.m., Pendleton Recreation Center, 510 S.W. Dorion Ave., Pendleton. Half-court basketball. Adults only. MONDAY, JULY 24 ADULT OPEN GYM, 6 a.m., Pendleton Recreation Center, 510 S.W. Dorion Ave., Pendle- ton. Half-court basketball. Adults only. WALKING FOR WELL- NESS, 8:30-9:30 a.m., Pendle- ton Recreation Center, 510 S.W. Dorion Ave., Pendleton. (541- 276-8100) TOT TIME, 10-11 a.m., Pendleton Recreation Center, 510 S.W. Dorion Ave., Pendle- ton. For children ages 0-5. Costs $1 per child per session. (541- 276-8100) PRESCHOOL STORY TIME, 10:30 a.m., Athena Public Library, 418 E. Main St., Athena. For ages birth to 6. (541-566- 2470) PENDLETON SENIOR MEAL SERVICE, 12 p.m., Pendleton Senior Center, 510 S.W. 10th St., Pendleton. Costs $3.50 or $6 for those under 60. Pool, puzzles, crafts, snacks, Second Time Around thrift store 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. For Meals On Wheels, call 541-276-1926. (541-276-7101) ART STUDIO, 4-5:30 p.m., Pendleton Center for the Arts, 214 N. Main St., Pendleton. Free class for ages 7-12 to develop skills and encourage art explo- ration. (Roberta Lavadour 541- 278-9201) MUSIC IN THE PARKS SE- RIES, 7 p.m., Boardman Marina Park, 1 Marine Drive, Boardman. Outdoor summer concert fea- tures Dallin Puzey. Bring a picnic and blanket or lawn chair. Free. (Tami 541-571-0844) )633:3&5$1301&35:5"94&550&91*3& ENROLLING NOW FOR '"-- 2017 formerly of the Walmart Salon is now at PHD Headquarters Beauty Salon Full Service Salon for Families! All Your Hair Care Needs and More! Call today for an appointment! 541-377-9097 Sunthurst Energy, LLC Turning Sunlight to Savings Your Trusted Consultant & EPC PARTNER (310) 975-4732 PHD Headquarters Beauty Salon sunthurstenergy.com 147 SE 1st Street • Pendleton, Oregon Shop: 541-276-1223 Walk-Ins Welcome • Wed - Sat • 9am - 5pm OR CCB 201975
