REGION
Tuesday, August 8, 2017
East Oregonian
Page 3A
Dam maintenance to close
Transformer joins tractors, more
portion
of
Olive
Lake
at Umatilla County Fair parade
HERMISTON
East Oregonian
By EMILY OLSON
East Oregonian
Move
over
candy.
Saturday’s Umatilla County
Fair Parade had a serious
competitor for fan favorite.
“I’m going to see Optimus
Prime,” said Bentlee Dean,
3. His family drove him
from La Grande for his first-
ever fair parade, just to see
the souped-up truck featured
in “Transformers: The Last
Knight.”
Scott Teeples of Herm-
iston agreed that’s what
made this year’s fair special.
He staked out his spot along
the route at 8:30 a.m. and
took his twin grandsons,
Gerrel and Jackson, 3, to
peek at the big rig before the
start of the parade.
Teeples couldn’t deny
that he was just as excited
about the truck as the boys
were. As Optimus Prime
passed — boasting blue
and red flames and movie-
quality sound effects —
Gerrel and Jackson jumped
up and down, brimming
with wonder.
The truck paraded as
part of a nation-wide tour
promoting the Paramount
Pictures movie franchise and
Western Star truck company.
It was one of nearly 120
entries that moseyed down
Hermiston’s downtown and
beyond, completing a miles-
long route. The path saw
only slight alterations this
year, still ending near the
old fairgrounds even though
the fair has moved to the
Eastern Oregon Trade and
Event Center. Heat and a
smoky haze left by regional
fires did nothing to deter
thousands of folks from
lining the streets.
Some were less interested
in Optimus Prime, instead
looking forward to the
parade’s classic entries.
“I’m most excited about
the cheerleaders,” said
Reyna Mendoza, 5, of
Hermiston. “I’d really like
to be one in high school.”
Her mom, Gracie, was
most excited to see the farm
equipment, explaining that
it’s not something she gets to
see on the street every day.
“They’re so big,” she
said. “I’ve always wanted
Staff photo by Emily Olson
Optimus Prime, customized for the movie “Transformers:
the Last Knight,” drives down Hermiston Avenue during
Saturday’s Umatilla County Fair Parade.
recreation site with 28 camp-
sites and a two-mile hiking
trail around the lake with
additional access to wilder-
ness and scenic areas. The
natural lake was deepened
by a 30-foot-high dam built
in the early 1900s by the
Fremont Power Company,
which provided hydroelec-
tricity for the nearby gold
mining community.
For more information,
contact the North Fork
John Day Ranger District at
541-427-3231.
Staff photo by Emily Olson
to be in the field in one of
them.”
Other attendees discov-
ered delightful surprises
along the way.
Emily Shontz, 9, traveled
from Castle Rock, Wash., to
visit family for fair week.
The promise of candy
brought her to the parade,
but her favorite part was
receiving a free Hermiston
watermelon for showing
enthusiasm as a float with a
super-sized slice drove by.
“I had no idea they did
that here,” Shontz said,
adding that it left her even
more excited for the fair.
Sam Surber, 15, of
Hermiston, sourced some
surprises of his own. He
gifted balloon animals to
all the kids near his family’s
spot along the route.
He decided to bring his
balloon supplies because
his church, New Hope,
distributed balloons along
with their float entry. Surber
knew they wouldn’t have
enough for everyone.
“I wanted to spread
these to all the kids around
me,” he said, estimating
that he’d made about 35
that day. Some balloons
succumbed to the heat, but
a sea of colorful flowers and
swords still waved around
him, proof that Surber had
helped elevate the festive
atmosphere.
The Umatilla County
Fair is Tuesday-Saturday
at EOTEC, 1705 E. Airport
Road. A ribbon cutting is
Monday at 5:30 p.m.
———
Contact Emily Olson at
eolson@eastoregonian.com
or 541-966-0809
Man jailed for sexual assault of children
Boardman police on
Friday arrested a 57-year-old
man for rape and sexual
assault of three
girls.
Morrow
County
District
Attorney
Justin
Nelson said the
victims are between
8 and 12 years old.
K e n n e t h
James Sicard of
Boardman faces
the following initial
charges: one count Sicard
each of first-degree
rape, first-degree sodomy,
second-degree
sodomy,
first-degree unlawful sexual
penetration and second-de-
gree
unlawful
sexual
Photo contributed by USFS
A portion of Olive Lake is closed to public access while
crews perform maintenance the dam and spillway.
Crews pass out Hermiston watermelons during
Saturday’s Umatilla County Fair Parade
BOARDMAN
East Oregonian
A small portion of Olive
Lake is closed to the public
as crews with the Umatilla
National Forest complete
maintenance on the lake’s
dam and spillway.
The closure went into
effect Monday and is
expected to last through
Oct. 1.
“We realize this is a
popular recreation area and
are committed to maintaining
recreational opportunities at
the site, while providing for
public safety,” said Ian Reid,
North Fork John Day district
ranger.
The closed area is approx-
imately a half-acre in size —
affecting less than 1 percent
of the 149-acre lake surface
— and will be signed, fenced
and defined by a string of
buoys extending 200 feet in
the water to notify swimmers
and boaters.
The Olive Lake Camp-
ground will remain open,
though a portion of the
hiking trail in the area of the
dam and spillway will be
closed during construction.
Swimming and boating
is allowed outside of the
restricted area.
Located 12 miles west
of the tiny town of Granite,
Olive Lake is a popular
penetration. The state also
charged him with six counts
of first-degree sexual abuse.
According
to
court
documents, the state alleges
Sicard committed
the crimes in April.
Nelson said the
Mount Emily Safe
Center, La Grande,
played the key role
in interviewing the
three girls.
“They are the
professionals
that handle these
cases,” he said.
Circuit Judge
Randolph
Garrison
of
Douglas County subbed in
for Judge Dan Hill during
Sicard’s hearing Monday.
Garrison set bail for Sicard
at $150,000. He remains in
the Umatilla County Jail,
Pendleton.
Sicard has been the
subject of 11 previous state
criminal prosecutions in
Morrow County, according
to court records, ranging
from misdemeanor assault in
1990 to fleeing police in 2002
to drug making and endan-
gering children in 2007. His
most recent conviction was
in 2015 for fourth-degree
assault.
Sicard’s next hearing
in the sex crimes case is
Aug. 14 at 3 p.m. at the
Morrow County Courthouse,
Heppner. Nelson said he
aims to take the case to a
grand jury for an indictment
before then.
BRIEFLY
OHA issues health advisory
for Willow Creek
HEPPNER — The Oregon Health
Authority on Monday said that Willow
Creek Reservoir in Morrow County
contains blue-green algae, which produces
toxins harmful to humans and animals, and
urged users to be careful around the water.
People can be exposed to the toxin
through ingesting or inhaling it, the agency
said. While it is not absorbed through skin,
it may cause a rash for people with sensitive
skin. The toxin cannot be removed by
boiling, filtering or treatment with camping-
style filters, and it is not safe to drink water
from the reservoir at this time.
The agency said that people whose
homes are supplied with water from the
reservoir should find an alternative water
source because private treatment systems
are not always effective at removing the
toxin.
Public drinking water systems are able to
treat the water adequately.
For people eating fish from that water,
the agency advised removing all fat, skin
and organs, where toxins are most likely to
collect, before cooking.
The health agency said people should
avoid areas with visible scum that
looks thick, foamy or scummy and with
pea-green, blue-green or brownish-red
color. They discouraged swimming and
other water activities like power boating
or water-skiing, where people could
accidentally ingest water.
The toxin can cause numbness, tingling
or dizziness, leading to breathing difficulty
or heart problems that require immediate
medical attention. Other issues like skin
irritation, weakness, diarrhea and fainting
may also result from exposure to the toxin.
Field day set for Milton-
Freewater shooting range
MILTON-FREEWATER — The East
End Rod & Gun Club will host a range
and field day for hunter education students
Sunday, Aug. 13 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Students are required first to complete a
hunter education workbook or online course,
and must have their certificate of online
training or completed workbook in hand
when they arrive for training at the range.
Participants may preregister for hunter
education field day by visiting www.dfw.
state.or.us/education/hunter. There will be
a $10 fee for students who have not prereg-
istered. Firearms, ammunition, hearing and
eye protection, as well as water and snacks,
will be provided, though students should
bring a sack lunch and camp chair.
Washington students are welcome to
attend. The states of Oregon and Washington
are reciprocal, meaning that hunter education
certification can be taken from either state.
The East End Rod & Gun Club is
located at 54752 Milton Cemetery Road,
Milton-Freewater. For more information,
contact Andy Millar at 541-938-4485.
Business Oregon funds
statewide development projects
Several projects in Eastern Oregon will
receive a piece of Business Oregon’s $4.81
million Strategic Reserve Fund.
Gov. Kate Brown announced Monday
that 13 different projects around Oregon
would get funding, ranging from $50,000
to $1.25 million. The projects focus on
small businesses, entrepreneurship and rural
development and the funding is expected to
create or retain 1,778 jobs.
The local projects include Digital
Harvest in Pendleton and rural broadband
development.
Digital Harvest, a Virginia-based
company that has a research outpost in
Pendleton, is developing a new robot that
can harvest and prune wine grapes. The
robot, called the Remote Operated Vineyard
Robot, or ROVR, has been tested in Echo
vineyards. Digital Harvest will receive
$100,000 toward costs for the prototype.
Funds will also be put toward
expanding rural broadband services in
rural Oregon, which may include commu-
nities in Eastern Oregon. Communities
around the state will receive $500,000
toward broadband planning, engineering
and infrastructure development in rural
and under-served areas.
Other projects in Eastern Oregon that will
receive funds include Snake River Produce
in Nyssa and Baker and Murakami Produce
Company in Ontario. Several facilities in the
Willamette Valley will also receive support,
including food processing plants, paper
companies and manufacturing companies.
HERMISTON
Officers arrest barricaded man for assault
East Oregonian
A man was arrested
after a four-hour standoff
with
Hermiston
police
early Monday morning for
assaulting
his
ex-wife and her
friend with a base-
ball bat.
Police
were
called at about
10:30 p.m. Sunday
to a domestic
disturbance at 600
of S.E. Seventh
Street, Hermiston.
Officers found two Pando
injured
women
when they arrived and para-
medics provided aid.
The officers found the inju-
ries were caused by Nicolas
Pando, 38, the ex-husband of
one of the victims. Pando’s
ex-wife came to retrieve their
four year-old child from him,
but officers found that instead
of exchanging the child,
Pando attacked his ex-wife
and her friend with his fists
and a baseball bat. The
women, ages 37 and 34, were
treated for facial abrasions
and contusions. The child
did not have any
injuries, according
to police.
The two women
were able to leave
the home in a
vehicle, and Herm-
iston Police Capt.
Scott Clark and Lt.
Randy Studebaker
came to the scene
from their homes.
Pando went into
his house, where he refused
to come out or communicate
with officers. Pando stayed
barricaded in his house
for nearly four hours until
Studebaker, who is trained in
communicating with barri-
caded subjects, was able to
get him to come out. During
the incident, officer said, the
child was inside the house.
Pando was arrested on
four outstanding charges
of misdemeanor failure to
appear, one count of assault
in the second degree, one
count of aggravated assault in
the fourth degree, one count
of strangulation, one count
of menacing and one count
of criminal mischief in the
first degree. He was lodged
in the Umatilla County Jail.
The damage to the vehicle
in which the women escaped
is estimated to be more than
$2,000.
“These are the types of
calls for service nobody
in this profession enjoys
responding to,” said Herm-
iston Police Chief Jason
Edmiston in a statement.
“There are so many variables
involved making every situa-
tion unique and officers have
to make split-second deci-
sions on the best approach to
intervene.”
Old Fashioned Worship Service Picnic Lunch at the Park
Sunday, August 13th / Pioneer Park
2 blocks west from the church on Despain Avenue
• Pre Worship Music begins at 9:30 a.m.
• Worship at 10:00 a.m.
• Lunch served at 11:00 a.m.
Hope to see you there!