REGION
East Oregonian
Page 2A
Tuesday, August 15, 2017
BRIEFLY
McIver takes deal in Nelson homicide case
He faces those charges
Wednesday in Hermiston.
The Umatilla County
District Attorney’s Office
filed the two felonies Aug.
9, accusing McIver
of
“unlawfully
and
recklessly”
causing the death
of Nelson and
conspiring
with
Edward
Duarte
Ayala, Nicholas
Benjamin Jones
and
Armando
Ruben Vargas to
enter
Nelson’s McIver
home at 67547
Old Oregon Trail Road to
commit a crime. McIver
also waived an indictment,
allowing
the
district
attorney’s office to bring
the charges without first
presenting evidence to a
grand jury.
The federal weapons
charge carries a maximum
By PHIL WRIGHT
East Oregonian
Joseph Aaron McIver
made a deal to plead guilty
to his role in killing Thadd
Nelson outside his Meacham
home in 2016. And co-de-
fendant Armando Ruben
Vargas has a change of plea
hearing in the case as well.
McIver, 23, pleaded
guilty on Aug. 8 in U.S.
District Court, Portland,
to felon in possession of a
firearm, according to federal
court records. The charge
stems from Nelson’s homi-
cide.
The agreement McIver
signed four days earlier
shows he also will plead
guilty in Umatilla County
Circuit Court to one count
of first-degree conspiracy
to commit burglary and
one count of second-degree
manslaughter.
prison sentence of 10
years.
Second-degree
manslaughter carries a
mandatory
minimum
sentence in Oregon of six
years, four months.
Under terms of the
plea deal, McIver
gets credit for time
served in jail and
an Oregon prison
sentence of nine
years, two months
to run concurrent
with the federal
punishment.
McIver ’s
sentencing on the
federal charge is Nov. 21 in
Portland; he does not have
a sentencing date yet in the
local court.
Federal court records
show Vargas plans to change
his plea Tuesday morning in
Portland. The terms of the
deal are not yet available.
Nelson died Jan. 27, 2016,
Inmate, 64, dies Saturday at TRCI
from gunshot wounds from
two firearms, according to
federal court documents.
He was 44. The crime took
place on the Umatilla Indian
Reservation.
McIver and Vargas
become the second and
third defendants to take plea
deals in this case. Ayala
in June was first when he
pleaded guilty to conspiracy
to commit burglary and
manslaughter and received
a sentence of 16 years. That
time is running concurrent
with the 20 years in federal
prison for gun crimes
connected to the homicide.
The fourth defendant,
Nicholas Benjamin Jones,
awaits trial, now on the U.S.
District Court docket for
Oct. 24 in Portland.
———
Contact Phil Wright at
pwright@eastoregonian.
com or 541-966-0833.
UMATILLA — An inmate at Two Rivers Correctional
Institution in Umatilla died unexpectedly Saturday night.
Benjamin Yzaguirre, 64, was found unresponsive in his
cell around 9:39 p.m. Security, medical staff and Umatilla
Emergency Medical technicians
administered life-saving efforts,
but were unsuccessful. Yzaguirre
was taken to a local hospital and
pronounced dead at 10:55 p.m.
Yzaguirre has been in the
Department of Corrections’ custody
since July 2015, on one count of
rape and one count of sodomy. He
was expected to be released in June
of 2021.
Yzaguirre
Yzaguirre’s next of kin were
notified, and the Department of
Corrections released no other information about the cause
of death.
As with any unexpected death in a state prison, the
Oregon State Police Criminal Investigation Team is
conducting an investigation.
Athena Mainstreet block party
showcases former PGG building
ATHENA — After buying the town’s old Pendleton
Grain Growers building in May, the Athena Mainstreet
Association is ready to celebrate its new acquisition.
The nonprofit is hosting a block party on Friday at
the corner of East Main Street and Third Street to share
information on the restoration process and promote
local partnerships with businesses and community
organizations, according to an association press release.
The Athena Mainstreet Association will also show
a historic photo slideshow and is encouraging the
community to bring old photos of the East Main Street
building.
Other attractions at the block party include music
by Rob Barret & The Coyote Kings, free hot dogs and
refreshments, a photo booth, and various children’s
activities.
The event will run from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on East Main
Street in Athena.
PENDLETON
Developer offers $660K for land to build 45 homes
improvement district, the city
ended up acquiring most of
them.
The city council declared
the lots surplus in February
and still has 17 left in their
inventory.
The city still owes
$759,287 to Banner Bank on
the local improvement district
and isn’t set to finish paying
off the debt until 2025. City
staff want to use the proceeds
from the sale to Pace and
$162,000 in refunded money
from a community develop-
ment block grant to cover the
costs.
If the council approves the
deal, Pace would be respon-
sible for turning the lots into
homes.
In an interview, Pace said
he wants to build single-
family dwellings ranging
from 1,400 to 3,000 square
feet with an expected cost
of $180,000 to $300,000 per
home. Each house will have
three bedrooms and two
bathrooms.
Pace said he’s built 80
homes in Pendleton, including
some at Sunridge, and charac-
terized it as a “win-win” deal
for both sides.
If Pace follows through on
building almost four-dozen
By ANTONIO SIERRA
East Oregonian
The
Pendleton
City
Council will take actions
Tuesday that could spur the
start of one housing develop-
ment and continue progress
on another.
The council will consider
selling 14 lots it owns at
Sunridge Estates to Pendleton
developer Dusty Pace, who
intends to re-plat them as
approximately 45 lots and
build single-family homes on
each of them.
According to a staff report
to the city council, Pace will
have an option to individually
buy the re-platted lots at a
$15,000-per-lot price over a
seven-year period. Regardless
of whether he’s purchased all
of the lots or not, Pace must
pay a total sum of $660,000 to
the city by July 31, 2024.
As a part of the deal, the
city would also waive the
re-plat’s planning fees and
make some improvements to
the area’s water distribution
system.
Umatilla County fore-
closed on 21 Sunridge
properties in 2016, and with
the city having a liens on
them as a part of a failed local
the apartment complex is
complete.
In other agenda items, the
council will consider final-
izing the city’s commitment
to a “construction manager/
general contractor” method of
construction.
A first for the city, the
method would require hiring
a contractor during the design
process instead of bidding out
the project once the designs
are complete.
City staff believe the
collaboration will result in
lower construction costs.
Before
the
council
meeting, the council will meet
as the Pendleton Development
Commission and consider
approval of a $23,532 Jump
Start loan to Oregon Grain
Growers Brand Distillery
to cover half the costs a fire
suppression sprinkler system.
The 511 S.E. Court Ave.
microdistillery plans to add a
restaurant in September and
would need sprinklers as a
part of the new service.
The commission meeting
will be held at 6 p.m. and
the council meeting at 7 p.m.
Both meetings will be held
inside council chambers at
city hall, 500 S.W. Dorion
Ave.
homes in Sunridge, a subdi-
vision on the southern end of
town near Tutuilla Road, it
could make a dent in Pendle-
ton’s tight housing market.
According to a 2016
study commissioned by the
city, Pendleton has capacity
for 90 entry and mid-level
houses priced up to $210,000
with additional support
for high-end housing up to
$330,000.
Further up Tutuilla Road,
Newberg developer Saj
Jivnajee has already built 32
townhouses at the Pendleton
Heights development, but
he now wants the council
to revise his debt-payment
schedule for infrastructure
improvements before he
proceeds with plans to build
an additional 100 apartment
units.
The city placed $320,000
liens on the townhouses to
help cover $1.3 million in
infrastructure improvements,
which Jivanjee was originally
supposed to pay once they
were completed.
The council will consider
Jivanjee’s new request, which
would have him pay the city
$200,000 for the townhouse
liens and defer payment for
the rest of the debt until after
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A pair of community resource events for nuclear
weapons and uranium workers and their families are
available in the Tri-Cities.
The Cold War Patriots present the town hall meetings
to assist current and former Hanford workers in getting
the recognition, compensation and healthcare benefits
they have earned. The regional gatherings are:
•Tuesday at 10 a.m. or 6 p.m. at Hampton Inn, 486
Bradley Blvd., Richland.
•Wednesday at 11 a.m. at Red Lion-Columbia Center,
1101 N. Columbia Center Blvd., Kennewick.
The meetings are free of charge.
For more information about the Cold War Patriots, visit
www.coldwarpatriots.org or call 888-903-8989.
———
Briefs are compiled from staff and wire reports, and press
releases. Email press releases to news@eastoregonian.com
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Copyright © 2017, EO Media Group
REGIONAL CITIES
Forecast
TODAY
WEDNESDAY
Pleasant with
sunshine
Pleasant with
plenty of sunshine
85° 56°
89° 56°
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
Sunny and
delightful
Plenty of sun
SATURDAY
Abundant sunshine
and pleasant
PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
86° 57°
92° 63°
86° 52°
HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
92° 60°
87° 58°
PENDLETON
through 3 p.m. yesterday
TEMPERATURE
HIGH
LOW
77°
88°
107° (1933)
49°
58°
40° (1910)
PRECIPITATION
24 hours ending 3 p.m.
Month to date
Normal month to date
Year to date
Last year to date
Normal year to date
0.00"
0.07"
0.18"
11.37"
7.34"
8.13"
HERMISTON
through 3 p.m. yesterday
TEMPERATURE
Yesterday
Normals
Records
HIGH
LOW
79°
88°
105° (1992)
56°
58°
44° (1931)
PRECIPITATION
24 hours ending 3 p.m.
Month to date
Normal month to date
Year to date
Last year to date
Normal year to date
0.00"
0.06"
0.09"
6.65"
4.99"
6.01"
SUN AND MOON
Sunrise today
Sunset tonight
Moonrise today
Moonset today
New
First
Aug 21
Aug 29
95° 65°
90° 54°
Seattle
76/55
ALMANAC
Yesterday
Normals
Records
90° 58°
Full
5:56 a.m.
8:03 p.m.
none
2:37 p.m.
Last
Sep 5
Sep 12
Today
Spokane
Wenatchee
80/56
83/59
Tacoma
Moses
76/50
Lake
Pullman
Aberdeen Olympia
Yakima 85/52
80/49
71/54
77/48
86/53
Longview
Kennewick Walla Walla
78/53
85/60 Lewiston
88/57
Astoria
86/57
69/54
Portland
Enterprise
Hermiston
78/55
Pendleton 80/47
The Dalles 87/58
85/56
86/58
La Grande
Salem
83/48
82/53
Albany
Corvallis 83/50
82/51
John Day
84/52
Ontario
Eugene
Bend
89/57
80/50
81/48
Caldwell
Burns
87/54
81/45
Astoria
Baker City
Bend
Brookings
Burns
Enterprise
Eugene
Heppner
Hermiston
John Day
Klamath Falls
La Grande
Meacham
Medford
Newport
North Bend
Ontario
Pasco
Pendleton
Portland
Redmond
Salem
Spokane
Ukiah
Vancouver
Walla Walla
Yakima
Hi
69
83
81
69
81
80
80
82
87
84
83
83
80
90
63
68
89
86
85
78
82
82
80
79
80
85
86
Lo
54
44
48
55
45
47
50
55
58
52
47
48
45
57
50
53
57
53
56
55
43
53
56
44
54
60
53
W
pc
s
s
pc
s
s
s
s
s
s
s
s
s
s
pc
pc
s
s
s
s
s
s
s
s
s
s
s
NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY
Wed.
Hi
68
84
85
74
84
82
85
87
92
85
85
85
82
93
65
69
90
91
89
80
87
85
83
82
80
89
91
Lo
55
44
49
57
42
48
54
56
60
53
48
49
47
58
52
55
58
55
56
58
44
57
56
45
58
62
55
W
pc
s
s
pc
s
s
s
s
s
s
s
s
s
s
pc
pc
s
s
s
pc
s
pc
s
s
pc
s
s
WORLD CITIES
Today
Beijing
Hong Kong
Jerusalem
London
Mexico City
Moscow
Paris
Rome
Seoul
Sydney
Tokyo
Hi
87
92
86
74
76
72
79
88
76
72
80
Lo
71
81
68
53
57
54
55
66
71
66
75
W
pc
pc
s
pc
pc
s
t
s
r
pc
r
Wed.
Hi
85
91
85
72
76
73
78
90
79
72
79
Lo
69
82
67
61
55
55
62
69
72
54
74
W
t
t
s
pc
t
s
pc
pc
sh
s
r
WINDS
Medford
90/57
(in mph)
Klamath Falls
83/47
Boardman
Pendleton
REGIONAL FORECAST
Eastern and Central Oregon: Sunny and
pleasant, except sunshine mixing in the
south today with some clouds.
Western Washington: Some clouds, then
sunshine today, except areas of low clouds
and fog at the coast.
Eastern Washington: Mostly sunny today.
Mainly clear tonight. Abundant sunshine
tomorrow.
Cascades: Sunny and pleasant today. Clear
tonight. Plenty of sunshine tomorrow;
pleasant.
Northern California: Low clouds followed
by sunshine at the coast today; mostly
sunny elsewhere.
Wednesday
WSW 6-12
W 6-12
UV INDEX TODAY
Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.
Coastal Oregon: Areas of low clouds and
fog, then some sun today.
Today
WSW 4-8
W 4-8
2
4
7
7
4
2
8 a.m. 10 a.m. Noon 2 p.m. 4 p.m. 6 p.m.
0-2, Low
3-5, Moderate 6-7, High;
8-10, Very High;
11+, Extreme
The higher the AccuWeather.com UV Index™ num-
ber, the greater the need for eye and skin protection.
Forecasts and graphics provided by
AccuWeather, Inc. ©2017
Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day.
-10s
-0s
showers t-storms
0s
10s
rain
20s
flurries
30s
40s
snow
ice
50s
60s
cold front
70s
80s
90s
100s
warm front stationary front
110s
high
low
National Summary: Storms will extend from the southern Atlantic coast to much of the
Plains and Rockies today. The rest of the West will be dry. Storms will also extend from the
lower Great Lakes to northern New England.
Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states)
High 108° in Needles, Calif.
Low 30° in Chemult, Ore.
NATIONAL CITIES
Today
Albuquerque
Atlanta
Atlantic City
Baltimore
Billings
Birmingham
Boise
Boston
Charleston, SC
Charleston, WV
Chicago
Cleveland
Dallas
Denver
Detroit
El Paso
Fairbanks
Fargo
Honolulu
Houston
Indianapolis
Jacksonville
Kansas City
Las Vegas
Little Rock
Los Angeles
Hi
88
87
79
83
78
87
87
80
94
83
81
86
98
84
86
95
63
74
88
96
87
91
87
97
87
76
Lo
63
73
70
68
55
75
59
68
77
67
64
65
80
56
64
74
49
61
76
79
70
76
72
75
74
63
W
pc
t
pc
pc
s
t
s
pc
t
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
t
pc
sh
t
sh
pc
pc
t
pc
pc
t
sh
Wed.
Hi
88
90
85
88
85
89
88
85
95
88
85
84
98
79
85
94
64
71
89
96
87
93
84
99
92
77
Lo
64
75
69
69
59
76
59
62
77
68
71
66
80
55
66
69
45
57
76
80
74
77
68
77
77
62
W
s
t
pc
pc
pc
t
s
s
t
pc
t
pc
s
t
pc
s
sh
r
pc
pc
t
c
t
s
pc
pc
Today
Hi
Louisville
91
Memphis
85
Miami
92
Milwaukee
75
Minneapolis
79
Nashville
86
New Orleans
89
New York City
80
Oklahoma City
93
Omaha
86
Philadelphia
82
Phoenix
103
Portland, ME
79
Providence
78
Raleigh
89
Rapid City
75
Reno
88
Sacramento
83
St. Louis
93
Salt Lake City
82
San Diego
73
San Francisco
68
Seattle
76
Tucson
98
Washington, DC 84
Wichita
91
Lo
74
74
79
64
65
73
77
70
73
72
71
77
62
66
73
55
61
59
73
62
65
59
55
70
74
74
W
pc
t
pc
pc
pc
pc
t
pc
pc
t
pc
s
pc
pc
t
pc
s
s
pc
pc
sh
sh
s
s
pc
pc
Wed.
Hi
91
91
91
79
72
89
90
87
91
80
89
102
82
87
90
80
90
87
94
88
74
72
77
98
90
91
Lo
76
77
80
70
64
75
77
68
71
66
70
76
53
61
72
52
61
61
76
67
65
59
58
70
74
68
Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain,
sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice.
W
t
t
t
t
r
t
t
s
t
t
s
s
s
s
t
pc
s
s
t
t
pc
pc
pc
s
pc
t