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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 16, 2017)
AUTOMATION TRUMP: THE THEME AT ‘BLAME ON FARM EXPO BOTH SIDES’ REGION/3A 88/57 Oregon makes drug possession a misdemeanor NORTHWEST/2A NATION/7A WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2017 141st Year, No. 217 WINNER OF THE 2017 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD One dollar PENDLETON Housing developer buys 45 lots City council approves deal for Sunridge Estates subdivision By ANTONIO SIERRA East Oregonian Staff photo by E.J. Harris The concrete foundation for a new home sets in the afternoon sun Tuesday in the Sunridge Estates housing development in Pendleton. Pendleton’s Sunridge Estates could welcome as many as 45 homes over the next few years. The unfi nished southern Pendleton subdivision off Tutuilla Road was part of a $660,000 deal with local developer Dusty Pace that the Pendleton City Council unanimously approved Tuesday. Under the deal, Pace would rede- velop 13 of the 17 lots and purchase all of them within seven years. Pace plans to re-plat the land into 45 lots and buy them each individually from the city for $15,000 per lot. The $660,000 acts as both a fl oor and a ceiling. If he spends $660,000 but hasn’t purchased all the lots yet, he’ll automatically acquire the rest of the land. If he has spent less than $660,000 by the end of the seven-year period, he must make up the difference to close out the deal. In a previous interview, Pace said he intends to build three-bedroom, two-bathroom homes and sell them in the range of $180,000 to $300,000. The city was forced to play the role of real estate agent when Umatilla County foreclosed on the properties, which had city liens on them through a See HOUSING/8A SIR HOPPY’S HARVEST How to safely view the eclipse Sir Hoppy perches on Jake Hales’ knee one recent day in the cab of the wheat farmer’s combine. The grasshopper showed up on the fi rst day of harvest and stayed for the duration. Contributed photo Tips for protecting your eyes and our forests By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN East Oregonian fi eld he was harvesting. On the fourth day of harvest, Hales realized the grasshopper hadn’t yet hopped out. “I realized he needed food, so I jumped out and ripped some As eclipse viewers prepare to look toward the sky on Aug. 21, local public safety agen- cies and medical professionals are urging caution. From special glasses to staying safe on the roads to preventing forest fi res, here are some tips to enjoy the best viewing experience for yourself and those around you. Eye Safety Several local groups have been selling eclipse glasses, but it’s important to under- stand why viewers need to protect their eyes during the eclipse. “The sun is never good to stare at, but during the eclipse, it’s almost like it creates a magnifying effect, almost like if you were burning leaves or ants,” said SOLAR Hermiston ECLIPSE mayor David 2017 Drotzmann, a doctor at Lifetime 5 days left Vision Source. He compared it to getting a sunburn on your eyes — but with everlasting effects. “If you burn your skin, it’ll repair itself,” he said. “But retina tissue is neurological tissue, like in the brain. If you kill neurolog- ical tissue, it doesn’t regrow.” He noted that looking directly at the eclipse can cause lasting damage to a person’s eyesight. Eclipse glasses, he said, have an intense tint that allow viewers to safely look at the sun. They are so dark, he said, viewers shouldn’t be able to see anything but the sun through them. He also said the glasses need to be approved and stamped with the certifi cation ISO-12312-2. He said some eclipse glasses being sold have been found to be fake, and people See HOPPY/8A See ECLIPSE/8A Staff photo by E.J. Harris Jake Hales of Adams drives a combine while fi nishing up with the wheat harvest in a fi eld outside of Adams. Hales says he has shared the cab of his harvester with a grasshopper for nearly a month. Grasshopper rides shotgun in Helix farmer’s combine By KATHY ANEY East Oregonian Grasshoppers and farmers don’t generally become friends — the leggy insects have a nasty reputation for chewing through crops and causing severe damage. Defying tradition, wheat farmer Jake Hales has a grass- hopper named Sir Hoppy Legs riding shotgun in his combine. The unusual partnership started 28 days ago on the fi rst day of harvest when a grasshopper jumped into the cab of the huge harvester. “I was out adjusting the combine,” Hales said. “I got back in and saw him hopping around in there.” The creature wandered around the air-conditioned cabin from which Hales had an unobstructed view of the wheat When disaster strikes, Red Cross is there Organization short on local early response volunteers By EMILY OLSON East Oregonian As Carol McCall watched a fi re destroy her Pendleton home back in January, all she could do was worry. She worried about her fi ve dogs, three of which did not escape the blaze. She worried about her possessions, all of which would be lost to fl ames or smoke damage. And she worried about her children and grandchildren, who lost a place imbued with memories. She didn’t even think to worry about where she and her husband would stay, or what she’d eat or how she’d brush her teeth. But someone did. Two volunteers with the American “It was just nice to have a friendly face and someone acknowledging you’ve been through a disaster.” — Joy Goubeaud, lost her RV to a fi re during a stop in Pendleton on July 21 Red Cross’s Disaster Action Team greeted her at the scene of the fi re. They brought her a pre-paid debit card, a reservation for a nearby hotel room and an emergency kit containing not just a toothbrush, but other hygienic necessities. “All the stuff you need immediately — they were there to take care of that,” See RED CROSS/8A EO fi le photo A fi re-damaged banjo and case sits atop other belongings from the burned-out motor home of Pete and Joy Goubeaud. The Goubeauds were traveling though town on July 21 when the couple’s motor home caught fi re leaving them stranded.