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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 19, 2017)
ECLIPSE WEEKEND EDITION The total eclipse will peak at about 10:20 a.m. on Monday • Wildfire causes evacuations in prime eclipse zone WEATHER/2A • Hermiston’s Armand Larive TV to livestream phenomenon REGION/3A • Tread safely, interstellar travelers OPINION/4A • Eclipses create science and so can you LIFESTYLES/1C AUGUST 19-20, 2017 141st Year, No. 220 $1.50 WINNER OF THE 2017 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD OEA’s new prez pushes for bipartisan approach A DOCTOR’S DILEMMA Larson, a former Hermiston teacher, wants to hear from conservatives By PARIS ACHEN Capital Bureau SALEM — John Larson has been involved in working bipartisan relationships since he was born. Both schoolteachers, his mother was a Republican, and his father was a Demo- crat. As the freshly minted president of the Oregon Education John Larson Associa- tion, Larson hopes to bring his bipartisan background to make the state’s largest labor union more effective in building support for public education. “We tend to be viewed as liberal organization, but reality is more than one-third of our members are conserva- tives,” Larson said. In his career as an English teacher and union representative in Eastern Oregon, Larson routinely worked across party lines. He worked in both the Morrow County School District and, most recently, the Hermiston School District. Larson, who is unaffiliated with any political party, plans to revive a plan for an OEA Republican caucus, a group of conservative educators who want to advocate for public education. “We are in the beginning stages but we firmly believe as Oregonians we need all to get on the same page,” he said. “There is not a single member who doesn’t believe public education is important. We have differences on how it should be funded, but there isn’t anyone who doesn’t think we should have public education.” See LARSON/11A Staff photo by E.J. Harris Richard Wick is an anesthesiologist at Providence St. Mary Medical Center in Walla Walla. Young physicians hesitate to start careers in rural America “We’ll probably just have to throw money at them to get them to come. Once they’re here, they won’t want to leave.” By KATHY ANEY East Oregonian W hen anesthesiologist Richard Wick opted to practice in rural Walla Walla after his residency last summer, the decision put him at odds with most of his classmates. Young physicians tend to flock to jobs in big cities. Wick, who grew up in Pendleton, dreamed of being a doctor since boyhood and prac- ticing in a rural area was always on the radar. His father, Ernest Wick, ran the radiology department at St. Anthony Hospital. The boy hung around the hospital, even shadowing Pendleton general surgeon John McBee. Wick always figured he would become a surgeon, but changed course during an anesthesiology rotation at the Creighton University School of — Dr. Norman Sitz, Pendleton internist Medicine in Nebraska. He loved the variety and the awesome responsibility. “In one day, I may care for a 9-month-old and a 90-year-old in different types of surgery,” Wick said. “I get to take care of people at their most critical moments. I watch their heart rate. I literally breathe for them.” After finishing residency at Oregon Health & Science University, he and his wife Sarah considered where to practice. Richard felt comfortable with rural life, but Sarah had grown up in Portland and wasn’t as eager to leave the metropolis. In recruiting physicians to rural areas, it’s a common issue — a part- ners’ employment opportunities or simply the affinity for perks of urban life often come into play. The couple, expecting a child and tired of Portland traffic, eventually embraced an anesthesiologist position at Walla Walla’s Prov- See DOCTORS/12A County moves to shut down newest strip club “The Zen-Den is dedicated to the pursuit of Zen. Who’s to say what that is, right? But to date, we have exotic dancing, pole dance fitness, martial arts and yoga.” Business contends it does not need a permit to operate By PHIL WRIGHT East Oregonian Zen-Den, on the outskirts of Umatilla, is fighting for its right to party. But the strip club and fitness studio might be on its last pole dance. Umatilla County counsel Doug Olsen said Friday the business lacks a permit to operate, a violation of land use regulations. “We have issued a stop use order,” Olsen said. “And that should be served on the occupants [Friday].” Sheriff Terry Rowan said a deputy found no one at the business and posted the notice on the front door. But Zen-Den spokes- person Justin Evans contends the business does not need the permit. He said this is a case of bossy local governments trying to close down a new establishment they don’t like. Zen-Den has been oper- ating since December 2016 at 82084 N. Highway 395 in Power City, Evans said. The site is outside Umatilla’s city — Justin Evans, Zen-Den spokesperson Staff photo by E.J. Harris The Zen-Den has been operating an adult entertainment based business without a business license in Power City. limits but inside its urban growth boundary. Olsen said the location means Zen-Den still needs a city business license, and the county’s code enforcement division handles that for the city. Umatilla City Manager Russell Pelleberg said Umatilla has not issued any sort of permit or permission for Zen-Den. Olsen added the building needs improve- ments to meet code before it can host customers. Evans countered that the location means the city does not have the authority to issue a license, and there is no reason to pay for a land use assessment or make upgrades to the building because use is not changing. “Essentially, we’re still a retail business,” he said. Evans said he does not own Zen-Den, but his booking agency provides the exotic dancers. He is in contact with the business owner and the attorney representing Zen-Den, he said, but would not reveal who they were. The Oregon Secretary of State’s online business database shows no registration for Zen-Den. Evans, who is also a boxer and mixed-martial artist, said the site has multiple uses. “The Zen-Den is dedi- cated to the pursuit of Zen,” Evans said. “Who’s to say what that is, right? But to date, we have exotic dancing, pole dance fitness, martial arts and yoga.” Zen-Den does not serve alcohol, and the few drinks available are pre-packaged bottled water and energy drinks. There is a cover and one-drink minimum to get in. The stage with a dance pole juts from one wall, See ZEN-DEN/12A