REGION
Thursday, August 24, 2017
East Oregonian
Page 3A
Governor defends state’s cannabis regulations
By PARIS ACHEN
Capital Bureau
SALEM — Gov. Kate Brown is
pushing back against accusations by
U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions
that Oregon’s marijuana regulations
have failed to adequately protect
public health and prevent leakage
into the illicit market.
In a letter to Sessions Aug. 22,
Brown detailed protections and
improvements Oregon has made to
its cannabis regulation and enforce-
ment systems and challenged the
accuracy of information Sessions
cited in his questioning of the
state’s compliance with the Cole
Memorandum.
The memo by the U.S. Depart-
ment of Justice during the Obama
administration in 2013 allowed
states to operate legal marijuana
programs without federal interfer-
ence on the condition that states
protect the public and keep cannabis
from leaking out of the regulated
market.
In the letter, the governor
addressed concerns outlined in a
letter from Sessions last month.
She noted she has signed into law
several new regulations this year to
prevent illegal sales and transport
of cannabis products. For example,
one law expands strict tracking
requirements to medical marijuana,
requiring all products to be tracked
with radio frequency identification
tags. Another law increases crim-
inal penalties for marijuana crimes,
such as illegal extraction and import
and export.
Brown and several other gover-
EO file photo
Budtender Josh Mitchell holds out a container with a marijuana strain called Caramel OG in June at
Kind Leaf in Pendleton. Kind Leaf is one of three legal marijuana retailers in Pendleton.
nors have encouraged Sessions to
keep the Cole memo in place. A
federal task force also concluded
the memo is the best strategy for
handling states with legal cannabis
programs, according to an Aug. 3
report by The Associated Press.
“Tax revenue from the marijuana
industry is used to fund schools, to
provide mental health and drug
treatment and to assist both state
and local law enforcement,” Brown
wrote. “This does not even take into
account cost savings to the criminal
justice system.”
The
governor’s
response
followed one earlier in August by
Oregon State Police Superintendent
Travis Hampton.
Sessions cited a draft report by
OSP, leaked to and reported by The
Oregonian, as evidence of Oregon’s
noncompliance with the Cole
memorandum.
HERMISTON
Police arrests two
teens for graffiti
East Oregonian
Police arrested two
Morrow County teenagers
early Wednesday morning
suspected of graffiti in the
southwest section of Herm-
iston.
On Wednesday at about
2:20 a.m., a Hermiston patrol
officer was driving in the
area of West Juniper Avenue
and Southwest Ninth Street
when he saw two males in
dark clothing crossing the
street in front of him. As he
approached, he saw graffiti
on a fence and the two males
started running. The officer
could smell fresh paint in the
area as he got out of the car.
The officer found the
two juvenile males, a
15-year-old from Irrigon
and a 16-year-old from
Boardman, hiding under
a trailer in the 800 block
of West Juniper Avenue.
They were both taken into
custody and charged with
felony criminal mischief in
the first degree, unlawfully
applying graffiti, unlawful
possession of graffiti imple-
ments and violating curfew.
The males were released to
their parents, who were also
cited for failure to supervise
a minor. The two parents
cited were Nadia Aguilar
and Marina Sanchez.
Hermiston Police Chief
Jason Edmiston said there
was no direct gang affilia-
tions with the graffiti, which
referred to marijuana. He
said further investigation
revealed that several busi-
nesses, homes and pieces
of public property had also
been vandalized in the
southwest part of town, and
estimated that clean-up costs
would be in the thousands of
dollars.
“The corporal did a
good job getting out into
the neighborhood and being
proactive,” Edmiston said.
“Our department continues
to take the strong stance
if a child wants to act in
this manner and graffiti
is involved, we will take
action every single time
against the parent(s) or
responsible adult(s) as
someone other than society
should be holding these
kids accountable.”
MILTON-FREEWATER
Replacement begins for
Birch Creek Road Bridge
East Oregonian
The Birch Creek Road
Bridge near Milton-Free-
water will be closed begin-
ning Monday as the 112-foot
structure is replaced. The
Oregon Department of
Transportation announced
drivers needing access to
Birch Creek Road on the
opposite side of the bridge
will have to detour along
Highway 11 and Eastside
Road.
The department’s Bridge
Inspection Report of Oct.
15, 2009, lists the condition
of the bridge as critical, with
a sufficiency rating of 15.3.
According to the agency, a
rating of 50 or lower means
replacement is recom-
mended as soon as possible.
ODOT estimates the
project, including road
work, will cost about
$4.25 million and continue
through the summer of
2018.
And the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers reported
repair work is in progress on
the Milton-Freewater levee
system’s Nursery Bridge
drop structure on the Walla
Walla River.
The drop structure
provides for fish passage,
prevents riverbed degrada-
tion and allows irrigators to
divert water, according to a
written statement from the
Corps’ Walla Walla District.
The structure has sustained
damage and undergone
multiple repairs since its
installation in 1967, the
Corps stated, and high flows
in 2015 caused the most
recent damage.
The Corps reported
LKE Corporation, Wash-
ougal, Washington, won
the $357,000 contract for
the work to help protect
the structure’s gabions —
metal, cage-like boxes filled
with rocks — by adding
rocks across the gabion
mattress downstream of the
drop structure. Members
of the Milton-Freewater
Boy Scout Troop 315 will
acquire 275 willow cuttings
to plant in the repair area.
The Corps stated the project
should wrap up by October.
SUBMIT COMMUNITY NEWS
Submit information to: community@eastoregonian.com or
drop off to the attention of Tammy Malgesini at 333 E.
Main St., Hermiston or Renee Struthers at 211 S.E. Byers
Ave., Pendleton. Call 541-564-4539 or 541-966-0818 with
questions.
The draft report by an outside
analyst indicated only about 30
percent of marijuana market
activity in Oregon complies with
state regulation.
The conclusions relied on
subjective data such as blog posts
and unsubstantiated information
from the internet and failed to take
into account regulatory improve-
ments, said OSP spokesman Bill
Fugate.
The agency lacks enough
objective data to draw conclusions
on how well the state’s marijuana
regulations are working, Hampton
claimed. For instance, OSP didn’t
start testing for marijuana use in
vehicular fatalities until May, he
noted.
The agency had no plans to
publish the report until more objec-
tive information was available in
the next several years, he said.“The
agency attempted to make clear the
document was not accurate, not
validated, outdated and the Oregon
State Police did not endorse the
conclusion in the draft baseline
report,” Hampton wrote to Sessions
Aug. 16. “Unfortunately, you
sourced the same leaked draft docu-
ments as evidence against Oregon’s
marijuana regulatory structure.”
Oregon’s
legal
marijuana
industry sustains 12,500 jobs and
yields a projected $105 million in
annual recreational marijuana tax
revenue, used to support public
education and services, according
to a white paper by Rep. Ann
Lininger, D-Lake Oswego, who
served on the marijuana regulation
committee until July. Lininger has
resigned from the Legislature Aug.
15, and is set to be sworn in as a
Clackamas County Circuit Court
judge Monday, Aug. 28.
Twenty-nine states, the District
of Columbia and the U.S. territories
of Guam and Puerto Rico allow
cannabis use for medical condi-
tions. Another 17 states permit
limited use of cannabidiol, or CBD,
the non-psychoactive element in
marijuana.
BRIEFLY
Friday last day to fill out
HSD grad venue survey
Collective Goods sale
benefits hospital auxiliary
Inland Northwest
Musicians begin rehearsals
HERMISTON — Friday is the last
day for Hermiston residents to give
their input to a survey about venue
options for Hermiston High School
graduation. The district is looking at
four options for the end-of-the-year
ceremony. Those include continuing to
hold the ceremony in the high school
gymnasium or moving it to one of
three locations: Kennison Field, the
EOTEC rodeo grounds, or the Toyota
Center in Kennewick.
The survey is available at
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/
SRW5VFV. There is also a video
available on the Hermiston School
District’s Facebook page.
HERMISTON — A variety of
books and gifts at affordable prices
are available for purchase during the
Collective Goods sale.
Hosted by the Good Shepherd
Hospital Auxiliary, money raised will be
used to support scholarships for those
pursuing a medical career and medical
equipment for Good Shepherd Medical
Center. The sale is Tuesday, Sept 5 and
Wednesday, Sept. 6 from 7:30 a.m. to
6 p.m. in Conference Room 2 at the
hospital, 610 N.W. 11th St., Hermiston.
Also, applications for membership
in the auxiliary can be picked up at the
hospital gift shop. For more information,
contact juner1942@gmail.com.
PENDLETON — It’s time to start
warming up your voice as the chorale
with Inland Northwest Musicians is
gearing up for its 19th season.
Participants are welcome who have a
desire to sing and fellowship with other
area musicians. Auditions are not required.
The Inland Northwest Chorale will
begin rehearsals Monday, Aug. 28.
They will meet Mondays at 7 p.m. at
Harris Junior Academy, 3121 S.W.
Hailey Ave., Pendleton. Concerts will
begin in October.
For more information,
contact 541-289-4696, inwm@
machmedia.net or visit www.
inlandnorthwestmusicians.com.
COMING EVENTS
THURSDAY, AUGUST 24
MEGA SPORTS CAMP:
CONQUER THE DAY, 8-11:30
a.m., Salvation Army, 150 S.E.
Emigrant Ave., Pendleton. Kids
in grades 1-6 can choose base-
ball, basketball, soccer or cheer-
leading and learn new skills and
fundamentals in a positive and
encouraging environment. Be-
tween sports session, coaches
lead songs and inspiring sports
and Bible stories. (Ricky and Syl-
via 541-276-3369)
PRESCHOOL STORY AND
CRAFT TIME, 10:30 a.m., Mil-
ton-Freewater Public Library, 8
S.W. Eighth Ave., Milton-Free-
water. (Lili Schmidt 541-938-
8247)
BOARDMAN
SENIOR
MEAL SERVICE, 12 p.m.,
Boardman Senior Center, 100
Tatone St., Boardman. Cost is
$4 for seniors 55 and over or $5
for adults. (541-481-3257)
PENDLETON
SENIOR
MEAL SERVICE, 12 p.m., Pend-
leton 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)
HERMISTON
SENIOR
MEAL SERVICE, 12 p.m., Our
Lady of Angels Catholic Church
parish hall, 565 W. Hermiston
Ave., Hermiston. Cost is $4 for
adults, free for children 10 and
under, $4 for Meals on Wheels.
Extra 50 cents for utensils/dish-
es. Bus service to parish hall by
donation. (541-567-3582)
SENSORY STORY TIME,
12:30 p.m., Boardman Public
Library, 200 S. Main St., Board-
man. For children from birth to
age 4. (541-481-2665)
SKILLS FOR LIFE, 3-5 p.m.,
Pendleton Recreation Center,
510 S.W. Dorion Ave., Pendle-
ton. Gym activities and life skills
for middle and high school stu-
dents. Registration requested.
(Danny Bane 541-379-4250)
KARATE OPEN GYM, 5-6
p.m., Pendleton Recreation Cen-
ter gym, 510 S.W. Dorion Ave.,
Pendleton. Lars Hansen will lead
this all-ages class. Wear com-
fortable clothes. No experience
necessary. (Casey Brown 541-
276-8100)
INFUSION: A NIGHT OF
ARTFUL PAIRINGS, 5-8 p.m.,
Arts Portal Gallery, 508 N. Main
St., Milton-Freewater. Enjoy pair-
ings of Forgeron Cellars wines
and appetizers by Steven Gra-
binski of Ox & Cart in Walla Wal-
la. Tickets are $30, available for
purchase online at http://artspor-
talgalleryevents.brownpapertick-
ets.com, $35 at the door or $50
which includes a bottle of Forg-
eron Cellars 2014 Chardonnay.
(Laura 541-938-3727)
YARN CLUB, 5:30 p.m.,
Hermiston Public Library, 235 E.
Gladys Ave., Hermiston. (541-
567-2882)
THE
ARC
UMATILLA
COUNTY BINGO, 6-10 p.m.,
The Arc Building, 215 W. Or-
chard Ave., Hermiston. Doors
open at 6 p.m., seats may be
held until 6:30 p.m., then all
seats first come, first served;
games begin at 7 p.m. Proceeds
benefit Umatilla County citizens
with developmental disabilities.
18 years or older, must have
proof of age and photo I.D. Basic
pot $20, prizes range from $20-
$750. (541-567-7615)
FIDDLERS NIGHT, 6:30-8:30
p.m., Brookdale Assisted Living,
980 W. Highland Ave., Hermis-
ton. Enjoy light refreshments,
listen to some favorite oldies or
join in the jam session. All ages
welcome. (541-567-3141)
FRIDAY, AUGUST 25
MEGA SPORTS CAMP:
CONQUER THE DAY, 8-11:30
a.m., Salvation Army, 150 S.E.
Emigrant Ave., Pendleton. Kids
in grades 1-6 can choose base-
ball, basketball, soccer or cheer-
leading and learn new skills and
fundamentals in a positive and
encouraging environment. Be-
tween sports session, coaches
lead songs and inspiring sports
and Bible stories. (Ricky and Syl-
via 541-276-3369)
HEPPNER FARMERS MAR-
KET, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Heppner City
Park, 444 N. Main St., Heppner.
Local produce, crafts, baked
goods and more. (Don or Jo Ann
Shannon 541-676-8957)
STORY TIME, 10:15 a.m.,
Hermiston Public Library, 235 E.
Gladys Ave., Hermiston. (541-
567-2882)
PENDLETON
FARMERS
MARKET, 4-7 p.m., 300 block,
South Main Street, Pendleton.
Local produce, baked goods,
crafts, jewelry, live music, food
vendors and more. (Cheryl
Montgomery 541-969-9466)
VFW BINGO, 6 p.m., Herm-
iston VFW, 45 W. Cherry St.,
Hermiston. Doors open at 6 p.m.,
games begin at 7 p.m. Everyone
welcome. (541-567-6219)
PENDLETON BLOCK PAR-
TY WITH HILLSTOMP, 6:30-10
p.m., 400 block, South Main
Street, Pendleton. The Joseph
Hein Band will open for headlin-
ers Hillstomp. 21-and-over beer
garden, all-ages show. Free.
(Adam Mack or Peter Walters
503-720-5370 or 541-310-1768)
SATURDAY, AUGUST 26
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)
IMAC
FUNDRAISING
BREAKFAST, 7:30-10:30 a.m.,
Stokes Landing Senior Center,
150 Columbia Lane, Irrigon.
Supports Irrigon Multicultural
Arts Center project to preserve
1921 building and create region-
al art center. Costs $4.50. (Peg-
gy price 541-567-3806)
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)
FAMILY HISTORY WORK-
SHOPS, 10 a.m., Church of Je-
sus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
850 S.W. 11th St., Hermiston.
Workshops, photo scanning
and more. (Stephanie Blackburn
541-567-6251)
YARN CLUB, 10 a.m.-12
p.m., Hermiston Public Library,
235 E. Gladys Ave., Hermiston.
(541-567-2882)
DRIVE 4 UR SCHOOL
FUNDRAISER, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.,
Hermiston High School parking
lot, 600 S. First St., Hermis-
ton. Ford will donate $20, up to
$6,000, for every test drive by a
licensed driver. Proceeds benefit
the Hermiston High School choir
program. (Maria Duron 541-667-
6036)
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)
TWO
HOURS
every
morning
paid off
my credit
card debt.
Become an
East Oregonian
Carrier.
in The Lounge
Saturday August 26th,
from 7 pm - 10 pm.
No Cover Charge.
541-276-6111
Red Lion Lounge • 304 SE Nye, Pendleton
211 SE Byers Ave.
Pendleton
or call:
541-276-2211
1-800-522-0255