BUSINESS
Maduro vows to punish opponents for sanctions
Page 8A
East Oregonian
By FABIOLA SANCHEZ
and JOSHUA GOODMAN
Associated Press
CARACAS, Venezuela —
Venezuelan President Nicolas
Maduro
vowed
Friday
to prosecute for treason
opponents he accused of
being behind sweeping U.S.
fi nancial sanctions that will
strain relations between the
countries and make it harder
for the socialist leader to raise
badly needed cash.
Maduro accused President
Donald Trump of trampling
on international law and
relations with Latin America
by taking actions that he
said would cause “great
damage” to the Venezuelan
oil economy as well as Amer-
ican investors who own the
country’s bonds.
He singled out the
president of Venezuela’s
congress, Julio Borges, as
being the “mastermind” of
the fi nancial and economic
“blockade” and called on the
government-stacked supreme
court and a new, all-powerful
constitutional assembly to
initiate proceedings against
opponents who have lobbied
in favor of the sanctions.
“You’ve got to be a big
traitor to your country to
ask for sanctions against
Venezuela,” Maduro said in a
televised appearance.
The sanctions, which
Trump signed by executive
order, prohibit American
fi nancial institutions from
providing new money to the
government or the state oil
company, PDVSA. They also
ban trading in two bonds the
AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan
Militia members shouts slogans during a speech by
Gen. Carlos Leal Telleria, Commander of the Venezuelan
Bolivarian Militia, in Fort Tiuna, Caracas, Venezuela, Friday.
government recently issued
to circumvent its increasing
isolation from Western fi nan-
cial markets.
They also restrict the
Venezuelan oil giant’s U.S.
subsidiary, Citgo, from
sending dividends back to
Venezuela — a move that
Maduro said would lead
to the “virtual closure” of
a company responsible for
thousands of American jobs.
“They’re
committing
robbery, fraud,” Maduro
said, adding that Venezuela
would reach out to its U.S.
partners to make sure decades
of business relationships
aren’t broken. If necessary
BRIEFLY
Heppner chamber luncheon
presents overview
HEPPNER — The upcoming Heppner
Chamber of Commerce meeting features an
all entities report.
The no-host luncheon is Thursday,
Sept. 7 at noon at Heppner City Hall, 111
N. Main St. The meal, which costs $10,
is catered by Gateway Café and features
chicken Alfredo pasta, fresh garden salad,
dinner rolls and a cookie.
To ensure there’s enough space and
food, those planing to attend are asked to
RSVP by Friday, Sept. 1 by contacting
541-676-5536 or heppnerchamber@
centurytel.net.
Umatilla County library
district hires new director
PENDLETON — Erin McCusker was
recently hired as the new director of the
Umatilla County Special Library District.
McCusker has extensive experience in a
variety of library service fi elds. Starting her
library career in 1992, McCusker spent 11
years in the Boise Basin Library District,
becoming its director in 1997. She then
became the library consultant for the Idaho
Commission for Libraries in Boise.
She then moved to Flagstaff, Arizona,
when her husband was transferred with
the U.S. Forest Service. There, McCusker
worked at the Flagstaff City-Coconino
County Public Library as an adult and
youth services librarian for a year before
becoming a branch supervisor.
The Umatilla County Special Library
District board views McCusker’s varied
background as an asset in working
collaboratively with the independent
libraries in the district. McCusker has
worked in Pendleton for a private fi rm
in records management for the past three
years. She is happy to be back in libraries
serving the public.
Formed in 1986, the library district is
an independent taxing district funded by
taxpayer dollars. Its mission is to support
the development of public libraries in
Umatilla County to provide services,
programs and continuing educational
opportunities to individuals of all ages. For
more information, visit www.ucsld.org.
Two-day conference
highlights workplace safety
BEND — A two-day conference focuses
on safe and healthy workplaces, including
a keynote address by an electrician who
survived being electrocuted by a 12,500-
volt, 200-amp overhead power line.
Oregon’s Occupational Safety and
Health Division is partnering with
several agencies to present such topics
as identifying workplace hazards and
making safety committees more effective
to implementing a hearing conservation
program and exploring fundamentals of fall
protection.
Gary Norland’s opening keynote speech
“The Impact of an Injury: What are You
Risking?” is Tuesday, Sept. 19 at 11:30
a.m. The conference is Sept. 19-20 at
Riverhouse on the Deschutes in Bend.
Registration is $145 or one day for $100.
For more information or to register, visit
https://safetyseries.cvent.com/central17.
For questions, call 503-947-7411.
———
Business briefs are compiled from staff
and wire reports, and press releases. Email
press releases to business@eastoregonian.
com
the government would fi nd
new markets for the roughly
700,000 barrels of oil it sends
daily to the U.S., he said.
Trump offi cials stressed
that by leaving untouched
crude shipments between the
United States and Venezuela
the sanctions were targeting
Maduro and his allies, not the
Venezuelan people.
“Maduro may no longer
take advantage of the
American fi nancial system
to facilitate the wholesale
looting of the Venezuelan
economy at the expense of
the Venezuelan people,”
Treasury Secretary Steven
Mnuchin said at the White
House. “These measures will
undermine Maduro’s ability
to pay off political cronies,
and regime supporters, and
increase pressure on the
regime to abandon it’s disas-
trous path.”
A senior Trump adminis-
tration offi cial said additional
sanctions would be imposed
if Maduro doesn’t reverse
course and meet opposition
demands that he roll back
plans to rewrite the constitu-
tion, free dozens of political
prisoners, and hold fair and
transparent elections.
In a conference call
to brief reporters on the
measures, the offi cial said the
United States has signifi cant
infl uence over Venezuela’s
economy but does not want
to wield it in an irresponsible
manner that could further
burden the already struggling
Venezuelan people. The
offi cial spoke on condition
of anonymity to discuss the
measures in greater detail.
Saturday, August 26, 2017
Test drive event to
help Hermiston choir
By TAMMY MALGESINI
East Oregonian
The Hermiston High
School choir will benefi t
from a promotion spon-
sored by the Ford Motor
Company.
Nick Kennedy, chief
operations offi cer at Tom
Denchel Ford Country, said
up to $6,000 can be raised
in less than a full day’s
work during this weekend’s
Drive 4 UR School event.
“Each time we’ve had
one in Hermiston, we’ve
exceeded Ford Motor
Company’s goal,” he said.
“We max out every year
with donations in a short
fi ve to six hours.”
The fundraising event
is simple, Kennedy said.
For each qualifi ed driver
that takes a short test drive,
Ford Motor Company will
donate $20 (up to $6,000).
The choir is raising money
for a spring break trip to
Disneyland.
Drive 4 UR School is
Saturday from 10 a.m. to
5 p.m. in the parking lot at
Hermiston High School,
600 S. First St. To avoid
waiting, people can register
in advance by calling
541-567-3291.
Also,
walk-ins are welcome.
Students and other volun-
teers will be available to
watch kids while parents
take a test drive, said Maria
Duron, Hermiston School
District communications
offi cer and community
relations specialist.
Kennedy said partic-
ipants won’t experience
high-pressured salesmen
pushing for people to
purchase a new car. Those
taking test drives will be
accompanied by teachers,
advisors, parents of choir
students or other volun-
teers. However, if people
want to drive away in a
new car, they will have an
opportunity.
“We will have a represen-
tative on site if people have
questions,” Kennedy said.
While in California,
Duron said the choir will
perform in Disneyland’s
Magic Music Days. In
addition, students will have
an opportunity to work with
Disney professionals.
“Some of these activities
probably wouldn’t be
possible if it wasn’t for the
support of organizations
like the Ford company,”
Duron said. “They are
one of many organizations
in the community that
support our schools.”
The
Ford
Motor
Company started the Drive
4 UR School program in
2007 as a way to give back
to communities across the
country. Kennedy said
because of the program’s
popularity
dealerships
are typically limited to
sponsoring two events
per year. Also, he said the
local company’s president
strongly promotes the
program.
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