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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 2, 2017)
REGION Saturday, September 2, 2017 East Oregonian PILOT ROCK Page 3A BOARDMAN Murder suspect asks for settlement for the settlement confer- ence, but there is a pre-trial proceeding in the case David Alexander Alvarez Thursday. Alvarez, 18, faces charges of Boardman is looking to go behind closed doors for of murder, second-degree a deal on the murder case manslaughter and two counts unlawful use of a weapon. against him. Alvarez’s attorney, The state accused Alvarez of shooting and Dean Gushwa of killing Evencio Pendleton, fi led a Salas Birrueta, request Monday in 27, of Irrigon, Morrow County the night of Sept. Circuit Court for a 11, 2016, at the settlement confer- Wilson Road ence. Circuit Mobile Home Judge Eva Temple Park, Boardman. signed the order In an unrelated Tuesday. case, Cesar Gushwa in Alvarez Corcuera Jimenez, court documents stated he reviewed the 27, is heading to a settle- evidence in the case, ment conference Sept. 22 consulted with Alvarez and in Morrow County Circuit concluded a “settlement Court. He faces charges of conference mediated by a attempted murder, fi rst-de- circuit court judge could lead gree assault and more. The to a negotiated settlement in state accused Jimenez of shooting and injuring Robert this case.” Gushwa also stated he Aguilera of Boardman with a spoke with Morrow County .22-caliber rifl e on April 29. Court records also show District Attorney Justin Nelson, and “he agrees such Jimenez has a two-day trial a conference could help starting Tuesday in Umatilla reach a resolution in this case County Circuit Court for possession of metham- short of trial.” Nelson did not immedi- phetamine, unlawful use of a weapon, fourth-degree ately return a call Friday. Most proceedings in assault and felon in posses- Oregon courts are open to sion of a restricted weapon. the public, but settlement The state accused him of conferences are not. The committing the crimes in court has yet to set a date January. By PHIL WRIGHT East Oregonian Staff photo by E.J. Harris A rafter of wild turkeys crosses a bridge over East Birch Creek on East Birch Creek Road outside of Pilot Rock in January, 2013. Roaming turkeys make trouble By PHIL WRIGHT East Oregonian Pilot Rock City Council will talk turkey Tuesday night. Hundreds of the wild game birds are making their home in the small town in the foot- hills of the Blue Mountains. City Recorder Teri Porter in a memo to the council stated, “Several citizens have called city hall with concerns and looking for help from our city leaders.” Citizens have complained about the droppings left by the turkeys and damage to property and landscaping caused by the roaming rafters. Mayor Virginia Carnes said the situation sure is interesting, and she saw maybe a hundred or more of the fl ightless birds a few weeks ago near the commu- nity center. The turkeys fl ock in more than one group, she said, and roost at night in the trees along Birch Creek. “Not every town has its own turkey herd,” she said. “But we don’t know what to do about them.” The city council plans to discuss the matter when it meets Tuesday starting at 7 p.m. at city hall. Porter in the memo told the council she spoke with Oregon Depart- ment of Fish and Wildlife staff about how to get a handle on the birds. “First and foremost DO NOT FEED THE TURKEYS,” the memo states. “They also suggested knocking them off their roosts after dark.” Porter recommended asking someone from the state wildlife department to come to a council meeting to serve up some possible turkey solutions. Adopting a taxing district to support the Oregon State University Extension Service comes back before council for consideration. Umatilla County Board of Commis- sioners gave its approval for the district, which also would span Morrow County. And the city council of Hermiston voted to put the matter on the May 2018 ballot. The council also will consider updating city laws to exempt assistance and service dogs from licensing. The move would bring the city’s code into compliance with state and federal laws. And Pilot Rock Police Chief Bill Caldera plans to ask the council to make changes to the code for dealing with storing cars on city streets, including allowing people to store the vehicles in public for 72 hours instead of 24. Pendleton looks to cut old airport debt By ANTONIO SIERRA East Oregonian The Pendleton City Council will look into paying less for old investments at the Eastern Oregon Regional Airport before potentially approving new ones. With Round-Up week wiping away the council’s usual workshop on the second Tuesday of the month, the council will include workshop items with regular business at the Tuesday meeting. Among the workshop items is a discussion of writing off interest on $2.5 million in airport debt with the city’s auditor, Rob Tremper. The city has long used interfund loans to subsidize the airport, previously borrowing from the general fund and library trust fund before moving the source to the sewer fund and system development charge fund. City Manager Robb Corbett said state law gives Pendleton fl exibility on how EO fi le photo The Eastern Oregon Regional Airport in Pendleton. to pay back its interfund debt. According to a spreadsheet prepared by Tremper, Pend- leton has paid more than $1.2 million in interest since 1995. Longterm, the city intends to use revenue from the Pendleton Unmanned Aerial Systems Range to pay back the debt. Corbett said the council won’t take action on Tuesday but could vote on a resolution to write off the interest at a future meeting. The council is set to take action on another airport project, a $995,323 contract with Pioneer Construction of Pendleton to install new water mains and do road work at the airport’s indus- trial park. According to a report from City Engineer Tim Simons and Public Works Director Bob Patterson, the need to improve the airport’s water infrastructure was discovered during the master Police stun suspect during confrontation East Oregonian Milton-Freewater police used a stun gun to take down a burglary suspect. Police Chief Doug Boedigheimer in a written statement reported the jolt of electricity from the Taser prevented Rodrigo Campos-Rodriguez from grabbing a nearby knife. Milton-Freewater police on Tuesday investigated a burglary, Boedigheimer reported, and developed probable cause to arrest Rodriguez, 21, who likely is a vagrant in the Milton-Free- water area. While an offi cer was contacting a burglary victim, the city’s dispatch told police Rodriguez was trespassing just a few houses away. Rodriguez was gone, however, before the offi cer arrived. Another Milton-Free- water offi cer on Thursday spotted Rodriguez riding a bicycle in the area of De Haven Street and Broadway Avenue, ordered Rodriguez to stop and told him he was under arrest. “Rodriguez refused to comply, fl ed fi rst on the bicycle, then on foot, to the area of 115 N.W. First St., which is an apartment complex,” the chief reported. “Multiple offi cers were unable to locate Rodriguez at this time.” Later that day, police received a tip that Rodriguez returned and was at 115½ N.W. First St. Offi cers contacted a resident there, who confi rmed Rodriguez was inside and allowed offi cers in to make the arrest. Rodriguez was “non-com- pliant,” Boedigheimer stated, and a knife was within his reach, so police shot Rodri- guez with a stun gun, which “brought Rodriguez into compliance.” Police arrested him with no more problems. Paramedics checked out Rodriguez, and offi cers took him to the police department, then to the Umatilla County Jail, Pendleton. Rodriguez faces charges of fi rst-degree criminal tres- pass, fi rst-degree burglary, fi rst-degree theft, third-de- gree theft, resisting arrest and interfering with a peace offi cer. Police also arrested him on a Umatilla County felony probation violation warrant for failure to appear. Hearing set for Lifeways psychiatric hospital HERMISTON — The Oregon Health Authority has set a date for a public hearing for Lifeways’ proposed psychiatric hospital, Aspen Springs, in Hermiston. The public hearing required in the Certifi cate of Need process for the hospital will be at 1:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 25, at the Hermiston Conference Center, 415 Hwy. 395, Hermiston. Anyone present at the meeting will have the chance to ask questions of the OHA Public Health Division staff about the proposed facility and its functions. Once the facility has its certifi cate, there are several other steps that Lifeways will have to complete before beginning operations at 1212 W. Linda Ave., Hermiston. planning process. “When the modeling analysis was done as part of the plan, it was found that this water main backbone would not be capable to support future development in other parts of the Airport Industrial Area,” they wrote. “This project will provide addi- tional water fl ow capacity to the entire area in the East Airport Industrial Park, as well as better supply to future development to the west.” The city will use funds from an Oregon Legislature bill passed in 2009 for the Airport Road extension project to cover the cost of improving roads at the airport. Patterson and Simons wrote that the money will go toward reconstructing Northwest H Avenue and Northwest 49th Street in addition to new overlays for other streets in the airport industrial area. The council will meet at 7 p.m. at the council chambers in city hall, 500 S.W. Dorion Ave. With the extra money, my dream car became a reality. Barn workshop coming Oct. 7 UNION — Restore Oregon, a nonprofi t orga- nization advocating for the preservation of historic places, will host its 2017 Annual Heritage Barn Workshop on Friday, Oct. 7 at Oregon State University’s Eastern Oregon Agriculture Research Center in Union. The workshop will be held at the center’s 1914 “big red barn,” and will feature some of the state’s most well-versed experts to share their skills and expertise. Barn owners can learn about how to maintain, rehabilitate and adapt heritage barns for modern use, as well as funding options available. Local partners include the Eastern Oregon Visitors Association and OSU Extension Service. The event will run from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and includes lunch. Tickets are $10, and can be purchased at www.restoreoregon.org. For more information, call 503-243-1923. - EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY - Administrative Support / Inside Sales Great work environment. Super awesome team. Good base pay PLUS commissions. Retirement plan. Weekends off. Interested? We are looking for a motivated, confident individual to join our team at East Oregonian in Pendleton. This full- time position will do inside sales and provide administrative support to the advertising director and publisher. No media or sales experience? No problem, as long as you understand the importance of great customer service, working hard and a desire to enjoy your job. Could this be you? Benefits include Paid Time Off (PTO) and 401(k)/Roth 401(k) retirement plan. Send resume and letter of interest to EO Media Group, PO Box 2048, Salem, OR 97308-2048 or e-mail hr@eomediagroup.com Come work with us! We are an awesome team. Send resume and letter of interest to EO Media Group, PO Box 2048 • Salem, OR 97308-2048, by fax to 503-371-2935 or e-mail hr@eomediagroup.com Become an East Oregonian Carrier. 211 SE Byers Ave. Pendleton or call: 541-276-2211 1-800-522-0255 Come work with us! We are an awesome team.
