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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 7, 2017)
WEEKEND EDITION BUCKS CAN’T ESCAPE COUGARS VOLUNTEER MENTORS SPORTS/1B CROW’S SHADOW EARNS HIGH PRAISE REGION/3A LIFESTYLES/1C OCTOBER 7-8, 2017 141st Year, No. 255 $1.50 WINNER OF THE 2017 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD BOARDMAN Students test fi t of blue collar port jobs Morrow County students get glimpse of local opportunities on Manufacturing Day By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN East Oregonian Staff photo by E.J. Harris ABOVE: A group of walkers use the trail during a Walk Hermiston event on Wednesday at Riverfront Park in Hermiston. BELOW: An old rope swing hangs from a tree over the Umatilla River at Steelhead Park outside of Hermiston. Parks and reclamation Government agencies balance priorities on western stretch of Umatilla River Riverfront View Development of parks, trails and wildlife habitats along the western Umatilla River help more members of the public access the river. W. Elm Avenue 222-acre Oxbow reclamation area p R R N.W. 11th Street till a Uma r ive dle n Pri o Lo Good Shepherd Health Care System d oa Powerline Road rai bow T l Ox W. Orchard Avenue 207 W. Highland Avenue a Um tilla Ri ve HERMISTON r S.W. 11th Street 5.12-acre Steelhead Park property Riverfront Park t ree S.W. 17th St There are a number of ways to work in manufacturing. On Friday, some Morrow County students got to see just a few of them up close. For National Manufac- turing Day, the Port of Morrow hosted 15 students from Heppner, Ione, Irrigon and Riverside high schools, talking to them about certifi cation programs at Blue Mountain Community College, working in data centers, and job oppor- tunities in and around Morrow County. “Morrow County ranks third in Oregon for the highest annual-wage jobs,” said Kalie Davis, the Port of Morrow’s workforce development coor- dinator. “We want (students) to know what’s available and what the needs are.” Before heading off to Lamb Weston for a tour, students spent time talking to Jerry McMichael, the department chair of the Industrial Systems Technology program, about the different skills they can learn. He walked students through a lab with several stations, each set up with equipment they’d learn to use in different jobs. He walked them through the pneumatics system, or air powered pistons and air motors, hydraulics, and mechanical drive systems, which includes chains, belts and pulleys. He showed them examples of rigging and lifting systems, and pump systems. He encouraged students to keep an open mind as they look for a career. “I bet you money that the guys who work with pumps, they didn’t start out saying, ‘I want to be a pump tech,’” he said. “But when they look at these systems, their eyes light up. Sometimes that passion comes later.” While the college doesn’t teach electrical systems, See JOBS/14A 1,000 feet Sources: Bureau of Reclamation; City of Hermiston Alan Kenaga / EO Media Group By JADE MCDOWELL East Oregonian As the Umatilla River winds its way from the Blue Mountains to the Columbia River, the caretakers of its banks are working to strike a balance between resto- ration and recreation. Near Hermiston, a 220-acre former ranch known as the Oxbow site was purchased by the Bureau of Reclamation with habitat restoration in mind. Three years ago volunteers planted 7,000 trees on the land to restore the natural fl oodplain and establish more wildlife habitat. About 56 percent of those trees have survived. “We’ll see how they continue to do out here, but I think it was a pretty successful planting,” Bureau of Reclamation natural resources specialist Chet Sater said. After problems ranging from a hungry beaver to a particularly hot summer, Sater said the bureau expected more like 50 percent to survive. Some species did not fare so well, but hundreds of ponderosa pines and cottonwoods are still standing. As the trees continue to grow they will provide cooling shade, attract wildlife and send clearer water back into the river. Not all trees are good news. Sater said the biggest thing the property needs is removal of the invasive Russian olive trees and other non-native vegetation, something he said would be a “massive undertaking.” “About every other plant out here is some kind of invasive species,” he said. Invasive species like Russian olives proliferate quickly, choking out other plant life that is more suited to the ecosystem. Full removal and replacement with native species could run into the millions of dollars, but every little bit can help. Sater said the volunteer group Tour of Knowl- edge has been dedicated about removing See RIVER/14A Governor renews push to close gun ownership loopholes in 2018 By CLAIRE WITHYCOMBE Capital Bureau Staff photo by E.J. Harris Running for the hills A woman takes a pair of horses out for a run through a stubble fi eld under the foothills of the Blue Mountains on Friday near Adams. SALEM — Oregon Gov. Kate Brown renewed a push to tighten state laws restricting gun ownership Friday. Days after a deadly shooting in Las Vegas that took 58 lives and injured hundreds, Brown called on Oregon lawmakers to “put politics aside” and pass two proposals that failed in the 2017 legislative session. But it’s not apparent what will change lawmakers’ minds in the upcoming 35-day legislative session, which is due to begin Feb. 1, 2018. One proposal, according to the Governor’s Offi ce, would prevent a person from purchasing a fi rearm “unless and until” Oregon State Police verify they are eligible to do so. As it stands, people in Oregon can still purchase a gun without background check if OSP doesn’t verify them in 72 hours. This often called the “Charleston loop- hole,” after the shooter in the Charleston church killings was able to purchase his gun See GUNS/14A
