Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 10, 2017)
OFF PAGE ONE Friday, November 10, 2017 East Oregonian STANFIELD WORLD BRIEFLY Nakapalau speaks about safe driving at assembly White House: No formal Trump- Putin meeting on Asia trip DANANG, Vietnam (AP) — President Donald Trump will not have a formal sit-down with Russian President Vladimir Putin while the two attend a summit, the White House said Friday shortly before Trump landed in Vietnam, the fourth stop on his first official visit to Asia. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force Once, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders blamed scheduling conflicts on both sides for the fact that the leaders will not meet formally during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit taking place in the coastal city of Danang. But Sanders said it was “possible” and “likely” that they could have a less formal encounter, either in Danang or later in the Philippines at another regional conference. “Now, they’re going to be in the same place. Are they going to bump into each other and say hello? Certainly possible and likely,” she said. “But in terms of a scheduled, formal meeting, there’s not one on the calendar and we don’t anticipate that there will be one.” U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had told reporters in Beijing on Thursday that there was no reason to schedule a meeting if the U.S. and Russia are unable to make significant progress on issues including Syria and Ukraine. “The view has been if the two leaders are going to meet, is there something sufficiently substantive to talk about that would warrant a formal meeting,” he said. APEC is the first of multiple summits Trump will attend on his first trip to Asia as president. The news comes a day after Trump set aside his blistering rhetoric in favor of friendly overtures to China on Thursday, trying to flatter his hosts into establishing a more balanced trade relationship and doing more to blunt North Korea’s nuclear ambitions. By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN East Oregonian Photo courtesy Javier Tejeda A major multi-vehicle accident west of Boardman Thursday caused many injuries and closed eastbound Interstate 84 for much of the day. I-84: Eastbound lanes to be closed for some time Continued from 1A gave as much information as he could, then started to help at the scene. “There were injured people everywhere,” he said. Tejeda said a girl was trapped in the backseat of a small car, her mother “freaking out” while Tejeda tried to calm her. He said a young girl was walking around the highway and another man was bleeding from his head. Other people were just driving slowly through the crash scene, which he couldn’t believe. Multiple ambulances, both on ground and the air, responded. Eastbound traffic was stopped for more than an hour, then was diverted into one westbound lane for much of the day to get around the crash. The extent of the injuries and the people involved was not available by press time. But it wasn’t the only tragedy law enforcement had to deal with Thursday in that same area. OSP troopers were called to a separate crash about nine hours earlier and only a few miles east. About 3 a.m., a gold Ford Ranger and white commer- cial truck were involved in a minor collision on the eastbound offramp to Tower Road. After the wreck, the driver of the Ranger ran from the scene and the truck driver called police, according to information from OSP. Once on scene, troopers learned the fleeing man had run toward the Tower Road overpass. Troopers later found the man dead on the highway shoulder about 120 feet east of the overpass. As of press time, he has been identified only as a 28-year-old Port- land man. According to OSP, evidence at the scene indi- cated the man scaled the fence on the overpass and jumped, then was struck by an unknown motor vehicle that kept driving. Troopers believe the man may have been struck by a dark metallic gray vehicle. Anyone with information regarding this incident who has not already spoken to investigators is asked to call the Oregon State Police Dispatch at 541-276-2121 and reference Incident # SP17409491. Trooper Mitch Pace from the Pendleton Area Command is the lead investigator. ——— Reporter Jayati Ramakrishnan contributed to this story. For their annual Veterans Day assembly, Stanfield students heard from a familiar speaker. Lou Nakapalau, an Echo city councilor, reprised his role as the Veterans Day speaker after first addressing students at the 2015 assembly. But this year, Nakapalau, who served in Vietnam and was the only uniformed veteran in attendance, didn’t focus on his own service, or anyone else’s. Instead, he talked about how students shape the world they live in. “Good, bad or indifferent, you all play a part,” he said. “For some of you, you will be the first in your family to graduate high school, or the first to go to college and earn a degree, thereby making this country better.” From there, Nakapalau’s speech took a turn. He asked everyone in the audience with a driver’s license to stand up. “Myself and other combat veterans — chose a profession where the chance of growing old were slim,” he said. But the biggest combat zone, he said, is the highway. He noted an accident Thursday morning, at Feedville and Edwards roads, which had sent two teenagers to the hospital. “All you guys are going to have are memories unless you realize that what you have once you put that key in the ignition are weapons,” he said. “For the sake of your friends, loved ones and siblings — please, don’t text and drive.” Nakapalau, an Echo city councilor, recently drew criticism for making anti-gay comments on Facebook. Nakapalau’s speech was followed by some patriotic songs by the school band and a moment of silence. Next week, students will continue to honor veterans by collecting supplies to send to soldiers. Madison Poulson, a junior and the school’s ASB president, said the students would be placing cardboard boxes around the school starting Monday, and sending the supplies they collected by Nov. 17. She said they were looking for personal hygiene items such as toothbrushes and toothpaste, card games and newspapers. They hope to collect enough supplies to send 31 boxes. “We’ll send them to a platoon overseas,” she said. The students are also raising money to ship the boxes, as each one costs $17 to ship. ——— Contact Jayati Ramakrishnan at jramakrishnan@eastorego- nian.com or 541-564-4534 Scores more Saudis detained in $100 billion corruption sweep RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Dozens more people have been taken into custody by Saudi authorities, the kingdom said Thursday, bringing to 201 the number detained in a sweep that investigators say has uncovered at least $100 billion in corruption. Saudi critics and experts have called the unprecedented purge of top princes and businessmen a bold and risky move by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman aimed at consolidating power as he keeps an eye on the throne, sidelining potential rivals and dismantling alliances built with other branches of the royal family. The sweep comes at a time of increased tensions between Saudi Arabia and its main regional rival, Iran, over the ongoing conflict and suffering in Yemen and a newly erupting political crisis in Lebanon. Saudi Attorney General Saud al-Mojeb said 208 people had been called in for questioning, and that seven were released without charge, leaving 201 in custody. The new figure is far larger than what was previously reported by the government, reflecting a continuing series of arrests throughout the week. The stunning purge began overnight Saturday, initially catching 11 princes and 38 officials, military officers and business leaders. They are being held at five-star hotels, including the Ritz- Carlton in Riyadh. The 32-year-old crown prince, who is the son of King Salman, is leading the investigation as head of a newly formed anti- corruption committee. Page 11A FRIDAY DECEMBER 1, 2017 SATURDAY DECEMBER 2, 2017 Evening Celebration | 6:00 PM Family Day | 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM TICKETS/ADMISSION: $35 per seat FREE ADMISSION (thanks to Wildhorse Resort & Casino) • Prime rib & seafood dinner • Lunch with Santa & his elves • Live and silent auctions • Make ornaments & playdough • Live jazz band & entertainment • Write letters to Santa BOTH EVENTS WILL BE LOCATED AT THE Pendleton Convention Center For more information or to purchase tickets, contact St. Anthony Hospital Foundation at (541) 966-0528. All proceeds benefit the Children’s Museum of Eastern Oregon, Pioneer Relief Nursery, and St. Anthony Hospital Foundation.
