REGION
Friday, November 10, 2017
East Oregonian
Page 3A
Groups ask governor to reopen wolf killing case
By GEORGE PLAVEN
East Oregonian
An alliance of conservation
groups is asking Oregon Gov. Kate
Brown to reopen the state’s inves-
tigation into the killing of a female
wolf Oct. 27 in Union County.
Brian Scott, a 38-year-old elk
hunter from Clackamas, shot the
wolf after he claims the animal
charged him, though critics argue
that photos released by Oregon
State Police directly contradict that
story.
The groups — 18 in all — sent
a letter Thursday to Gov. Brown
requesting that OSP reopen the
case, with independent oversight
from the Office of the Attorney
General and full cooperation from
the Oregon Department of Fish &
Wildlife.
“Enforcement of Oregon’s wild-
life laws is crucial to deter criminals
and to protect our state’s most
vulnerable species,” the letter reads.
“A failure to hold OSP accountable
in this case could set a dangerous
precedent and send a message that
Oregon will look the other way
when it comes to illegally killing
wolves and other wildlife.”
A spokesman for the governor’s
office did not return calls by press
time.
In a recent interview with the
Capital Press, an EO Media Group
newspaper, Scott said he screamed
when he saw the wolf charging
him, pulled up his rifle and fired
a single shot. The 83-pound
female was associated with the
OR-30 pair of wolves occupying
the Starkey and Ukiah wildlife
management units, straddling
Umatilla and Union counties.
Scott said he feared for his life,
and felt he would have been mauled
had he not shot.
“I take no pride in this at all,”
Scott said. “The only thing I’m
happy about is I made it home to my
wife and two children.”
The complete account is on Page
10C of today’s newspaper.
However, as the groups point
out, photos show the bullet passed
through the wolf’s shoulders, an
indication that maybe the animal
was standing broadside to Scott
rather than running directly at him.
The evidence “casts serious doubt
on both the hunter’s story and OSP’s
interpretation of the evidence,” the
letter states.
The Union County District
Attorney’s Office declined to
prosecute Scott, chalking up the
incident to self-defense. It is illegal
to kill wolves in Oregon except in
defense of human life or to protect
livestock under a specific set of
circumstances.
“Self-defense claims are difficult
to substantiate in cases like this,”
the letter goes on. “We are not
questioning that the hunter may
have felt fearful. We are, however,
questioning his story that he shot the
wolf while it was running toward
him. We are questioning OSP’s
official report of the incident, which
corroborated the hunter’s story even
though the evidence suggested
otherwise. And we are questioning
the Union County District Attor-
ney’s decision not to prosecute.”
Scott told the Capital Press he
cannot explain the bullet’s trajectory
and does not know if the animal
veered sideways as he shot. He
said the moment makes him almost
nauseous, and it will be something
he has to live with the rest of his life.
Steve Pedery, conservation
director for Oregon Wild, said the
physical evidence raises a red flag
and he does not want to see self-de-
fense become a “get out of jail free
card” for potential poachers.
“It’s irresponsible of ODFW and
OSP to let this stand, if the physical
evidence contradicts it,” Pedery
said.
In addition to Oregon Wild,
groups that signed on to the letter
include the Center for Biological
Diversity, Sierra Club, Defenders
of Wildlife and Endangered Species
Coalition, among others.
———
Contact George Plaven at
gplaven@eastoregonian.com
or
541-966-0825.
PENDLETON
Indian restaurant reopens as Flavors of India
East Oregonian
Indian food is back in
Pendleton with the same
ownership and location, but
under a different name.
Owners
Surya
and
Andrea Das opened Flavors
of India at 103 S.E. Court
Ave., the same spot where
Govinda’s Garden opened
two years ago.
Surya Das thinks he’s
zeroed in on what made
the family’s first foray into
Indian dining unsuccessful.
“In this cowboy town,
vegetarian (cuisine) isn’t the
right option,” he said.
Govinda’s
Garden
opened in Pendleton in 2015,
the restaurant acting not only
as the city’s only Indian
restaurant, but also as its
only completely vegetarian
eatery. The couple moved
Govinda’s Garden to College
Place at the end of 2016 and
an Italian restaurant named
Fattonies took its place last
summer.
Das said it was difficult
to manage businesses in
two separate towns at once
— the Dases also own The
Marigold Hotel connected
to the restaurant space
— and traveling between
Pendleton and College
Place was made harder
Photo by Antonio Sierra
The restaurant at 103 S.E. Court Ave. relaunched as Flavors of India Nov. 2.
Photo contributed by Milne McLaughlin
during a heavy winter.
When Fattonies folded
after
Round-Up,
the
family retook the space
and converted it back to an
Indian restaurant.
When the space reopened
Nov. 2 it was rechristened
Flavors of India, a move
meant to disassociate the
restaurant with vegetarian
cuisine. The restaurant now
has several chicken dishes
including curry, korma and
masala.
Flavors of India is a
buffet during
lunchtime
and a traditional restaurant
during the evenings.
Flavors of India is one
of six business licenses the
city of Pendleton issued in
October. Below are the rest
of the business names, their
physical or mailing address
and their owner or contact
person.
• Southern Twine, 615 W.
Highland Ave., Hermiston,
Patrick Hunt
• Moeuth Soeum, 8 S.E.
Dorion Ave., Moe Pho
•
Eastern
Oregon
Mechanical, P.O. Box 1377,
Hermiston
• Lawn CH, 1901 N.W.
56th Ave., Stephen Lawn
• Alphabet School, 920
S.W. Frazer Ave.
Vogler named Realtor of the year
Pendleton real estate agent Matt Vogler
receives the Umatilla County Board of Realtors’
2017 Realtor of the Year Award from Milne
McLaughlin, principal broker with the
Pendleton-based Clark Jennings & Associates.
The local board reported it selected Vogler for
his dedication, willingness to work hard with
other brokers and community service.
Comfort
Food at Hamley
Steakhouse
Umatilla County Fire District wins state award
By JAYATI
RAMAKRISHNAN
East Oregonian
They’re a freshman orga-
nization, but the Umatilla
County Fire District received
a statewide honor at its board
meeting this Wednesday —
the Oregon Fire District of
the Year award.
“We were nominated
this year at the Oregon Fire
District Directors Associa-
tion conference,” said Chief
Scott Stanton.
Stanton said he wasn’t
involved with the process, but
the district was nominated
for a variety of successful
endeavors, including contri-
butions to the community and
facilitating internal growth.
“We’re a brand-new
district, and that went fairly
smoothly,” he said. He
also attributed the award to
programs like the commu-
nity paramedic service,
which allows the district to
partner with Good Shepherd
Medical Center to provide
preventative treatment, as
well as the construction of
the four-story drill tower
and the district’s cooperation
with local schools teaching
home and fire safety.
“This award was made
possible by all the members
of the district including the
board of the directors and
the great support of our
citizens,” Stanton said via
email. “It truly is an award
for our district members and
the public.”
———
Contact
Jayati
Ramakrishnan
at
jramakrishnan@eastorego-
nian.com or 541-564-4534
NEW WINTER MENU
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