WHERE TO EAT THIS THANKSGIVING 55/38 SEAHAWKS WITHOUT SHERMAN REGION/3A SPORTS/1B WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2017 142nd Year, No. 21 One dollar WINNER OF THE 2017 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD Offi cials seek state help for businesses hurt by fi re PENDLETON By CLAIRE WITHYCOMBE Capital Bureau Staff photo by E.J. Harris Guests move through a pizza buffet at Washington Elementary during a family night for American Indian students and their families on Tuesday in Pendleton. The Pendleton School District received improved marks in a 2016 survey of their American Indian student population. Culture & community Tribal students give good grades on district’s cultural responsiveness By ANTONIO SIERRA East Oregonian Following years of sustained efforts to improve the outcomes of its Native American popu- lation, the Pendleton School District recently received high marks from its American Indian students. At the Pendleton School Board’s annual meeting on the Umatilla Indian Reservation Monday, Julie Smith, the district’s director of special programs, shared the results of a student survey conducted by the University of Oregon. During spring 2016, the university surveyed 178 eighth, 10th and 12th-grade students and asked them questions about their feelings toward their teachers, schools and cultural identities. Of the students interviewed, 16 identifi ed as American Indian/Native Alaskan while an additional 13 students identifi ed Staff photo by E.J. Harris Matt Yoshioka, director of Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment for the Pendleton School District, speaks with Keirsen Spencer, 12, Brad Spencer and Karter Spencer, 7, during family night Tuesday at Washington Elementary. as American Indian/Native Alaskan and another ethnicity. A total of 14 percent of respon- dents were either full or partially American Indian and include members the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. “Native students who partic- ipated in the survey felt overall positive about their school envi- ronment,” the study concludes. “Their average ratings of each survey domain were around the scale’s midpoint, meaning that tended to “somewhat agree” that the academic and instructional supports provided by their teachers were culturally respon- sive, that they were proud of and felt connected to their cultural identity, and that the school had good relationships with their families and communities.” But some of the statistics provided by the survey showed that the district has more work to do. One in four American Indian students felt that none of their teachers knew about their cultural backgrounds, and three of every four multi-ethnic Native American students said the same. Thirty percent of American Indian students felt that neither their education or their curric- ulum understood their culture. Thirty-eight percent said their See SCHOOL/8A “The majority of students felt the school welcomed their family and community, but that teachers did not always reach out to their family members to invite them to the school.” — Julie Smith, Pendleton School District’s director of special programs SALEM — This summer’s harsh fi re season left behind economic damages that Oregon offi cials and members of the busi- ness community are still trying to quantify. Although the state is still researching the extent of the impact, economic devel- opment offi cials want to ask the Legislature in the upcoming short legislative session for funds for low-interest loans for small businesses affected by wildfi res, perhaps triggered by an offi cial disaster declaration by the governor. Reduced revenues and cash fl ow for businesses due to disruptive wildfi res this summer could impact their credit ratings and their access to capital, Jason Lewis- Berry, director of Regional Solutions and jobs and economy policy adviser to Gov. Kate Brown, told legislators on Tuesday. The state’s employment department said late last month that the fi res didn’t impact the unemployment rate statewide, but certain regions suffered higher job losses in September. About 600 more leisure and hospitality jobs in Central Oregon, the Columbia River Gorge and southwest Oregon were cut in September than is typical, according to the Oregon Employment Department. Lewis-Berry said the state is still collecting data on lodging tax receipts and See FIRE/8A Bellinger wins re-election to Westland board East Oregonian Incumbent Jack Bellinger defeated challenger Ray Vogt in a tight election for a seat on the Westland Irrigation District Board of Directors. According to unoffi cial results Tuesday night, Bellinger received 107 votes and Vogt received 95. The Westland board of directors will meet at 1 p.m. Monday, Nov. 20 at the district offi ce, 77096 Highway 207 in Echo, to canvass the election and offi cially announce the winner. Bellinger is the owner of Bellinger Farms and has been a member of the district since 2001. In the last year, members of the irriga- tion district have sued Westland, claiming they are being cheated out of their senior water rights. The litigation prompted Westland to abandon the Central Project in May, which would have secured mitigated water supplies for the district from the Columbia River. HERMISTON UCFD celebrates success, plans for future after fi rst year By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN East Oregonian Staff photo by E.J. Harris Hermiston fi refi ghter/paramedic Carry Munro, right, gives a chemical weapons incident training on Tuesday at the main sta- tion in Hermiston. In the 18 months since voters approved a bond to merge the Hermiston and Stanfi eld fi re districts, the resulting Umatilla County Fire District 1 has seen swift changes. But with the exception of minor growing pains, Fire Chief Scott Stanton said the transition has been smooth. “There have been very few bumps in the road,” Stanton said. “There were no surprises on my radar. We put in a lot of groundwork and labor, and mitigated any possible pitfalls that could happen from this.” So successful has the new district been that they were awarded the “Oregon Fire District of the Year” award last week at the Oregon Fire District Association conference. Stanton attributed the award to several changes they implemented shortly after forming the new district. “The biggest deal was getting the second station staffed, fi nally,” he said. “We’ve already seen lives saved and fi res put out that wouldn’t have otherwise.” The second station, at East Punkin Center and Diagonal roads, has been around for 31 years, but was never been staffed full-time until March 2017. The district has hired six people to staff the station. Stanton said he was also proud of the community paramedic program, which the district began in June in conjunction with Good Shepherd Medical Center’s ConneXions program, which connects people with community health resources. The program allows paramedics to See UCFD/8A