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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 28, 2017)
142nd Year, No. 29 One dollar WINNER OF THE 2017 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2017 Staff photo by E.J. Harris The Hermiston Bulldogs’ celebrate with their fans on the fi eld after defeating Churchill 38-35 in the 5A state championship game on Saturday in Hillsboro. Champs again The Hermiston Bulldogs won a title on Saturday night they’ll always remember, and will never have to defend. Going up against the undefeated Churchill Lancers in their fi nal OSAA football contest, the Bulldogs clinched a 38-35 victory — their 10th straight win this season — to capture the 5A state title. It was a fond farewell for the Bulldogs, who will compete in the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association beginning next fall. The program captured its fi rst football title in 2014, and this is the fi rst under coach David Faeteete. For more on the game, see Page 1B. Staff photo by E.J. Harris Dogs rescued from a home near Hermiston sit in kennels on Monday at the Pendleton Animal Welfare Shelter. Thirty dogs were taken from the home with 17 of the animals ending up at PAWS. Police lab backlog delays evidence crucial in sex cases “This is not an isolated incident. There are a bunch of horrifi c situations out there that we need to address, but we don’t have the means to do it.” OREGON CITY (AP) — Nearly a year after telling police she was sexually assaulted by an acquaintance who she suspects drugged her with LSD, an Oregon woman is still waiting for the lab results and for authorities to conclude their investigation of the alleged attack. Juliette Simmons told police of the assault last December. Simmons says she blacked out and then woke up in the passenger seat of her own car with the man over her. The Associated Press does not generally name victims of sexual assaults, but Simmons told The Oregonian/OregonLive that she decided to go public with her name and her case to highlight the extraordinary delays in processing evidence from sexual assault kits. Oregon has spent more than $1 million to hire new staff to address the backlog, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported . “Nothing has been happening with my — Cindy Spiess, PAWS board member See LAB/10A PAWS takes in hoarded dogs More animals remain at residence By KATHY ANEY East Oregonian Seventeen neglected and bedraggled dogs arrived at the Pendleton Animal Welfare Shelter (PAWS) this weekend. The canines, originating from a home near Hermiston, weren’t the only animals at the residence. “We’re estimating about 30 more,” said Robin Barker, a volunteer with Fuzz Ball Animal Rescue in Hermiston. Barker learned about the dogs from Facebook classifi eds post, which said the owner has been evicted and needs to fi nd new homes for her dogs. Barker decided to visit, accompanied by another volunteer. They weren’t invited into the house, but could hear muffl ed barking from within. Other dogs, mostly Chihuahua and heeler crosses, roamed outside around piles of garbage and broken-down vehi- cles. They looked thin. Barker said the owner accepted the offer of dog food. The animals competed for kibble, breaking See DOGS/10A WESTON Workforce woes leave Smith short-shifted By GEORGE PLAVEN East Oregonian Finding enough workers is getting to be more of a challenge for Michael Lesko at Smith Frozen Foods. The company, which processes and packages frozen vegetables near Weston, is capable of storing more than 130 million pounds of product on site, including corn, lima beans, onions and carrots. Harvest season typically begins around June 1 and runs through the end of November, when the demand for seasonal labor is at its strongest. Lesko, director of human resources for Smith Frozen Foods, said the plant has roughly 100 regular employees and typically hires another 200 seasonal workers through harvest. Those posi- tions, however, are becoming more diffi cult to fi ll, he said, which has left the plant short up to 10 workers on any given shift over the past year. “It’s been diffi cult keeping people, by all means,” Lesko said. “We were looking for See WORK/10A Staff photo by E.J. Harris Like many agricultural businesses in the area Smith Frozen Foods is dealing with a current labor shortage.