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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 13, 2017)
TASERED TROOPER GETS SWEET APOLOGY Frozen fog collects on the edges of a road sign off Highway 206 on Tuesday west of Heppner. The freezing fog will persist in the area until Friday, according to the National Weather service. Staff photo by E.J. Harris REGION/3A JONES WINS IN ALABAMA UPSET BENGALS BEAT BUCKS NATION/6A SPORTS/1B WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2017 142nd Year, No. 40 WINNER OF THE 2017 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD Teenager overcomes blindness and autism through music One dollar HERMISTON City claims different approach to tourism Embraces trade shows, sports tournaments to draw visitors By JADE MCDOWELL East Oregonian Staff photo by E.J. Harris Internet sensation Christopher Duffl ey sings an original number called “Keep On” during the annual Christmas party for Community Counseling Solutions on Tuesday in Heppner. The power of song Duffl ey learned to sing before he could carry on a conversation By KATHY ANEY East Oregonian More online One day last December, Kimberly Lindsay mindlessly browsed her Facebook feed before clicking on a YouTube video. She sat back and watched. A 10-year-old boy named Christopher Duffl ey sang “Open the Eyes of My Heart.” As the Heppner woman watched, she felt intensely moved by the boy’s sweet voice. “Open the eyes of my heart, Lord Open the eyes of my heart I want to see you I want to see you” Lindsay learned Christopher’s story. At birth, he weighed less than two pounds and had cocaine in his system. He was For video of the performance visit eastoregonian.com blind and autistic. His aunt and uncle, Christine and Steve Duffl ey, adopted the baby from foster care after a lot of prayer. He learned to sing before he could carry on a conversation. A music therapist used music as a way to help him communicate, discovering the fi rst day that Christopher had perfect pitch. A video of Christopher singing “Open the Eyes of My Heart” at the Capitol Center for the Performing Arts in Concord, New Hampshire, got more See DUFFLEY/8A Staff photo by E.J. Harris Kimberly Lindsay introduces Christopher Duffl ey at the annual Christmas party for Community Counseling Solutions on Tuesday in Heppner. Lindsay saw a viral video of Duffl ey while on Facebook and worked for nine months to get him to perform for the party. A proposed Umatilla County tourism tax was killed last week after Pendletonians expressed the sentiment that Hermiston doesn’t care about tourism, but the city of Hermiston is pushing back on that notion. “The proof’s in the pudding that we are investing in tourism assets and “The proof’s infrastructure, but you don’t start in the marketing the car pudding that before you build the car,” assistant we are city manager Mark Morgan said. investing Residents from in tourism both ends of the county expressed assets and opposition to the proposed 2 percent infrastructure, tax, added to but you hotel customers’ room bill, which don’t start would have been earmarked to marketing the promote tourism car before in Umatilla County via grants, product you build development the car.” and marketing. But their reasons — Mark Morgan, for opposition highlighted two assistant city manager very different approaches to tourism. In Hermiston, the city has invested heavily in the Eastern Oregon Trade and Event Center on the southeast edge of town, including a $1 per room per night tourism promotion assessment on hotel rooms that goes directly to marketing EOTEC (a second dollar per night, added last year, is being used to pay off bonds used to complete EOTEC’s construction). The project started out the 2017-2018 fi scal year with more than $350,000 in TPA funds in the bank. Now that construction is complete and venue-management company VenuWorks is set to take over management on Jan. 1, the EOTEC board See TOURISM/8A HERMISTON Chamber to move temporarily into Cornerstone Plaza Offi ce will open in new location on Jan. 2 By JADE MCDOWELL East Oregonian Staff photo by Jade McDowell The Greater Hermiston Area Chamber of Commerce is moving its offi ces to the Cornerstone Plaza, two doors down from Kobe Hibachi Sushi. After a months-long search for a new home, the Greater Hermiston Area Chamber of Commerce will be moving into the Cornerstone Plaza in early 2018. The chamber offi ces will be closed the week of Christmas, re-opening in the new location at 1055 S. Highway 395, Suite 111, on Jan. 2. Board chair Josh Burns said the plaza will not be the chamber’s permanent home, but will allow them to continue providing services for chamber members and the community as they look for the best fi t. “We’re excited to continue to do what we’re doing for members,” he said. The chamber’s offi ces have been located at the Hermiston Conference Center as the organization managed the building under a contract with the city of Hermiston. In April, however, the city council voted to end the contract with the chamber on Dec. 31 and transfer manage- ment of the conference center to the city’s parks and recreation department. According to reasoning given by the city at the time, the change was spurred by a 35 percent decrease in revenues for the conference center, likely due to competi- tion from the Eastern Oregon Trade and Event Center. By taking over management of the conference center the city hopes to better leverage both resources, directing See CHAMBER/8A