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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 11, 2018)
54/42 FEDS PAUSE BEAVER KILLINGS 17 DEAD IN CALIFORNIA MUDSLIDES NORTHWEST/2A NATION/6A THURSDAY, JANUARY 11, 2018 142nd Year, No. 61 One dollar WINNER OF THE 2017 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD PENDLETON Neil Brown Neil Brown won’t seek third term Three other incumbents have filed for re-election By ANTONIO SIERRA East Oregonian government agencies can be a slow and diffi cult process. “I was really excited about that aspect of the executive order,” he said. “If we can streamline Pendleton City Council presi- dent Neil Brown said Wednesday he won’t seek re-election in 2018. “I think two terms is appro- priate,” Brown said. “I think we need some new blood.” He said now that he is semi-retired and downsizing his business, NWB Sales, he is dedi- cating more of his time toward traveling. Brown encouraged residents of Ward 3, which includes McKay C r e e k , Southgate “I think we and Tutuilla Road, to need some jump into the race new blood.” to replace — Neil Brown, him. Brown Pendleton City said he Council president has talked with some people about the prospect, but he’s “shooting blanks” so far. The other three council incumbents whose seats are up for election — John Brenne in Ward 1, McKennon McDonald in Ward 2 and Jake Cambier in an at-large position — have fi led their campaign paperwork, according to city recorder Andrea Denton. No challengers have yet fi led. The deadline is March 6. Brown was a former Pend- leton planning commissioner who ran unopposed to win his fi rst term in 2010, turning in his fi ling paperwork just minutes before the deadline. Brown did not face any opposition in 2014 either, easily winning a second term. While Brown is leaving, the council’s newest incumbent is See INTERNET/8A See COUNCIL/8A Staff photo by E.J. Harris Lineman C.J. Christensen with Eastern Oregon Telecom works on moving an internet cable line on Wednesday in Umatilla. Trump executive orders aim to bring broadband to rural America By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN and GEORGE PLAVEN EO Media Group During his speech Monday at the American Farm Bureau Federation convention in Nash- ville, Tenn., President Donald Trump signed two executive orders aimed at improving broadband internet access to rural America. The fi rst order is aimed at easing the process to put private broadband infrastructure on federal property, and the second is a memorandum directing the Interior Department to work on a plan to increase access to their facilities for broadband deployment. More than 34 million Americans are without access to affordable, reliable broadband service, said Zachary Cikanek, a national spokesman for Connect Americans Now, a coalition launched Jan. 2. Of those, 23.4 million live in rural communities. “This gap is something we think we can bridge in the next fi ve years if we roll out the right combination of technology,” Cikanek said. Roughly 16 percent of Oregon’s population lives in rural areas, according to the USDA Economic Research Service. Digital divide Joe Franell, CEO of Eastern Oregon Telecom, said he was pleased at the prospect of being able AP Photo/Andrew Harnik President Donald Trump, surrounded by politicians, holds up a signed executive order and a memorandum on rural broadband access at the American Farm Bureau Feder- ation’s Annual Convention at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center on Monday in Nashville, Tenn. to deal with government entities more quickly when trying to install fi ber access in rural areas. “One big barrier is that anyone building any infrastructure struggles to get a permit on federal land,” he said. He noted that locally, getting a permit is fairly routine, but dealing with federal Governor Brown releases priorities for short session Gun control, PERS reform among top concerns By CLAIRE WITHYCOMBE Capital Bureau SALEM — Gov. Kate Brown’s priorities for the 2018 legislative session include efforts to pay down the state’s public pension liability and tighten restric- tions on gun ownership. Brown, who is running for reelection in November, released fi ve proposals Wednesday, ahead of the short session that begins Feb. 5 and will last up to 35 days. Here are the governor’s proposals: • Gun control: This proposal lays out a previously voiced desire of the governor to close the “Boyfriend Loophole” by modifying state law to bar people convicted of misdemeanor stalking and/or domestic violence from purchasing a fi rearm. The bill would also make sure that the “appropriate authorities” are notifi ed when someone who is prohibited by law from buying a fi rearm tries to buy one, and have the state track information about those cases to learn where the reporting system can be improved. • Affordable housing: The proposal would allow the state to temporarily waive fees and education require- ments (in favor of training experience “on the job”) for construction profes- See PRIORITIES/8A File photo Gov. Kate Brown has released fi ve proposals ahead of next month’s short session of the Oregon Legislature.
