Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (March 13, 2018)
REGION Tuesday, March 13, 2018 East Oregonian Page 3A PENDLETON Staff photo by Jade McDowell The Department of Motor Vehicles office in Hermiston has moved to the Hermiston Plaza, 810 S Highway 395. New DMV office opens in Hermiston Plaza Staff photo by Kathy Aney Clay Winton, owner of Crosshair Customs in Baker City, chats with customers Saturday at the Pendleton Gun Show at the Pendleton Convention Center. Eastern Oregon’s largest gun show packs benefits for local nonprofit By PHIL WRIGHT East Oregonian Pendleton Gun Show promoter Mike Voss of Summerville had a problem. Eastern Oregon’s largest gun show was to open at 9 a.m. Saturday at the Pend- leton Convention Center, but a vendor from Indiana never arrived. Voss did not want a noticeable gap in the exhibition hall, so the three empty tables were used at the last minute for a display of military weapons from a local collector. Even without the Indiana representation, the show had 48 vendors spreading out across 140 tables to offer everything from backpacks to collector guns to tactical weapons, including dozens of AR-15s. The vendors were from throughout Oregon, Wash- ington and Idaho, Voss said, and is about twice the size of the next largest area show, which took place in La Grande two weeks ago. He should know — he orga- nizes that one, too. The Pendleton show is in its third year and is a big shot in the bank account of the Pendleton City Club, the charitable organization that provides grants to benefit Pendleton youth. Tim Simons, City Club president and Pendleton community development director, said close to 1,300 paid to get into this year’s show and the club hopes to clear more than $5,000. The proceeds help pay for a range of youth programs, he said, from sports to helping feed children. “If it’s something we think is a good activity for the youth, we generally give the money,” Simons said. The City Club used to operate the sportsman show at the convention center, but Voss and others said that declined in popularity when the event provided space to sellers offering homemade goods, such as candles and jams. Simons said the City Club reached out to Voss as a solution. Voss said he was eager to have a show in Pendleton as long as he oversaw the vendors, and homemade Staff photo by Kathy Aney “TRUMP” and “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN” are engraved on a gungrip at the Crosshair Customs booth Saturday at the Pendleton Gun Show at the Pendleton Convention Center. Pendleton City Club looks to grow membership PENDLETON — The Pendleton City Club this weekend wrapped up one its biggest fundraisers of the year — the annual gun show. City Club president Tim Simons said the event could bring in more than $5,000 to the charitable organization, which in turn provides the funds to benefit Pendleton youth programs. The club has about 50 members, he said, and around 20-25 are active. He said the club wants to grow those ranks and is looking for new members. He also said there is a misconception the club members must work for the city of Pendleton. Part of that may stem from the fact Simons is the city’s community development director and Bob Patterson, the city planner, is the club’s vice president. Club members do not have to work for the city, Simons stressed. To learn more about the club, call Simons at 541-966- 0203, or email him at Tim.Simons@ci.pendleton.or.us . goods were not going to be a part of the show. Voss and the city club split the gate, and the club gets a portion from the show’s sponsors. The club in exchange provides its insurance policy to cover the show, and its members lend their muscle to help vendors set up and tear down. Simons said the club even handle clean-up instead of leaving it for convention center employees. Voss said the vendors dig having the help and he likes giving to a local commu- nity. The show also has some economic benefit to Pendleton because only two vendors were local, he said, LIVING WELL WITH CHRONIC PAIN: 3/12-13 Cineplex Show Times $5 Classic Movie • 3/14 • 12:00 PM Planes, Trains, and Automobiles A Wrinkle In Time (PG) 4:20 6:50 9:20 The Hurricane Heist (PG13) 4:40 7:10 9:30 Red Sparrow (R) 3:40* 6:40 9:40 Death Wish (R) 4:50 7:20 9:50 Black Panther (PG13) 4:00 7:00 10:00 * Matinee Pricing wildhorseresort.com • 541-966-1850 Pendleton, OR I-84 - Exit 216 If you live with chronic pain (not associated with cancer), come learn about useful tools to help you manage the effects of living with chronic pain. Six FREE weekly sessions; attend alone or with a support person. Tuesdays, Mar 20 thru Apr 24 2:30-5:00pm Contact Facilitator Helena Wolfe at 541-561-5443 Must pre-register, call 541-667-3509 Information or to register call (541) 667-3509 or email healthinfo@gshealth.org www.gshealth.org and many of the rest were in hotels and dined out. John Stewart and Amy Moody worked hard Friday night to set up the display for Crosshair Customs of Baker City, which makes guns and sound suppres- sors, commonly known as silencers. Stewart said owner Clay Winton started the business two years ago in his home and now owns a brick-and-motor store that employs five people. The business also is looking to expand and add machinists. “Those are quality jobs in Baker City, not just minimum wage,” Stewart said. Stewart said gun shows promote the retail side of the business, and they would like to make more than $4,000 at a show. Selling four or five of their AR-15 rifles usually covers that. Retired pharmacist Daniel Brown of La Grande came to Pendleton to sell from his extensive private collection of guns. He said his wife is forward thinking and does not want to bother with all the firearms if he were no longer around. While he had some newer, shiny pieces, he also had working guns from the 19th century, including an 1889 Colt revolver. Brown said he parted with about a third of his collection at the recent La Grande show and for the right price he would sell everything on the table. He also said the days of a loophole for guns sales at a show are over. Any sales he makes have to go through a background check, which Oregon law requires, and takes place on the show room floor for $20. “As a vendor selling my private collection, I don’t want to be nailed for breaking the law,” he said. ——— Contact Phil Wright at pwright@eastoregonian.com or 541-966-0833. HERMISTON — The Hermiston DMV has moved into a new office. The Department of Motor Vehicles office was closed for part of last week as it moved across the street to 810 S Highway 395. The new building, next to Shari’s Cafe & Pies, is larger and has more parking than the former location, where the DMV has been since 1981. David House, a DMV spokesperson, said the department has to relocate two or three of its offices per year that have outgrown their old building, and Hermiston was due for a change. While right now the number of counters, hours and personnel levels will stay the same there is more lobby space and it gives the office room to grow with Hermiston. “It was a pretty routine move and from what I understand it went pretty smoothly,” he said. For people who don’t still don’t like waiting in line in the larger lobby, House recommended they first visit www.oregondmv. com to see if whatever busi- ness they need to take care of can be handled online, or to print out forms and fill them out before they arrive. He also said that days with no school — particularly spring break and summer vacation — tend to see the heaviest foot traffic because teenagers are coming in to get their learner’s permit or first driver’s license. Photo contributed by J.D. Kindle A fire damaged a home Monday near Mission. Fire burns home on reservation MISSION — A fire Monday afternoon damaged a home on the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. Umatilla Tribal Fire received a call about 4 p.m. for a house fire at 72490 Billy Road, just south of Interstate 84. Both Umatilla Tribal Fire Department and the Pend- leton Fire Department responded. According to Chuck Sams, CTUIR spokesman, emergency crews knocked down the blaze at about 5:20 p.m., but not after it tore through the single family home. According to Sams, crews believe no one was injured. An investigation is underway and more infor- mation will be available Tuesday, said Sams. OSHA investigating work site death near Hermiston HERMISTON — The Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Divi- sion (Oregon OSHA) has opened an investigation into the recent work site death near Hermiston. “I can confirm that we’ve opened an investiga- tion of Swaggart Brothers in connection with the acci- dent,” according to Oregon OSHA spokesperson Aaron Corvin. “Under Oregon law, however, we do not discuss the details of active investigations.” Swaggart Brothers is a general contractor operating out of Stanfield. One man died Tuesday, March 6, at an industrial site on Cottonwood Bend Road, Hermiston, where an Amazon facility is under construction. Authorities have not identified the victim. Corvin also said Oregon OSHA has 180 days to complete an investigation but typically finishes them in three to four months. Preliminary information from Oregon OSHA shows there have been 17 work- place deaths in Oregon this year, with three in Eastern Oregon: one from natural causes on Jan. 26 at a Milton-Freewater appli- ance store; one in a crash Feb. 9 in La Grande; and the death on March 6.
