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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (March 14, 2018)
REGION Wednesday, March 14, 2018 HERMISTON Student arrested for verbal threat East Oregonian The Hermiston Police Department arrested a middle school student Tuesday for first-degree disorderly conduct after a classmate overheard him saying he was going to shoot someone in the head. According to Lt. Randy Studebaker, the unidentified male student was overhead at Armand Larive Middle School on Friday making a general threat of violence, though the boy did not identify a target. A student reported the threat to staff, who passed it on to Herm- iston Police. The suspected student and his family cooperated with the investigation and allowed police to search their property, according to a release from the police department, and officers determined there was no evidence he was planning an act of violence. They believe he made the threat for attention. The student was lodged in the Umatilla County Juvenile Department. Studebaker said a brief glance at recent reports show there have not been significantly more threats at schools recently, though the ones the department has received have gotten more attention because of the current environment. “You can’t turn on your TV without hearing about [school violence],” he said. “But it’s not new to us. ... Our response has been the same. We evaluate reports as we get them and take action to resolve them.” In the release Studebaker made assurances that police department takes threatening statements seriously and assumes them to be legitimate until proven otherwise. Irish Singers stir up St. Paddy’s spirit East Oregonian Musical entertainment, dancing, sing-a-longs and lots of blarney are featured during performances of John Doherty & the Irish Singers. To enhance your St. Patrick’s experience, be sure to catch one of their local performances. The group will gather around microphones to sing traditional Irish tunes that they’ve mastered over time. In addition, they will strum a variety of instruments (both traditional and non-tra- ditional) and encourage merriment throughout the weekend. Catch John Doherty & the Irish Singers at: •Friday from 7-10 p.m. at Sno Road Winery, 111 W. Main St., Echo. There is no cover charge for the kid-friendly event. Wine, beer and food is available for purchase. For more informa- tion, call 541-376-0421. •Saturday during the 10 a.m. Irish Coffee Hour at A Wee O’Ireland Celebration at the Heppner Elks Lodge, 142 N. Main St. There’s no admission charge for the all-ages event. Food and drinks are available for purchase throughout the town’s festival. For a schedule of events, visit www.heppnerchamber.com. Milton-Freewater’s new assistant watermaster is on the way. The Oregon Water Resources Department announced it hired Robert Nuvolini as the new assis- tant watermaster to cover the Milton-Freewater and Walla Walla sub-basin areas. He replaces Dan Koch. Nuvolini’s duties will include regulating water rights, collecting hydrologic data and being the primary point of contact for the public regarding Staff photo by Tammy Malgesini John Doherty & the Irish Singers will provide musical entertainment at several venues throughout the region over the St. Patrick’s Day weekend. •Saturday from 7-10 p.m. at Great Pacific Wine & Coffee Co., 403 S. Main St., Pendleton. Admission is free for the all-ages show. Food and drinks, including a wide variety of non-alcoholic beverages, are available for purchase. For more informa- tion, call 276-1350 or visit www.greatpacific.biz. •Sunday from 5-7 p.m. during the Traditional Irish Dinner at the Pendleton Convention Center, 1601 Westgate. The cost is $12 per person or $35 for a family. The Sunday event serves as a fundraiser for the Life Teen program, which supports area youths in attending various Catholic-based conferences, retreats, camps and activities. In addition to the musical entertainment, the fourth annual event includes a meal of Irish stew, corned beef and cabbage, salad, Irish soda water management activi- ties. He starts March 26. Umatilla County Commissioner Larry Givens has been pushing Water Resources to have the position in Milton-Free- water. He said he was thrilled with the move. “This was supposed to have happened last year,” Givens said, after the county made a deal to shift its watermaster division to the state agency. The county also agreed to provide $100,000 a year to the state to keep a watermaster in Milton-Freewater. The state did not fill the post last year. That led to a recent phone conference between Water Resources director Tom Byler and Givens and other supporters who wanted the position in Milton-Freewater full-time. Mike Ladd, Water Resources north central region manager, said in a written statement the funding from Umatilla County allows the depart- ment to fill the position before the irrigation season gets into full swing. Givens said that was a point he stressed to Byler. “So he listened,” Givens said. “I appreciate Water COMMUNITY BRIEFLY Soup’s on at garden club meeting PENDLETON — With spring just around the corner, a local garden club is ready to celebrate. The Dirt Dabblers are meeting Monday, March 19 at noon in Vert Club Room, 345 S.W. Fourth St., Pendleton. People interested in gardening or who want to learn more about the club are invited to attend. The cost is $5, which includes soup. In addition to sharing gardening tips, the club hosts an annual plant sale, donates money for scholarships and helps maintain local gardens, including the rose garden at Roy Raley Park and on the grounds at the Vert Auditorium. For more information about the upcoming meeting or club activities, contact Sue at slafleur53@aol.com or Jill at jillh1060@gmail. com. Saturday Academy presents digital story workshop PENDLETON — All area fifth and sixth grade girls are invited to a free workshop that serves as an introduction to programming. Digital Storytelling with Scratch is hosted by the Page 3A Forest Service taps new Umatilla director East Oregonian The U.S. Forest Service announced Tuesday that Slater Turner is now the acting forest supervisor of the Umatilla National Forest. On March 6, Turner assumed duties from former super- visor Genevieve Masters, who departed over the Turner winter to take a job at the Prescott National Forest in Arizona due to family medical issues. Whitman District Ranger Jeff Tomac of the Wallowa- Whitman National Forest has filled in as the acting director in the meantime. “I am honored to be asked to serve as Acting Forest Supervisor on the Umatilla National Forest until the position is filled,” Turner said in a statement. “I look forward to getting to know the local commu- nities, continuing the great work this Forest has done in stewarding the public’s lands, and taking care of our folks through some challenging times.” According to a U.S. Forest Service press release, Turner has exten- sive experience in forestry across the Northwest. T u r n e r currently serves as the district ranger for Look Out Mountain Ranger District and Crooked River National Grassland at Ochoco National Forest and has served as the acting ranger of the Walla Walla Ranger District of the Umatilla National Forest and the Crescent Ranger District of the Deschutes National Forest. Turner has also worked in other capacities for the forest service in the Deschutes National Forest and the Willamette National Forest. He’s a member of the National Grassland Council with a bachelor’s degree in forest products manage- ment from Alabama Agri- culture and Mechanical University. The service expects to fill the forest supervisor position permanently within the next two months. BRIEFLY bread and trifle. Also, Irish beer will be available for purchase. Tickets for the Irish Dinner can be purchased by contacting Jacquie at 541-969-9333, hitzman4@ msn.com or Tiffany at 541-310-0856. ——— Contact Community Editor Tammy Malgesini at tmalgesini@eastoregonian. com or 541-564-4539 Milton-Freewater gets new watermaster By PHIL WRIGHT East Oregonian East Oregonian University of Portland’s Saturday Academy and Pendleton Robotics. Participants do not have to attend school in Pendleton. The workshop is Friday, April 13 with session options of 9 a.m. to noon or 1-4 p.m. It will be held in Room 206 at Sunridge Middle School, 700 S.W. Runnion Ave., Pendleton. While there is no registration fee, those interested in attending must register by Friday, March 23. For a registration application, contact Cary Varela at 541-350-7334, cvarela@pendletonsd.org or download at goo.gl/Cd2fHS. The Saturday Academy includes classes and camps related to the arts and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) for students in second through 12th grade. In addition, it offers internships in science and engineering, and college preparation classes for high school students. For more about the Saturday Academy, visit www.saturdayacademy. org. For questions, call 503-200-5858. Community members are invited to help brainstorm for an entry in the Rose Festival Grand Floral Parade. Anyone interested in helping showcase what a great place Hermiston is should attend the upcoming Rose Festival Parade Float Meeting. The gathering is Tuesday, March 20 at 5:30 p.m. at Hermiston City Hall, 180 N.E. Second St. Using organic materials, the mini-float will be created to represent and promote the city of Hermiston. The parade is Saturday, June 9 during the Portland Rose Festival. For more information, contact Lilly Alarcon-Strong at 541-667-5004 or lalarcon- strong@hermiston.or.us. 3/14 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 Hermiston seeks parade float help Red Sparrow (R) 3:40* 6:40 9:40 HERMISTON — The city of Hermiston is searching for people with grand ideas in constructing a mini-float. Black Panther (PG13) 4:00 7:00 10:00 Death Wish (R) 4:50 7:20 9:50 * Matinee Pricing wildhorseresort.com • 541-966-1850 Pendleton, OR I-84 - Exit 216 Resources stepping up and doing that.” Nuvolini graduated from Portland State University with a bachelor’s degree in environmental science. His wetland studies focused on natural resource management and policy and forestry management practices. He has worked for Water Resources as an assistant watermaster and a water resources aide in the Willamette Valley. Nuvolini can be reached at 541-371-0818 and will work out of 707 E. Broadway Ave., Milton-Freewater. New Stanfield principal hired Irrigon teacher Steve Sheller has been hired as the new Stanfield Secondary School principal. The school board plans to officially accept the hiring on Wednesday, according to a news release, after which Sheller will start on July 1. Sheller has been a teacher for 20 years, teaching in Umatilla, Hermiston and Irrigon. He has been at Irrigon since 2014 and is currently a science teacher, coach and yearbook advisor at Irrigon Jr./Sr. High School. He also has experience with Stanfield Secondary School, as a former head football coach there. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Western Oregon University and a master’s in educational leadership from Grand Canyon University. Stanfield superintendent Beth Burton said Sheller will be a “great addition to our staff.” “His vision for school culture and his ability to relate to kids are two things that really stand out about him,” she said in a statement. “He is passionate and fully invested in the things he is a part of, and we are really excited to have him on board.” Milton-Freewater councilor resigns for health issues The Milton-Freewater City Council will be one member short for at least the next month. City Manager Linda Hall said the council accepted Councilor Jeff Anliker’s resignation at a meeting Monday. According to Hall, Anliker wrote a resignation letter that attributed to “ongoing health issues” but was grateful for his time on the council. Anliker was elected to office by beating an incumbent councilor in 2008, but he’s been an infrequent presence at council meetings in recent months. Hall said staff will return to the council at its April 9 meeting with options on how to fill the vacancy. The council can either make a direct appointment, solicit applications for the seat and hold a public interview process before making an appointment, or leave the seat vacant. Anliker’s current term expires in 2020.