Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (March 27, 2018)
U.S. EXPELS RUSSIAN SPIES BUCKS OFFENSE BREAKS OUT NATION/7A SPORTS/1B FARMERS, RANCHERS NEED TRUMP TO COME THROUGH ON TRADE OPINION/4A TUESDAY, MARCH 27, 2018 142nd Year, No. 113 One dollar WINNER OF THE 2017 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD PENDLETON Fireworks show ready to re-ignite East Oregonian Devan Driskell, an eighth-grader at Sunridge Middle School, handed over a $1,000 check Monday at the Pendleton Rotary Club meeting to help revive the city’s Fourth of July fireworks display. Gwen Fjeld, vice president of the Rotary Club, thanked Driskell for the contribution but handed the check right back, saying he had done enough and should instead save it for his education. After all, Driskell’s willingness to put nearly a year’s worth of his own income toward bringing back the show was what inspired Rotarian Jerry Driskell Imsland to get involved. The pair — a 14-year-old newspaper delivery boy who recently lost his job because of circula- tion layoffs at the East Oregonian and a veteran Pendleton real estate appraiser and Port of Umatilla commissioner — have spearheaded the effort to bring back the Imsland display that flamed out in 2017. The committee has raised more than its $10,000 goal and will produce a bigger show than in the years prior, Imsland said. The event will be the night of July 4 and the fireworks will be launched from the property west of Wal-Mart. See FIREWORKS/2A Staff photos by Kathy Aney Students lead the way during the March for Our Lives on Saturday in Pendleton. Pendleton students lead march for change By JADE MCDOWELL East Oregonian Political force or fad? Young voters clout uncertain A EO file photo The Pendleton Rotary Club has raised their goal of $10,000 to put on this year’s Fourth of July fireworks display. bout 160 people marched through downtown Pendleton Saturday afternoon chanting “We want change!” They were led by two dozen high school students wearing orange armbands — the color signaling “Don’t shoot!” in the hunting world — and joined by millions across the country participating in a national March for Our Lives. Some of the adults carried signs with politically focused messages, calling the GOP “guns over people” or mentioning the NRA. But the students stuck with simpler messages, holding posters proclaiming “Never Again” and “Enough is Enough.” “We wanted it to be more about student safety than anything political,” Pendleton High School junior Daphny Chen said. The purple-haired teen stood on a wall at Brownfield Park as marchers arrived Saturday, welcoming them enthusiasti- cally and asking if they were registered See MARCH/8A By STEVE PEOPLES Associated Press Two protesters listen to Con- gressional candidate Jamie McLeod-Skinner Saturday during the March for Our Lives in Pendleton. NEW YORK — They have walked out, marched and demanded action across America to stop gun violence. But it’s far from certain that the young people behind the “March for Our Lives” movement will be a political force at the ballot box this fall. Republicans are skeptical. Democrats are hopeful. And outside groups that favor gun control aren’t taking any chances. Organizations aligned with Democrats on gun control are spending tens of millions of dollars to ensure that young voters’ passion and enthusiasm doesn’t fade before the See YOUNG VOTERS/8A BMCC takes FFA program on the road Attendees use downtime at state convention to test skills By GEORGE PLAVEN EO Media Group George Plaven/EO Media Group Ethan Akers, left, and Zachary Ferguison, of the Heppner High School FFA chapter, practice welding patterns using crackers and spray cheese as part of an activity hosted by Blue Mountain Community College at the 2018 Oregon FFA State Convention in Redmond. Beau Ditmore had never saddled a horse before, but was willing to give it a try Sunday morning at the 2018 Oregon FFA State Convention in Redmond. Granted, it wasn’t an actual horse, but rather a white plastic barrel fastened to a metal stepladder. Still, Ditmore learned the proper way to cinch a saddle around the makeshift steed while Anne Livingston, advisor to Blue Mountain Community College Collegiate FFA, provided basic instructions. “It was nerve-wracking,” Ditmore admitted when he was finished. “If it was a real horse, it probably would have bucked.” Ditmore, a freshman at Culver High School in central Oregon, was on hand to support fellow members of his FFA chapter at the state convention, held this year at the Deschutes Fair & Expo Center in Redmond. BMCC Collegiate FFA from Pendleton was also on hand, bringing along a variety of hands-on activities for the high schoolers to try when they See BMCC/2A