ATHENA POOL
NABS $50,000
GRANT
REGION/3A
SPORTS/1B
BLAZERS COMEBACK FALLS SHORT
TRUMP, GOV. BROWN
DIVERGE ON SENDING
TROOPS TO BORDER
NATION/6A
FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2018
142nd Year, No. 121
One dollar
WINNER OF THE 2017 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD
Your Weekend
•
•
•
Stuff the bus chartity
event in Hermiston
Brass Fire plays
Saturday at Red Lion
Stand up comedy with
Alex Elkin in Irrigon
For times and places
see Coming Events, 5A
Catch a movie
Jonny Cournoyer/Paramount Pictures via AP
A Quiet Place
For showtime, Page 5A
For review, Weekend EO
Weekend Weather
Fri
Sat
Sun
63/49
60/46
57/38
UMATILLA
McNary
gets a
housing
Lights, cables, signs and more
boost
Staff photos by E.J. Harris
Traffic along Interstate 84 west of Cabbage Hill negotiates rainy conditions on the freeway Thursday outside of Pendleton.
MAKING ROADS SAFER
City Council turns
commercial zone
into residential
By JADE MCDOWELL
East Oregonian
Eight more homes can
be added to the new Virgin-
ia’s Place subdivision in
McNary after the Umatilla
City Council voted Tuesday
to change the rest of the
property from commercial to
residential zoning.
The 8.5 acre subdivision,
located
off
Willamette
Avenue, sparked debate about
the future of the McNary
area in 2016 after developer
Fastrack, Inc. requested the
entire property be re-zoned.
Some councilors believed
the city would be best served
by new commercial ventures
on the property, while others
argued that the land had been
available for commercial
development for decades and
could reduce crashes on I-84
By JADE MCDOWELL
East Oregonian
M
any an Eastern Oregon resident
has been inconvenienced by
closures of Interstate 84, but for
some those closures have meant the death
of a loved one in a fatal crash.
Human error and vehicle malfunctions
can cause crashes on even flat, low-lying
sections of interstate. But as drivers pass
Boardman and enter into the Oregon Depart-
ment of Transportation’s Region 5 they face
new layers of challenges. In “hot spot” areas
like Cabbage Hill and Ladd Canyon, drivers
wind up steep curves, navigating past slow
semi-trucks with flashing warning lights, or
zoom down a series of sharp angles. Rapid
changes in elevation cause alternating
climates where ice or snow can appear
unexpectedly, taking the road from tricky to
treacherous during colder months.
See I-84/10A
See COUNCIL/10A
Drivers can
take safety into
their own hands
By JADE MCDOWELL
East Oregonian
The Oregon Department of Transportation can
put up as many signs and warnings as it wants,
but if people choose to look down at their phones
instead of the road, there is only so much that can
be done to prevent crashes.
April is National Distracted Driving Awareness
Month, and ODOT and the Oregon State Police
are reminding drivers to keep their eyes — and
their minds — on the road.
“Nothing’s so important it can’t wait,” Lt.
Mike Turner of the Pendleton OSP office said.
The easiest way to stop temptations to look
at text messages, emails and social media notifi-
cations is to turn the phone off while driving or
place it out of reach, particularly on long drives.
Even if people are devout about not touching
their phones in the car, however, Turner said there
are plenty of other things that can distract drivers.
People often take their eyes off the road while
eating, looking at a map or GPS, adjusting the
radio or having a conversation with a passenger.
Sometimes, “distracted” drivers even have
their eyes on the road, but aren’t alert enough to
make note of a vehicle coming up on their blind
spot or patches of ice beginning to appear.
See DRIVERS/10A
Noon-hour traffic makes its way up Southgate on Thursday in Pendleton.
HERMISTON
SafeOregon tip line, police save a life
By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN
East Oregonian
SafeOregon has only been active
in Eastern Oregon for two years, but
it has already saved at least one life.
Late last year, a Hermiston teen
used the anonymous tip line to alert
police that one of their peers was
suicidal. Police went to the home and
found the child in his room with a belt
around his neck, unconscious. Offi-
cers performed CPR and a sternum
rub, and got the person breathing
on his own. He was then taken to
a hospital and received treatment.
The two officers, Riley Studebaker
and Derrick Williams, were given
lifesaving awards for their work.
Hermiston Police Chief Jason
Edmiston said since the service
has been in place, his department
has followed up on three calls,
all of which have been tips about
attempted suicide.
But the tip line is available
for students who wants to report
anything from self-harm to harass-
ment and bullying, and is available
in most schools in Eastern Oregon.
The free service operated by
Oregon State Police allows students
to ask for help via call, text, email, a
web portal or an app on their phones.
It operates around the clock, 365
days a year. Students can remain
Got a tip?
To submit a tip to SafeOre-
gon, call or text 844-472-
3367, or visit www.safeore-
gon.com.
completely anonymous throughout
the reporting process.
Adults appreciate the extra set of
eyes.
“The biggest piece is that we’re
adults, but we don’t see or hear
See TIP LINE/10A