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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (June 1, 2018)
BUCKS READY FOR TITLE GAME SPORTS/1B OREGON’S POT GLUT NORTHWEST/2A FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 2018 142nd Year, No. 161 HERMISTON Your Weekend • • • Old Iron Show at Roy Raley Park Umatilla County Pioneer Days in Weston Evan Egerer plays Saturday at Hamley’s Steakhouse For times and places see Coming Events, 3A Weekend Weather Fri 74/49 Sat 82/56 Sun 85/51 Listen to a game Listen to a game at osaa.org One dollar WINNER OF THE 2017 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD EOT execs buy out business Internet provider bought from Umatilla Electric By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN East Oregonian Umatilla Electric Cooperative announced Thursday that it has sold its subsidiary internet and phone provider, Eastern Oregon Telecom, to EOT company executives. Joe Franell, EOT general man- ager and CEO, said the sale had been discussed for about four years, and that three executive officers would share equal own- ership of the company. The three officers are Franell, Chief Finan- cial Offi- cer Paul Kee- ler and Chief Franell Operating Officer Richard Holbo. A press release from UEC stated that the EOT executive team did business under the name Columbia Basin Development Group. Franell said he could not discuss the terms of the sale, but said he hopes that it will eventually allow for all employees to have a stake in the company. “Step one was to get ownership of the company,” he said. “Our cor- porate attorney is looking at options for us.” The most formal option, he said, would be to form an “Employee Stock Option Program,” or ESOP. Employee-owned companies such as Bi-Mart use this struc- ture, he said. Other possibilities include allowing employees to pur- chase stock options, or profit-shar- ing, which Franell said is not true ownership. He said they have no set timeline for when employees will be able to have a stake in the company’s ownership. He said when they do provide that option, the three cur- rent owners intend to remain equal partners. Franell said the goal with taking over ownership of the company was to serve other areas not currently in the UEC footprint. See EOT/8A 2A softball state title Pilot Rock vs. Kennedy Friday at 1 p.m. 2A baseball state title Pilot Rock vs. Knappa Friday at 5 p.m. 5A softball state title Pendleton vs. Putnam Saturday at 10 a.m. END OF A CHAPTER Hermiston librarian calls it a career STANFIELD By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN East Oregonian Cops and bloggers K Police test creative tone with Facebook arrest report By PHIL WRIGHT East Oregonian The Stanfield Police Department received plenty of praise for its Facebook post accusing two sus- pects of breaking into cars and stealing cash and cell- phones. But the posting also drew accusations of taking an unprofessional and harsh tone. The small town police department dropped the fol- lowing post on its Facebook page Tuesday afternoon. The East Oregonian has not edited or altered the post. “THE LONG ARM OF THE LAW reached out and grabbed him! Travis Landon (age 25) and his Hooligan accomplice decided to do some illegal shopping this weekend. (Also known as a vehicle prowl) After getting into several cars, and taking cash and cell phones, this dynamic duo headed out of town. Lit- tle did they know the long risti Smalley’s first impression of Herm- iston is not the one that has stuck with her. Smalley will retire this June, after 36 years serv- ing the Hermiston School District as a teacher and librarian for the elementary schools. But she still remembers her initial reaction to find- ing out about a job opening in the town she has grown to love. It was August of 1982 and Smalley, then 21, was just out of college and applying to jobs in Colorado and Montana. “My mom told me to apply for a job here,” Smalley said. “I said, ‘It smells like feedlots and that’s where my dentist is.’ That’s what I equated Herm- iston with.” But Smalley took the job, and two weeks later, was standing in front of a class- room full of first graders. So began a long career working with kids, and han- dling the changes schools and libraries have seen in the past few decades. As she prepares to step back, Smalley said retire- ment will require a mental shift. “It was a hard deci- sion to make,” she said. “So much of my identity is ‘I’m a teacher.’ But I don’t think you ever stop being a teacher. You just use that skill in a different way.” Smalley plans to use it doing the things she loves — Staff photo by E.J. Harris Kristi Smalley will be retiring after 36 years career with the Hermiston School District as a teacher and librarian in its elementary schools. Kristi Smalley holds a photo of the first class of students she taught at Rocky Heights Elementary in Hermiston. Staff photo by E.J. Harris See BLOGGERS/8A See LIBRARIAN/8A PENDLETON Tonya’s House director gets night in jail, must pay $12K MacGregor’s crimes in late 2016 were the ‘nail in the coffin’ for nonprofit By PHIL WRIGHT East Oregonian Shawn MacGregor showed up to circuit court Thursday to take a plea deal lacking any jail time after she bankrupted a Pendle- ton charity that helped teen girls. She left in cuffs to spend one night behind bars. MacGregor, 56, agreed to plead guilty to two counts of first-degree theft for steal- ing $1,000 on two occa- sions from Tonya’s House in late 2016. The nonprofit provided tempo- two years of pro- bation, includ- rary shelter and ing 100 hours of care for teen girls community ser- with no where vice per charge, else to go for 20 take theft coun- years, and closed seling, write a last year. letter of apology MacGregor ’s to the Tonya’s attorney, Cam- eron Bendixsen McGregor House board and of Hermiston, pay $12,029.30 in told Judge Lieuallen the restitution. In exchange, the deal called for her to serve Umatilla County District Attorney’s Office agreed to dismiss seven more theft charges against MacGre- gor, including first-degree aggravated theft. First-degree theft is a class C felony that car- ries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and $125,000 fine. The plea deal includes a provision See MACGREGOR/8A
