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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (June 15, 2018)
REGION Friday, June 15, 2018 East Oregonian Page 3A Witnesses called from out of state to testify in trial of rape suspect East Oregonian The Umatilla County District Attorney’s Office is compelling three witnesses to travel to Pendleton for the sex crimes trial of Kenneth Eugene Christopher. One witness lives in Walla Walla and another lives in Touchet, Washington, according to court documents, and the third lives in Fairbanks, Alaska. Two of the witnesses are the women the state accuses Christo- pher of sexually abusing when they were underage, starting in 2009 in Milton-Freewater and ending five years later in Wyoming. The district attorney’s office in March filed motions requir- Christopher ing the “necessary and mate- rial” witnesses to testify for the state. Circuit Judge Lon Lieuallen signed certificates to have out-of-state judges compel the witnesses to attend the trial July 9-11 at the county courthouse. Lieuallen also will hear all remaining motions in the case Tuesday. Christopher pleaded not guilty to 30 counts of sex crimes, including four of first-degree rape, five of first-degree sexual abuse and four of first-degree sodomy. He remains in the Umatilla County Jail, Pendleton, in lieu of $1 million bail. He has been in the jail since May 3, 2017, mak- ing him the jail’s current longest-serving inmate. Staff photo by Jade McDowell. Umatilla schools break ground on upgrades Supporters of Umatilla School District pose with a golden shovel in front of Clara Brownell Middle School to mark the start of construction on Umatilla schools, paid for by a $10 million bond the community passed in 2016, $800,000 extra cash raised by selling the bonds at a premium and $4 million in matching state funds. At Clara Brownell renovations will include new plumbing, electrical wiring, HVAC system, flooring, windows and roofing. At McNary Heights Elementary School construction will include a new office and new gym so that the old gym can be a dedicated cafeteria, giving more time for eating and physical education. All three Umatilla schools will also receive new front entrances with up- graded security. Everything but the new gym is expected to be done before school starts in the fall. PENDLETON Court St. Motors to shut down as owner undergoes surgery By ANTONIO SIERRA East Oregonian A Pendleton used car lot is ready to turn off the ignition next week. Only five cars remain on the lot at Court St. Motors as owner Richard Peterson prepares to close down shop next week. Most of his inventory was sold during a June 1 auction and he hopes the rest will be taken off his hands. Stepping out of his small office, where a dealer plate read- ing “I got a better deal at Court St. Motors” hangs on the wall, Peter- son is blunt about why he’s leav- ing used car sales behind. Peterson said he’s approach- ing 75, has esophageal can- cer, and has already received chemotherapy. A surgery to treat the cancer is scheduled for next week in Port- land, and a doctor told him he should expect to be waylaid for three months. Combined with the everyday responsibilities that come with operating a small business, Peter- son decided to hang it up. “The joy of selling cars is gone,” he said. Peterson’s retirement also ends an eclectic career that’s seen him work at a seed wash- ing plant, an alfalfa farm near the Boardman Bombing Range, and a Pendleton timber mill on land that eventually became Walmart. Peterson eventually found himself owning and operating his own dry cleaning service at a time when there was enough demand for the services that the town had seven stores. But the demand lessened as time went on and Peterson didn’t have any insurance for his young children, prompt- ing him to switch career tracks again when he took a job installing and maintaining wind turbines. Peterson said he climbed his last wind turbine when he was 67 and then decided to take over Court St. Motors in 2011, and has run it ever since. Although he may no longer have the same passion for sell- ing cars as he once did, Peterson said he’ll miss the customers the most. Peterson said he didn’t just sell people cars, but also helped them rehabilitate their credit, sometimes financing the deals himself. He added that a man is inter- ested in buying the lot and run- ning a used car dealership of his own, but there’s nothing in place yet. Even if someone fills in the lot with another set of used cars, the Court St. Motors name will be retired with Peterson. Staff photo by Kathy Aney Richard Peterson, owner of Court St. Motors, is in the process of closing his business to deal with health issues. BRIEFLY Eighth Street Bridge closed again Friday Pendleton’s Eighth Street Bridge will be closed to vehicles from 10 a.m. to the late afternoon on Friday as construction continues on the bridge replacement proj- ect, according to a city press release. Construction vehicles and equipment will be on site throughout the day and the city is asking drivers to plan an alternate route. Dean’s Deli closed while it gets new owner PENDLETON — Dean’s Market & Deli, a 24-hour delicatessen and conve- nience store at 412 S.W. 20th St., has been closed for more than a month but is expected to reopen. Dean’s owner Harry Sny- der said he’s found a buyer who intends to reopen the store, although he didn’t provide an exact date for its reopening. Also the owner of Frontier Tavern near the Round-Up Grounds, Sny- der said the responsibility of owning two businesses led him to seek out a new owner for Dean’s. Snyder said he laid off four workers from Dean’s, but he hopes the new owner will rehire them back because of their experience running the store. State seeks feedback on scenic bikeways SALEM — The Ore- gon Parks And Recreation Department wants to hear what cyclists have to say about the state’s 17 scenic bikeways. People who have rid- den any of the bikeways can share their experiences via a short online survey at www.surveymonkey.com/r/ PHPCFFL. The state parks depart- ment will use the survey results to guide bikeway improvement plans. The department oversees the Oregon Scenic Bikeways Program, which began in 2009. Information about the 17 scenic bikeways — print- able maps, GPS and route descriptions — is online at www.oregonscenicbike- ways.org. Oregon Health Authority seeks input on plan HERMISTON — The Oregon Health Authority will hold a series of com- munity meetings across the state to discuss the future shape of the Oregon Health Plan. Patrick Allen, OHA director, will make a stop in Hermiston as part of the information gathering tour. The public meeting is Tues- day from noon to 2 p.m. at Eastern Oregon Trade and Event Center, 1705 E. Air- port Road. He is seeking feedback on proposed pol- icy options to improve the state’s coordinated care system. The Oregon Health Authority will continue to gather public input on the policy options throughout the summer. The OHA pol- icy board will adopt final recommendations this fall. For more information, visit www.oregon.gov/oha For questions or to request visual or language accommodations for the meeting, contact Lisa Bui at 971-673-3397 or lisa.t.bui@ state.or.us. Columbia Grange serves Father’s Day brunch HERMISTON — Bel- gian waffles with straw- berries and whipped cream are on the menu for a spe- cial Father’s Day brunch at Columbia Grange. The meal is Sunday from noon to 3 p.m. at the grange hall, 32339 Diagonal Blvd., Hermiston. The cost is $6, or $4 for waffles with just syrup and butter; children’s prices are $3 or $2. The meal is served with coffee, tea, milk, hot chocolate and/or water. For more information call, 541-567-5922. For more about the Alz- heimer’s Association, visit www.alz.org. 6/15-17 Cineplex Show Times $5 Classic Movie • 6/20 • 12:00 PM Fri - Wed, June 15 - June 20, 2018 Subject to change. Check times daily. Destiny Theatres Jaws $5 Children’s Classic Movie 6/20 • 10 AM Hermiston Stadium 8 Hwy 395 & Theatre Ln - 567-1556 MoviesInHermiston.com I NCREDIBLES 2 TAG Caroline Free Small Popcorn & Small Soda (PG) INCREDIBLES 2 (PG) 2D: 1:30* 6:50 3D 4:10 9:30 (R-17) O CEAN ’ S 8 (PG-13) H EREDITARY TAG (R) 11:50* 2:00* 4:20 7:00 9:20 (R-17) S OLO : A S TAR W ARS S TORY (PG-13) D EADPOOL 2 A VENGERS : I NFINITY W AR $5. 50 OCEANS 8 (PG13) 11:40* 2:10* 4:40 7:10 9:40 (R-17) (PG-13) HEREDITARY (R) 1:20* 4:00 6:40 9:50 Bargain Tuesdays** DEADPOOL 2 (R) 1:50* 4:30 7:20 10:00 **ALL DAY TUESDAY, MOST MOVIES. W ED &T HUR : I RON G IANT (PG) * Matinee Pricing wildhorseresort.com • 541-966-1850 Check ONLINE for more information! HEPPNER — Willow Creek Terrace is hosting an 95th Birthday Party! Date: June 23, 2018 Place: Roy Raley Room, 1205 SW Court Ave., Pendleton OR (west side of Round-Up grounds) ---no Gift s--- Rockers as they help raise money. Participants can reg- ister for time slots in rock- ing chairs. Money raised will benefit the Alzheimer’s Association. For more information, to make a donation or register to rock, call 541-676-0004. Willow Creek Terrace to rock longest day Emma McClure's Time: 1:00-5:00 PM Open House awareness event that also is designed to raise support for research on dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. “Rocking the Longest Day” is Thursday, June 21 from 5:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the assisted living facility, 400 Frank Gilliam Drive, Heppner. Promoted by the Alzheimer’s Association, “The Longest Day” events are planned for the summer solstice, the longest day of the year based on the num- ber of hours of sunlight. A free continental break- fast will be available from 5:30-10 a.m. and a barbecue lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event also features snacks, door prizes, raffle items, children’s activities, music and fun. In addition, dementia and Alzheimer’s awareness and support edu- cation will be presented at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. Also, people of all ages are invited to join the WCT 1 Loving Husband 4 Amazing Children 8 Beautiful Grandchildren 12 Sweet Great Grandchildren 1 Blessed Life Mary Lois Newman June 19, 1928 We Love You, Your Loving Family Pendleton, OR I-84 - Exit 216
