REGION
Tuesday, July 10, 2018
MISSION
East Oregonian
Page 3A
PENDLETON
Cancer treatment
may sideline mayor
East Oregonian
Staff photo by Kathy Aney
A dancer participates in this weekend’s Wildhorse Pow Wow at the Wildhorse Resort & Casino.
A pow wow for all ages
Dancers converge on Wildhorse for weekend of competition, camaraderie
By BRITTANY NORTON
East Oregonian
Pendleton Mayor John
Turner was recently diag-
nosed with throat cancer
at Oregon Health
and Science Uni-
versity in Port-
land and could
be taking a step
back from some
of his duties with
the
Pendleton
City Council.
In an email to
friends Sunday, Turner
Turner said he
will undergo a PET scan
Tuesday and will likely
start chemotherapy at St.
Mary’s Hospital in Walla
Walla in mid-July.
He added that the ther-
apy would happen five
days per week for seven
weeks.
According to Turner,
he has a “70-80 percent”
chance of recovering.
“I’m confident in my
ability to get this treated
successfully,” he said in an
interview Sunday.
While he waits for fur-
Tick-borne spotted fever
found in Morrow County
East Oregonian
There was a feeling of
cohesion and common pur-
pose as the dancers marched
in during the grand entrance
of the 24th annual Wildhorse
Resort and Casino Pow Wow
on Friday.
Although this was a com-
petition between dancers, it
was also a place to reconnect
with friends, support family
and participate in an overall
camaraderie.
People of all ages were
invited to participate. The
tiny tots dance featured chil-
dren six years old or younger.
Some of the small danc-
ers walked around with con-
fused looks on their faces,
while others went all out —
twirling in circles with arms
spread wide, or jumping up
and down to the beat of the
drum.
Next, the golden ladies
competition — for women
55 and older — showcased
regality, solemnity and pride.
Women kicked their feet to
the tune and moved with
years of dancing experience.
For many people, pow
wows are a family event.
They bind communities and
offer an opportunity to con-
nect with tradition.
“It’s culture,” said Nikki
Whiskeyjack, who was at the
pow wow with Black Lodge,
the host drum.
Whiskeyjack grew up in
Canada, so most of her ear-
liest memories are from the
northern country. Her fam-
ily went to pow wows every
weekend, she said, and some-
times during the week, too.
She used to dance as a child,
but on Saturday she wore
a T-shirt and shorts as she
watched her two daughters
take part.
“It takes a long time to get
Staff photos by Kathy Aney
Top left: A dancer raises his staff during
this weekend’s Wildhorse Pow Wow at
the Wildhorse Resort & Casino.
Left: A member of the Black Lodge
drum group performs.
Above: A young dancer participates in
the dance circle.
them ready, and then I don’t
have time for myself,” she
said laughing.
This is the first time danc-
ing for Whiskeyjack’s daugh-
ters Aurora and Athena, but
it’s the family’s 10th pow
wow of the year. They wore
outfits covered in iridescent
purple.
“We just tell them ‘Get
out there and dance’ and then
eventually they’ll have their
own style,” she said.
Wilma Wahsise, a member
of the Han-umpt tribe from
the Yakama Indian Reserva-
tion, also came to the pow
wow with her family. She
said she has been coming to
the Wildhorse Pow Wow with
her husband for 20 years, but
she’s been attending pow
wows in general for most of
her life.
“I used to be like this little
girl with the wind dress on,”
she said gesturing to a four-
or five-year-old child playing
on the outskirts of the sitting
area.
Wahsise’s experience with
pow wows extends genera-
tions. She learned to dance
from her six older sisters and
now she makes dancing out-
fits for her grandchildren.
When she is done dancing,
she will pass her own outfits
on to them.
But until then, Wahsise
said she plans to dance until
her feet don’t lift anymore.
She plans on attending pow
wows for as long as she can.
“The pow wow means
a lot to me,” she said. “The
music lifts up my spirit.”
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One case of Rocky
Mountain Spotted Fever, a
disease spread by ticks, has
been diagnosed in Morrow
County.
Public Health Direc-
tor Sheree Smith said the
infection is treatable with
antibiotics, but the dis-
ease can cause fever, nau-
sea, body aches, vomiting
and headache in the early
stages. Later it can cause a
skin rash, abdominal pain,
joint pain and diarrhea.
Signs of a Rocky Moun-
tain Spotted Fever infec-
tion include fever, rash, and
a history of tick bites.
Several types of ticks
found in Eastern Oregon
can transmit Rocky Moun-
tain Spotted Fever as well
as other diseases. The
American Dog Tick also
carries Tularemia, and the
Rocky Mountain Wood
Tick also transmits Colo-
rado tick fever, tick relaps-
ing fever, and Tularemia. It
can also cause partial paral-
ysis, and a tick must be
removed as soon as paral-
ysis happens, or it can be
life-threatening.
The Morrow County
Health Department warned
residents that because of
the mild winter, ticks are
more abundant, and show-
ing up earlier than usual.
They said ticks can be so
small that they can be nearly
impossible to see without a
magnifying class. Often,
hunters will find ticks on
recently killed game, or on
dogs or rodents. The health
department noted that after
an animal has died, a tick
will leave that host to seek
a live host, often a human.
To avoid ticks, when
walking through thick veg-
etation, wear a heavy-duty
tick repellent and long
pants tucked into boots. To
remove a tick, have another
person use tweezers or
foreceps, grasp the mouth
or head of the tick as close
to the skin as possible, and
gently pull it straight out.
Wash hands and apply anti-
septic to the area immedi-
ately afterward.
Man faces assault, strangulation charges
HERMISTON — A Hermiston man was arrested Sun-
day for assault and strangulation of a woman, and for
resisting arrest and attempting to assault a police officer.
Jonathan Edward Reuter, 58, was lodged in the Uma-
tilla County Jail and was arraigned Monday in Pendle-
ton. He was charged with domestic violence assault in the
fourth degree and strangulation, harassment and disorderly
conduct in the second degree. Reuter is also charged for
attempting to injure trooper Mark Amos and resisting arrest.
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ther test results and a bet-
ter idea of the effects of
his chemotherapy treat-
ments, he said city coun-
cil president Neil Brown
is prepared to fill
in for Turner as
needed.
A native Okla-
homan, Turner
spent 28 years
in the Marine
Corps,
spend-
ing his last four
years as the exec-
utive director of
the Marine Corps
War College. He retired
with the rank of colonel in
2003.
After moving to Pend-
leton to become the pro-
vost at BMCC, Turner was
named interim president
in 2004 and installed per-
manently in the position in
2005. He retired from the
job in 2013, served as a
commissioner for the Port
of Umatilla and ran unop-
posed for the open may-
or’s seat in 2016 with the
support of former Pendle-
ton Mayor Phillip Houk.
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