WEEKEND EDITION
WILDFIRES
TURN
DEADLY
FARMERS NEED
TRADE SECURITY
WOLF COUNTRY
REGION/2A
LIFESTYLES/1C
OPINION/4A
JULY 28-29, 2018
142nd Year, No. 191
$1.50
WINNER OF THE 2018 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD
Homeless in Pendleton
Locals share stories of life on the street and lack of resources in Eastern Oregon
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Linda Kuppenbender checks her messages on a tablet while sitting in her car at Community Park on Wednesday evening in Pendleton. Kuppenbender, who
is homeless, will stay in town until after dark before driving out of the city limits to find a place to park her car and bed down for the evening.
By BRITTANY NORTON
and ANTONIO SIERRA
East Oregonian
inda Kuppenbender fills her sketch-
book with a mix of the realistic and
fantastic, a space where women in
various poses give way to dragons and
other mythical beasts.
Outside her sketchbook, Kuppen-
bender’s existence is firmly grounded
in reality. It’s early July and she’s sitting
at a table underneath the Stillman Park
shelter, which provides shade and out-
lets to charge her phone. Her tan station
wagon is parked nearby, which is where
she has slept most nights since she says
she was forced out of her apartment in
March 2017 due to black mold issues.
She’s a member of Pendleton’s
growing homeless community.
Kuppenbender has parked the car in
several spots in and around town, but
she said she has been cited for sleep-
ing in her car overnight and can’t afford
another fine.
She relies on Social Security for
L
money, and when she can afford it, Kup-
penbender said she will put some gas in
her car and move to a new location.
While Social Security might cover
some necessities, it has proven insuf-
ficient in helping her find permanent
housing.
Kuppenbender said all the apart-
ments she has looked at are $500
a month and higher — and in poor
condition.
She rejects some of the other hall-
marks of local homelessness: She
refuses to panhandle and she doesn’t
like staying at the warming station
because of the proximity to people with
substance abuse issues.
“I try to live like a lady, but it’s hard
being a lady out here,” she said.
Kuppenbender said she wants peo-
ple in Pendleton to know that homeless
people aren’t worthy of their contempt,
and that everyone’s ancestors were
homeless at some point in time.
Homeless services stretching
to keep up with increased need
By BRITTANY NORTON
and ANTONIO SIERRA
East Oregonian
There were 511 homeless people
in Umatilla County on January 31,
2018, according to the Community
Action Program of East Central Ore-
gon. About 290 of them were living
in Pendleton.
Pendleton Police Chief Stu-
art Roberts said that population is
increasing, though he couldn’t pro-
vide his own quantifiable number.
Transients frequently panhan-
dle near the Pendleton Wal-Mart,
but many try to stay out of sight,
whether it’s in a tent along the Uma-
tilla River, in an RV on a secluded
street, or a nook in a public park.
Just this summer, Roberts said
Stillman Park on Byers Avenue has
become a hub for homeless people
looking for a place to spend the day.
It has shade and benches, bathrooms
and a place to charge cell phones and
electronics.
Police cruisers can often be spot-
ted patrolling the parking lot across
from Stillman, but Roberts said that
law enforcement presence is sup-
posed to act more as a deterrent than
a response.
He said he could send officers to
a place like the Salvation Army and
would likely find several homeless
people wanted on warrants, but he
doesn’t want to take that approach.
See SERVICES/10A
See HOMELESS/10A
Oregon voters to decide on
state funding for abortions
By ANDREW SELSKY
Associated Press
SALEM — Oregon vot-
ers will decide in Novem-
ber whether one of Amer-
ica’s most progressive
states should keep funding
abortions.
Opponents of the fund-
ing gathered just enough
signatures to put the issue
on the ballot, the secretary
of state’s office said Friday.
“I’m thrilled,” said
Marylin Shannon, one
of the chief petitioners.
“We’ve been trying to do
this since 2012.”
The retired school-
teacher and former Repub-
lican state senator said she
opposes abortion.
Gov. Kate Brown, a
Democratic, last year
signed a bill expanding
coverage on abortions and
other reproductive services
to thousands of Orego-
nians, regardless of income,
citizenship status or gender
identity.
The measure going
before Oregon voters says
the state “shall not spend
public funds for any abor-
tion, except when medi-
cally necessary or as may
be required by federal law.”
Similar measures failed
in 1978, with 52 per-
cent voting against the
move, and in 1986, when
55 percent of voters were
opposed.
Emily McLain, exec-
utive director of Planned
Parenthood Advocates of
Oregon, said the new mea-
sure isn’t aligned with the
values of Oregonians.
“One of the biggest
See FUNDING/9A
HERMISTON
Indoor pool plan
dips toe in water
Center is high on residents’ wish list
By JADE MCDOWELL
East Oregonian
The city of Hermiston is getting serious about an indoor
pool.
A 2016 survey showed an indoor aquatic center was the
top “livability” priority for Hermiston residents, and the
city is in the midst of a feasibility study to determine what
it would take to get there.
City Manager Byron Smith said he expected staff would
have something to present to the city council in October.
See POOL/9A