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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (July 28, 2018)
REGION Saturday, July 28, 2018 Hay truck fire shuts down Interstate 84 East Oregonian BRIEFLY Wolves kill dog guarding sheep in Umatilla County East Oregonian Staff photo by Jayati Ramakrishnan A truck carrying hay caught on fire on Interstate 84 westbound, around milepost 185, on Friday afternoon. The blaze spread to the median of the highway. East Oregonian A hay truck fire on Interstate 84 shut down westbound traffic on Fri- day afternoon near Stanfield for more than an hour. Corey Gorham, battalion chief for Umatilla County Fire District 1, said the cause of the fire was a blown tire, and the blaze spread to the north shoulder and median of the highway. He said no one was injured, and only one vehicle was affected in the fire. Traffic was stopped shortly after 1 p.m. and began moving at about 2:30 p.m. with the opening of one lane. FAA decides to stop maintaining Pendleton airport’s secondary runway By ANTONIO SIERRA East Oregonian Pendleton’s Eastern Ore- gon Regional Airport could eventually be reduced to a single runway. Airport Manager Steve Chrisman said the Federal Aviation Administration recently decided to pull main- tenance funding from the air- port’s secondary runway. The FAA normally picks up 95 percent of the tab when it comes to runway mainte- nance projects, but Chrisman said the agency determined the airport’s primary runway can handle all of the airport’s traffic. According to Chris- man, the FAA’s top rea- son for defunding the sec- ondary infrastructure was that its primary runway can accommodate aircraft under many wind conditions, which means there does need to be a secondary landing or take- off area. The city lobbied the fed- eral government to prevent them from closing the run- way. Mayor John Turner met with FAA officials during a trip to Washington, D.C., this spring and a representa- tive from the agency traveled to Pendleton in June to meet with city officials. Although the FAA will no longer provide money for repairs and improvements to the second runway, the administration does offer a five-year period to appeal its decision. Chrisman said convincing the FAA to reverse their deci- sion will not be easy. “It’s a hard argument when you’re talking about millions of dollars in mainte- nance,” he said. While it isn’t considered the airport’s primary runway, Chrisman said the secondary airstrip is still under frequent use. The secondary runway actually runs closer to the ter- minal than the primary one, and for pilots looking to taxi as little as possible it is the best choice. Despite the lack of fund- ing, Chrisman said the sec- ondary runway is in good enough condition that it can continue to handle air traffic for the next five years without federal upkeep. If the FAA decides to make its decision perma- nent in 2023, Chrisman said the city would be faced with a decision on whether to use its own money for mainte- nance, or to close the runway entirely. It isn’t the first time the Pendleton airport has been forced to close a runway. Chrisman said the airport had six runways when it was an airbase during World War II. The airport had three run- ways as recently as 2013, but the FAA declined to continue fund the third one and it was converted to a taxiway. Page 3A Wolves killed a sheep dog guarding a herd in Umatilla County on Monday. A depredation report from the Oregon Depart- ment of Fish and Wild- life states that on July 23 a sheep herder heard wolves howling and then wit- nessed six livestock guard and herding dogs engage with two wolves near a sheep pen at about 3 a.m. The wolves retreated, but one dog gave chase through the forest. The 80-pound male dog returned about 20 min- utes later with severe inju- ries and died the following night. The incident happened in the area of Ruckel Ridge south of Tollgate. The sheep were on a U.S. Forest Service grazing allotment. ODFW examined the dog after its death and found “multiple paired canine punctures” on its neck, right armpit and lum- bar vertebra and smaller bite marks on the right hind leg, right flank and abdomen. A wolf from the Ruckel Ridge pack with a radio collar had a GPS location about half a mile from the sheep band before the attack. “The size, number, and locations of the bite marks with the associated mus- cle trauma are sufficient to attribute the death of this livestock dog to a wolf or wolves of the Ruckel Ridge pack,” ODFW concluded. County to verify signatures for gun rights measure PENDLETON — Gun rights activists in Umatilla County submitted almost 1,700 signatures so far to place the Second Amend- ment Preservation Ordi- nance on the November ballot. The initiative would restrict Umatilla County from using any resources to enforce state or federal laws infringing “on the right of the People to keep and bear arms.” The initia- tive designates the county sheriff as the authority to decide which of those laws would cross the infringe- ment line. Umatilla County elec- tions director Kim Lindell said petitioners Jesse Bon- ifer of Athena and Kevin Pettey of Hermiston deliv- ered 1,695 signatures this week. The elections divi- sions needs a few days to verify those, Lindell said, and the petition needs 1,131 to land the proposal on the ballot. The deadline for sub- mitting signatures is Aug. 8 at 5 p.m. Lindell said Bonifer and Pettey plan to continuing gathering signatures until then. The election is Nov. 6. Teen rock camp set for 13th year File photo Counselor Levi Cecil of Portland sets up a mi- crophone to record a song by Sophie Arnold. PENDLETON — A number of Pacific North- west indie bands and musicians will converge on Pendleton to serve as instructors for the teen Rock & Roll Camp. In its 13th year, there is no fee for participants. The five-day camp kicks off Monday, Aug. 13 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. in and around Pendleton Center for the Arts, 214 N. Main St. Activities include put- ting together bands, writing original music and record- ing songs, working on rock journalism, putting together a camp zine and generating videos for YouTube. The event crescendos with a big camp concert Friday, Aug. 17 at 7 p.m. on Main Street, Pendleton. For more information or to register, call 541-278- 9201 of stop by the arts center. Animal control district would be under county umbrella By PHIL WRIGHT East Oregonian The Pioneer Humane Society would not control the purse strings of the ani- mal service district it’s asking Umatilla County voters to approve. Rather, the Umatilla County Board of Commis- sioners would oversee the new district. The Pendleton nonprofit will make a pitch Wednesday to the county board to put the question to voters in Novem- ber. It is asking for a tax rate of 10 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value to fund an animal control district. Jackie Carey, humane society board president, said she believes the orga- nization would be in charge of that revenue. County counsel Doug Olsen has a different understanding. He explained the Pioneer Humane Society is petitioning for the formation of a new county service district, and the new district — not Pioneer Humane Society — would receive the taxes. “The new district would need to contract with PHS to provide the ser- vices,” he said. “The board of commis- sioners would be the board for the new district.” The society operates the Pendleton Animal Welfare Shelter and asserted it needs the tax revenue to continue operations. Carey also said the humane society is working on holding public forums and speaking to groups about the proposal. The humane society had to ask local city councils to approve the peti- tion before going to the county. Carey, who is a Pilot Rock city councilor, said only Milton-Freewater and Hermiston refused the petition. Thus the matter will not go to voters in either city, and taxpayers there will pay nothing even if the measure passes elsewhere. County Commissioner George Mur- dock said that presents an awkward sit- uation for county government, which has the obligation to provide services equally throughout the county. Murdock also said he did not know how the board would vote Wednesday on the petition. The board on past peti- tions for special or service districts has usually let voters decide. John Shafer, Athena mayor and commissioner-elect, said that was his philosophy. The Athena City Council in March approved a resolution to put the petition on the ballot. County commissioners meet Wednesday at 9 a.m. in room 130 at the Umatilla County Courthouse, 216 S.E. Fourth St., Pendleton. McKay Creek Estates We need to talk about your driving. Driving represents freedom and independence for people of all ages. Asking an aging parent to hand over their keys can be a difficult and emotional conversation, even when safety is the main concern. • How do I start the conversation? • When is the right time to bring it up? • How will they react? This could be one of the most challenging talks you’ll have with your loved one. We’re here to help. Visit TheyDeserveTheBest.com to learn more about transitioning your loved one from driver to passenger. McKay Creek Estates 1601 Southgate Pl. 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