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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 26, 2018)
SALTY, SWEET SNACKS BURIED IN TIME CAPSULE TRUMP CHALLENGES THE UN REGION/3A NATION/6A WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2018 142nd Year, No. 233 One dollar WINNER OF THE 2018 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD Complaint: Grocers used employees to distribute campaign flyers By CLAIRE WITHYCOMBE Capital Bureau Staff photo by E.J. Harris Pendleton Police Department Cpl. Jon Lehman signals to Lucy, a 6-year-old Belgian Malinois, to search behind a visor for contraband while training on Tuesday in Pendleton. Sniffing out trouble Police dogs test their senses in Pendleton By ANTONIO SIERRA East Oregonian T he night show ended weeks ago, but on Tuesday afternoon, the Old West’s sense of lawless- ness was restored at the Happy Can- yon Arena. Along with his canine partner Lil’ Kim, Bend police officer Kevin Ubal- lez advanced toward the Happy Can- yon backdrop, which now represented a burglarized strip mall instead of a row of storefronts from the early days of Pendleton. Uballez and the Belgian Malinois began clearing the rooms one by one until some clanking and clattering alerted the pair they weren’t alone. As they approached the end of the back- drop, a man sprinted out of one the doors toward the exit of the arena, but Uballez kept Lil’ Kim focused on the source. As the dog and her handler entered the final rooms, a woman in heavy padding sprung out of the shadows with a baton. Lil’ Kim sunk her teeth into the perp as she screamed and lightly thwacked the dog with the stick before trainer Jeff Gaunt stepped in and congratulated Uballez on com- Staff photo by E.J. Harris Trainer Jeff Gaunt, left, monitors a search conducted by Washington County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Michael Zaugg and his dog, Chase, a 4-year-old German shepherd, while training in the Happy Canyon Arena on Tuesday in Pendleton. pleting the scenario. The Happy Can- yon setup was one of the more heav- ily simulated trainings at the Oregon Police Canine Association Fall Sem- inar, a training session for K-9 units across the state. While regional trainings for law enforcement are common in Pendle- ton, a seminar that draws police from the Interstate 5 corridor and beyond is less frequent. Rob Havice, one of the chairmen of the association, said this is the first canine training seminar the organi- zation has held in Pendleton in eight years. Cruisers in varying shades of black, white, and blue flocked toward See DOGS/8A Cruisers in varying shades of black, white, and blue flocked toward Pendleton Elks Lodge and the Round-Up grounds SALEM — Opponents of a ballot measure to ban taxes on groceries contend that some grocers have illegally used their employees to distribute political material supporting the ban. The “Vote No on 103” campaign claims in a letter Monday, Sept. 24, to Oregon grocers that such conduct violates state law that pro- hibits coercing workers into employer-man- dated political activity. Major grocers, including Albertsons, Safe- way and Costco, have bankrolled the effort to prohibit taxes on grocery products, Secretary of State records show. Ballot Measure 103 is on the Nov. 6 statewide ballot. The Yes on 103 campaign denied the alle- gations, saying its campaign staffers were dis- tributing the items and customers could take them at will. The letter is the latest volley in what has become an acrimonious campaign over whether Oregon, which has no sales tax, should especially protect grocery items from state taxes. The measure is opposed by a coalition of progressive groups, which said in its letter that employees at Fred Meyer, Safeway, QFC and Albertsons stores in Portland, Eugene, Springfield and Roseburg were distributing flyers and magnets reading “Keep Our Gro- ceries Tax Free,” and telling customers to vote for Measure 103. “Oregon grocers are engaging in a decep- tive campaign where they claim that Mea- sure 103 is necessary to ensure that food is not taxed,” wrote attorney Margaret Olney in a letter to grocers on Monday. “While they can make this position known in their stores, they cannot require employees to personally deliver that message to customers. We are writing to each grocery retailer to demand that it stop.” Olney also wrote that the campaign would “explore all possible avenues for challenge, including election law complaints and civil actions against the employers” if the grocers didn’t stop. She also said that any time employees spent distributing the flyers and magnets should be disclosed as in-kind contributions to the Yes on 103 campaign. Katherine Driessen, a spokeswoman for the “No” campaign, said that “multiple cus- tomers and staff” reported employees were distributing literature and magnets. However, the Yes on 103 campaign in an email statement late Monday labeled such claims “false accusations.” “The Yes on 103 campaign material that is referenced in this letter was distributed and placed by the campaign at store check stands,” wrote Dan Floyd, a spokesman for the campaign. “Individuals may take a mag- See FLYERS/8A Campaign signs sprout in commissioner’s race By PHIL WRIGHT East Oregonian Staff photo by E.J. Harris A pair of competing campaign signs for Umatilla County commis- sioner sit side-by-side in a yard off of Frazer Avenue in Pendleton. Umatilla County commissioner challenger Rick Pullen of Pendleton is trolling for votes in a big way. Pullen is running against incumbent Commissioner George Murdock, also of Pendleton, in the November general election. The challenger has placed large election banners in Pendleton on the old sign at the corner of South- east Court Avenue and Southeast Fifth Street. Court Avenue is westbound only, so one banner faces the oncom- ing traffic. The other banner faces the Umatilla County Courthouse. Strain enough, and the sign is visible from Murdock’s office window. Murdock said he doesn’t spend much time doing that. His and Pullen’s signs are visible in plenty of places throughout the county. Signs are one of Murdock’s top campaign expenditures. His campaign this year has raised $10,425, according to ORESTAR, the Oregon Secretary of State’s public website for campaign finance activity. His campaign has spent almost $7,200, including $2,360 with Creative Signs in Pendleton. “I think we need to be transparent on where our contributions are from and where we are spending,” he said. “We shop at home.” Pullen, a former county employee, has not reported any financial activ- ity on the website. State elections law requires candidates to maintain See CAMPAIGN/8A