BELUSHI HAPPILY GROWING POT IN OREGON BUCKS TO END REGULAR SEASON AGAINST BENSON NORTHWEST/2A SPORTS/1B THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2018 143rd Year, No. 2 One dollar WINNER OF THE 2018 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD Audit reveals PERS vulnerable to cyberattacks, natural disasters Lack of planning has left Oregon’s public pension system unprepared By CLAIRE WITHYCOMBE Capital Bureau SALEM — The state’s public pension agency isn’t prepared for a major disaster like an earthquake or flood, and Oregonians’ personal information could be at risk if the agency doesn’t do more to protect its systems from attacks, state auditors say. More than 365,000 Oregonians are in the Public Employees Retirement System, which pays about $310 million in pensions every month. The long-criticized system is facing $25.3 billion in unfunded retirement obligations, making it a perennial point of contention in the Legislature and on the campaign trail. But a report released Wednesday by Sec- retary of State Dennis Richardson said PERS is also beleaguered by a lack of planning for critical information technology projects. Auditors found that the agency couldn’t restore its IT systems after a disaster. A major disaster — depending on how long critical systems are unavailable — could threaten the agency’s ability to issue payments on time or to the right people. It could also mean that critical information is lost. See PERS/8A BOARDMAN Lost Valley Farm hit with $187,000 fine by regulators Record CAFO fine stems from alleged wastewater violations By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI EO Media Group Oregon farm regulators have issued a fine of more than $187,000 to a Boardman dairy, citing more than 220 violations of its waste- water permit between last December and late August. Among the alleged violations by Lost Val- ley Farm are unauthorized manure discharges, storing too much manure in lagoons, repeat- edly applying manure to fields without first installing required soil moisture sensors and keeping excessive numbers of mature cattle. The dairy has until early November to challenge the civil penalties issued by the Oregon Department of Agriculture’s confined animal feeding program before an administra- See FINE/8A Staff photo by E.J. Harris Artist Jean Christofori Howton hangs an original painting while preparing for a gallery at her home in Hat Rock on Wednes- day outside of Hermiston. Abstract nature Hat Rock artist develops an international following with fresh look at nature By JADE MCDOWELL East Oregonian ean Christofori Howton sees beauty everywhere. “Cabbages are won- derful to paint and draw,” she said, holding up a small painting layered in every shade of green imaginable. “They’re drowning in deep shadows.” She slid the cabbage painting into a blank section of wall underneath a draw- ing of sheep, testing the fit. She was working Wednes- day afternoon — as she has every day this week — to transform her home into the Hat Rock Art Gallery ahead of an open house she is plan- ning for Saturday. The house’s architec- ture already has an art gal- lery vibe. Visitors walking J Staff photo by E.J. Harris Artist Jean Christofori Howton has shown her work at galleries in the Pacific North- west and in Europe. through the front door are greeted by a mirrored wall underneath a spacious loft with vaulted ceilings. Nat- ural lighting filters through skylights and tall windows with views of the Columbia River. Most noticeable is the art covering every wall. In the kitchen, it’s black and white pencil drawings of lla- mas and chickens. Upstairs, large abstract paintings pres- ent swirling mixes of rich color in the loft, while the “skywalk” connected to the loft features oil paintings of planets in purple and blue. On Wednesday, there were still some blank spaces to be filled with the paint- See ARTIST/8A “I had so many pieces of art tucked away everywhere, I’m getting everything uncluttered” — Jean Christofori Howton, artist PENDLETON Council ups its stake in Eighth Street Bridge By ANTONIO SIERRA East Oregonian EO file photo A construction crew works on building a temporary bridge at the Eighth Street river crossing on Aug. 20 in Pendleton. Dismayed at the rising cost, the Pendleton City Council nonetheless unanimously voted to increase its con- tribution to the Eighth Street Bridge project by $78,837. The lion’s share of the now $8.6 million project is funded by the Ore- gon Department of Transportation, but the city is required to provide a 10.27 percent match. When ODOT’s estimate rose, the second time the department has revised the bridge’s projected budget, the city’s local match climbed to $883,595. Community Development Director Tim Simons attributed most of the ris- ing costs to ODOT’s decision to delay the project by a year, which produced inflationary costs for the construction materials. But Simons said ODOT is also deal- ing with the effects of a federal law- suit over the Americans with Disabil- ities Act. According to The Oregonian, the state and a disability rights group set- tled the lawsuit in 2016. As a result, the See BRIDGE/8A