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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 31, 2018)
SKRAMSTAD ROPES IN CROWN FOR FRONTIER DAYS RIVERSIDE GETS PLAYOFF VICTORY SPORTS/1B REGION/3A WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2018 143rd Year, No. 11 WINNER OF THE 2018 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD One dollar “I do have a lot of repeat customers, which is great” — Chip Zessin, Harris Park manager AP Photo/Gillian Flaccus Oregon Independent Party’s guberna- torial candidate, Patrick Starnes, left, poses for a photo with Oregon Demo- cratic incumbent Gov. Kate Brown at Brown’s Portland campaign office on Oct. 30. Starnes drops out, endorses Brown Governor’s race jostled by independent’s switch to back Brown Staff photo by E.J. Harris Harris Park is Umatilla County’s only public park. The park encompasses 273 acres along the South Fork of the Walla Walla River about 13 miles southeast of Milton-Freewater. The secret is out On Sunday evening, Patrick Starnes, a cabinet maker and would-be governor, hit “send” on his home computer, dis- patching an email that triggered events that would jolt Oregon’s close governor’s race. Within 48 hours, he abandoned his long-shot bid for office, lined up behind Gov. Kate Brown’s bid for re-election, and pointed an accusing finger at Repub- lican Knute Buehler for taking millions from wealthy donors. Those actions moved to center stage of Oregon politics the one issue that the for- mer school board member cared about – limiting money flowing to Oregon politi- cians seeking public office. His late move, coming just days before votes will be counted, leaves an uncertain imprint on voters. Polls show Brown, the incumbent, leading Buehler — but not by much. Her very public embrace of Starnes Harris Park wraps up successful season By PHIL WRIGHT East Oregonian he use and revenue at Umatilla County’s Harris Park continues to trend up. Way up. The county had approximately 620 reservations for the park this season, which generated $70,110, according to park data. That’s a 13.3 percent revenue increase from 2017 and a 60.7 percent leap from 2016. The county in the fall of 2014 placed the park under the oversight of the public works department. Public Works Direc- tor Tom Fellows estimated park occu- pancy has doubled in the last four years. “I’m hesitant to say we’re there, but my goal was this park has to be self-suf- ficient,” Fellows said. The park encompasses 273 acres along the South Fork of the Walla Walla River about 13 miles southeast of Mil- ton-Freewater and provides overnight camping, access to hiking trails or out- door settings for gatherings of all sorts. The park played host to five weddings this year. Harris Park receives some funds from the Oregon Parks and Rec- By PARIS ACHEN and AUBREY WIEBER Capital Bureau T See STARNES/8A Staff photo by E.J. Harris Wild turkeys walk through an open area at Harris Park on Tuesday. reation Department, Fellows said, but nothing from the county general fund. Most of the park’s money comes from the people who use it. Chip Zessin is the park manager. He said word-of-mouth seems to be how people learn about this gem at the edge of the Blue Mountains. “I do have a lot of repeat customers, HERMISTON which is great,” he said. “And it’s amaz- ing how many from the Walla Walla and Milton-Freewater areas come up here just for a night. They just got to get away.” The park lacks cellphone service and public Wi-Fi, although phones can get a signal on a couple of tall points on the See PARK/8A Sen. Merkley eyes White House bid He visits early primary states; says he will decide whether to run after midterms Owners hope to make impression, draw repeat customers By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN East Oregonian and Nevada, states that have early primaries and caucuses in the presidential sweepstakes. He didn’t have much name rec- As Hermiston’s Main Street is flooded with hundreds of trick-or-treaters Wednesday afternoon, downtown busi- ness owners will attempt to be ready for them with costumes, Halloween decora- tions and buckets of candy. “I bet I buy almost $200 worth of candy,” said Cherie Bumpaous, owner of the Pheasant Cafe. “I ran out the first sev- eral years, and now I buy a lot more, but it goes pretty fast.” The event is now in its 11th year, and draws thousands of children and their families. Kasia Robbins, recreation coor- dinator for the Hermiston Parks and Rec- reation department, said last year they had about 7,000 people, including chil- dren and adults. See MERKLEY/8A See TREATS/8A By ANDREW SELSKY Associated Press PORTLAND — He’s a Dem- ocrat, a liberal senator who wants to make Medicare available for all Americans, has pushed bills to stem climate change and is a sharp critic of President Donald Trump. And he’s seriously considering a run for the White House. It’s not Vermont’s Bernie Sanders. It’s Jeff Merkley, a sen- ator from Oregon whose national profile rose this year when he led opposition to the Trump adminis- tration’s immigration policy that Downtown businesses put big bucks into treats EO file photo Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, listens to a question during a town hall meeting on July 8 at the Pendleton Early Learning Center. Merkley, a frequent critic of President Donald Trump, is seriously considering a run for the White House. saw parents forcibly separated from their children. Merkley, in trying to gauge voter interest in a run for the pres- idency, has already visited Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina
