REGION
Friday, December 21, 2018
East Oregonian
A3
Growing wildfire costs get governor’s attention
State spent $102
million on large
fires this year
FROM 2008 TO
2012, ANNUAL
FIRE COSTS
IN THE STATE
HOVERED AT
$20 MILLION OR
LESS
By CLAIRE
WITHYCOMBE
Oregon Capital Bureau
SALEM — Oregonians
saw $62 million in private
grazing and timberland go
up in flames this fire season.
Such seasons continue
to grow worse, longer and
more expensive in the state,
posing more threats to life
and property.
Gov. Kate Brown has
proposed a special council to
take a new look at how the
state fights fires and pays for
that work.
The
state
Forestry
Department reported to leg-
islators recently that large
fires cost the agency $102
million this year.
The federal government
will cover much of that, and
private landowners chip in
some, but the high price
tag still creates a budgeting
frenzy as the state waits for
federal reimbursement.
Brown’s proposed coun-
cil is likely to look at
whether the state is staffing
fires efficiently.
Every summer, desk-
bound Forestry Department
employees like accountants
and human resources staff
can be taken off their regular
duties to help on fire crews.
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
A firefighting air tanker drops a load of fire retardant into a draw in Harrington Canyon on
August 17, 2018 as a large wildfire burned out of control Friday southwest of Pilot Rock.
That is called a “militia
model.” Other states, like
California, have a dedicated
firefighting agency.
As fire seasons grow lon-
ger, militia-style firefighting
could actually cost the state
more by taking employees
off key, but non-fire, func-
tions of the department for
months at a time.
The governor’s council
is likely to include officials
from Oregon’s tribes, state
and federal forest agencies,
environmental groups and
landowners. Forest prac-
tices likely won’t be part of
council’s review but could
become a consideration.
Brown also wants the
state to hire a consultant to
analyze budgeting for fires.
Oregon’s byzantine array of
reimbursements, borrowing
and insurance burdens the
state’s general fund.
From 2008 to 2012,
annual fire costs in the state
hovered at $20 million or
less, according to state data.
Costs spiked to $122 mil-
lion in 2013, as fires in the
Rogue Valley persisted.
While expenses haven’t
reached that point again,
they continue to stay above
pre-2012 levels.
The Forestry Depart-
ment had to bump up its bor-
rowing from the state trea-
sury to pay this year’s bills
while waiting for the federal
money.
“Payments to contractors
and vendors must be made
... on a timely basis,” state
analysts wrote in a recent
report on the 2018 fire sea-
son. “Many people and busi-
nesses assisting with fighting
Boardman police run sting, catch child
luring suspect at Portland airport
By PHIL WRIGHT
East Oregonian
The Boardman Police
Department ran a sting to
catch an Indiana luring sus-
pect at the Portland Interna-
tional Airport and prevent
him from meeting a local
girl.
Kai Christopher Larkins,
20, of Ashgrove, Indiana,
faces an initial felony charge
of first-degree online cor-
ruption of a child in Morrow
County, according to state
court records.
Boardman police Lt.
Loren Dieter said the case
began when a mother
reported she was concerned
with her juvenile daughter’s
online conversation
with them so they
with a man. Police
could get through
Sgt. Mark Pratt
security checkpoints
investigated and saw
and contact Larkins
red flags, Dieter said.
as he came off the
The two police
plane.
supervisors
used
“He was defi-
Larkins
nitely not expecting
“pretext” text mes-
sages to chat with
us.” Dieter said. “He
Larkins, Dieter said. They was very surprised.”
found out Larkins bought
They questioned and
an airline ticket and was fly- arrested Larkins and hauled
ing into the Portland Interna- him to the Umatilla County
tional Airport.
Jail,
Pendleton.
Court
Boardman police con- records show he faced
tacted the Port of Portland arraignment on the lone
Police Department, which count Thursday morning.
handles policing at the air- The court has not set subse-
port. Dieter and Pratt went quent dates in the case.
to the airport Wednesday,
The charge of online cor-
and Dieter said one of the ruption of a child is a class B
port police detectives stayed felony and requires a defen-
dant to solicit a child for sex
and take a “substantial step
toward physically meeting
with and encountering the
child.” Dieter said flying
halfway across the United
States to meet the girl qual-
ified as “a pretty substantial
step.”
He also said these cases
often come to light only
after the offender harms the
victim. Getting in on the
front end to prevent that, he
said, felt good.
The criminal investiga-
tion into Larkins continues.
Dieter said there is digital
data to sift through to make
sure the case is airtight and
find if Larkins has done this
before.
large fires are self-employed
or own small businesses and
cannot wait to be paid until
the department receives
reimbursements.”
And fire-induced cash
flow issues aren’t limited
to the Forestry Department.
The Oregon State Police
feels the impact too.
The state fire mar-
shal’s office, part of the
state police, incurred about
$32 million in unbudgeted
expenses in 2017 and 2018
due to wildfires, according
to legislative documents.
When fires threaten peo-
munity Center, 415 S. High-
way 395, Hermiston. Enjoy a
holiday breakfast including
pancakes, sausage and top-
pings for decoration. Tickets
required, seating limited.
FREE FOR ALL, 9:30-
10:15 a.m., Pendleton Cen-
ter for the Arts, 214 N. Main
St., Pendleton. Free art
classes for children up to
age 12. Children under 8
should be accompanied by
an adult. (Roberta Lavadour
541-278-9201)
YARN CLUB, 10 a.m.-
12 p.m., Hermiston Public
Library, 235 E. Gladys Ave.,
Hermiston. (541-567-2882)
HIP
&
HANDMADE,
11 a.m.-12 p.m.,
Pendle-
ton Center for the Arts, 214
N. Main St., Pendleton. Free
drop-in project class for
adults. (Roberta Lavadour
541-278-9201)
SUNDAY, DEC. 23
SPECIAL NEEDS OPEN
GYM, 12:30-1 p.m., Pendle-
ton Recreation Center, 510
S.W. Dorion Ave., Pendleton.
Free for special needs children
and families. (Casey Brown
541-276-8100)
MONDAY, DEC. 24
WALKING FOR WELL-
NESS, 8:30-9:30 a.m., Pendle-
ton Recreation Center, 510 S.W.
Dorion Ave., Pendleton. Get
some exercise even when the
weather is bad. Free. (Casey
Brown 541-276-8100)
PRESCHOOL
STORY
TIME, 10:30 a.m., Athena Pub-
lic Library, 418 E. Main St.,
St. John’s
announces advent
services
HERMISTON — The
public is invited to cele-
brate the final services of
the advent season at St.
John’s Episcopal Church,
665 E. Gladys Ave.,
Hermiston.
The fourth Sunday
of advent is Dec. 23 at
9 a.m. with a service of
lessons telling the story
of Israel and the Nativ-
ity. It also includes music
and will conclude with the
eucharist.
Also, the first service of
Christmas is Monday, Dec.
24 at 7 p.m., followed by
mass at 7:30 p.m.
For more informa-
tion, contact Rev. Chuck
Barnes at 541-567-6674 or
chuckb@eotnet.net.
Redeemer
church sets
kids Christmas
pageant
Starts Wedneday December 26th 8 a.m.
Women’s apparel!
During Sunday Worship
December 23rd. • 9am
Everyone Welcome
Check us out on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/FUMCPendleton
(541) 276-2616
Dec 26th • 12pm
THE PRIVATE LIFE OF SHERLOCK HOLMES
AQUAMAN (PG13)
3:30* 6:40
PENDLETON — Area
1:50* 10:00
families are invited to
bring their kids so they BUMBLEBEE (PG13)
12:50* 7:20 9:50
can participate in a Christ-
11:20* 4:50
mas program at Episcopal
MARY POPPINS (PG)
1:10* 4:00 6:50 9:40
1:20* 4:10 7:00 10:00
Athena. For ages birth to 6.
(541-566-2470)
PENDLETON
SENIOR
MEAL SERVICE, 12-1 p.m.,
Pendleton Senior Center, 510
S.W. 10th St., Pendleton. Costs
$3.50 or $6 for those under 60.
Pool, puzzles, crafts, snacks,
Second Time Around thrift
store 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. For Meals
On Wheels, call 541-276-1926.
(Tori Bowman 541-276-5073)
ART STUDIO, 4-5:30 p.m.,
Pendleton Center for the
Arts, 214 N. Main St., Pendle-
ton. Free class for ages 7-12 to
develop skills and encourage
art exploration. (Roberta Lava-
dour 541-278-9201)
WINTER CLEARANCE SALE
50%-70%
off
Annual Christmas Cantata
12/21-24
Cineplex Show Times
$5 Classic Movie
CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICE,
6-7:30 p.m., First Christian
Church, 518 S. Main St., Mil-
ton-Freewater. (Janet Collins
541-938-3854)
MORTAL ENGINES (PG13)
1:20* 4:10 7:00 9:50
* Matinee Pricing
wildhorseresort.com • 541-966-1850
Pendleton, OR I-84 - Exit 216
Happy Holidays
- From -
Sara Rickman, MD • Rhonda Wyland, MD
Lynn Lieuallen, FNP • Teri Rosselle, FNP
Saagers Shoe Shop
SAVE
352 SE 2nd St. • Pendleton, Oregon
Church of the Redeemer.
The annual Children’s
Christmas Pageant is Mon-
day, Dec. 24 — Christmas
Eve — from 4-5 p.m. The
church is located at 241
S.E. Second St., Pendleton.
Children are needed for
roles, including a mouse,
sheep, donkey or camel.
In addition, there are parts
for angels and shepherds
and magi. With no audition
or rehearsal, anyone can
participate.
Rev. Charlotte Wells
invites people to come and
celebrate Jesus’ birthday
with the Redeemer church
family. For more informa-
tion, contact Wells at 541-
276-3809 or rector.pendle-
tonepiscopal@gmail.com.
SPIDER-MAN:
INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE (PG)
Store closed 12/22 – 12/25 to prepare for sale
Pendleton First United Methodist Church
Reporter Claire Withy-
combe: cwithycombe@
eomediagroup.com or 971-
304-4148. Withycombe is a
reporter for the East Ore-
gonian working for the Ore-
gon Capital Bureau, a col-
laboration of EO Media
Group, Pamplin Media
Group, and Salem Reporter.
BRIEFLY
COMING EVENTS
FRIDAY, DEC. 21
STORY
AND
CRAFT
TIME, 2 p.m., Echo Public
Library, 20 S. Bonanza, Echo.
(541-376-8411)
VFW BINGO,
6 p.m.,
Hermiston VFW, 45 W. Cherry
St., Hermiston. Doors open
at 6 p.m., games begin at
7 p.m. Everyone welcome.
(541-567-6219)
MOVIE EVENT, 7:15 p.m.,
SAGE Center, 101 Olson Road,
Boardman. Enjoy “How the
Grinch Stole Christmas.” The
Grinch will visit 30 minutes
prior to the movie showing.
$3 admission includes a bag
of popcorn. Bottled water
and concessions available
for purchase. Plays again at
2:15 p.m. on Saturday. (Ste-
fanie Swindler 541-481-7243)
Saturday, December 22
PANCAKES WITH SANTA,
9-11:30 a.m., Hermiston Com-
ple and homes, the governor
can call on the fire marshal
to dispatch local firefight-
ers to action and cover their
costs. This year, about 1,000
firefighters protected 7,600
Oregon homes that were
threatened by fires.
The federal govern-
ment will cover about two-
thirds of those costs, but not
before next summer, when
the state’s two-year budget
ends.
The cost of fighting all
wildfires, including feder-
ally-managed fires, is esti-
mated to be about $500 mil-
lion this year.
&
Up
To
50%
off
Men/Women’s
Shoes !
Boots, fl ats, casuals, booties, clogs,
athletic, trail shoes and boots,
dress shoes, performance comfort,
hiking boots and more!
Huge selection of the fi nest
comfort brands and top
rated performance footwear.
Mon - Sat: 8 AM - 6 PM • Sun: 12 PM - 4 PM
613 N. Main St., Milton-Freewater, OR
www.saagershoeshop.com • 541-938-5162
Mon.-Thur. 8 am- 6 pm, • Fri. 8 am-12 pm,
Sat. 9 am - 12 pm (school year)
2461 SW Perkins Ave • Pendleton, OR 97801 • 541-276-0250