FOCUSING
ON HOLIDAY
GIVING
TRADITIONS
TRUMP’S
GUARDRAILS
COME OFF
WHITE HOUSE
STANFIELD WINS LEAGUE OPENER
LIFESTYLES, C1
NATION, A11
SPORTS, B1
E O
AST
143rd Year, No. 47
REGONIAN
DECEMBER 22-23, 2018
$1.50
WINNER OF THE 2018 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD
PENDLETON
Our New
Neighbors
Vocal on shopping local
NATIONAL
FOREST
BECKONS
WATRUD
Forest supervisor is
‘where I want to be’
By KATHY ANEY
East Oregonian
Eric Watrud has simple
tastes.
When he’s not working,
he revels in being with fam-
ily, spend-
ing time in
nature
or
strumming
tunes on his
guitar. Bliss
was relaxing
on his deck
Watrud
and watch-
ing fi reworks on the Fourth
of July.
Recently, the new super-
visor of the Umatilla
National Forest sat in his
living room in North Pend-
leton and grinned as 2-year-
old Abigail removed a cou-
ple of decorations from the
Christmas tree and brought
them over for his inspec-
tion. He deftly directed her
to a book about crickets that
chirped when the little girl
opened the cover.
Such is life at Chez
Watrud.
Eric, his wife, Cecily,
and their three children
See Neighbor, Page A16
MERRY
CHRISTMAS!
The East Oregonian wish-
es your family a joyous
holiday. No newspaper
will be delivered on
Christmas Day. Tues-
day’s comics and other
features can be found
with the color comics in
today’s edition.
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Carolyn Britt sands a drawer for a cabinet while preparing a storefront for her clothing store, El Roi Apparel, on Friday in downtown Pendleton.
Britt is planning on opening her new store in February.
Survey shows
demand for better
variety downtown
By ANTONIO SIERRA
East Oregonian
C
arolyn Britt is ready to
deliver on what shoppers
want from downtown Pend-
leton. And she’s got the data to
prove it.
In late 2017 and early 2018,
the city and the Pendleton Down-
town Association sent out 5,000
surveys through the mail, posted
a survey online, and conducted
focus groups to determine where
people shopped, what they
bought, and what they would
like to see out of the downtown
shopping experience.
After receiving 453 responses
through the mail, 253 online, and
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Nearly one-third of hardware purchases made by the survey shoppers
were made in downtown at Zimmerman’s Hardware, according to a
2018 survey conducted by the city of Pendleton and the Pendleton
Downtown Association.
the focus groups fi nished, the
survey results revealed the type
a women’s apparel store, to the
tune of 64 percent.
That’s a demand Britt, a for-
mer manager at Speakeasy
Clothing Co., intends to fi ll.
Opening a new clothing busi-
ness on South Main Street wasn’t
Britt’s ambition until Speakeasy
Clothing owner Katie Jones
decided to get out of the apparel
business.
Jones was looking to expand
her companion Speakeasy Salon
business into the clothing retail-
er’s 215 S.W. 10th St. space, and
with Britt uninterested in transi-
tioning into spa and salon work,
the pair agreed in October that
Britt could purchase the clothing
company’s remaining inventory
and strike it out on her own.
Since then, Britt has created
a business plan, obtained a Jump
of store shoppers most wanted
to see in the downtown area was
See Local, Page A16
BMCC opens food pantry to feed hungry students
By KATHY ANEY
East Oregonian
No one should have to make the
choice between eating and attend-
ing college.
That’s the idea behind The Den,
a new food pantry at the Pendleton
campus of Blue Mountain Commu-
nity College.
Last year, the college conducted
research to pinpoint the level of food
insecurity among its students at all
branches. The study identifi ed that
more than 45 percent of students
surveyed skimped on or skipped
meals in the past year because they
couldn’t afford food. Twenty per-
cent of the students surveyed faced
this situation on a monthly basis.
A larger Temple University study
found that 36 percent of 43,000 stu-
dents surveyed at 66 colleges and
universities don’t get enough to eat.
One in 10 community college stu-
dents had gone without eating for at
See Pantry, Page A16
CHI St. Anthony Hospital Family Clinic is recognized
as a Patient -Centered Primary Care Home.
What does that mean for you?
• Better-coordinated care.
• Healthcare providers who will help connect you
• Listening to your concerns and answering with the care you need in a safe and timely way.
• Healthcare providers who play an active role in
questions.
your health.
• After-hours nurse consultation.
844.724.8632
3001 St. Anthony Way, Pendleton
WWW.SAHPENDLETON.ORG
Mon through Thurs, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. • Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.,
Sat and Sun, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.,
Walk-ins are welcome but appointments are preferred.