BROWN VICTORY,
HAMMOND PARDON
TOP STATE STORIES
HEPPNER FALLS TO
TRI-CITIES PREP AT
IRRIGON INVITE
NORTHWEST, A2
SPORTS, B1
E O
AST
143rd Year, No. 51
REGONIAN
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2018
One dollar
WINNER OF THE 2018 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD
Our New Neighbors
Your Weekend
• IMAC breakfast, Irrigon
• Family Friday Night,
Hermiston
• Get your crafts on at
Pendleton Center for the
Arts
FOR TIMES AND LOCATIONS
CHECK COMING EVENTS, A6
Weekend Weather
FRI
SAT
SUN
36/33
49/35
43/26
PENDLETON
UAS
offi cials say
best is yet
to come
Range positioned to
be on cutting edge of
emerging industry
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Brent Koo and his wife, Michelle Quincena, moved from Newport to Hermiston recently and have bought and run the 11th Street Market.
Real Market Value
New owners of 11th Street Store fi nd community in customers, neighbors
By ANTONIO SIERRA
East Oregonian
While there may have been
times that the future of the
Pendleton Unmanned Aerial
Systems Range was uncertain,
city offi cials suggested that
2018 provided evidence of the
range’s permanency.
Steve Chrisman, Pendleton
airport manager and economic
development director, admitted
that the range’s impact wasn’t
always a known quantity, but a
year’s worth of growth in activ-
ity and full-time jobs is a sign
that the range has long-term
potential.
The
Federal
Aviation
Administration, the govern-
ment agency that regulates the
range, is also high on the UAS
industry’s potential.
In a recent forecast, the
FAA predicted “phenomenal”
growth for the commercial
drone sector and anticipated the
number of commercial UAS
would go from 110,604 at the
end of 2017 to 451,800 in 2022.
“As non-model aircraft
become operationally more
See Drones, Page A8
By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN
East Oregonian
B
randt Koo has lived all around the
world, but he said coming to Hermis-
ton has made him realize one key truth.
“People around the world are kind of
just ... people,” he said. “Everyone thinks
it’s better somewhere else. I’ve heard
the same thing everywhere I’ve lived —
there’s nothing to do at night. They say that
in small towns, and in L.A.”
But the southern California native has
been happy with his move to Hermiston so
far. He moved to the area in March with
his family, to assume ownership of the 11th
Street Market. Though they’ve maintained
most of the store’s products and services,
they’ve expanded the food options and
now have a full kitchen, where they make
deli items as well as teriyaki chicken.
He’s noticed that unlike many conve-
nience stores, customers tend to use theirs
more like a community market.
“It’s nice running a store — you get to
meet everyone,” he said. “We’re kind of a
hybrid here. Usually in larger places, con-
venience stores get a lot of traffi c. Here, 80
percent of our customers are the same peo-
ple, locals.”
He attributed that to the location of the
store, not on the main road but tucked back
on the edge of town.
Koo’s wife, Michelle Quincena, and
their children, Kyle, 6, and Christopher, 3,
have adjusted well to Hermiston. Kyle is
in fi rst grade at Rocky Heights, and Chris-
topher is in preschool. Michelle and Koo’s
parents, who are visiting, help out in the
kitchen of the store.
See Neighbor, Page A8
“IF YOU JUST WANT TO LIVE A NICE LIFE, YOU CAN DO IT ANYWHERE.”
— Brandt Koo, owner of 11th Street Market
HERMISTON
Cities have limited options in addressing panhandling
Asking for money
on public property is
protected speech
By JADE MCDOWELL
East Oregonian
The First Amendment protects
Americans’ right to free speech,
and that includes their right to ask
strangers for money.
After receiving complaints
about “aggressive” panhandling,
the Hermiston Police Department
is reminding people that cities are
constitutionally prohibited from
banning panhandling. The law
treats individuals asking for money
for themselves the same as it treats
a Salvation Army bell-ringer or
fi refi ghter collecting donations for
charity.
Police Chief Jason Edmiston
said there are some people who
want to see heavy-handed enforce-
ment to stop panhandling alto-
gether and others who think it isn’t
the government’s place to inter-
fere with a person’s right to ask
for money. Police try to walk a
fi ne line between not interfering
with free speech rights, while also
addressing instances where people
are being harassed or made to feel
unsafe.
“It’s tricky,” he said.
While anyone can stand on a
public sidewalk with a sign, if
someone is causing a disruption on
private property, such as a store’s
parking lot, the business does
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
See Panhandling, Page A8
A man panhandling takes money from a woman in a vehicle leaving the
parking lot of Walmart on Thursday in Hermiston.
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.