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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (April 18, 2019)
A8 OFF PAGE ONE East Oregonian Thursday, April 18, 2019 Floods: ‘Never again’ becomes rallying cry Continued from Page A1 AP Photo/File In this April 10, 2019, file photo, provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends the 4th Plenary Meeting of the 7th Central Com- mittee of the Workers’ Party of Korea in Pyongyang. North Korea says it test-fired new tactical guided weapon By FOSTER KLUG AND KIM TONG-HYUNG Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea said Thursday that it had test- fired a new type of “tac- tical guided weapon,” its first such test in nearly half a year, and a possible sign of its displeasure with deadlocked nuclear talks with the United States. The test, which didn’t appear to be of a banned mid- or long-range ballis- tic missile that could scut- tle negotiations, allows Pyongyang to show its people it is pushing ahead with weapons develop- ment while also reassuring domestic military officials worried that diplomacy with Washington signals weakness. The North’s leader, Kim Jong Un, observed the unspecified weapon being fired Wednesday by the Academy of Defense Science, the North’s state- run Korean Central News Agency said. Kim was reported to have said “the development of the weapon system serves as an event of very weighty significance in increasing the combat power of the People’s Army.” The Associated Press could not independently verify North Korea’s claim, and it wasn’t imme- diately clear what had been tested. A ballistic missile test would jeop- ardize the diplomatic talks meant to provide the North with concessions in return for disarmament. A South Korean analyst said that details in the North’s media report indi- cate it could have been a new type of cruise missile. Another possible clue: One of the lower level officials mentioned in the North’s report on the test — Pak Jong Chon — is known as an artillery official. The test comes during an apparent deadlock in nuclear disarmament talks after the failed summit in Hanoi between Kim and President Donald Trump earlier this year. Some in Seoul worry that the North will turn back to actions seen as provocative by out- siders as a way to force Washington to drop its hardline negotiating stance and grant the North’s demand for a removal of crushing international sanctions. A string of increasingly powerful weapons tests in 2017 and Trump’s response of “fire and fury” had many fear- ing war before the North shifted to diplomacy. The test came amid media reports in South Korean and Japan that Kim plans to visit Vlad- ivostok next week for a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Japan’s Fuji Television Network on Wednesday showed Kim’s de facto chief of staff, Kim Chang Son, visiting an area near Vladivostok’s train station. Ahead of Kim Jong Un’s two summits with Trump, Kim Chang Son visited Singapore and Vietnam in advance and handled logistical preparations. Trump said last month that he “would be very dis- appointed if I saw testing.” As the diplomacy stalls, there have been fresh reports of new activity at a North Korean missile research center and long- range rocket site where Pyongyang is believed to build missiles target- ing the U.S. mainland. North Korean media said Wednesday that Kim guided a flight drill of combat pilots from an air force and anti-aircraft unit tasked with defending the capital Pyongyang from an attack. During a speech at his rubber-stamp parliament last week, Kim set the year’s end as a deadline for Washington to offer mutu- ally acceptable terms for an agreement to salvage diplomacy. Kim Dong-yub, an ana- lyst from Seoul’s Insti- tute for Far Eastern Stud- ies, said North Korea’s descriptions of the test show the weapon is pos- sibly a newly developed cruise missile. The North’s report said the “tactical guided weapon” success- fully tested in a “peculiar mode of guiding flight” and demonstrated the abil- ity to deliver a “powerful warhead.” The analyst said the test could also be intended as a message to the North Korean people and mili- tary of a commitment to maintaining a strong level of defense even as it con- tinues talks with Washing- ton over nukes. Melissa Hanham, a non-proliferation expert and director of the Datayo Project at the One Earth Future Foundation, said the North Korean weapon could be anything from an anti-tank weapon to a cruise missile. The North said Thurs- day that Kim Jong Un mounted an observation post to learn about and guide the test-fire of the weapon. This is the first known time Kim has observed the testing of a newly developed weapon system since last November, when North Korean media said he watched the success- ful test of an unspecified “newly developed ultra- modern tactical weapon.” Some observers have been expecting North Korea to orchestrate “low-level provocations,” like artil- lery or short-range missile tests, to register its anger over the way nuclear nego- tiations were going. North Korean officials accompanying Kim at the test included Ri Pyong Chol and Kim Jong Sik, two senior officials from the North’s Munitions Industry Department who have been sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Depart- ment for their activities related to the country’s ballistic missile program, including the develop- ment of solid-fuel mis- siles and intercontinental ballistic missiles poten- tially capable of strik- ing the U.S. mainland. The Pyongyang-based department is sanctioned both by the United States and the U.N. Security Council. joined him that unless they had new questions, he had answered them as best he could. Kimbrel earlier explained a month’s worth of rain fell over the area in a mere three days. Marc Austin with the National Weather Service said the downpour was a record. The rain filled the reservoir south of Pendle- ton, and the water flowing in exceeded the water going out. Kimbrel called that a “serious problem,” and he had to open the flow and let the water crash into McKay Creek. “We knew that was going to be a problem for the down- stream community,” he said during his presentation. That made little differ- ence in the breakout session to the folks giving Kimbrel the third degree. Steve Alderman attended the presentation and tuned into some of the exchanges with Kimbrel. He and his wife, Dawn Alderman, and their family own Lavender Road Botanicals, 10 acres along McKay Creek where four years ago they planted several thousand lavender plants. They grow culinary lavender for cooking, and a mature crop was coming up for harvest, which they do by hand. Dawn Alderman uses some of the lavender in the goods she offers at Lav- ender Mercantile Co., her store on Pendleton’s Main Street. The creek’s water swamped their farm. The waters are receding, but sections nearest the creek remain murky. Their small tractor is is stuck in feet of mud. The hundreds of sand- Staff phto by E.J. Harris Mark Easley climbs over a wall of sandbags build to keep flood waters from McKay Creek out of a field of lavender plants Wednesday in Pendleton. bags they lined across their property helped only so much. “The quicker we can get the lavender out of the water, the better,” Steve Alderman said. Lavender farmers can buy crop insurance, but the Alderman clan did not. And replacing mature plants cost more than replacing young ones. Some plants show new growth in spite of the flood- ing, so they have hope the plant are going to make it. “As long as they don’t get root rot, the plants should be OK,” he said. Mark Mulvihill, super- intendent of the Inter- Mountain Education Ser- vice District, lives near the lavender farm. He said he lost 6 pounds this weekend fighting the flooding, and Mulvihill is not a hefty guy. He also peppered Kimbrel with questions, but typical of Mulvihill, he was driving to a point. He said he wants to see action “to make sure this never happens again” becomes a reality. This was property damage, he said, but if a child drowned? Mulvihill said Kim- brel did what his author- ity allowed, and that meant relying on rain and snow melt and flooding metrics long out of date. Mulvihill offered another question: What metrics should we use for flood con- trol in the age of climate change? Mulvihill said he wants to help build a coalition to take on the challenge of changing how the Bureau of Reclamation operates McKay Dam. That means bringing in local, state and federal voices, including the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reser- vation, and the representa- tives this affects the most — the people living along the banks of McKay Creek. Other officials are eye- ing immediate help from the state. Umatilla County commissioners are draft- ing a letter Friday morning to ask Gov. Kate Brown to declare an emergency for Umatilla County. Commissioner John Shafer said he is going to hand-deliver the letter to the governor’s office; he will at the Oregon Capitol to tes- tify before the Legislature’s Ways and Means commit- tee for funding to renovate the county jail and the Farm 2 project at Blue Mountain Community College. State Sen. Bill Hansell of Athena and state Rep. Greg Baretto of Cove, both Republicans, tried that Monday, but Brown did not make the declaration. Port: Race draws two candidates for seat on board Continued from Page A1 has gained an understanding of the facility. “I feel like I have the experience, and an under- standing of what’s happen- ing here, and why it’s called the ‘Morrow Miracle,’” she said. “I’ve been a part of it, and supported various func- tions as a tenant.” Radie said her company was attracted to the port because of the people run- ning it, as well as the exist- ing infrastructure. They started construction on the plant in May of 1992, and were able to start processing onions the day after Thanks- giving in the same year. “They had good electric- ity, fresh water, the waste water system was taken care of, natural gas,” she said. “The port brought in a rail spur specific to our site so we could utilize the daily services of Union Pacific, and that opened up oppor- tunities for us that our com- petitors didn’t have. It had the barge service as well.” She said wants to see the port continue on that trajec- tory, as well as continuing to attract diverse industries and businesses. “With the land we have available, even in a down market, overall, businesses at the port can continue to be prosperous,” she said. Radie said she doesn’t have one specific project in mind, and believes each project or proposal should be looked at on its own merit. She said she also wants to continue the port’s efforts to increase livability in the area, citing the recre- ation center and the work- force development program as successes. Murray is a Morrow County native, and has a longtime connection to the port commission — his father-in-law is Larry Lind- say, who will vacate the position for which Murray is running. Murray said watch- ing his father-in-law work on the commission over the years has given him a sense of the importance of the job. “My entire adult life, I’ve worked to serve Mor- row County,” he said. “I’ve owned a business, and served on the health district (board).” With pharmacies in Boardman and Heppner, Bridge: Work may take several years to finish Continued from Page A1 School and Clara Brownell Middle School, and Stock- dale said an estimated 50 students had been taking that route to school every day in addition to adult pedestrians. Now some of the students are walking or riding across the Highway 730 bridge further west. “It really is a travesty,” he said of the loss. Umatilla School District superintendent Heidi Sipe said the South Hill neigh- borhood is covered by bus routes, and any student who had previously been walk- ing across the bridge to school could elect to ride the bus instead of going the long way around. “There’s no reason for a student to feel they have to walk,” she said. “THERE’S NO REASON FOR A STUDENT TO FEEL THEY HAVE TO WALK” Superintendent Heidi Sipe She said they had seen an increase in bus riders this week, and had needed to “reeducate” some stu- dents who hadn’t ridden the bus previously and were confused about which bus they were supposed to take. She said law enforcement was doing a good job of keeping people away from the broken bridge, and the district had sent out mes- sages to parents. Murray said they now have customers in every commu- nity in Morrow County. “I’m an independent business owner, and 80 to 90 percent of businesses fail within the first or second generation,” he said. “We haven’t failed.” He said he brings hard work, discipline, and a knowledge of Morrow County, as well as a desire to see it improve. Recently, at a town hall meeting in Boardman, U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden cited work he had done with Murray to bring down pharmaceutical costs. “We’re active in the Ore- gon Legislature,” he said. “We’ve done that for 20 years.” Murray said he is not approaching the position with any particular agenda or specific project. “I think some people fear that board members come with a particular ax to grind, and I don’t have that,” he said. “I don’t have a big course change in what the port’s doing. They’ve done a fantastic job and I’d like to see it continue.” He said he has been impressed by the quality and variety of companies that the port has attracted, from food processing companies to Vadata, and he’d like to continue that by develop- ing land and making it shov- el-ready, so businesses can move in quickly. He said he’d also like to see development at the port continue to benefit other areas of Morrow County. “Developing Workforce, the Early Learning Center,” he said. “Giving kids an opportunity to come back and make a living here. The port cares about Morrow County from start to finish.” Murray said whatever the outcome of the race, he thinks the port will be in a good position. “It’s honestly not a bad problem to have two candi- dates that would do well,” he said. “It’s a win-win.” ST. ANTHONY HOSPITAL VOLUNTEERS have the unique opportunity to make a positive difference in peoples' lives every day that they generously donate their time and talents. Volunteering gives you the opportunity to learn new skills, make new friends and develop new interests! When you join the St. Anthony Hospital family, you will experience the personal fulfi llment and rewards that only come from helping others. At St. Anthony Hospital, you can volunteer as little as an hour a week or as often as you'd like. Your service is greatly appreciated, so we are thankful for any time you off er. We attempt to fi nd just the right fi t for your talents and skills and our hospital needs. Frequent volunteer opportunities include: • Customer service/cashier in the gift shop, Inspirations. •Customer service at the information desk. • Patient services. • Day Surgery If you’d like to discuss how you can join the St. Anthony Hospital family, please call the number below. Emily Smith • 541-278-2627 • emilysmith@chiwest.com 2801 St. Anthony Way, Pendleton, OR 97801 www.sahpendleton.org