NORTHWEST
East Oregonian
A2
Tuesday, May 28, 2019
WURA’s Eagle Cap Train refuses to be derailed
Despite lack of
federal funding,
excursion train
chugs on
Scarfo, Union County Com-
missioner and WURA general
manager. “We do not want to
see this go away at all.”
“The Friends felt that can-
celing this (season) would
really impact our business
next year and the year after,”
said Ed Spaulding, Friends of
the Joseph Branch president.
“We really think we should
continue to run as much as we
can to keep the business build-
ing up.”
The WURA board, com-
posed of nine individuals,
approved the full 2019 sched-
ule of 18 runs in January but
had to scale that number down
to six after realizing the tax
credit would not come through
in time. WURA gave the
Friends of the Joseph Branch
the option to choose the six
dates they thought would sell
the most tickets.
Including the Mother’s
Day Brunch train, which ran
on May 12, the Friends chose
the following excursions
to remain on the adjusted
schedule:
• June 15, Gold Rush
Bandits Robbery
• June 16, Father’s Day
• June 29, I Love Amer-
ica! Veterans’ Train
• July 27, Finding Big
Foot
• Sept. 14, Fall Foliage
Photo Run
By AMANDA WEISBROD
La Grande Observer
ELGIN — The Eagle Cap
Excursion Train is running
on a reduced schedule for
the 2019 season due to a lack
of funding from the federal
government.
This year, The Wallowa
Union Railroad Authority was
expecting $95,000 from The
Railroad Track Maintenance
Tax Credit, but did not receive
it. Otherwise known as the
45G Tax Credit, this money
helps short lines and general
railroads across the coun-
try with maintenance costs
through a federal income tax
credit.
The lack of this funding
has put a significant financial
strain on WURA and the non-
profit Friends of the Joseph
Branch, which runs the Eagle
Cap Excursion Train in tan-
dem, but representatives from
both organizations said they
are dedicated to keeping the
train running this season.
“We’re working hard to
keep this going, and any way
we can try to find new mon-
ies is going to help,” said Matt
EOMG file photo
The Eagle Cap Excursion Train is running on a reduced schedule for the 2019 season due to
a lack of funding from the federal government. This year, The Wallowa Union Railroad Au-
thority was expecting $95,000 from The Railroad Track Maintenance Tax Credit, but did not
receive it. Otherwise known as the 45G Tax Credit, this money helps short lines and general
railroads across the country with maintenance costs through a federal income tax credit.
The runs on June 1 and
Aug. 3 have been cancelled.
The Friends hope to add
eight runs back to this list, but
will first need to get approval
from the WURA board at its
next meeting on June 11.
“We’re trying to work out
exactly who’s going to pay for
what and how many trains can
Forecast for Pendleton Area
TODAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
Partly sunny and
pleasant
Pleasant with
periods of sun
Pleasant with
clouds and sun
Partly sunny
Partly sunny
79° 54°
79° 54°
PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
79° 54°
82° 56°
85° 57°
HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
87° 59°
86° 59°
86° 59°
90° 61°
OREGON FORECAST
93° 61°
ALMANAC
Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.
PENDLETON
through 3 p.m. yest.
HIGH
LOW
TEMP.
Seattle
Olympia
60/52
Kennewick Walla Walla
80/59
Lewiston
70/52
88/58
Astoria
62/52
75/53
85/56
Longview
24 hours ending 3 p.m.
Month to date
Normal month to date
Year to date
Last year to date
Normal year to date
Pullman
Yakima 86/55
70/50
79/57
Portland
Hermiston
74/52
The Dalles 87/59
Salem
Corvallis
72/48
Yesterday
Normals
Records
La Grande
73/50
PRECIPITATION
John Day
Eugene
Bend
73/49
72/44
71/48
Ontario
81/57
78/54
70/46
0.09"
0.54"
0.98"
4.42"
4.96"
4.97"
WINDS (in mph)
Caldwell
Burns
78°
57°
75°
50°
100° (1934) 32° (1932)
24 hours ending 3 p.m.
Month to date
Normal month to date
Year to date
Last year to date
Normal year to date
Albany
73/48
through 3 p.m. yest.
HIGH
LOW
TEMP.
Pendleton 69/47
73/49
0.06"
1.50"
1.17"
9.26"
6.07"
6.28"
HERMISTON
Enterprise
79/54
79/57
71°
53°
73°
49°
99° (1934) 33° (1932)
PRECIPITATION
Moses
Lake
71/52
Aberdeen
78/55
84/58
Tacoma
Yesterday
Normals
Records
Spokane
Wenatchee
71/53
Today
Boardman
Pendleton
Medford
78/52
Wed.
WSW 6-12
WNW 6-12
Sunrise today
Sunset tonight
Moonrise today
Moonset today
69/41
Forecasts and graphics provided by AccuWeather, Inc. ©2019
5:12 a.m.
8:33 p.m.
2:50 a.m.
2:28 p.m.
New
First
Full
Last
June 3
June 9
June 17
June 25
NATIONAL EXTREMES
Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states)
High 104° in Jacksonville, Fla. Low 23° in Lodgepole, Calif.
NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY
Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day.
-10s
-0s
0s
showers t-storms
10s
rain
20s
flurries
30s
snow
40s
ice
50s
60s
cold front
E AST O REGONIAN
— Founded Oct. 16, 1875 —
211 S.E. Byers Ave., Pendleton 541-276-2211
333 E. Main St., Hermiston 541-567-6211
Office hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Closed major holidays
EastOregonian.com
To subscribe, call 1-800-522-0255
or go online to EastOregonian.com
and click on ‘Subscribe’
East Oregonian (USPS 164-980) is published daily except Sunday,
Monday and postal holidays, by the EO Media Group, 211 S.E. Byers
Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801. Periodicals postage paid at Pendleton, OR.
Postmaster: send address changes to
East Oregonian, 211 S.E. Byers Ave. Pendleton, OR 97801.
Copyright © 2019, EO Media Group
70s
80s
90s
100s
warm front stationary front
high
Blaze destroys
three businesses in
downtown district
The Baker City Herald
The shell of a block of his-
toric buildings in Huntington
was demolished Friday after a
fire swept through three busi-
nesses in the downtown busi-
ness district Thursday night
and Friday morning.
Gone is the structure built
in 1890 that housed the well-
known Howell’s Cafe and
Streamliner Lounge and
Grady’s Tavern.
A press release from the
Baker County Sheriff’s Office
stated that a deputy and an
Oregon State Police trooper
initially responded to what
was reported as a “distur-
bance” at Huntington about
10:45 p.m. Thursday.
Little did the officers know
the call would turn into an
investigation of a first-degree
arson fire that burned through
the night and destroyed the
historic structures in Hun-
tington’s main street business
district.
Raynmon Haze Garcia,
day, according to the press
release. The Huntington Fire
Department was called and
firefighters found the tav-
ern, Howell’s Cafe and the
Streamliner Lounge all fully
engulfed in flames.
In the meantime, Mills and
Schuette located Garcia, who
had remained in the area, and
arrested him on the first-de-
gree arson charge.
In addition to the Hunting-
ton Fire Department, Sher-
iff’s Office and OSP, other
agencies at the scene included
Fruitland and Weiser, Idaho,
fire departments, Treasure
Valley paramedics, Baker,
North Powder and Haines
rural fire departments and the
Oregon State Fire Marshal’s
Office.
As the investigation con-
tinued, Highway 30 through
downtown Huntington was
closed due to fire traffic.
The city’s annual Hun-
tington Catfish Derby contin-
ued during the Memorial Day
weekend with a few alter-
ations. The Lions Club park
was closed and most activities
were moved to the City Park
and the Veterans of Foreign
Wars Hall.
low
CORRECTIONS: The East Oregonian works hard to be accurate and sincerely
regrets any errors. If you notice a mistake in the paper, please call 541-966-0818.
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
Local home delivery Savings (cover price)
$13/month
60 percent
$173.67
41 percent
$91.86
38 percent
$47.77
36 percent
*EZ Pay = one-year rate with a monthly credit
or debit card/check charge
Single copy price:
$1.50 Tuesday through Saturday
Circulation Manager:
Bonny Tuller, 541-966-0828
21, who is described as a tran-
sient, has been charged with
first-degree arson. He was
arraigned Friday in Baker
County Circuit Court. Gar-
cia is being held at the Baker
County Jail in lieu of $50,000
full bail, a corrections deputy
said.
That means Garcia could
not be released unless he
posted the full amount; in
many cases suspects can gain
release from jail by posting
10% of the bail.
The press release stated
that Deputy Chad Mills and
OSP Trooper Tim Schuette
responded to the initial
call and talked to the vic-
tim involved in the reported
disturbance.
The victim told officers
that Garcia had stated “he was
going to burn the bar down,”
the press release stated. Garcia
had left the residence where
the disturbance had taken
place. The officers made con-
tact with him later and deter-
mined that no crime had been
committed at that point.
Mills noticed a large
amount of smoke coming
from the area of Grady’s Tav-
ern at about 11:40 p.m. Thurs-
110s
Subscriber services:
For mail delivery, online access, vacation stops
or delivery concerns call 1-800-522-0255 ext. 1
EZPay
52 weeks
26 weeks
13 weeks
ment will not retroactively
distribute the 2019 tax credit,
although Spaulding said he is
hopeful it will.
The reality is it is unclear
whether or not WURA will
receive the 2019 tax credit ret-
roactively, and this decision
won’t be made by Congress
until the fall at least, but fed-
eral legislation is in the works
to extend tax credits, accord-
ing to the policy team of Sen.
Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon.
Senators Chuck Grass-
ley, R-Iowa, and Ron Wyden,
D-Oregon, have introduced a
bill to extend tax credit items,
including the 45G Tax Credit,
for two years, and in January,
Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho,
proposed a bill to extend the
tax credit for railroad track
maintenance permanently.
Wallowa County Com-
missioner Susan Roberts
said without the tax credit,
the excursion train’s future is
uncertain.
“We can either have lim-
ited runs and try to keep it
out there in the focus, or we
Huntington fire started
after threat by suspect
SW 6-12
W 6-12
SUN AND MOON
Klamath Falls
run,” Spaulding said.
While WURA covers costs
associated with maintaining
the track and right-of-way,
the Friends are responsible for
the operational and business
sides of the Eagle Cap Excur-
sion Train. Brock Eckstein,
WURA manager and city
of Elgin administrator, said
it’s been some time since the
two groups have solidified an
agreement on exactly who is
paying for what, so he’s work-
ing to create a budget to define
the details.
“I’m trying to set up a
good operational agreement
that both sides will be OK
with that explains each others’
duties,” Eckstein said, add-
ing the discussion between
WURA and the Friends on
financial responsibilities is
ongoing. “There has been
quite a bit of confusion, so I’m
going to work to be the con-
duit of information between
the two organizations.”
Eckstein said he’s crafting
the budget with the frame of
mind that the federal govern-
could shut it down, and shut-
ting it down doesn’t seem like
the right thing to do,” Roberts
said. “The only way we could
allow the excursion train to
operate is because of the tax
credits. Without the tax cred-
its, we wouldn’t be running
it at all because we wouldn’t
have any money.”
Scarfo, however, said he is
reluctant to continue to rely on
federal funding for the excur-
sion train and hopes to explore
other financial avenues.
“After this season is over
and we see what happens
with the federal government’s
decision, we’re going to try
to break this all down and
keep this train moving and
hopefully self-sustain fund-
ing without having to rely on
whether or not the federal gov-
ernment is going to pass the
45G Tax Credit every year,”
Scarfo said. “That’s my goal,
and for me, I don’t want to see
this going anywhere.”
The impact of the Eagle
Cap Excursion Train ceasing
to run would spread through-
out Northeast Oregon, accord-
ing to Spaulding, because of
the amount of people who
travel to ride the train and
subsequently spend money in
Union and Wallowa counties,
as well as the local businesses
who cater the rides.
“This money gets circu-
lated at various businesses
around the area and the more
things you have here the bet-
ter because we don’t have the
big industries that used to be
here, especially in Wallowa
County,” he said. “Tourism is
kind of their thing these days.”
Despite their situation,
WURA and the Friends of the
Joseph Branch are determined
to come out of this struggle
stronger than ever.
“My feelings on this sit-
uation are it’s moving in a
very positive direction,” Eck-
stein said. “Things are mov-
ing forward, and even though
we’re missing grant money
this year, I think both organi-
zations have a great chance to
succeed.”
ADVERTISING
Regional Publisher and Revenue Director:
• Christopher Rush
541-278-2669 • crush@eomediagroup.com
Advertising Services:
• Angela Treadwell
541-966-0827 • atreadwell@eastoregonian.com
• Grace Bubar
541-276-2214 • gbubar@eastoregonian.com
Multimedia Consultants:
• Jeanne Jewett
541-564-4531 • jjewett@eastoregonian.com
• Audra Workman
541-564-4538 • aworkman@eastoregonian.com
Business Office Coordinator
• Dayle Stinson
541-278-2670 • dstinson@eastoregonian.com
Classified & Legal Advertising
1-800-962-2819 or 541-278-2678
classifieds@eastoregonian.com or legals@eastoregonian.com
NEWS
• To submit news tips and press releases:
call 541-966-0818 or email news@eastoregonian.com
• To submit community events, calendar items and Your EO News:
email community@eastoregonian.com or call Tammy Malgesini
at 541-564-4539 or Renee Struthers at 541-966-0818.
• To submit engagements, weddings and anniversaries:
email rstruthers@eastoregonian.com or visit eastoregonian.
com/community/announcements
• To submit sports or outdoors information or tips:
541-966-0838 • sports@eastoregonian.com
Business Office Manager:
541-966-0822
COMMERCIAL PRINTING
Production Manager: Mike Jensen
541-215-0824 • mjensen@eastoregonian.com