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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (June 14, 2019)
A10 OFF PAGE ONE East Oregonian Friday, June 14, 2019 Prison: Umatilla prison super under investigation, which began April 15 Continued from Page A1 Getty Images for Starz Entertainment LLC/Jamie McCarthy, File Pendleton Whisky Music Fest doubled down on hip-hop acts this year, announcing that 50 Cent would join Post Malone as a performer at the July music festival. Whisky Fest: 50 Cent to open for Post Malone Continued from Page A1 performances from Pitbull, Blake Shelton, and Maroon 5. This year’s headline act — hip-hop artist Post Malone — has had a simi- larly hot start to his career. His first album was certi- fied platinum and his second album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard top 200 charts. Organizers McAnally and Doug Corey spent months trying to book Post, with Corey calling him one of the “hottest acts in the country,” after they landed him. In addition to another big concert, Whisky Fest orga- nizers are also introducing some other new facets to the show this year, including a “Party in the Park” event at neighboring Roy Raley Park in the hours leading up to the gates opening, and a new hospitality building for premium ticket holders. Whisky Fest is set for July 13. undeniable asset” to the the prison, the department and the state. He explained staff upset with Bowser’s com- ments prompted him to send the complaint. On another occasion, Bowser said older staff need to retire, according to Hill- mick’s message, and the prison boss told one woman employee who missed work to care for her children, “When my kids were little, my wife stayed at home.” Hillmick further asserted Bowser was aware an exec- utive manager sexually assaulted a staff member, yet he planned to put the manager in charge of the woman. The employee became upset, Hill- mick claimed, and Bowser told her to “deal with it and move on.” Beyond Bowser’s words and attitude, Hillmick told Peters the union membership was concerned “all of these things happened and nothing was ever done about it and here we are again.” Hillmick pleaded with corrections officials to start a formal investigation to pro- tect the prison’s employees. State Sen. Brian Boquist, R-Dallas, responded first to the email group, encouraging veterans to file discrimination complaints with the federal Equal Employment Oppor- tunity Commission. They also could file with the state Bureau of Labor and Indus- tries, but Boquist stated the labor commissioner “is likely to bury the complaint to pro- tect the establishment.” Smith said his office receives a multitude of sim- ilar emails, but Hillmick’s report caught the attention of his legislative director, Nicole Crane. “These types of issues you have to take seriously,” Smith stressed. Crane conferred with Boquist’s staff and confirmed Heidi Steward, assistant director of state corrections, let lawmakers know on April 15 that human resources appointed an investigator to look into the accusations. According to Smith’s office, the corrections department expected the work to con- clude by the end of June but has yet to provide any update. Roger Ware is the AFSCME staff representa- tive for Eastern Oregon Cor- rectional Institution, Pend- leton, and Two Rivers. Ware said he couldn’t talk about the active investigation. Other union officials did not return calls for comment. Bowser started his cor- rections career at Oregon State Penitentiary in 1991 as a officer and was a found- ing member of the depart- ment’s honor guard, accord- ing to information from the DOC. He transferred to Ore- gon State Correctional Insti- tution in November 1996 and rose through the security ranks to captain by Febru- ary 2001. He served as exec- utive assistant to the super- intendent in August 2002, promoting to security man- ager in June 2003 and assis- tant superintendent in 2006. He returned to the state pen in 2009 as the assistant super- intendent of general services, and from 2010-17 was the administrator of facilities ser- vices. He became superinten- dent of Two Rivers in 2017 and makes $12,895 a month. The East Oregonian was not able to reach Bowser for comment. Expansion: Lamb Weston opens $250 million facility Continued from Page A1 a big role. “We get some of the best-quality products from the Columbia Basin,” he said. Those potatoes get turned into frozen french fries, tater tots and other products before being shipped worldwide for sale at restaurants and grocery stores. Martin said the 18-month construction pro- cess went smoothly and wrapped up on time despite the challenging winter weather during February. “It’s a brand-new, state- of-the-art facility that incorporates everything we’ve learned about pro- ducing french fries in the past 50 years,” he said. The expansion just out- side of Hermiston city lim- its won’t be added to the city’s property tax rolls in a traditional sense, but Lamb Weston is part of a long-term rural enter- prise zone agreement with Umatilla County. As part of that agreement the com- pany won’t pay property taxes on the expansion for 15 years, but in exchange it will pay $1 million per year to be split between the county and the city. As part of the deal, all of the new jobs added must meet or exceed Umatilla Coun- ty’s average wage, which is currently about $18 per hour. Hermiston city manager Byron Smith and several city councilors were pres- ent at Thursday’s event. “We’re just really excited to see this open, and the employment it opens up,” Smith said. Lamb Weston has a long history of employing Hermiston residents after opening there in 1972. Leslie Winker, who works in the Hermiston plant in the continuous skills and development depart- ment, has been working there since it opened. She met her husband there and now her son works there too. Before helping to cut the ribbon on the new line Thursday, she said between the three of them they had 110 years of experience at Lamb Weston. Staff photo by Jade McDowell Lamb Weston CEO Tom Werner, center, and other employees prepare to cut the ribbon on the company’s new $250 million expansion of its Hermiston plant. Graduation: Three BMCC grads aim to inspire Continued from Page A1 But his parents had already lost his older brother to the illness, and they were willing to take drastic action. From Mexico, Rome- ro’s family illegally crossed the border so he could get the medical treatment he needed, eventually settling in Irrigon. Romero’s future in the country is uncertain. Although he’s currently pro- tected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arriv- als program, it’s legality is being challenged in the fed- eral system. Publicly, Romero had long played coy about his immigration status. But he decided to reveal it to a wider audience because he thought it was a story that might resonate with people from similar backgrounds. “It’s who I am and it’s made me become a bigger person,” he said. With associate’s degrees in Oregon transfer and gen- eral studies, Romero plans to give back to his community. Inspired by Irrigon High School assistant wres- tling coach Ken Thomp- son, a mentor he affection- ately calls “The Old Man,” Romero plans to attend Staff photo by E.J. Harris Staff photo by E.J. Harris Keynote speaker Jose Romero of Irrigon pauses for applause while giving his speech at the BMCC commencement cere- mony Thursday at the Pendleton Convention Center. A message in Spanish that translates to “For my parents. They arrived with nothing and gave me everything” adorns the mortar board of keynote speaker Monica Silva of Yakima during the BMCC commencement ceremony on Thursday in Pendleton. Western Oregon University and become a teacher back in his hometown. Amanda Tobin of Board- man also was looking to inspire with her speech. She started with some cheeky references to Harry Potter and wizardry before delving into more serious personal topics: parents who struggled with addiction; a childhood home that burned down. “At one point I had noth- ing, and now, I feel like I have everything,” she said before the ceremony as she teared up. What compelled Tobin to get her education was her ica Silva, would run for president one day and she would vote for her. If she ascended to the Oval Office, Silva would have the first presidential biography that began in the hops fields of Yakima, Washington. She characterized her parents as hardworking, even as the family dealt with a temporary bout of homelessness. Eventually, Silva was expected to help contribute financially and joined her parents in the hops fields. She recalled 60-hour work weeks in 90-degree heat, she and her parents niece, Cheyanne. She often told her niece that she could be anything she wanted to be if she put the work in, but she felt a pang of hypocrisy that she wasn’t setting an example. She now not only wants to be an example to her niece, but to all girls and women looking to get into technology. Equipped with a certif- icate from the data center technician program, Tobin said she couldn’t identify the job she just secured, but she hopes to go into cybersecu- rity long term. Tobin also said that the third student speaker, Mon- wrapped up in heavy layers to protect themselves from the sun. But Silva said her parents always had a better life in mind for her. One time, she asked her mother why she waited 15 minutes to wake her up when her mother rose at 4 a.m. each day. “No me gusta levan- tarte a la misma hora que yo,” Silva, voice cracking, recalled her mother tell- ing her, “No me gusta que trabajes donde yo trabajo y no quiero que esto sea tu futuro.” “I do not like to get you up at the same hour as myself. I do not like that you work where I work and I don’t want this to be your future.” A soccer scholarship to BMCC would help ensure that her future wasn’t the same. Like Romero, Silva also got a transfer degree and general studies degree, and plans to enroll in online courses at Portland State University to obtain degrees in environmental science and human resources. In the meantime, Silva intends to go back to work at the hops fields at B.T. Loftus Ranch. But this time, it will be as an office worker.
