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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (June 15, 2019)
WEEKEND EDITION GREENWOOD PARK GETS NEW LIFE NICHOLS, ROMERO LEAD ALL-EO TRACK PARANORMAL TEAM INVESTIGATES TEAM GEISER GRAND HOTEL SPORTS, B1 REGION, A3 LIFESTYLE, C1 E O AST 143rd Year, No. 173 REGONIAN JUNE 15-16, 2019 $1.50 WINNER OF THE 2018 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD Pendleton no longer can jail poor for court debt Settlement in 2018 helped spearhead new policy By PHIL WRIGHT East Oregonian PENDLETON — Angela Minthorn in 2017 spent 55 days in jail for owing little more than $1,000 to the Pendleton Munici- pal Court. She sued the city in 2018 because of that incarceration. The city settled with her in April and agreed to pay out $130,000. The city also had to stop throw- ing poor people in jail for owing money. Pendleton City Manager Robb Corbett referred questions about the case to city attorney Nancy Kerns. She said the city had no comment about the settlement but confi rmed the city court adopted the new policies specifying how the court can collect money while banning the use of jail time for the indigent. The policy took effect April 18 at the direction of munic- ipal judge. That action came the day after the city and Minthorn reached the deal. “No person shall be incarcer- ated for the inability and lack of fi nancial resources to pay fi nan- cial obligations to the Court,” the PENDLETON City looks to commission impact study for UAS range See Poor, Page A11 By ANTONIO SIERRA East Oregonian EO SPOTLIGHT Ready For Season Staff photo by E.J. Harris, File A U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife fi refi ghting vehicle drives toward a burning stand of trees of of the Old Emigrant Highway on Thursday, Sept. 20, 2018, west of the Deadman’s Pass rest areas outside of Pendleton. Average fi re season predicted for region despite forecast for warmer than usual July and August By KATY NESBITT For the East Oregonian P ENDLETON — Due to recent wildfi re starts across the region, Monday is the offi cial start of fi re season for North- east Oregon. Fire managers and weather forecasters look for an average fi re season for the Blue Mountains, but dry conditions are attracting concern for large wildfi res between the Cas- cades and the Oregon Coast. Dan Slagle, forecaster at the National Weather Service in Pendleton, said there is no strong signal that the summer weather patterns would be unusual, but July and August are predicted to be warm. “We are trending toward cooler and drier weather the next one to two weeks, but lon- ger trends favor warmer than normal condi- tions,” he said. PENDLETON — In recent years, city of Pendleton offi cials have shared anecdotes about busier restaurants, full hotel rooms, and even purchased houses to demonstrate the value of Pendleton Unmanned Aerial Sys- tems Range and the signifi cant pub- lic investment that’s funding it. Now the city is seeking numbers to back it up. At a Tuesday meeting, the Pend- leton City Council will consider awarding a bid to NEXA Advisors to perform an economic impact study for the Pendleton UAS Range. In a staff report, Steve Chris- man, airport manager and economic development director, wrote that the Virginia-based company would pro- vide “(a)ccurate information about direct, indirect and induced revenue, jobs, taxes and investment is critical for attracting more public and private investment.” NEXA managing partner Michael Dyment wrote in his pitch to Chrisman that the company has experience doing a similar study for New York and its UAS range project. Comparing the development of UAS to the development of the print- ing press, the automobile, and the internet, Dyment wrote that its prior studies have been used to “strengthen negotiations supporting investment, strategic partnerships and trade.” NEXA will make its calculations using data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, interviews with Pendleton UAS Range staff and drone industry employees, and eco- nomic projections done by the city. The study comes hot on the heels of the council agreeing to spend $7.4 million from the water and sewer funds to provide infrastructure for a UAS industrial park. On top of an expected $3 mil- lion grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration, the city hopes the UAS range will con- tinue to grow if it provides drone companies with shovel-ready ground for hangars and other facilities. According to a Wednesday inter- view, Chrisman thinks the study will help justify the city’s investment. Chrisman recently compiled an economic projection for the UAS See Ready, Page A11 See UAS, Page A11 Former Hermiston city manager remembered Tom Harper served city for 26 years By JADE MCDOWELL East Oregonian HERMISTON — Hermiston’s fi rst city manager, Tom Harper, died Tuesday at the age of 96. He was one of the fi nal living members of a gen- eration of city leaders who helped move Hermiston from a small town with few paved roads to the largest city in Eastern Oregon. “It’s the passing of an era,” Bev- erly Harkenrider said. Harkenrider’s husband Frank Harkenrider, who served as mayor of Hermiston for 10 years and a city councilor for 40, frequently said before his death that hiring Harper as Hermiston’s fi rst city manager was the best decision he and the council ever made. Harper served as city manager for 26 years, from 1961 to 1987, after the city council decided Herm- iston had grown large enough to need a full-time manager outside of the mayor. At the time Harper was hired, Hermiston held about 4,000 resi- dents. Under his management the city built a library, public works building, wastewater treatment plant, opened a new city hall and built the public safety building that See Harper, Page A11 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. questions. • Healthcare providers who play an active role in 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.