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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (June 19, 2019)
BASEBALL: Hodgen Distributing sweeps Idaho Cubs | SPORTS, A8 E O AST AS 143rd Year, No. 175 REGONIAN WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 2019 $1.50 WINNER OF THE 2018 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD PENDLETON REVAMPING GOALS Former volunteer fi refi ghter lived big Janice Arsenault remembered as a dynamic and outgoing personality By PHIL WRIGHT East Oregonian Staff photo by Kathy Aney Jim Amundson, of Amundson Construction, wets down the driveway and yard of a new home on Southwest First Street on Tuesday after pouring cement. The Pendleton City Council has hit many of its housing objectives while falling behind on infrastructure. City council searches for better way to identify, implement council goals By ANTONIO SIERRA East Oregonian See Firefi ghter, Page A6 P ENDLETON — A city coun- cil discussion about revamp- ing its goals included a relative rarity — a compliment about Hermiston. At a recent Pendleton City Council workshop, Councilor Scott Fairley said he was a part of a workgroup of council- ors who wanted to fi nd a better way to identify and implement council goals. Fairley said the committee studied council goals and their implementation strategies across the region and singled out two cities who made progress on their own goals especially well — John Day and Hermiston. A small Grant County town that’s been hit hard by the decline in the tim- ber industry, Fairley said John Day set a broad goal around population growth as a way to offset the increased costs of services. According to Fairley, Nick Green, the John Day city manager, identifi ed the city’s issues, drafted a growth plan, pre- sented it to its city council for review and approval, and now dedicates most of his job toward implementing the plan. Fairley said John Day has had some success with this strategy, garnering $4.5 million in grants over the past three years and recently meeting with 20 state See Goals, Page A6 HERMISTON — The Umatilla County Sheriff’s Offi ce is investigat- ing what led to the deaths of two people Saturday while boating on the Columbia River. Divers Monday evening recovered the bodies of Janice Arsenault, 44, of Uma- tilla, and Trenton Wil- liams, 20, from Idaho, in the river near Bobby’s Beach, a small site along Highway 730 north about 10 miles east of Umatilla. Arsenault Sheriff Terry Rowan said with the recovery com- plete, the focus can shift to fi nding out what happened. According to the initial reports from the sheriff’s offi ce, Arsenault and Wil- liams fell off a boat. The driver of the boat, Richard Kirkendall, 41, of Hermis- ton, reported the pair were riding on the dive step of the boat and he noticed they were missing when he arrived on shore. Rowan said the case presents plenty of questions, including whether alcohol or other drugs played a role, which will be a matter for Dr. Rudy Stefancik, the county medical examiner. Rowan also Staff photo by Kathy Aney Dale Primmer, right, and his fellow Pendleton City Councilors listen to a report Tuesday night at a meeting of the Pendleton Development Commis- sion. City could target Byers Avenue with urban renewal money By ANTONIO SIERRA East Oregonian PENDLETON — Over its 16-year existence, the Pendleton urban renewal district’s funding has mostly gone toward restor- ing façades, providing small busi- ness loans, and redeveloping upper story building spaces. At a meeting Tuesday, staff told the members of the Pendleton City Council, acting as the Pend- leton Development Commission, how they could use that money for streets. If members approve a proposal to spend $3 million from the devel- opment commission’s budget, then it would need to be restricted to the urban renewal district, which encompasses downtown Pendleton and some of the surrounding area. Community Development Director Tim Simons said he and city staff put together a list of streets in need of repair in the district. The list includes 10 street seg- ments that need a 2-inch over- Eastern Oregon avoids glare from new solar restrictions By PHIL WRIGHT East Oregonian PENDLETON — Eastern Oregon might not bear the heat of the state’s new rules curtailing solar projects on high-value farmland. The Oregon Land Conservation and Development Commission in late May approved rules to restrict commercial solar facilities on high-value farmland statewide. The short version, according to the LCDC: “The best of the best soils would no longer be available for solar development through a simple condi- tional use process.” Developers have proposed 53 proj- ects in exclusive farm use zones in cen- tral and eastern Oregon, the LCDC reported, which would occupy more than 17,000 acres. In Eastern Oregon, See Renewal, Page A6 See Solar, Page A6 Senate Republicans threaten second walkout GOP considering denying Senate a quorum to kill a proposed cap-and- trade program By AUBREY WIEBER Oregon Capital Bureau SALEM — Senate Republicans are consid- ering staging a second walkout — potentially delaying the end of the leg- islative session — to block a vote on sweeping climate legislation. House Bill 2020, which would implement a carbon pricing program, passed the House on Monday night after a fl oor debate that stretched past six hours. All Republicans and two Democrats voted against it. Republicans have always been strongly against it, saying it would hurt industry and rural Oregonians. Senate Republicans have already shown they have an appetite to do more than just drag out a fl oor debate by a few hours. On May 7, they staged a walkout to deny a quo- rum — the Senate must have 20 members present to conduct its work — so the Senate could not take up a business tax proposal. The walkout lasted four days, and they eventually came back after Gov. Kate Brown struck a deal to kill two controversial bills: one that more strictly enforced vaccine regulations and a gun control bill. The deal also included a “reset” on HB 2020. In exchange, Senate Repub- licans agreed to play nice for the rest of session. The parameters of the “reset” were never clear, and Senate Republicans don’t feel Democrats held up their end of that bargain. On Tuesday, rumors that Republicans were considering a second See GOP, Page A6 Capital Press/George Plaven, File Supporters of cap and trade rally outside the Oregon Capitol in February. Senate Republicans are considering staging a second walkout — potentially delaying the end of the leg- islative session — to block a vote on sweeping climate leg- islation. House Bill 2020, which would implement a carbon pricing program, passed the House on Monday night after a fl oor debate that stretched past six hours.