Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (June 27, 2019)
INSIDE: Take a look at the Taste of Eastern Oregon Dining Guide THURSDAY, JUNE 27, 2019 143rd Year, No. 181 $1.50 WINNER OF THE 2018 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD ATHENA Republicans continue walkout as negotiations dwindle Library ditches late fi nes By MARK MILLER, CLAIRE WITHYCOMBE AND AUBREY WIEBER Oregon Capital Bureau SALEM — A week after they left Salem to protest a sweeping Democratic proposal to address climate change, Republican sena- tors are fi nding other reasons not to return. The cap-and-trade plan known as House Bill 2020 lacks the votes Library patrons can renew loaned items without penalty or added debt By ANTONIO SIERRA East Oregonian ATHENA — The city of Ath- ena, population 1,170, is at the fore- front of one of the hottest debates in the public library community. The Athena Public Library announced June 21 that it was immediately eliminating all fi nes on overdue books. Instead of accruing the usual 20-cent daily fi ne, Athena library patrons can turn in or renew their books, movies, and other loaned items without penalty or added debt. Athena Library Director Kris- tin Williams said she researched the issue for 18 months before she got city council approval. Despite its unconventionality, Williams said she didn’t have too much trouble getting the council on board. Williams, and librarians at other fi ne-free libraries, argue that late fees actually hurt libraries more than help them. For patrons who owe a signifi - cant amount of money, especially poorer and younger patrons, discus- sions over fi ne repayment can be a deterrent to returning to the library. “Athena Public Library hopes this new initiative will strengthen our community by improving access to library programs, ser- vices, and materials, and that it will welcome more people back to cele- brate and enjoy their public library as a place of discovery and oppor- tunity,” the library’s press release states. The Athena Public Library’s new policy still has some teeth: items that aren’t returned after 28 days are considered lost and accrue a replace- ment fee. Returning an item after it has been declared lost still generates a $5 replacement fee, and like other libraries in the area, a patron owing $5 or more will see their borrowing privileges suspended. And the fi ne-free policy doesn’t apply to inter-library loans, mean- ing other libraries’ overdue fees will still apply to Athenians who check out their books. A national debate Erin McCusker, the director of the Umatilla County Special Library District, said that Athena is the fi rst library to implement an across-the-board, fi ne-free system. She added that some libraries have explored nixing fi nes for child patrons, but she wasn’t sure if any See Overdue, Page A7 to pass, Democrats said Tuesday. But even with HB 2020’s demise, there’s no sign that the return of the Republicans is imminent, and nego- tiations to get the 11 senators back in the Capitol appear to have stalled. None of the absent senators have declared their intention to return to the Senate to get on with its busi- ness, and a few have said they won’t until other issues are addressed. “If I only I could believe the col- lective called the Oregon Legislative Democrats and get ironclad assur- ances that HB 2020 and the worst bills will die, and stay dead, with no tricks or deceit, and that they would cease and desist their strong arm tactics against us … then maybe we could think about it,” Sen. Kim Thatcher, R-Keizer, wrote on her offi cial campaign Facebook page late Tuesday. “Meanwhile, there is nothing that can get me back to the Capitol to help them get a quorum while they compare Republicans including veterans in our caucus to terrorists, introduce bills and rule changes to purposely and person- ally hurt us, and continue to be vindictive bullies.” Senate Republicans have slowed down negotiations and talks with local media, but have made time for national pundits, going on Fox News and Vice News to champion their cause, See Walkout, Page A7 Friends of Oxbow Staff photo by Benjamin Lonergan Eileen Laramore leads a group of activists who clean up the Oxbow area. Laramore has been involved in cleaning up homeless camps and damage in the area since 2013. Group clears weeds, garbage on 222-acre river property By JADE MCDOWELL East Oregonian ERMISTON — In her years caring for the Oxbow area, Eileen Laramore has seen a thing or two. The diminutive 69-year-old is a fi erce protector of the 222-acre Bureau of Reclamation property along the Umatilla River in Hermis- ton. She and a handful of other vol- unteers she has christened Friends of Oxbow are out each week bat- tling invasive weeds, assisting in restoration projects and keeping the habitat free from garbage. H “One time I found a pair of black stiletto heels,” she said. “They were gorgeous. They were stunning. But how did they get there?” Last summer the amount of man-made trash spiked after a sudden proliferation of homeless camps and criminal activity in the maze of thick brush and trees. “Last year we had nothing but trouble here,” she said. “This year we’ve only had two camps so far.” Laramore said the Bureau of Reclamation was able to curb the problems eventually by being pro- active, including cutting down swaths of trees through the biggest problem area to increase visibil- FRIENDS OF OXBOW For more information about Friends of Oxbow or to volun- teer, contact Eileen Laramore at 541-303-3872 or gelaramore3@ gmail.com. ity. There were no active homeless camps visible as she hiked through the property Wednesday morning, but she pointed out former living spaces as she went. There was the “bicycle chop shop” where police and volunteers See River, Page A7 Oregon regulators approve permit for manure-to-natural gas project Threemile Canyon Farms, near Boardman, already operates the largest manure digester in the western U.S. By GEORGE PLAVEN Capital Press BOARDMAN — A proposal to turn cow manure into natu- ral gas at Oregon’s largest dairy is moving forward after state regula- tors approved a key permit for the project. Threemile Canyon Farms, near Boardman, already operates the largest manure digester in the west- ern U.S., capturing methane from the dairy’s 65,000 cows and using the biogas to generate 4.8 mega- watts of electricity. Now the dairy wants to expand its digester facility and install new equipment to convert the methane into “pipeline quality” natural gas, a process that entails removing car- bon dioxide and other impurities from the gas stream so it can be injected into a pipeline and trans- ported to consumers. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality approved a modifi ed air quality permit for Threemile Canyon on June 25, despite objections from environ- mental groups that claim pollution from the dairy and manure digester pose a public health and safety risk. A coalition of groups opposed the permit, including Columbia Photo contributed by Threemile Canyon Farms See Manure, Page A7 An aerial view of Threemile Canyon Farms near Boardman. The farm plans to convert methane from manure into natural gas.
