WEEKEND EDITION
E O
AST
REGONIAN
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JUNE 29-30, 2019
USDA RESEARCH
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143rd Year, No. 183
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Republican
senators to
provide a
quorum
EO SPOTLIGHT
Enough of the caucus vows to
return Saturday morning for
two marathon days to vote on
as many bills as possible
By AUBREY WIEBER, MARK MILLER
AND CLAIRE WITHYCOMBE
Oregon Capital Bureau
SALEM — Enough Oregon Republican
senators will return to the Capitol for the
chamber to do business Saturday.
The announcement was made at a Fri-
day morning news conference in the Senate
Republican ofﬁ ce.
The Senate will convene at 9 a.m. Satur-
day, and will have until 11:59 p.m. Sunday
to work through as many bills as possible.
There are around 120 stacked up waiting for
action.
Not all 12 Republican senators will
return, but only two are needed to provide
a quorum so the body can operate. Senate
minority leader Herman Baertschiger Jr.
said the majority of them will show up.
There was no immediate response from
Senate Democrats or Gov. Kate Brown.
Republicans walked out June 20 to stop a
vote on a sweeping environmental proposal
that has been in their crosshairs since the
ﬁ rst day of session.
“For the next few days, I had nothing but
threats — threats from the majority leader,
threats from the governor and the speaker,”
Baertschiger said Friday. “I had no threats
from the Senate president. Yes, the Senate
president was upset that we left, reminded
me that we had an agreement from the last
time we walked, and I reminded him in part
of that agreement, that cap and trade would
have a reset, and that Senator (Cliff) Bentz,
who has worked so hard on this legislation,
would actually have a place at the table.”
The terms of the reset were not worked
out in detail — something Baertschiger said
he now regrets.
“It’s one of those things, when you’re in
the room, that we all probably had a little bit
different deﬁ nition of ‘reset,’” he said.
Democrats were not the only ones making
threats. Sen. Brian Boquist, R-Dallas, made
national news last week when he threatened
state troopers with lethal violence.
On Wednesday, Boquist warned Senate
President Peter Courtney, D-Salem, about
sending the police after him if he walks out.
“If you send the state police to get me,
hell’s coming to visit you personally,”
Boquist said on the ﬂ oor. When a reporter
asked him about it later, Boquist, always
See Walkout, Page A12
Staﬀ photo by Jade McDowell
Fireworks line tables at the Black Cat ﬁ reworks stand in the Fiesta Foods parking lot in Hermiston.
By PHIL WRIGHT, ALEX
CASTLE AND JADE MCDOWELL
East Oregonian
UMATILLA COUNTY — Fire-
works sellers and ﬁ reﬁ ghters urged
safety ﬁ rst when celebrating this
Fourth of July with your own ﬁ re-
works display.
Shawn Penninger, Pendleton assis-
tant ﬁ re chief and ﬁ re marshal, said
residents should only purchase ﬁ re-
works from local, reputable dealers
offering products in accordance with
state law. The local vendors go through
a state vetting process, he said, and he
and other authorities know what they
offer. He also said folks should be
mindful of their surroundings.
“It’s unfortunately one of the things
some people overlook,” he said.
Fireworks last year set off a small
ﬁ eld ﬁ re in Pendleton. Penninger com-
pared ﬁ reworks to ﬁ rearms: Once you
set them off, you have no control over
where they go. That dry pile of leaves
over in your neighbor’s yard can go up
in ﬂ ames if your ﬁ rework lands there
or throws hot sparks on it. Worse can
happen if the ﬁ rework lands on a roof
or in a home’s gutters.
He also advised against combin-
ing ﬁ reworks and setting them off at
once because that also creates risks.
And ﬁ reworks also can cause inju-
ries. While those usually are not
life-threatening, Penninger said, they
can be life-altering, such as burns
to the face or eyes. He also stressed
adults should supervise children with
ﬁ reworks and advised against mixing
alcohol and with use of ﬁ reworks.
For those in Hermiston, the Black
Cat ﬁ reworks stand is in the Fiesta
Foods parking lot where Lesley Phil-
lips is selling items to raise extra
See Safety, Page A12
New learning center opens the door to industry child care in Boardman
In Boardman, workplace
retention and preschool
go hand in hand
By JESSICA POLLARD
East Oregonian
BOARDMAN — A new learn-
ing center opened its doors earlier
this month, helping pave the way for
industry-related child care in Eastern
Oregon.
The Boardman Industry Learning
Center was formed through a partner-
ship between Boardman businesses,
Umatilla Morrow County Head
Start, and the Morrow County School
District.
The BILC currently accepts three
children from employees of each of its
industry partners: Three Mile Canyon
Farms, Boardman Foods, Port of Mor-
row, Lamb Weston, and Tillamook.
“This is new, we haven’t had part-
nerships with these businesses in a
way that blends workforce develop-
ment with early education. This is a
ﬁ rst-time kind of event,” said exec-
utive director at UMCHS Maureen
McGrath.
Dan Daltoso, associate director at
UMCHS, said the project began when
employers in Morrow County heard
from workers that child care in the
area was scarce.
According to a study out of Oregon
State University earlier this year, just
16% of children between the ages of 3
and 5 have access to regulated care in
Morrow County.
Currently, the BILC has openings
See Child care, Page A12
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.