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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 20, 2019)
OFF PAGE ONE Tuesday, August 20, 2019 Warren apologizes for heritage claim By ELANA SCHOR AND JOSH FUNK Associated Press SIOUX CITY, Iowa — Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth War- ren offered a public apology Monday to Native Amer- icans over her past claim to tribal heritage, directly tackling an area that’s proved to be a big political liability. “Like anyone who has been honest with them- selves, I know I have made mistakes,” the Massachu- setts senator said at a forum on Native American issues in this pivotal early voting state. “I am sorry for the harm I have caused.” Monday’s remarks were an effort to move past the fallout from her past claims of tribal ancestry, which culminated in a widely crit- icized release of a DNA analysis last year. The issue nearly derailed her cam- paign in the early days as President Donald Trump began derisively referring to her as “Pocahontas.” Now that Warren is gain- ing in most polls, she’s try- ing to prove to voters that the controversy won’t doom her in a general election matchup against Trump. The detailed policy agenda to help Native Americans that she released last week helped her secure a warm reception from attendees at the tribal forum. After drawing a stand- ing ovation, Warren said “I have listened and I have learned a lot” from con- versations with Native Americans in recent months, describing herself as “grateful” for the dia- logue. She fielded questions about her proposals, which include a legislative change for a Supreme Court ruling that impedes tribal govern- ments’ ability to prosecute crimes committed on tribal lands by those who don’t belong to a tribe. She did not receive any questions about her own background. Warren’s DNA anal- ysis — part of a broader pushback against Trump’s disparaging nickname — showed evidence of a tribal ancestor as far as 10 gener- ations back, but the Cher- AP Photo/Tim Hynds Elizabeth Warren, 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful, speaks during the first day of the Frank LaMere Native American Presidential Forum held Monday at the Orpheum The- atre in Sioux City, Iowa. okee Nation joined some other Native Americans in rebuking the senator for attributing tribal member- ship to genetics. Warren later apologized privately to the Cherokee and had addressed her regret before Monday’s appearance. As of Monday, her cam- paign website’s page con- taining a video and other materials Warren had released on the DNA analy- sis was no longer active. The Native American forum this week is expected to draw 10 of her White House rivals. New Mexico Rep. Deb Haaland, who last year became one of the first two Native American women elected to Congress, intro- duced Warren on Mon- day after endorsing her presidential campaign last month and aligning with her for new legislation aimed at helping tribal commu- nities. Haaland lamented that Warren’s ancestry has attracted outsized attention when Trump faces his own charges of racism. Those who “ask about Elizabeth’s family instead of issues of vital impor- tance to Indian Country,” Haaland told the forum audience, “feed the presi- dent’s racism.” Warren’s remarks were well-received by attend- ees at the Native American forum. Manny Iron Hawk, 62, who lives on the Cheyenne River Sioux reservation in South Dakota, said Warren “did excellent” in her Mon- day appearance and has done a good job of address- ing her past mistakes. “I think she did. A person has to admit their mistakes and move on.” Iron Hawk said he had hoped to talk to Warren about tribal governance issues, but she left too quickly for him to catch her. Snuffy Main, 64, who traveled to the conference from Montana, said he doesn’t think Warren needs to continue apologizing for claiming Native American heritage. “I don’t understand why she is constantly apologetic for making a mistake,” said Main, who is a member of the Gros Ventre Tribe of Montana. He said he liked what Warren had to say about making sure the country honors its promises and treaties with tribes. “If she can do even a fraction of what she prom- ised, that would be benefi- cial,” he said. Gary Funmaker, 72, of Black River Falls, Wiscon- sin, said Warren had “good energy to her” and he didn’t see much need for further apology. “That’s accepted. That’s old news,” said Funmaker, a Republican who used to work for the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Later Monday, War- ren campaigned in Minne- sota, a state Trump hopes to take out of Democrats’ col- umn next year. The senator drew her largest crowd yet — 12,000 people, accord- ing to her campaign — to an outdoor rally at Macal- ester College, a private lib- eral arts school in St. Paul. “I don’t want a gov- ernment that works for giant multinational cor- porations. I want one that works for our families,” she told the crowd. Continued from Page A1 Staff photo by Kathy Aney Walt Liebe gets a hug from Anita Zimmerly after she presented the WWII paratrooper with a Quilt of Valor during a surprise party on Aug. 10, 2019, at the Hermiston Airport. his grandfather. At war’s end, Liebe returned home a 23-year- old with a lifetime of experience. “He came home a very old young man,” said younger brother, Bill Liebe, of Pilot Rock. “We’re glad you made it home in one piece,” said Ron Linn, sitting at the opposite end of the table. Liebe concurred. He described arriving back in the states by ship, pass- ing under the Golden Gate Bridge. “It was the most wonder- ful feeling,” he said. “I was glad to be home.” After the war, Liebe learned to fly on dirt run- ways at the Hermiston Air- port using GI Bill benefits to pay for the lessons. “I learned to fly in an old taildragger,” Liebe said. The veteran had a long career at the Umatilla Chemical Depot. Mark Gettman, of Seat- tle, marveled at his grandfa- ther, lamenting that someday he will no longer be around to share his rich history. “He’s a treasure we’re not going to be able to enjoy forever,” Gettmann said. Before heading out from the airport, Liebe got into airport board member Mike Martin’s Ford Ranger and was chauffeured into a hangar where he feasted his eyes on a variety of airplanes. Though lunch at Denny’s had gone bust, Liebe seemed happy with the alternative destination — and the ava- lanche of appreciation and curiosity he found there. A7 Construction: Businesses looking for creative ways to lure new customers Continued from Page A1 WWII: Raid on Los Banos, the pefect operation Liebe, came on amphibious vehicles. The mission went smoothly. “Everything just clicked,” he said. “Every- thing went as planned. It was a perfect operation.” Listening, Liebe’s grand- son Matt Gettmann shook his head. “He was involved in one of the most successful oper- ations in world history, but he never told us about that,” Gettmann said. When pressed, Liebe told the story about stop- ping over on the island of Okinawa to refuel on the way to Japan. Whoever fueled the aircraft forgot to put the cap back on. “We were airborne when someone looked out and saw gasoline splattering out of one of our engines,” he said. “We landed, put on the gas cap and went on our way to Japan.” At times during the party, Liebe went silent. His son, John, filled in blanks. “At the end of the war, he was selected to be with General Douglas MacAr- thur in his honor guard on the USS Missouri,” John said. “Those are pretty high accolades, Dad.” Indeed. On Sept. 2, 1945, the Japanese for- mally surrendered aboard the Missouri and the gen- eral’s honor guard was aboard. Liebe didn’t elaborate on his son’s remarks, which his family says is typical. “He’s the quietest, most humble person I’ve known,” Gettmann said of East Oregonian All of the businesses remain open, and many have side or back entrances for customers parking in the back. But Koppany said it’s hard for casual shoppers to figure out how to get in, causing traffic through her front door to be “slower than crap.” “I’m making another sandwich sign,” she said. “I put a sign on my truck say- ing we’re still open. I’m doing everything I can to let people know.” Since U.S.A. Subs doesn’t have a back or side entrance, people must walk out onto a dirt path along the side of the building. On Monday around lunch time, a couple of customers hovered at the side, unsure of whether they were allowed to step onto the construction site. One fam- ily asked a nearby worker how to get in. Cindy Littlefield of U.S.A. Subs said business has still been steady, however. “Most people think it’s worth it,” she said. The restaurant has started allowing customers to call in orders and have staff run it out to their car in the back parking lot so they don’t have to walk through the dirt to pick it up. The parking lot service has been so popular that she said they will probably con- tinue it after the road is put back together. “Sometimes when you have to think outside the box, it’s good,” she said. Littlefield had no com- plaints about the city or con- tractors, who she said had been great about communi- cating every step of the way. The old sidewalk outside the building was a “wreck,” she said, so it was worth the has- sle to get a new one. Last week, the city posted a plea to Facebook, asking people to make an effort to visit businesses report- ing lower customer counts during construction. “These are your friends and neighbors who sponsor your Little League teams and put up your fundraising fly- ers in their windows, among the many other great things they do for our community,” the post said. “There is lots of parking available behind most of the businesses and on side-streets, so please take the few extra steps to drop in and thank them for what they do for our com- munity by shopping in their stores, because they ARE OPEN.” Holly Keller, cutting hair at the Styling Arena Mon- day morning, said they were still seeing customers make appointments and use their side entrance off Southwest Second Street. “People still need their hair done,” she said. Kaylee Field, a sales asso- ciate for Walker’s Furni- ture, said that the company’s buildings on either side of the street are still open, and fortunately most customers are figuring out how to go down back streets and park. Corporate is allowing the Hermiston location to offer additional sales not avail- able at any other Walker’s locations right now in order to help customers over- come their desire to avoid construction. “That’s keeping our busi- ness pretty busy,” she said. “Hopefully we get through it.” Marijuana: Pendleton considering ban on outdoor marijuana grows Continued from Page A1 sion some residents have to marijuana grows. The co-owner of Pendle- ton’s first cannabis retailer withdrew a permit applica- tion for a greenhouse mar- ijuana grow off of High- way 11 after some members of the public opposed it for months. At the time, Krenzler said the old nursery no longer fit into Kind Leaf’s plans. Krenzler acknowledged some of the concerns about farming marijuana, and even added that he would be open to requiring medical marijuana growers to locate indoors because medical cannabis grows can swell to dozens of plants under cer- tain circumstances. But Krenzler said the city’s proposed rules for recreational grows cuts too close on Oregonians’ right to grow their own canna- bis, especially when other pungent crops like rosemary and mint are still allowed in backyards. “If you’re allowed to cul- tivate hops or things like that in your backyard, you should be allowed to grow cannabis back there without everyone worried about it.” Although it isn’t a pri- mary source of revenue, he said Kind Leaf has sold hun- dreds of “clones” — imma- ture marijuana plants used for growing — this year, indicating a local interest in marijuana cultivation. Krenzler was concerned about forcing marijuana growers indoors, where the operation can get very hot due to the presence of grow lights, circulation fans, and carbon filtration fans. “A lot of people, histori- cally, have created their own electrical systems for these indoor grows,” he said. “What can happen then is novices may make mistakes with wiring things up, cut- ting into their existing sys- tems, which can lead to an excess of fire risk.” Cress said any indoor grows that need new electri- cal work require an inspec- tion by the city. If the planning com- mission recommends the revised code, it will go before the council for final approval. The commission will meet at 7 p.m. at the city council chambers in city hall, 500 S.W. Dorion Ave. Drowning: June deaths prompt negligent homicide investigation Continued from Page A1 only for a split second. He said he dismissed the image because children were floating on rafts and playing about 30 feet from the same place. The sheriff’s office ques- tioned three others who reported the boat’s owner was driving, according to the affidavit, and two of them said Kirkendall only stepped in to take the wheel once law enforcement arrived. The affidavit also revealed Dr. Rudy Stefancik, the county medical exam- iner, reported high levels of carbon monoxide were likely a contributing factor in the drowning deaths. The sheriff’s office — at last report — was waiting on the Oregon State Police crime lab’s analysis of blood samples from the vic- tims. Sheriff Terry Rowan did not immediately return a call seeking comment for this report.
