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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 30, 2019)
LOCAL OFFENDER ON THE HOOK FOR ATTEMPTED ARSON RIVERSIDE HOSTS HEPPNER IN VOLLEYBALL SEASON OPENER REGION, A3 SPORTS, B1 E O AST 143rd Year, No. 226 REGONIAN FRIDAY, AUGUST 30, 2019 $1.50 WINNER OF THE 2019 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD EO SPOTLIGHT Your Weekend A New Start Nixyaawii Community School holds fi rst open house in new building • Kidz Pow Wow, Tamasts- likt Cultural Institute • Farmers Markets, Hepper and Irrigon • Get your craft on at Pend- leton Center for the Arts M ISSION — The title that hangs above the school’s entrance isn’t in English, but stu- dents don’t need a translation to know where they’re going. Weekend Weather FRI SAT SUN 90/60 90/63 88/61 One dead in crash on Interstate 84 By ALEX CASTLE East Oregonian PENDLETON — Ore- gon State Police investigated a crash Thursday afternoon near Pendleton that killed one man. The fatal wreck occurred outside Pendleton between mileposts 211 and 212 on Interstate 84’s eastbound lanes. OSP Sgt. Seth Cooney confi rmed early Thursday evening that the victim was 52-year-old Pendleton resi- dent Frank Edward Ball Jr. Cooney said the cause of the crash remains unknown. No other vehicles were damaged and no other injuries have been reported. The crash shut down traffi c for nearly an hour Thursday afternoon. Ellyn Clausen was behind the pickup when she saw dust come fl ying up as the driver got into the median and the vehicle rolled into the center of the interstate. Clausen was quick to stop her car and try to help as she contacted emer- gency services. Witnesses say they found the driver covered in blood with his foot through the windshield when they arrived. Nixyáawii X w aamáma, Nixy- aawii Community School, held the fi rst open house for its new build- ing on Thursday, giving some stu- dents their fi rst chance to walk the halls of the modern facility for the Umatilla Indian Reservation char- ter school. The building as a whole is laid out in a “H” shape, each section of the facility labeled in the Umatilla language. At the center of the school is a common area that connects each wing. Besides the high Oregon taxpayers can expect largest- ever ‘kicker’ refund By DIRK VANDERHART Oregon Public Broadcasting By ANTONIO SIERRA East Oregonian FOR TIMES AND LOCATIONS CHECK COMING EVENTS, A6 State set to refund $1.6B Staff photo by Ben Lonergan Susie Patrick, left, and Shelby Joseph attempt to open their lockers during an open house at the newly built Nixyaawii Community School. school, the Nixyaawii building also has space for the Cay-Um-Wa Head Start and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Res- ervation’s education and language departments. It’s a watershed moment for the tribes, who started a charter school 15 years ago in a converted com- munity center and gymnasium. Students now have a school that was designed from the ground up for educational purposes, and Principal Ryan Heinrich ticked off all the improvements at the new Nixyaawii. Heinrich said students are especially excited about the new gymnasium where the Golden Eagles basketball teams will play, but the new building also includes electronically controlled doors for security, more spacious classrooms, and wireless internet that has “quite a bit more power.” After some technical diffi cul- ties delayed the start of school, Heinrich said Nixyaawii is set to open Sept. 3 with a grand opening ceremony to follow on Sept. 27. Students and parents that attended the Thursday open house could pick up a hot dog lunch before strolling into the school to fi nd their lockers and meet with teachers. Christina Kaltsukis, a Nixy- aawii senior who’s entering her See School, Page A8 Staff , students and families gathered at the newly built Nixyaawii Community School during an open house Thursday afternoon. SALEM — It’s offi cial: Oregonians will see the larg- est-ever “kicker” tax refund next year. With all tax receipts for the just-ended biennium counted, state economists say more than $1.57 billion will fl ow back to personal income taxpayers in 2020, when they fi le their 2019 taxes. That compares to a “kicker” refund of a little more than $1.4 billion projected in May, when offi cials last fore- cast overall revenues. The fi nal tally, delivered to lawmakers in a hearing Wednesday morning, contin- ued a consistent trend over the last two years, as state tax rev- enues consistently outpaced economists’ expectations. When all was said and done, money fl owing into the state’s general and lottery funds came in $2.6 billion above what offi - cials expected in 2017, at the outset of the biennium. That’s created a situation where Ore- gon reserve funds are at an all time high — more than $3.7 billion — even as economists warn of an economic slow- down on the horizon. But Oregon’s unique refund policy also means the state can’t use all of the unexpected money. Under state law, a “kicker” is triggered when- ever actual personal income tax receipts come in at least 2% higher than initial projections. In such cases, any money col- lected above initial forecasts fl ows back to taxpayers in the form of tax credits. In 2017-19, tax receipts came in more than 9% above projections, meaning the larg- est refund, by dollar amount, ever issued. As a percentage of tax liability, next year’s kicker will be the third-largest in Ore- gon history. In actual numbers, the top 1% of taxpayers can expect refunds of $15,214, while the median refund will be $346. The average payout to all tax- payers is expected to be $739. Staff photo by Ben Lonergan See Crash, Page A8 See Kicker, Page A8 Populist movement rolls through Oregon Petition signers struggle to articulate why recall of Oregon governor is needed By AUBREY WIEBER AND CLAIRE WITHYCOMBE Oregon Capital Bureau SALEM — Jolly old St. Nicholas doesn’t care much for the governor. Dressed in a stocking cap, black boots, red velvet pants and vest, he signed the petition to recall Gov. Kate Brown in between proffer- ing photos with Santa in the stifl ing August heat at the Oregon State Fair. His holiday booth was next to one where people could sign petitions to recall the governor, who won re-election in November. “The main thing is being able to have an opinion when you think something’s not right,” Santa said. He declined to fully identify himself, saying he fears being attacked. Santa had a very spe- cifi c grievance: He said the governor’s offi ce imposed a $400 annual fee on him for having a water well at his property east of Salem. At a time where right- wing populists from Boris Johnson and Jair Bolson- aro to Donald Trump have accrued mainstream appeal and have secured real polit- ical power, Brown’s oppo- nents are fi nding an outlet for their dissatisfaction by trying to put her on the bal- lot through a recall petition. Two, to be precise. The Oregon Capital Bureau interviewed about 30 people signing petitions at the fair in Salem over three days. Most were from the Willamette Valley, many from more rural areas such as Molalla or Monmouth. Petition signers carried a variety of grievances to the Oregon Capital Bureau Photo/Claire Withycombe See Movement, Page A8 Oregon State Fair visitors sign a petition to recall Gov. Kate Brown at the booth organized by Flush Down Kate Brown.
