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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 13, 2019)
REGION Friday, September 13, 2019 East Oregonian A3 70-plus-mile chase ends with arrest in La Grande Robert Akil faces multiple charges after Monday pursuit By PHIL WRIGHT East Oregonian LA GRANDE — A Portland man landed in jail Monday in Pendleton after trying to escape police across more than 70 miles of Interstate 84. Robert Isaac Akil, 23, faces charges of unau- thorized use of a vehi- cle, felony fleeing, reck- less driving and recklessly endangering another person. Oregon State Police Lt. Mike Turner, who oversees the agen- cy’s post in Pendle- ton, tried to stop a 2014 black Akil D o d g e Charger early Monday for speeding near milepost 186 while heading east on I-84. The driver took off, according to state police, and reached speeds in excess of 100 mph. Rather than enter into a dangerous chase, Turner followed at a safe distance and called in the car to area law enforcement. The Charger continued to La Grande, where city police were ready at the I-84 exits at Island Avenue and Gangloff Park. Akil took the Gangloff Park exit at milepost 259, where a police spike strip blew two of the Charger’s tires. La Grande police took Akil in to custody and soon handed him off to the state police, who brought Akil back to Pendleton and booked him into the Uma- tilla County Jail. The district attorney’s office brought the ini- tial charges against Akil on Tuesday. According to the court documents, the state alleged Akil stole the Dodge from MLK Auto Sales, Portland. Circuit Judge Jon Lieuallen set bail Akil’s at $40,000. the case has a probable cause hearing Tuesday. Court records also show Akil has traffic and criminal convictions going back to 2015. His most recent crimi- nal conviction was in March in Multnomah County for misdemeanor theft. He received a sentence of four days in jail and five years court supervised probation. Getting into the Round-Up spirit Staff photo by E.J. Harris, File Snow collects on Bob White Field in late February, a month that saw Pendleton alone receive 32.5 recorded inches of snow during that month, up from 16.8 record inches in 1994. Federal grants now available following winter storms Umatilla County is eligible to receive federal disaster relief dollars By JESSICA POLLARD East Oregonian Staff photo by Ben Lonergan Averi Montee, 4, has her face painted to resemble Spiderman by artist Toni Elder at the Main Street Carnival on Thursday afternoon in Pendleton. Irrigon Chamber of Commerce searching for new director, building By JADE MCDOWELL East Oregonian IRRIGON — The Irri- gon Chamber of Com- merce is in transition as it searches for a new director and a new home. The chamber had pre- viously operated on an all-volunteer basis, but over the last six years grew from six members to about 70. “With that comes rev- enue,” Phyllis Danielson said. Danielson, a previous chamber president acting as spokesperson for the chamber board, said they decided to use some of their membership revenue to hire a part-time direc- tor to put in about 20 hours a month. The first per- son they hired left as soon as she was trained, how- ever, and they are “back to square one” on finding a director. Danielson said they hope to find someone who is perhaps retired or a stay-at-home parent who wouldn’t mind working a handful of hours a week to offer office hours, answer phones and email and help put on chamber events. If the director was successful in pursuing new members, that revenue could possibly open the way to add more hours to the position in the future. “It’s a sweet little job,” she said. As the board searches for a director, they are also searching for a new home. The past four years they have been operating a small visitor center at 490 E. Highway 730, but the building they were leasing was just sold. Danielson said that on Monday, minutes before the chamber’s board was preparing to meet, she received a call asking if the chamber would be inter- ested in new office space being added to the area next to city hall where the farmer’s market is located. “It’s a very promising location,” she said. She said it was a “brand new, fresh idea” they were still discussing, but pair- In Loving Memory Jeremy Kurtis Shipton 13 Sept. 1983 - 30 Sept. 2003 Someday your life will flash before your eyes; Make sure it’s worth watching. ing a visitor center with the farmer’s market would be a great partnership. In case that idea doesn’t pan out, however, she said they were also interested in hearing about any other leads on space for lease. The chamber’s sev- en-member board has three positions up for re-elec- tion in November, so Dan- ielson said they were also interested in hearing from applicants who would like to throw their name in for consideration. While the chamber has hit some bumps this year, Danielson said they are still “flying well” and the board is excited to see what opportunities the changes will bring. On Wednesday, the chamber’s monthly lun- cheon brought out about 25 people, whom Daniel- son encouraged to share any tips on possible new directors, board members or locations. During the current tran- sition, anyone with infor- mation for the chamber can contact Danielson at her business, Stokes Land- ing Bed & Breakfast, at 541-922-3857. Hermiston City Manager Byron Smith. “We had a lot of labor costs.” Stanfield public works director Scott Morris said that damages caused by snow were minimal for the city. “Our biggest chal- lenge was keeping Pilot open. Trucks get stuck,” Morris said. “We’re not very big, we’ve got a cou- ple of snowplows. But we do a good job of keeping everything open.” But Merkley and Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., both stated that the damages were extensive for many across the state. “In some cases, fami- lies and businesses strug- gled for weeks with- out power or other basic resources — and many still live with the financial consequences of those storms,” Merkley stated in the press release. Snowmelt the follow- ing spring was a contrib- uting factor in the coun- ty-wide flooding that led to the Umatilla County commissioners declaring an emergency in April. PORTLAND — Uma- tilla County is one of nine rural counties eligible to apply for grant funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture follow- ing severe winter storms that took place earlier this year, which may have caused extensive damage to different areas. The funding, totaling $150 million, comes from a $19.1 billion bipartisan disaster relief package passed by Congress this summer. According to a recent press release from the office of Sen. Jeff Merk- ley, D-Oregon, munic- ipalities, public bodies, tribal nations and non- profit organizations are eligible to apply for the grants through the Com- munity Facilities Pro- gram. The other eligible counties include Coos, Curry, Douglas, Grant, Jefferson, Lane, Linn and Wheeler. In February, heavy 9/13 snowfall broke records Cineplex Show Times for towns across Umatilla $5 Classic Movie County. Pendleton alone Showing Wednesday received 32.5 recorded Wayne’s World at 12p inches of snow during that month, moving up Overcomer (PG) from 16.8 record inches in 1:20p* 4:10p 1994. 6:50p 9:30p Pendleton had 22 days of snowfall, and Herm- Hustlers (R) iston had 19 during the 2:10p* 4:40p month. The storm resulted 7:10p 9:40p in school and busi- It: Chapter 2 (R) ness closures across the 12:30p* 1:30p* county. Snowpack was up 4:00p 5:00p 7:30p 8:30p by 160% in some parts of Good Boys (R) the state. “It was significant for 12:10p* 2:20p* us just that typically in 4:50p 7:00p 9:10p * Matinee Pricing February, we’re begin- • 541-966-1850 ning to wind down our wildhorseresort.com Pendleton, OR I-84 - Exit 216 snow removal,” said HISTORIC MCCORMMACH HOUSE FOR SALE ROUND-UP SPECIAL e ranc lea C PT. 12 E S . R THU GH THROU EPT. 14 SAT. S LOOK FOR 10 Get an Extra % OFF BIG SAVING ON CLEARANCE, CLOSEOUT, RECONDITIONED AND ONEOFAKIND MERCHANDISE! THROUGHOUT THE STORE! ALSO MORE SAVINGS WITH YOUR SEARS CREDIT CARD! sears HOMETOWN STORE TAKE IT HOME TODAY, NO CREDIT REQUIRED LOCALLY OWNED & OPERATED 80487 North Hwy 395 • Hermiston, Oregon • 541-567-2454 Monday-Friday 9:30am to 7pm I Saturday 9am to 6pm I Sunday 11am to 4pm 414 NW 4th, Pendleton Built by Will & Elmer McCormmach. Home has been completly restored & is in wonderful condition. Plenty of character. Plate rails, hardwood fl oors, Original mahogany woodwork. 7 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, grand staircase and entry, sun room, updated gourmet kitchen, wine cellar. Newer gas unit for radiant heat & AC. Apt possible in basement. Timbertech deck, water feature, detached garage/ shop. $535,000. Ask for list of updates. Call Vicki Dick 541-969-9441 $535,000 Vicki Dick Principal Broker 541 969-9441 cell vickid@coldwellbankerwhitney.com 541-276-0021 • 37 SE Dorion • Pendleton, OR 97801 COLDWELL BANKER WHITNEY AND ASSOCIATES
