REGION
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
Man saved from rollover crash
By JESSICA POLLARD
East Oregonian
BAKER COUNTY —
While providing mutual aid
during the search for a miss-
ing hunter, local agencies
saved the hunter’s brother
from a single-vehicle car crash
into freezing water.
Umatilla County Sheriff’s
Offi ce Search and Rescue Sgt.
Dwight Johnson said Tom
Dennis, 48, of McMinnville,
was aiding in the search for
his brother, Andrew Dennis,
60, of Haines, on Oct. 5 when
he crashed his 1999 Toyota
Tacoma pickup truck into the
East Fork of Eagle Creek in
the Wallowa Mountains. The
area had recently been hit by
a snowstorm.
“He could have perished
if someone hadn’t found him
when they did,” Johnson said.
Search and Rescue mem-
bers Travis Lundquist, Destry
Stewart and Danita Smith
were driving across the creek
bridge that evening when they
heard a horn honking. They
noticed a tire in the creek, and
found Tom Dennis trapped
inside the truck, which had
overturned. The doors to the
truck were jammed shut, and
Tom couldn’t escape as freez-
ing water engulfed the truck’s
interior.
Johnson said that three
other cars had driven over
the bridge without noticing
Contributed photo
The overturned vehicle of a man rescued by the Umatilla
County Sheriff ’s Offi ce Search and Rescue Team sits in the
East Fork of Eagle Creek in Baker County on Oct. 5, 2019.
the overturned vehicle below.
Baker County Sheriff Travis
Ash estimated the truck had
been trapped for 30 minutes.
Along with Ash, the Search
and Rescue team was able to
use a car jack and axe, with
other tools, to open a truck
door and remove Tom Dennis
within 10 minutes.
He was airlifted to St.
Alphonsus Medical Center
in Boise, Idaho. The Union
County Sheriff’s Offi ce pro-
vided aid on the scene as
well.
Tom Dennis, who suf-
fered from hypothermia and
a shoulder injury, has since
checked himself out of the
hospital, according to the
Baker City Herald.
Ash said that alcohol was a
factor in the accident, but that
no citations had been issued.
Johnson said Tom Den-
nis assisted Search and Res-
cue at a drone site in the forest,
during the eight-day search
to fi nd his brother, who was
found dead on the morning of
Oct. 6.
“We worked with him all
day Friday. He was upset and
despondent,” Johnson said.
He noted that while Search
and Rescue was not trained in
vehicle extrication, which they
assisted with during the crash,
the 28-volunteer team receives
training in several areas,
including navigation, fi rst aid
and radio. In 2016, they imple-
mented a drone program.
“We’re very proud of our
volunteers for what they did
and how they responded.
We’re just proud that they were
part of it, and that they heard
(the truck),” Johnson said.
Longtime council member to fi ll
deceased council president’s seat
By CHLOE LEVALLEY
Walla Walla Union-Bulletin
MILTON-FREEWATER
— Ed Chesnut has stepped
up to take the spot of former
city council president Orrin
Lyon, who died at age 82 on
Aug. 26.
Chesnut has been serving
Milton-Freewater City Coun-
cil in Position 3 for 12 years,
and fellow council members
unanimously elected him this
week to fi nish Lyon’s term as
city council president, which
ends on Dec. 31, 2020.
Ward 1 is now vacant, and
the city council decided at
its regular meeting Monday
night to advertise for applica-
tions and appoint someone to
the position.
To sit on the council, can-
didates must be a registered
voter residing in Milton-Free-
water city limits, a qualifi ed
elector under the Oregon state
constitution and have resided
in the borders of Ward 1 for
at least six months before
appointment.
The council has not estab-
lished a due date yet. Pickup
for the application will be at
city hall and eventually on the
website, offi cials said.
A l s o
on
Mon-
day, a reso-
lution was
presented
to
Lyon’s
two
sons,
Lyon
Nathan and
John Lyon, along with a name
plaque and applause for their
father’s hard work for the city.
Lyon joined the city coun-
cil nearly two decades ago
when he volunteered to fi ll the
term of his brother, Mel Lyon,
who was having health prob-
lems. He was intimidated at
fi rst because he didn’t know
much about how the system
worked, but he was very proud
to take the spot for his brother,
according to his two nieces,
Karen Fink and Lorene Judd.
“He must have enjoyed
it because he served on city
council for 18 years and as city
council president for 15 years,
meaning he worked with a lot
of different people on differ-
ent issues for the city,” said
his eldest son, Nathan Lyon.
“He didn’t push an idea. He
believed in a collective deci-
sion and never got upset when
the council disagreed with
him.”
Lyon’s youngest son, John
Lyon, said his father was gen-
erous, kind-hearted, quiet and
made thoughtful decisions.
According to Lyon’s fam-
ily members, he was in the
pea harvest business for 30
years. He was also an active
member of Milton-Freewa-
ter’s Bethel Baptist Church.
Something not many peo-
ple knew was that he was
artistic, according to Mayor
Lewis Key. Lyon would make
metal stands for a glass artist
from Seattle.
“He just could not retire,”
Key said.
City Manager Linda Hall
said in an email: “Orrin was a
man who never compromised
on his morals and values and
was greatly admired for that.
He was someone who was
easy to talk to, very approach-
able, and the people he served
were not shy about asking him
questions and bringing their
concerns to him personally.
He will be missed forever by
so many, of which I am cer-
tainly one.”
Key expressed the same
sentiment. “He was a great
guy. We really enjoyed get-
ting to know him. He was
a huge loss for the city,” the
mayor said.
Councilors fi eld street funding questions
By ANTONIO SIERRA
East Oregonian
PENDLETON — Head-
ing into the homestretch of a
series of public polling meet-
ings, a couple of city council-
ors took some tough questions
from the business commu-
nity at a Pendleton Chamber
Commerce monthly luncheon
Tuesday.
Standing in a conference
room at the Pendleton Con-
vention Center, Mayor John
Turner and councilor Linda
Neuman explained that the
council was able to raise its
average road repair funding
from $300,000 to $1.2 million.
“The bad news is that it’s
not really enough,” Turner
said.
Looking to raise another
$1 million annually for road
repair, the council mem-
bers passed around the list of
options they had been circu-
lating to various community
groups for months.
The options include an
income tax, payroll tax, gas
tax, hotel room entertain-
ment fee, event ticket fee and
a restaurant sales tax.
“No one’s crazy about pay-
ing taxes or fees,” Neuman
said. “We understand that.”
Some audience members
disliked some options more
than others.
Kristine Taylor, owner of
the Pendleton Allstate Insur-
ance Agency, was opposed to
anything that might increase
her utility bill. One of the
council’s options includes
raising the street utility fee,
which is now $5.21 per month.
“My fees are extreme,” she
said.
Taylor referenced the fact
that Pendleton is in the midst
of a series of annual water and
sewer rate increases that have
seen rates rise by 10.5% each
year. The rate hikes began in
2015 and will expire in 2020.
She did like the idea of
a gas tax, which previously
failed at the ballot box when
voters rejected a 5-cent tax in
2015.
If the council were to pur-
sue a gas tax again, Turner
said the city would likely sun-
set it after 10 years when the
street system was brought
back into good condition.
Kristen Dollarhide, tour-
ism and hospitality manager
for Travel Pendleton, asked
if there would be a line item
on receipts whenever drivers
fi lled up at a gas station.
Eli Stephens, a property
manager who said he used to
own a gas station, said gas sta-
tion operators would have dis-
cretion on how to divvy up
proceeds between various tax-
ing agencies.
Turner said the coun-
cil wanted to have a plan for
street funding by December.
Turner said if the council pur-
sues new taxes, it would take
time to prepare for an educa-
tion campaign before putting
the issue on the ballot.
The city will hold more
town hall meetings open to
the public on street fund-
ing on Oct. 21 at the Sher-
wood Heights Elementary
School gym, and Oct. 28 at
the Washington Elementary
School gym. Both meetings
will be at 7 p.m.
East Oregonian
A3
BRIEFLY
School board
green lights bond
refi nancing
PENDLETON — The
Pendleton School Board
unanimously voted to seek a
refi nance for the school dis-
trict’s 2013 bond at a meet-
ing Monday.
According to district
offi cials, the refi nance
could result in a lower prop-
erty tax rate for the public
or keep the tax rate stable
should the district pursue
another bond.
At the meeting, Pendle-
ton School District Direc-
tor of Business Services
Michelle Jones reminded
the board that its action
wouldn’t
automatically
commit the district to refi -
nancing the bond. If the
staff fi nds that interest rates
have risen again, the district
can still back out.
After school district res-
idents approved the bond in
2013, the district used the
$55 million to pay for new
Washington and Sherwood
Heights elementary schools,
among other improvements
and renovations. The bond
is set to expire in 2038.
CTUIR settles
with former board
member Kosey
MISSION — The Con-
federated Tribes of the
Umatilla Indian Reserva-
tion Board of Trustees and
Trustee Sally Kosey have
come to a court-approved
settlement that will allow
her to serve on the board
for the remainder of her
term.
Kosey sued the board
in September after her col-
leagues voted to declare
her position vacant, argu-
ing that her residency out-
side current Umatilla
Indian Reservation meant
she could no longer serve
on the tribes’ top govern-
ing body.
In exchange for keeping
her seat, Kosey has agreed
to drop her complaint on
Dec. 4, fi ve days after the
new Board of Trustees is
sworn in and seated.
“The settlement agree-
ment stipulates no admis-
sion of wrongdoing by the
Board of Trustees, employ-
ees or its agent,” a CTUIR
press release states. “In
addition, neither party may
untruthfully
disparage
each other in public, social
media or otherwise.”
On Oct. 1, both sides
went to Umatilla Tribal
Court for a hearing, where
Judge
Douglas
Nash
granted Kosey a tempo-
rary restraining order that
restored her place on the
board as the lawsuit was
being decided.
One of the factors in
Nash’s decision was a vote
by the General Council,
a group comprised of all
adult tribal members, to
reinstate Kosey.
Both parties were due
back in court Oct. 15, but
the settlement renders
Kosey’s complaint “moot,”
according to the press
release.
Umatilla National
Forest holds open
houses for public
PENDLETON — The
Umatilla National For-
est announced fi ve open
houses for community
members to share infor-
mation about their interests
on the forest and to engage
with local forest leadership
and staff.
Forest
Supervisor
Eric Watrud said in the
announcement he believes
strong community connec-
tions and partnerships are
an integral part of the For-
est Service’s mission.
“I am excited for the
opportunity to engage with
community members sur-
rounding the Umatilla and
hear what is important to
the people that we serve, so
that we can explore ways to
work together to manage
the public’s land,” he said.
Local district staff will
be available to talk about
forest management, proj-
ects, and other interests or
concerns. The open houses
are 5-7 p.m. for the follow-
ing dates and locations:
• Friday, Oct. 25, at the
Umatilla National Forest
Headquarters, 72510 Coy-
ote Road, Pendleton.
• Wednesday, Nov. 6,
at the Walla Walla Ranger
District, 1415 West Rose St.,
Walla Walla, Washington.
• Thursday, Nov. 7, at the
Pomeroy Ranger District,
71 West Main St., Pomeroy,
Washington.
•Thursday, Nov. 14, at
the Heppner Ranger Dis-
trict, 117 S. Main St.,
Heppner.
•Monday, Nov. 18, at
the North Fork John Day
Ranger District, 401 W.
Main St., Ukiah.
For additional informa-
tion about the upcoming
open houses, please contact
Darcy Weseman, Public
Affairs Offi cer at 541-278-
3722 or darcy.weseman@
usda.gov. For more infor-
mation about the Umatilla
National Forest, please visit
www.fs.usda.gov/umatilla/.
Hermiston School
District sees
enrollment decline
HERMISTON — An
enrollment report revealed
Monday at the Hermis-
ton School District board
meeting showed a slight
dip in the number of stu-
dents from the month of
August to September.
In August, the district
saw total student enroll-
ment of 5,777 students,
which dropped by 20 stu-
dents in September to 5,757.
The number represents 34
fewer students than the
same time last year.
The dip breaks a trend
of growth that the district
has seen for several years.
The district grew by 187
students from September
2014 to September 2015;
141 students from 2015
to 2016; 116 from 2016 to
2017; and 21 students from
2017 to 2018.
“That’s a different spot
for us to be in,” said Super-
intendent Tricia Mooney.
“We’re a keeping a close
eye on those numbers.”
Mooney said it seemed
that a lot of the students
who left this year had
moved out of state and were
in families that contained
more than one student.
— East Oregonian staff
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