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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 30, 2019)
Dawgs going after state slow pitch softball title | SPORTS, B1 E O AST 143rd Year, No. 269 REGONIAN WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2019 $1.50 WINNER OF THE 2019 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD 2020 ELECTION COLD WEATHER THREATENS TO SET RECORD LOWS Overnight temps to dip to lower teens across the Columbia Basin By PHIL WRIGHT AND ANTONIO SIERRA East Oregonian PENDLETON — Get your winter gear on. Meteorologist Mike Vescio, with the National Weather Service in Pendleton, said temperatures in the area could plunge to record lows. “The coldest night is going to be (Tuesday night),” he said, with lows across the Columbia Basin dipping to the teens or even single digits. Pendleton See Cold, Page A8 Staff photos by Ben Lonergan Top: A pair of walkers stroll down Main Street in Pendleton dressed for the cold weather late Tuesday afternoon. The region is expected to experience record low temperatures on Tuesday night, with Pendleton dropping into the mid-teens and La Grande and Baker City both expected to reach single digits. Above: Dan Sellers, left, and Mario Mendoza, of Pendleton Electric Company, work on lights and outlets in the renovated kitchen at the Pendleton Warming Station on Tuesday afternoon. Knute Buehler considering run for Congress The Oregonian BEND — A day after U.S. Rep. Greg Walden said he would not seek re-election next year, former state lawmaker and Republican guber- natorial candidate Knute Buehler of Bend announced via tweet that he’s considering seeking his party’s nomination. Buehler wrote, “Oregon is bet- ter for the leadership of @rep- gregwalden. Greg is a champion for small business and values of lim- ited, effective government. Rural OR will miss his powerful and thoughtful voice. I am consider- ing seeking the GOP nomination and how best to serve the people of CD2.” Buehler is a surgeon by training and served two terms in the Ore- gon House of Representatives, after first winning election in 2014. He ran unsuccessfully for secretary of state in 2012 against Kate Brown, and Brown defeated him again in his 2018 bid for governor, that time by 6 percentage points. In that race for the state’s top job, Buehler raised and spent more than $19 million, a new record for a Republican seeking statewide office. Nike founder Phil Knight was his largest donor. This summer, he transferred the remaining $125,000 or so from his governor’s campaign account into a new political action committee, Knute for Oregon. Buehler is fiscally conserva- tive, but on social issues he is much more moderate than Walden. The Bend Republican is pro-choice and a champion of gay marriage. In his first session as a lawmaker, he was the primary sponsor of a proposal, which became law, that allows women in Oregon to buy oral con- traception over the counter without a doctor’s prescription. Jason Atkinson, a Southern Ore- gon Republican who served one term in the Oregon House followed by three terms in the Oregon Sen- ate, told the Medford Mail Tribune on Monday that he is “seriously considering” seeking the Republi- can nomination to succeed Walden. Atkinson ran for governor in 2006 but placed third in a crowded Republican primary behind Kevin Mannix and winner Ron Saxton. In his 2018 race for governor, Buehler put a lot of emphasis on his pledge to dramatically improve Oregon’s public schools in terms of educational outcomes for students. Since then, he has been strongly critical of the new $1 billion a year business tax for education, which passed the Oregon Legislature with bipartisan support in 2019. Democrats currently control the See Congress, Page A8 Voter turnout in Umatilla County could be light Only 10.28% of ballots have been returned so far By JADE MCDOWELL East Oregonian UMATILLA COUNTY — When voter turnout in Oregon is tallied after an election, it’s not uncommon for Umatilla County to rank dead last. The county had the lowest voter turnout of any county in the state during the November 2018 elec- tion, with 56.5% of eligible voters turning in a ballot, compared with 68.4% statewide. Umatilla County Elections Clerk Kim Lindell said as of Mon- day evening, only 10.28% of bal- lots had come in. “I think turnout for this elec- tion is going to be on the lighter side because most of the county will just see the two amendments,” she said. “Charter amendments are important, but they’re not very exciting.” The reasons Oregonians don’t exercise their right to vote are var- ied. Some simply forget to turn in their ballot before deadline. Others don’t like their choices, don’t think their individual vote matters, or feel like they don’t have enough information to make an informed decision. Amanda Walker, of Umatilla, falls into the last category. She said Staff photo by Ben Lonergan See Voter, Page A8 Emily Bennett removes ballots from their envelopes at the Umatilla Coun- ty Elections offi ce in Pendleton on Tuesday afternoon.