East Oregonian : E.O., December 19, 2019, Image 1

PREP FOOTBALL: Jayden Wilson named All-EO Player of the Year | SPORTS, A8
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2019
144th Year, No. 46
$1.50
WINNER OF THE 2019 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD
Trump becomes third president to be impeached
President Donald Trump
impeached by U.S.
House on 2 charges
By LISA MASCARO AND
MARY CLARE JALONICK
Associated Press
WASHINGTON — President Donald
Trump was impeached by the U.S. House of
Representatives Wednesday night, becom-
ing only the third American chief executive
to be formally charged under the Constitu-
tion’s ultimate remedy for high crimes and
misdemeanors.
The historic vote split along party lines,
much the way it has divided the nation,
over the charges that the 45th president
abused the power of his offi ce by enlisting
a foreign government to investigate a polit-
ical rival ahead of the 2020 election. The
House then approved a second charge, that
See Impeached, Page A7
In Umatilla County, as in
the United States, opinions
are divided on impeachment
By ALEX CASTLE AND
JADE MCDOWELL
East Oregonian
UMATILLA COUNTY — As the coun-
try watched the impeachment hearings in
Washington, D.C., unfold on Wednesday,
many Eastern Oregon residents were ready
for the historical event to be over with.
“I think it’s an atrocity to the American
Constitution,” said Suni Danforth, the chair
of the Umatilla County Republican Party.
Danforth said she believed the impeach-
ment to be a political maneuver by the Dem-
ocrats and referred to it as a “witch hunt” and
a distraction that has wasted taxpayer dol-
lars. Instead, she said she wished Congress
had focused on issues, such as trade nego-
tiations, health care and caring for veterans.
See Opinions, Page A7
UMATILLA COUNTY
Management
fi rm approved
to help with
jail project
Local retailers
share important
steps for
competing with
online giant
Wenaha Group lands
$150K contract to
oversee jail remodel
By ALEX CASTLE
East Oregonian
PENDLETON — Umatilla
County now has some help as it
moves forward in planning the $1.6
million renovation project of its jail.
The board of commissioners
unanimously approved a contract
of up to $150,000 with the Pend-
leton-based Wenaha Group on
Wednesday to help manage and
oversee the project, which is aim-
ing to better accommodate inmates
facing medical issues, drug addic-
tion or mental illness at the Uma-
tilla County Jail.
“I think it makes a lot of sense
to let somebody else take this on to
help move the ball forward,” Uma-
tilla County Sheriff Terry Rowan
said at Wednesday’s board of com-
missioners meeting. “We want to
make sure we’re thinking of every-
thing, and an extra set of eyes is one
of the best ways to do that.”
Rowan has lobbied for a remodel
of the jail since 2017 and fi nally got
his wish when the Oregon Legisla-
ture allocated funding for the proj-
ect in one of its 2019 capital con-
struction bills this summer.
The project’s funding isn’t
expected to come in until 2021 and
for now the county is continuing to
look for an architect for the project,
a process they’ve started but have
not made any decisions on yet.
The $150,000 for the con-
tract with the Wenaha Group isn’t
included in the $1.6 million from
the state.
The board initially proposed the
contract with Wenaha Group, which
has worked with a number of school
districts in the region in complet-
ing past construction projects. Last
See Jail, Page A7
Staff photo by Kathy Aney
Floor manager Charlie Herrington checks an invoice Wednesday at the Pendleton Music Company.
By KATY NESBITT
For the East Oregonian
U
MATILLA COUNTY —
The world of retail sales has
changed drastically with
the presence of the internet.
In an ever-changing market, local
businesses rely on diversity, imme-
diate gratifi cation and customer ser-
vice to stay competitive.
Angela Thompson of Pendleton
Music Company said when it comes
to competing with online retailers
like Amazon, she had to navigate
the new economy to be success-
ful, so she chose to have a multi-
pronged business model.
“I accept, for the most part, this
is the way it’s going to be so I
consider, how am I
going
to
continue to do business given this
new reality?” Thompson said.
Amazon, the online giant that
retailers face each Christmas season
and year-round, has more than $200
billion in annual sales. Thompson,
like many local store owners, has
found other avenues to compete
against the online retailer.
The store sells, rents and repairs
instruments of all kinds and offers
a storefront experience in Pendle-
ton’s historic downtown district.
For local musicians who rent instru-
ments on contract, Thompson said
it helps that her customers can trust
the instrument has been serviced
and is ready to play, building up the
store’s reputation.
Contracting with local musicians
as well as with Oregon’s correc-
tional institutions has been a boon
for Pendleton Music Company,
Thompson said. Every week,
she said, the store
fi lls orders
from commissaries with parcels of
instruments.
“The contracts have managed to
keep the storefront viable over the
years,” she said.
Selling quality products for a
reasonable price also helps the com-
pany stay viable in the marketplace,
Thompson said.
“I like to see stuff that I can rep
well, otherwise I won’t survive,”
Thompson said.
Not only did the music store
open in the age of online shopping,
Thompson said the timing was also
risky.
“We started the store in 2010
during the recession and were
not well poised to be successful,
but implementing a couple things
helped me be sustainable,” she said.
As the president of the Pendleton
Downtown Association, Thomp-
son said the group has worked with
the Oregon Main Streets program
for 10 years to make their business
See Amazon, Page A7
Several long two-sided shelves
house hundreds of second-hand
books at the Pendleton Book
Company. The business opened 42
years ago on Main Street.
Staff photo by Kathy Aney