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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 21, 2019)
OFF PAGE ONE Saturday, December 21, 2019 East Oregonian A11 Fire destroys shed in Pendleton Staff photo by Ben Lonergan An example of the store’s new reusable plastic bags sits on a checkstand at Columbia Harvest Foods in Umatilla on Thursday morning. Dave Meade, the store manager, expects that the bags will retail for roughly 50 cents each, an increase over the cost of a paper bag, but still cheaper than many reusable bag alternatives. Bags: Americans use over 380 billion plastic bags or wraps per year Staff photo by Ben Lonergan Firefighters responded to a fire in a pair of outbuildings at 71612 S.W. Lake Drive in Pendleton on Friday morning. Jim Critchley, interim Pendleton fire chief, said that the cause of the fire was “accidental electrical” and destroyed one building and damaged a second. Neither building was occupied at the time. Property owner Tari Smith said that she heard a pop and looked out the window to see her shed on fire and called 911. No injuries were reported and fire crews left the scene shortly after 11:45 a.m. Force: On 4 screens at Hermiston Cinema Continued from Page A1 Skywalker,” on Thursday. Locals flocked to theaters in Pendleton and Hermiston to get their first look at the heavily anticipated movie. Although she wasn’t allowed to share attendee numbers, Hermiston Cinema projectionist Kristina Marin said four screens were show- ing “Star Wars” on Friday, a scale reserved only for the biggest blockbusters. Martin said she expected the theater to stay busy through the Christmas holiday. The Wildhorse Cineplex also showed “Star Wars” on Thursday, and Wehrli was among those who braved the crowd to see it. Wehrli has previously written about his experience with “Star Wars” in a 2013 blog post, where he talked about his love for the movies extensively. Inspired by a young Jake Lloyd’s portrayal of Anakin Skywalker in 1999’s “Star Wars: The Phantom Men- ace,” Wehrli sent a letter to director George Lucas asking to be cast in the next “Star Wars.” Wehrli was ultimately thwarted when his mother refused to take him to Port- land to find a talent agent who would represent him, but he got another chance when Disney revived the franchise in 2013 and held an open casting call. He sent in an audition tape Lucasfilm Photo This image released by Disney/Lucasfilm shows, from left, Joonas Suotamo as Chewbacca, Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron, Daisy Ridley as Rey and John Boyega as Finn in a scene from “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.” and never heard back, but he remained a “Star Wars” fan nevertheless. Other adult fans who went to “Star Wars” on opening night brought their own sense of nostalgia to the theater. Peter Walters of Pendle- ton remembers watching the original “Star Wars” trilogy on TV for the first time as a 10-year-old in the 1990s. “I had never seen anything like that before,” he said. As he grew older, Walters and his friends would dive deeper into the “Star Wars” mythos, learning the names and backstories of characters that only got the briefest of screen time in the movies. For Micheal Ruiz of Hermiston, it was an inter- generational affair — he learned to love “Star Wars” from his dad and the VHS tapes he kept of the movies. And regardless of the ups and downs of the franchise, locals keep coming back in droves for the opening nights of each new addition. Werhli said he grew up in Ione, meaning trying to make it to Hermiston for the open- ing nights of the prequel tril- ogy wasn’t practical. But when “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” debuted in 2015, he started going to the opening nights, figuring it to be the best approximation of a big Hollywood premiere. He bought a Darth Vader costume on Amazon and started wearing it to opening nights. He said the costume has been a big hit each time he shows it off. Ruiz said he loves the energy of an opening night and listening to all the fan theories. “You don’t even know who you’re talking to, but you can have an interesting conversation,” he said. This was also the first time Ruiz could take his 7-year-old son, Khalen, to a “Star Wars” movie opening night. They spent the months leading up to “The Rise of Skywalker” watching all the preceding movies and the spinoff series. Ruiz enjoyed watching his son growing to love the series around the same age he did. Walters has been to nearly every “Star Wars” open- ing night since 1999, except for 2005’s “Revenge of the Sith,” which he was able to see the night before thanks to a friend who worked at the now-defunct Pendleton Cinema. Going into “The Rise of Skywalker,” Walters knew the reaction to the film would be polarizing, but he ended up enjoying it. He especially liked the score from composer John Williams, who has assem- bled the scores for all nine movies. “That guy knows his way around a leitmotif,” he said. Ruiz said he and his son also enjoyed the movie, his son so excited by the end that he wanted to go home and play a “Star Wars” video game. Wehrli ran the gamut of emotions throughout the film, and was so excited after the movie that he couldn’t sleep for the rest of the evening. “I thought it was extremely mind-blowing,” he said. Wehrli has heard about some spinoffs in the works, but he doesn’t expect more mainline “Star Wars” movies in the near future. But he also isn’t ruling out the film franchise’s capacity to surprise him. Energy: Proposed ballot measures aimed at moving Oregon toward carbon-free electricity Continued from Page A1 executive director of the group Renew Oregon, which is backing the rejected clean energy measures. “The secre- tary of state is siding with the oil industry, corporate pollut- ers and anti-worker special interests to block the ability of the voters to decide their clean air future.” The two proposals Clarno rejected Thursday, initiative petitions 48 and 49, are seen as a backstop Renew Ore- gon and its allies can turn to if Oregon lawmakers fail to reg- ulate greenhouse gas emis- sions next year. If passed by voters, the measures would require Ore- gon to source all of its elec- tricity from carbon-free or renewable energy sources by 2045. That’s a standard Hawaii and at least six other states have adopted since 2015. But the petitions also include a number of provi- sions that opponents argue make them too broad. Both IP 48 and 49 require con- struction projects related to the new standards pay a pre- vailing wage, offer bene- fits and meet a number of other benchmarks. IP 49 also requires electric utilities to invest in “beneficial electri- fication programs” that help the state meet its emissions reduction goals. In comments on the pro- posals, opponents Willis Van Dusen and Janet Steele said they “include extensive new labor practice requirements likely appealing to mem- bers of the proponents’ vot- ing coalition who otherwise might not support the mea- sure.” The provisions violate a constitutional requirement that initiative petitions deal with “one subject only,” they argued. Clarno evidently agreed, though Vial would not give specifics about her decision. The rulings mark the sec- ond time Clarno has tossed initiative petitions based on her reading of Oregon’s “sin- gle subject” requirement. When she rejected the three forest-related propos- als in September, the decision was questioned by both envi- ronmentalists and Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum, who made clear she didn’t agree with Clarno’s strict interpretation of the law. However, when the group Oregon Wild challenged the decision, a Marion County judge ruled that Clarno was correct. That ruling is being appealed, and attorneys for the Oregon Legislative Assembly say it could have major implications for Ore- gon’s legislative process if upheld. It’s unclear whether Rosen- blum’s office agreed with Clarno’s rationale for tossing the clean energy proposals. Vial declined to say Thurs- day what advice the secre- tary had received from the state Department of Justice, though he said DOJ attorneys “discussed the matter” with her prior to the decision. Renew Oregon and its allies were unsparing in their criticism of Clarno’s ruling Thursday, issuing a lengthy release in response. “Until this election cycle, the single subject rule has rarely, if ever, been used to reject a proposed initiative,” ballot measure attorney Mar- garet Olney said in the release. “By ignoring the analysis of the Attorney General, Leg- islative Counsel, the Oregon Supreme Court and insert- ing an exceptionally parti- san review into a previously unbiased process, Secretary of State Clarno is undermin- ing our initiative process and crippling the power of Orego- nians to take their concerns directly to the voters.” Renew Oregon and oth- ers filed IP 48 and 49 in early October. They also filed a third petition, IP 50, that would force Oregon to elim- inate greenhouse gas emis- sions from “fossil fuel and industrial sources.” IP 50 is arguably the most potent of the three petitions, and was approved by the secretary of state’s office, Vial said. The three proposals amounted to something of a threat. Renew Oregon and its allies have made clear they will put their full energy into landing the initiatives on the ballot if lawmakers don’t pass a bill to regulate emissions in the legislative session that begins in February. A bill that would have charged large emitters for their greenhouse gas output and reduced Oregon’s emis- sions over time failed to pass the Legislature earlier this year. Democrats have been clear they will bring back similar legislation in 2020. “The ballot measures are one way of changing that landscape,” Renew Oregon spokesman Brad Reed said in October. Continued from Page A1 evolves,” said Dave Mead, the owner of Columbia Harvest Foods in Umatilla. “It’s something we have to watch and see what our customers like best.” Mead said his store will offer two non-paper options for customers who need to purchase a bag, one that’s a reusable Har- vest Foods bag and another reusable plastic option that is provided by the state. The bill’s intention is to reduce the availability and one-time use of plas- tic bags, which often aren’t recycled and have contrib- uted to the plastic prob- lem plaguing the planet. According to a report from the Environmen- tal Protection Agency in 2016, Americans use over 380 billion plastic bags or wraps per year, which requires 12 million barrels of oil to manufacture. “I think the new law is great,” said Jamie Canale, owner and operator of Grocery Outlet in Pend- leton. “In the long run, I think people will see more of the positives.” Canale said Grocery Outlet will have a few options, including a 15 cent and 99 cent reusable plastic bag along with a canvas tote bag for $2.99. Canale said it will likely take some time for cus- tomers to develop a habit of bringing their own bags, though she noted that about 15% of her cus- tomers already bring their own reusable bags and that number has risen recently. For those still unaware of it, though, Canale said they’ll be putting out signs soon and making posts on social media to remind customers. James Davis, a manager at the Walmart in Pendle- ton, said they’ve instructed cashiers to remind cus- tomers about the even- tual change and have put out signs, though he’s also noticed more reusable bags being used and said there’s already a “general aware- ness” about the change. Walmart has already been offering other options for several years, and as a corporation that’s already dealt with regulations across the country and the state, the transition hasn’t been as cumbersome. The law — House Bill 2509 — was passed this past summer and expands on the 17 local ordinances previously regulating sin- gle-use plastic bags around the state, which already impacted roughly 40% of Oregonians. The bill joins Oregon with California, Hawaii and New York as the only states in the coun- try to enact statewide bans. For some retailers in the region, however, the tran- sition hasn’t been greeted so welcomely. Brandt Koo, owner of the 11th Street Market in Hermiston, was concerned initially when the ban passed because many of his customers walk to and from the store. While it’s easy to carry multiple sin- gle-use plastic bags when walking, Koo hasn’t been able to find a cheap and reliable option with han- dles to replace them. “They’re less than worthless,” Koo said of paper bag alternatives. “Let’s say you’re carry- ing beer or other bottled drinks, and the bag tears and they fall to the ground and break. Not only did you pay five cents for it, but now you’ve lost the cost of the drinks too.” Tammy Russell, assis- tant manager for the Pilot Rock Market, has had the same problem at her store and said customers have begun to bring laundry baskets to carry groceries because the handles make them more convenient. Russell added she’s concerned about custom- ers being unable to afford the 25 cents they need to charge on the reusable plastic bags they offer, and said she was told by a state distributor that there may be a paper bag shortage around the state as retailers prepare for the new law. Imelda Figueora of Mil- ton-Freewater’s Super Mil- ton Market is a supporter of the ban and said they’ll be offering a 25-cent reusable plastic option and what she called a traditional Mexi- can bag that’s colorful and resembles a woven basket. “I’m excited for it because it will save us money,” she said. “I love the idea.” Canale noted she thinks they were already los- ing money off paper bags when people asked for their items to be double- or even triple-bagged, but said it’s hard to say how it may impact the store’s costs. “We’re not trying to make money off the bags,” Canale said. “But it’s kind of a guessing game. Only time and spreadsheets will tell.” Aside from how the ban may impact retailers and consumers is the poten- tial impact on the environ- ment that ultimately moti- vated its passage in Salem, which some detractors argue is nothing more than an act of virtue signaling. “It may make people feel better, it may make the people who passed it feel better,” Koo said. “But Oregon doesn’t have a plastic bag problem. It’s just signaling to the rest of the world that we think they should use less.” Mead highlighted that while the store will no lon- ger be offering free bags in the checkout aisle, custom- ers will still be able to find other plastic bags for sale around the store and plenty of other plastic products. Russell pointed out that the new alternative plastic bag options may contra- dict the purpose of the ban altogether. “The small ones are going to rot in a day and now these thicker ones are going to last forever,” she said. So if you’re still hop- ing to reduce your impact on the environment in 2020, you may need to find a different New Year’s resolution. “This will not have any effect on the environment at all,” Koo said.
