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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 28, 2019)
EAST OREGONIAN PHOTOGRAPHERS PICK THEIR FAVORITE PHOTOS OF 2019, AND THE DECADE LIFESTYLES, C1, C4 AND C5 WEEKEND EDITION DECEMBER 28-29, 2019 144th Year, No. 52 $1.50 WINNER OF THE 2019 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD 2019 in REVIEW TOP 10 STORIES OF THE YEAR IN UMATILLA, MORROW COUNTIES East Oregonian MATILLA COUNTY — When we set out to try to look back on the year that was in East- ern Oregon, we started with a list that grew ... and grew ... and grew. After a couple of days, the list featured more than 50 news events. That’s one notable story every week. To start, each reporter sub- mitted the most important stories from his or her beat for consid- eration; then the editorial staff of writers, editors and photographers ranked the Top 10, with an eye toward news that has most shaped Umatilla and Morrow counties in 2019. Yes, it’s been that kind of year. From raging fl oodwaters in the spring, to the closing of the Hin- kle Rail Yard, the list feature a wide-variety of stories that the East Oregonian newsroom cov- ered in 2019. Here are the top 10 stories of the year, as voted on by the East Oregonian newsroom: U EO fi le photo Flood waters from McKay Creek surround a tractor and inundate a fi eld of lavender at the Lavender Road Botanicals farm off of South- west 44th Street on April 17, 2019, in Pendleton. EO fi le photo The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation are the new owners of Hamley’s. Photo contributed by James Thomas The Amazon data center in Umatilla is one of four sites in Umatilla and Morrow counties that have been completed since 2010, with at least two more on the way. 1. Union Pacific lays off most of its Hermiston employees The railroad played a central role in Hermiston’s origin story and was a reliable source of fam- ily-wage jobs for decades, but that chapter came to a close in 2019. In March, employees told the East Oregonian that Union Pacifi c had laid off at least 80 employees at the Hinkle Rail Yard over the past few months and closed the yard’s hump. In May, the company announced it was laying off an additional 195 employees, leaving only a skeleton crew at the yard and closing the supply warehouse and mechanical shop. Oregon’s senators called for answers from Union Pacifi c in a letter stating it would “devastate this rural community by ham- stringing the economic opportu- nities and stability of the entire region.” They wrote that grow- ers and other shippers in the area had already been complaining of major issues with Union Pacifi c after their fi rst round of layoffs, and cited safety concerns that ex-employees had expressed to the East Oregonian in March. The community responded by offering up services for families that had lost their income and put- ting together an emergency job fair to encourage people to stay in the area. 2. Heavy flooding puts communities underwater Spring fl ooding fi lled base- ments and city streets with muddy water, collapsed a pedestrian bridge and left tons of displaced trees, river rock and other detritus. During the second week in April, water poured from the McKay Reservoir into McKay Creek topping 2,800 cubic feet per second at its peak. Fast-rising water fl ooded Com- munity Park, seeped into Pendle- ton homes and led to the evacuation of 35 residents from Willowbrook Terrace to sister assisted living facility Elizabethan Manor. A cadre of community volunteers gathered to shovel city gravel into sandbags and help transport them to endangered homes. Flooding was widespread. Heavy rains also led to the Umatilla River running high and fast, partially collapsing a pedes- trian bridge connecting Umatilla’s South Hill to downtown. Much of the area along the river between Echo and Pendleton resembled a lake. Water covered Noble Road near Hermiston. Floodwaters also jumped the banks of Mill Creek, Iskuulpa Creek and West Birch Creek. 3. CTUIR buys two Pendleton businesses, begins expansion at resort and casino 2019 was the year the Con- federated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation expanded its enterprises beyond the boundaries of the reservation. Following a bitter, years-long legal battle between the former owners, the CTUIR bought the historic Hamley’s property in a July auction for $3.6 million. The tribes put Wildhorse in charge of managing the opera- tion, and the resort and casino has mostly kept the complex’s oper- ations the same, although it does have plans to improve the western store. Just two months earlier, the CTUIR bought another legacy Pendleton business: the Pendleton Country Club. While the tribes’ main interest in the property is to preserve the creek that runs through the prop- erty, Wildhorse has also commit- ted to continue running the golf course. Wildhorse plans to make improvements to the clubhouse as it transitions the property from a private country club to a public golf course. The CTUIR’s enterprise expan- sion hasn’t come at the expense of the resort and casino. The Wildhorse started con- struction on its new bowling alley and family center with expecta- tions that it will open by Septem- ber. More expansion — a second See 2019, Page A11 Union Pacifi c Railroad announced it would be laying off 500 additional employees for the Hinkle Rail Yard on May 21, 2019, outside of Hermiston. EO fi le photo DECADE in REVIEW Decade features eclectic headlines in Umatilla, Morrow counties East Oregonian MATILLA COUNTY — Every decade brings change, and the past 10 years are no exception for Umatilla and Morrow counties. Hinkle Rail Yard is a shell of its former self, the Umatilla Army Ordinance Depot ends its nearly 72 years of service and Hermiston overtakes Pendleton for the pop- ulation lead in the county. Here are the East Oregonian’s top local stories for the 2010s: U 1. Standoff at the wildlife refuge EO fi le photo Members of the public gather at a meeting at the se- nior center in John Day on Jan. 26, 2016, the same day that the event’s would-be guest speakers, Ammon and Ryan Bundy, were arrested by state and federal law en- forcement. The Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Harney County is more than 200 miles away from Pendleton, about the same distance away as Portland is. So when a group of armed activists took over the bird sanctuary in early 2016 to pro- test the imprisonment of two Harney County ranchers, the connections to Umatilla and Morrow counties were minor. But for 41 days, the eyes of Oregon, and sometimes the nation, were on rural Eastern Oregon. The standoff was led by Ammon and Ryan Bundy, two men who had already had a standoff with the federal government over grazing rights at their family ranch in Nevada. By the end of the occupation, the FBI had seized back the refuge and an occupation spokesman was killed by police, but there were long-term victories for the occupiers. The Bundy brothers were eventually acquitted by a federal jury while Dwight and Steven Hammond, the ranchers who inspired the occupation, were given a full pardon by President Donald Trump in 2018. 2. Weapons depot declares mission complete The Umatilla Chemical Depot ended its run in 2012, but the long-term future of the land remains up in the air. See Decade, Page A10
