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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 14, 2020)
REGION Tuesday, January 14, 2020 Graffi ti posing problems for Pendleton parks and rec East Oregonian A3 BRIEFLY By ALEX CASTLE East Oregonian PENDLETON — Graf- fi ti tagged in the bathrooms of Pendleton’s parks and underneath the city’s bridges this winter is posing prob- lems for the parks and recre- ation department. Liam Hughes, the city’s parks and recreation director, said the city has been paint- ing over graffi ti in bathrooms at Grecian Heights and Com- munity Park in the recent weeks, along with spots along the Riverwalk and under the Bedford and 10th Street bridges. “I just wish this stuff didn’t happen,” he said. “But we’ve just got to do what we can to pick it up and keep our community clean.” From a law enforcement perspective, Pendleton Police Chief Stuart Roberts said he wouldn’t characterize the graffi ti as a problem. “I don’t mean to minimize it, but it’s more of an annoy- ance than anything,” Roberts said. Roberts said the major- ity of recent graffi ti is what he calls “straight mischief,” which is graffi ti containing images or words that serve “no purpose other than to be foul.” The other graffi ti, Rob- erts said, can be attributed to the same self-proclaimed Sureños gang who call them- selves The Cyclones. Accord- ing to Roberts, their graffi ti is usually blue and evokes symbolism with the Mexican Mafi a through the use of the number 13 and the letter M. The group responsible for the tagging is likely three or Contributed photo Staff photo by Ben Lonergan Graffi ti adorns a skate ramp at May Park in Pendleton Mon- day afternoon. The Pendleton Parks and Recreation depart- ment is working to paint over and clean up graffi ti through- out the city’s parks and open spaces. four teenagers who are either siblings or other relatives of older gang members, Rob- erts said, and police have had plenty or run-ins with them. “There’s not really a sig- nifi cant penalty,” Roberts said of those who are caught tagging. “It’s really unfor- tunate because they’re not going to change and the sys- tem isn’t going to change them but it costs a lot of money to clean up.” Usually the park’s bath- room walls only need to be painted every few years, Hughes said, but the amount of small graffi ti the city has been covering up or remov- ing means they need to be completely repainted sooner rather than later. While typically the city would just buy house paint to easily cover any tagging, the cold and wet conditions of the winter have forced the parks and rec department to just use spray cans or remov- ers. The result is a worse fi nish, Hughes said, which means some spots may need to be repainted again in the warmer months. Overall, Hughes said the cycle of covering the graffi ti is costly in labor and that the city just spent $500 on more paint last week. Pendleton has what Rob- erts called “an aggressive ordinance” to keep the city clean from graffi ti. Residents and businesses are required to have graffi ti covered within three days, but Rob- erts added there’s an abate- ment program to assist those either with the costs or labor that requires. Those who need to cover graffi ti are able to go to Sher- win-Williams or Zimmer- man True Value Hardware for free materials, and the city’s code enforcement offi - cer also works with local contractors and volunteer groups if someone is physi- cally unable to paint over the graffi ti. Family seeks donations for son of Walla Walla woman killed by car Accident occurred in M-F Sunday morning By EMILY THORNTON Walla Walla Union-Bulletin WALLA WALLA, Wash. — The family of a 20-year- old Walla Walla woman killed by a car while walk- ing early Sunday morning on Highway 11 in Milton-Free- water is seeking help with funeral expenses. Lincoln High School grad- uate Alicia Bernhardt was walking just before 3:30 a.m. near milepost 31 and First Avenue when she was hit by a car that fl ed the scene, according to Oregon State Police spokesman Tim Fox. Emergency crews responded, but Bernhardt died on the scene. It’s been diffi cult for her family, they told the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin. “I saw her when she was born,” Jeremy Aust, Bern- hardt’s uncle, said. “She was such a sweet child. ... It’s diffi cult to express every- thing about who she was as a person.” But Aust gave some details about her. “She had a knack for knowing what you needed at the time (without asking),” he said. Bernhardt also had a sense of humor. “I call her a female Mr. Bean,” Aust said. “She was so extremely goofy. And she loved people. She made some really strong bonds.” Two of those bonds were close friends of hers, he said, who died when she was a teenager. “It really was diffi cult for her,” he said, adding she had expressed wanting to be buried next to one of them if anything happened to her. And, her wishes will Bernhardt be met, he said. Aust said he was unsure about the events leading up to Bernhardt’s death, as he wasn’t there, but was told she left a party for some reason and was on her way to her son’s babysitter’s home when she was killed. “She was just trying to get to her son,” he said. “It’s more complicated than just a young, dumb, drunk girl walking in the road. ... She was just a good kid. She wouldn’t have done that under normal cir- cumstances. ... I think it was a horrible accident.” He added her son was being cared for by his father. An Alicia Bernhardt Memorial Fund has been set up for her 3-year-old son through the Herring Grose- close Funeral Home, 315 W. Alder St. People may either donate in person or via mail, a funeral home spokeswoman said. Her funeral will be at noon on Monday at the Blue Mountain Memorial Gar- dens, 300 S.E. Myra Road, College Place, Washington. A celebration of life will fol- low in the gardens’ hospital- ity room. Aust set up an online dona- tion site to help cover the cost of her funeral. He said any extra money would establish a trust fund for her 3-year-old son. All the money would be “given directly to Bernhardt’s mother, Angie Wagner,” who was arranging the funeral, according to the site. th Happy 9 Birthday , Brody! We hope it's bright like you, fun like you, & downright awesome like you! You are always in our thoughts! Love, Grandpa & Grandma Powell Bernhardt was remem- bered there. “Simple words cannot describe what she meant to everyone who loved her ... She grew from a loving daughter, and sister, into a young mother. She had (her son) at a young age, but that did not stop her from doing everything in her power to care for him. She worked at Applebee’s in Walla Walla to help support her young family. “Alicia loved to make peo- ple laugh. She was funny, goofy to be exact. Alicia was also compassionate. She was very attuned to the emotional state of other people. Her bonds with her friends was so strong, a part of her never recovered when she lost her friend Athena, in a tragic car accident in 2014.” Police were still searching for the suspect car, “follow- ing up on tips,” Fox told the Union-Bulletin. The vehicle likely was a 2002-03 blue Honda Accord heading north, Fox wrote. It should have damage to its passenger-side front corner and be missing the passen- ger-side mirror. Those with informa- tion on the suspect car can call the OSP at 800-442- 2068 and refer to Senior Trooper Dan Chichester, case #SP-20004675. 1/13-1/14 Cineplex Show Times $5 Classic Movie Showing Wednesday @ 12p Citizen Kane 1917 (R) 4:10p 6:50p 9:30p Like a Boss (R) 4:50p 7:00p 9:10p Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (PG13) 3:20p* 6:00p 6:30p 9:40p Jumanji: The Next Level (PG13) 4:20p 7:10p 9:50p Uncut Gems (R) 3:10p* 9:00p * Matinee Pricing wildhorseresort.com • 541-966-1850 Pendleton, OR I-84 - Exit 216 A Hermiston man died in a single-vehicle crash on Highway 207 in Morrow County on Fri- day night. Hermiston man killed in fatal crash on Highway 207 MORROW COUNTY — A Hermis- ton man died in a single-vehicle crash on Highway 207 in Morrow County Friday night, according to a press release from Oregon State Police. Philip Sharkey, 56, was traveling north on Highway 207 in a Freightliner truck pulling a loaded trailer when it struck the guardrail, traveled off the road and down an embankment near milepost 19B. Oregon State Police confi rmed Monday morning that Sharkey likely wasn’t wear- ing his seat belt at the time of the crash. Police and emergency personnel responded at approximately 6:24 p.m. but Sharkey sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. Fox wrote in an email that he’s unsure what company Sharkey was driving for but that his truck was carrying mint. The only damage on the highway was sustained to the guardrail, though it’s unknown to what extent, according to Fox. State police were assisted by Board- man Fire, Echo Fire, Umatilla County Fire District No. 1, Morrow County Sher- iff’s Offi ce and the Oregon Department of Transportation. Armed, masked man robs Milton-Freewater store MILTON-FREEWATER — An armed, masked man reportedly stole money early Monday from Sam’s Corner Market on Broadway Avenue. The man, who entered the store at around 3:55 a.m., allegedly demanded money from the cash registers, and the one on-duty employee complied, accord- ing to Milton-Freewater Police Chief Doug Boedigheimer. “The suspect left the business on foot, taking a substantial amount of money with him,” Boedigheimer stated in an email. Evidence was collected, and the inves- tigation is underway, he wrote. No one else was in the store at 107 E. Broadway Ave. No other information was provided from authorities. Woman safe after getting stuck in snow near Heppner HEPPNER — The Morrow County Sheriff’s Offi ce is warning people to use caution this winter, following the over- night rescue of a Bend woman whose vehicle became stuck in the snow of the Blue Mountains near Heppner. According to a release from the sher- iff’s offi ce, shortly after 8:30 p.m. Friday the sheriff’s offi ce received a report of a woman who was driving a Jeep Cherokee along Willow Creek Road near Cutsforth Park three hours earlier when her vehicle got stuck in the snow. She was reportedly uninjured, and decided to stay in the vehicle until law enforcement could locate her. Deputies from the Morrow County Sheriff’s Offi ce teamed up with A1 Tow- ing to locate the woman. After midnight, Undersheriff John Bowles and Lt. Terry Harper located Leana Hass, of Bend, using a tracked all-terrain vehicle. By 1:30 a.m. on Saturday morning, Hass and law enforcement made it to a staging area in Cutsforth Park. Hass, uninjured, was escorted to a motel in Hep- pner for the remainder of the night. — EO Media Group “It’s not what we do, it’s who we choose to be.” Read About How We are Working Together to be a Healthier Community Today and HealthyMC.org Maximize the value of our relationships with community and regional partners through initiatives that promote health and bring valuable health services to Morrow County residents. Advance the quality of care provided in each patient care area while enhancing your patient and customer service experience. Ensure that our facilities, technol- ogy and infrastructure, as well as our workforce of employees and volunteers will continue to meet the needs of our communities to- day, and for generations to come. Strive to be your First Choice for quality, compassionate, local care and lead the way in promoting wellness and improving health in Morrow County. Where healthier is happening... Boardman | Heppner | Ione | Irrigon | Lexington 541-676-9133
