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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 31, 2020)
REGION Friday, January 31, 2020 Whisky Fest adds additional performers to the 2020 lineup Randy Houser, Brett Kissel and DJ Sovern-T to perform By BEN LONERGAN East Oregonian PENDLETON — The music lineup for the fifth annual Pendleton Whisky Music Fest is coming together. Randy Houser, Brett Kis- sel and Pendleton Music Fest regular DJ Sovern-T have been added to this year’s list of performers, event organiz- ers announced. “We’re excited to put on the best party in Pendleton for our fifth year with this popu- lar, multi-genre lineup,” said Pendleton Whisky Fest co-or- ganizer Andy McAnally. The announcement comes just over a week before tickets go on sale Feb. 7. The trio of artists will join headliners Eric Church and Macklemore, who were announced in late Novem- ber, to round out the list of performers for this year’s concert. While this will be Houser and Kissel’s first Whisky Fest, DJ Sovern-T has served as the event’s disc jockey since its inaugural year in 2016. In addition to entertain- ing crowds between sets, DJ Sovern-T will perform at the annual Main Street kick-off party on July 10. Although they will be new to Pendleton, Houser and Kissel are familiar with the Staff photo by Kathy Aney, File The Whisky Fest crowd listens to 50 Cent on July 13, 2019, at the Pendleton Round-Up Arena. big stage, having both per- formed throughout North America. Houser, who burst onto the country music scene with his top-20 song “Any- thing Goes” after an appear- ance on the “Late Show with David Letterman” in 2008, has continued to grow with chart-topping hits, such as “How Country Feels,” “Run- nin’ out of Moonlight” and “Goodnight Kiss.” Houser’s fifth, and most recent, album, “Magnolia,” was released in early 2019 and featured songs, such as “What Whiskey Does.” Kissel, a Canadian coun- try singer-songwriter, is known for his songs “Drink About Me,” “Started with a Song,” and “Airwaves.” He is described in his biography as “the only Canadian to ever tour with Garth Brooks.” The country singer released his most recent album, “Now or Never,” on Jan. 1. Over the past five years, the event has featured sev- eral of the biggest names in the industry, including Zac Brown Band, Blake Shelton, Maroon 5 and Post Malone. Last year’s concert, fea- turing Post Malone and 50 Cent, drew roughly 17,000 concertgoers, a close second to the record year for the con- cert in 2018. The 2018 com- bination of Blake Shelton and Pitbull holds the record as the most attended year of the event, drawing 18,700 people to the Round-Up Arena. Pendleton Whisky Music Fest co-organizer Doug Corey told the East Orego- nian in November that he is optimistic that this year’s combination of Church and Macklemore will rival the 2018 show in attendance. “It’s a unique event that brings some of the world’s top acts to a historical venue in the heart of Oregon.” he said. “With performances from Eric Church, Mackle- more and so many other great artists, this is a concert fans won’t want to miss.” Morrow County treasurer withdraws candidacy from upcoming election By JESSICA POLLARD East Oregonian HEPPNER — In the aftermath of a contentious budget meeting Wednesday, Morrow County Treasurer Gayle Gutierrez withdrew her candidacy for the upcom- ing election. The budget committee convened to discuss reduc- ing the treasurer position’s compensation by up to 75% for the upcoming financial year following elections. But Commissioner Jim Doherty successfully motioned to make no changes at the meet- ing. Gutierrez announced her intention to withdraw shortly after. “I assumed they would make a decision,” Gutierrez said. “My relationship with the board of commissioners hasn’t been a good relation- ship. It’s not worth my men- tal and physical health.” Last month, the bud- get committee convened to adjust compensation for the justice of the peace position following Ann Spicer’s retirement. Doherty expressed fear that the move set an unorthodox precedent for deciding on county-elect salaries. “I understand the emo- tions of the moment,” Doherty said. “I hope (Guti- errez) reconsiders.” Now, the compensation committee will convene next month to review salaries of all elected county officials, per Oregon law. They will make a recommendation to the board of commission- ers and the fate of the trea- surer’s compensation will be approved in April, with the rest of the budget by the bud- get committee. “We put faith back in the compensation committee,” Doherty Lindsay Doherty said. “Ultimately, we got back on the track peo- ple are comfortable with.” But confusion over the roles of the compensation and budget committees dom- inated a portion of Wednes- day’s meeting. “If I was sitting in that chair, I’d have no reason to dive into that deep of a deci- sion,” Commissioner Melissa Lindsay said. Lindsay, who voted “nay” on tabling the decision, added that examining how the duties of treasurer align with the current salary, and how that salary compares to that of similar counties, was a duty better fit for the budget committee. Per statute, she said, adjusting compensation directly through the budget committee — which con- sists of the commissioners and three community mem- bers — was an appropriate avenue. Linda LaRue, a mem- ber of the budget committee, pressed the commissioners to explain why compensation for the treasurer’s position was being discussed outside of the usual timeline, and why the discussion was being rushed during a single meet- ing before the filing deadline. “There’s never a good time,” she said. “But this came blindsided, and I want to do the right thing for our county.” The commissioners said they believed Gutierrez was planning to retire, and they PACIFIC NORTHWEST ALASKA, WASHINGTON, OREGON, IDAHO, MONTANA REACH 3 million Pacific Northwesterners with just One Call! n PNDC CLASSIFIED - Daily Newspapers 29 newspapers - 1,187,980 circulation Number of words: 25 l Extra word cost: $10 Cost: $540 (Runs 3 consecutive days including wkds.) n PNDN 2x2 DISPLAY - Daily Newspapers 27 newspapers - 1,016,864 circulation Size: 2x2 (3.25”x2”) Cost: 1x 2x2: $1,050 planned to reevaluate com- pensation for the position before the next election. “If you run, you should know what you’re running for,” Lindsay said. Gutierrez admitted she did consider retiring from the position early last year, but never expressed that to the commissioners. She later requested retire- ment information from the finance office, but ultimately chose to file for election in September. It wasn’t until a few months later she saw the position’s compensation on the committee’s itinerary. She then asked the com- missioners to make a deci- sion on compensation before the filing deadline for candidates. There are currently no candidates filed for the trea- surer position. If no one files by the March deadline, the treasurer will be elected by write-in votes. Gutierrez and Mor- row County Clerk Bobbi Childers, who spoke at the meeting Wednesday, seem to believe the compensation conversation raises greater questions for the county commissioners. “You need to step back and take a look at what you’re doing,” Childers told the commissioners Wednes- day. “Are you policymakers or administrators?” 1/31-2/2 Cineplex Show Times $5 Classic Movie A3 BRIEFLY Pendleton teen charged with raping fellow camper DAYTON — A 15-year-old Pendleton boy has been accused of raping another boy in 2019 at Camp Touchet in Columbia County. The boy was charged with second-de- gree rape and attempted second-degree rape after a Columbia County Sheriff’s Office deputy responded July 18 to the Columbia Basin Baptist Association campground for a sex crime report, records stated. The deputy contacted the camp director and a staff member who reported a 13-year- old told them two campers “were possibly doing inappropriate stuff,” records stated. The 15-year-old was taken to the Walla Walla Juvenile Justice Center, but was released to his parents on July 19. He pleaded not guilty on Oct. 30 after a competency evaluation, according to Columbia County Prosecuting Attorney Dale Slack. A pretrial management hearing is scheduled for Wednesday. Repairing cackling goose a first for wildlife center PENDLETON — Blue Mountain Wild- life in Pendleton is helping a cackling goose to recover after a serious collision with a fence. Blue Mountain Wildlife is the premier wildlife rehabilitation facility in Eastern Oregon, serving an area the size of New York state. The center cares for hundreds of ailing birds a year, primarily raptors. But the center reported aiding a cackling goose is a first. Employees at the Amazon Data Cen- ter near Boardman found the injured goose inside the facility’s perimeter fence and named it Gizmo, according to the center’s weekly update. The data center is on the flight path between the Columbia River and a field where geese feed during the day. Gizmo, however, did not quite clear the fence on the way back to the river. The col- lision fractured the metacarpals in the left wing and the tibiotarsus in its left leg. Cen- ter staff worked to repair the injuries, even giving Gizmo a leg cast. “Gizmo is eating,” according to the report, “and will hopefully be recovered in time for spring migration.” Man arrested in Heppner for assaults at residential treatment facility HEPPNER — The Morrow County Sheriff’s Office arrested a resident at Lakev- iew Heights, an assisted living facility in Heppner, on Tuesday for assaulting multiple staff members and other residents. Justin Blake Venema, 30, is charged with seven counts of aggravated assault and seven counts of harassment, along with one count each of strangulation, attempted strangulation and second-degree disorderly conduct. According to the agen- Venema cy’s media bulletin, the sheriff’s office responded to a report of a man assaulting staff and throwing things at the facility on Willow Creek Road in Hep- pner shortly after 9 a.m. Morrow County Sheriff Ken Matlack said it’s unknown what prompted the attack but that Venema became angry, and then violent with staff and other residents. Staff and other residents of the facil- ity intervened during the assaults, Matlack said, and were able to assist his deputies in preventing additional assaults. According to Matlack, Venema was taken into cus- tody without further incident when police arrived. Venema is currently lodged at the Uma- tilla County Jail with his bail set at $77,500. Morrow County man facing 19 charges of sexually assaulting a minor HEPPNER — A man accused of sexually assaulting a minor in Mor- row County in 2011 is now lodged in Umatilla County Jail and was arraigned via video conference in Hep- pner on Thursday. Lucatero Daniel Lucatero, 27, is facing 19 felony charges, including four counts of first-degree rape, five counts of first-degree unlawful sexual penetration, and 10 counts of first-degree sexual abuse. Court documents show a Morrow County grand jury secretly indicted Lucatero and the district attorney’s office issued an arrest warrant on Jan. 22, 2019. Police in Bakersfield, California, arrested Lucatero on March 13, 2019. He was held at the Kern County Jail until being trans- ported to the Stanislaus County Jail in Cali- fornia after the new year. The Morrow County District Attorney’s Office extradited Lucatero this week and he was transported to the Umatilla County Jail on Wednesday, where he is now lodged on $500,000 bail. According to the previously sealed indictment of Lucatero, he is accused of committing all 19 felonies in 2011 between May 1 and July 1 against one female victim who was under the age of 14 at the time. Judge Eva Temple is presiding over the case. Lucatero’s next court date will be Feb. 13 for a pretrial hearing. — EO Media Group and wire services WHAT’S NEW ON YOUR SCREEN? Find out with our SCREENtime Entertainment Guide! PLUS+ Showing Wednesday @ 12p Christmas in Connecticut Gretel & Hansel (PG13) 12:10p* 2:30p* 4:50p 7:20p 9:40p The Rhythm Section (R) 1:20p* 4:00p 6:40p 9:10p Bad Boys for Life (R) 1:10p* 4:20p 7:10p 9:50p 1917 (R) 1:30p* 4:10p 6:50p 9:30p :KDW·V1HZLQ6WUHDPLQJ 6SRUWV=RQH <RXU&DEOH/LQH8S 0LQG%HQGLQJ3X]]OHV %HVW%HWV &HOHEULW\3URÀOHV 6WRULHV SCREEN time Dolittle (PG) 12:00p* 2:20p* 4:40p 7:00p 9:20p * Matinee Pricing More info: Cecelia@cnpa.com or call (916) 288-6011 East Oregonian wildhorseresort.com • 541-966-1850 Pendleton, OR I-84 - Exit 216 Inserted into East Oregonian (daily) and Hermiston Herald (Wednesdays weekly) contact circulation@eomediagroup.com or call us today! 800-781-3214
