Court denies injunction in Hermiston property dispute | LOCAL, A6
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THURSDAY, MAY 21, 2020
2020 PRIMARY
ELECTION RESULTS
VOTER TURNOUT
as of 5 p.m. Wednesday
Statewide 46.03%
Umatilla County 36.65%
Morrow County 47.51%
Up to date election results are at
oregonvotes.gov
Dawn and Harley Jeff ers, left,
embrace as their family and
neighbors help sandbag their home
on Southwest Second Street in Pilot
Rock on Wednesday afternoon.
Staff photo by Ben Lonergan
144th Year, No. 148
WINNER OF THE 2019 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD
$1.50
Floodwaters invade Pilot Rock
Birch Creek overfl ows banks spilling
into rural Umatilla County community
By BEN LONERGAN
East Oregonian
PILOT ROCK — Dawn Jef-
fers noticed Wednesday that
Birch Creek was running a lit-
tle high. By 2 p.m., the water
had begun to enter the basement
of her Southwest Second Street
PENDLETON
home, and by 3 p.m., water was
covering Highway 395 through
Pilot Rock.
Jeffers, her husband, Harley,
their three children and many
neighbors quickly went to work
setting sandbags to try and keep
their basement dry, but the water
proved stronger. As the family
lamented the loss of their newly
decorated front yard and added a
few last sandbags to their base-
ment entrance, they set to work
evacuating their pets and essen-
tial items from their home.
“It came up really fast,” said
Jeffers. “I wasn’t expecting any-
thing like this. The community
has been amazing at helping each
other.”
Dozens of neighbors, vol-
unteers, city workers and fi rst
responders descended on Pilot
Rock and set to work fi lling and
placing sandbags, checking on
families living within the fl ooded
area and helping in any way they
could.
Sunny Bernabe, who lives
uphill from the fl ooded area,
came running to help fi ll sand-
bags, while Chris Bodewig
directed machinery and checked
See Floodwaters, Page A9
UMATILLA COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
Voters
welcome
new faces
to council
U.S. 2ND
CONGRESSIONAL
DISTRICT
Democrats (Top 3)
Alex Spenser 32.19%
Nick Heuertz 30.96%
Chris Vaughn 18.23%%
Republicans (Top 3)
Cliff Bentz 30.59%
Knute Buehler 22.4%
Jason Atkinson 19.67%%
SECRETARY OF STATE
Democrats
Mark Hass 35.96%
Shemia Fagan 35.55%
Jamie McLeod-Skinner 27.73%
Republicans
Kim Thatcher 85.33%
Dave Stauff er 13.69%
OREGON SENATE
DISTRICT 29
Republicans
Bill Hansell 91.95%
Garison Lee Alger 7.95%
OREGON HOUSE
DISTRICT 58
Democrats
Nolan Bylenga 53.13%
Barbara Wright 45.17%
UMATILLA COUNTY
BOARD OF
COMMISSIONERS
Position 3
Dan Dorran 37.83%
HollyJo Beers 27.15%
Patricia Maier 14.69%
Jonathan Lopez 11.19%
Mark Gomolski 8.79%
PENDLETON CITY
COUNCIL
Pendleton voters
reject tax measures
during election
Ward 2
Sally Brandsen 57.71%
Melissa Shumake 41.53%
Ward 3
By ANTONIO SIERRA
East Oregonian
Dale Primmer 68.57%
Larry Anderson 30.83%
PENDLETON
—
Voters
elected a couple new faces to Pend-
leton area government Tuesday,
and then promptly rejected its asks
for more funding.
Public relations
specialist
Sally
Brandsen became
one of those new
faces after she won
her election for the
open Ward 2 seat
Brandsen
over Walla Walla,
Wa s h i n g t o n ,
land use planner
Melissa Shumake.
Both campaigns
were quietly run
by necessity due
to the COVID-
19 pandemic, but
Shumake
Brandsen said she
thought her pos-
itive campaign resonated with
See Pendleton, Page A9
Staff photo by Ben Lonergan
MEASURE 30-137
Ballots await sorting at the Umatilla County Elections offi ce ahead of the ballot deadline on Tuesday night.
City of Pendleton Gas Tax
Yes 35.42% No 64.58%
On to November
Pendleton School District
Yes 47.61% No 52.39%
Dorran, Beers emerge from primary for Umatilla
County commissioner, will face off in general election
Echo RFPD
Yes 60.53% No 39.47%
By ALEX CASTLE
East Oregonian
U
MATILLA COUNTY
— Dan Dorran of
Hermiston and Hol-
lyJo Beers of Mil-
ton-Freewater emerged from a
crowded fi eld Tuesday night to
advance to the November gen-
eral election in the 2020 race for
Umatilla County commissioner.
Dorran fi nished fi rst in the
Beers
Dorran
primary with 34% of the vote
and 5,482 total votes received,
while Beers came in second with
24% of the vote and 3,935 total
votes received.
The two bested a trio of can-
didates from Hermiston to
advance, with Pat Maier collect-
ing 13% of the vote for third,
Jonathan Lopez receiving 10%
for fourth, and Mark Gomolski
fi nishing fi fth with 8%.
“We’re really happy and hum-
bled with how things went,” Dor-
ran said of his campaign, noting
See November, Page A9
Bentz wins GOP primary for Congress
By GARY A. WARNER
For the Oregon Capital Bureau
SALEM — Former Sen. Cliff
Bentz of Ontario won the Repub-
lican nomination for the 2nd Con-
gressional District in Oregon on
Tuesday.
Former Rep. Knute Buehler
of Bend called Bentz just before
9:30 p.m. to concede the race. For-
mer Sen. Jason Atkinson of Cen-
tral Point was running third. Jimmy
Crumpacker, a recent transplant to
Deschutes County
who spent over
$600,000
and
was endorsed by
anti-abortion and
gun rights groups
was
running
Bentz
fourth. None of the
other seven candi-
dates on the Republican ballot had
more than 10% of the vote.
Alex Spenser of Klamath Falls
and Nick Heuertz of Central Point
were ahead in the fi eld of fi ve Dem-
ocrats vying for the seat.
Bentz thanked the voters of the
district, who he said looked past
the large amounts of advertising by
Buehler and Crumpacker to give
MEASURE 30-140
MEASURE 30-141
Milton-Freewater
Public Transportation
Yes 64.98% No 35.02%
MEASURE 30-142
East Umatilla Fire & Rescue District
Yes 71.70% No 28.3%
MEASURE 30-143
East Umatilla Fire & Rescue District
Yes 75.58% No 24.42%
MORROW COUNTY
BOARD OF
COMMISSIONERS
2ND CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT
Former state senator
holds of challenge
from Knute Buehler
MEASURE 30-138
him the win. “I think people in this
congressional district are smart and
they study the candidates before
they vote,” Bentz said. “Jimmy is a
nice guy, but he doesn’t really live in
the district. He’s a Portland guy with
a ski cabin in Bend. Good on him
for trying, but he has to know the
district before running for Congress.
“Knute ran as a moderate two
years ago when he was running
for governor, then tried to run as a
conservative for Congress. People
remember. Knute is a good physi-
cian, but politically, he just doesn’t
fi t this district.”
The race drew 11 Republi-
See Bentz, Page A9
Position 1
Jim Doherty 41.56%
Joel Peterson 38.25%
Joseph Armato 10.26%
Michael Sweek 9.65%
JUSTICE COURT
Judge
Glen Diehl 42.2%
Theresa Crawford 39.68%
Kelly Doherty 17.84%
Treasurer
Sabrina Bailey Cave 30.55%
Jaylene Papineau 24.21%
Erik Patton 23.65%
Cody High 20.85%
MEASURE 25-81
Boardman water and
wastewater bond
Yes 63.08% No 36.92%