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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 2020)
REGION Thursday, October 1, 2020 East Oregonian A3 Umatilla Electric Cooperative goes independent By JADE MCDOWELL East Oregonian HERMISTON — After 45 years with PNGC Power, Umatilla Electric Cooperative is striking out on its own for power purchases. UEC announced on Mon- day, Sept. 28, that it would be “amicably” parting ways with PNGC Power. The Hermis- ton-based cooperative was one of the founding members of the larger cooperative, then known as Pacifi c Northwest Generating Cooperative, in 1975. PNGC is made up of 15 — now 14 — utilities across seven states, allowing those utilities to use their com- bined clout to better bar- gain for wholesale power, equipment and new technol- ogy. UEC’s decision to leave means that it will be purchas- ing power directly from Bon- neville Power Administration and other sources rather than being part of a collective pur- chase through PNGC Power. Robert Echenrode, UEC general manager, said UEC’s rapid growth has made it by far the largest of the cooper- atives involved in PNGC, and has in some cases pushed it up into different regulatory cate- gories. That has complicated things for PNGC, and some- times meant that UEC is look- also looking at moving to more renewable energy on a quicker time frame than some other cooperatives, located in “SIZE ISN’T EVERYTHING, BUT OUR NEEDS WERE DIFFERENT THAN OTHER COOPERATIVES.” — Robert Echenrode, UEC general manager ing for different things than other cooperatives. “Size isn’t everything, but our needs were different than other cooperatives,” he said. Echenrode said UEC was states that didn’t necessarily have the same pressures to do so. Those factors over time caused UEC to begin discus- sions with PNGC about pos- sibly leaving when PNGC’s fi scal year ended at the end of September. Echenrode said the past 18 months have involved careful conversa- tions with the two organi- zations, along with Bonne- ville Power Administration and other potential suppli- ers, to make sure the move didn’t hurt PNGC or UEC customers. “We did not want to cause fi nancial hardship to the group or any members of the group,” he said. He said while UEC’s cus- tomers should notice any dif- ference after the change, on East Oregonian wins 2020 General Excellence Award By JADE MCDOWELL East Oregonian PENDLETON — The East Oregonian continued its dominant streak in the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Associ- ation’s annual Better Newspa- pers Contest by taking home the General Excellence award for another year. The EO has won the top prize for newspapers of its size in the statewide contest for nine out of the past 10 years. This year, the Daily Astorian, another EO Media Group paper, placed second and the Grants Pass Daily Courier placed third. The EO’s sister paper, the Hermiston Herald, also won General Excellence for its size category, as did the Wallowa County Chieftain, also owned by EO Media Group. Andrew Cutler, manag- ing editor of the East Orego- nian and publisher for several of EO Media Group’s newspa- pers, said having both the Her- ald and the EO win General Excellence in the same year is “quite an achievement.” “The newsrooms in Herm- iston and Pendleton — and the entire EO/HH staff — work tirelessly to bring Umatilla and Morrow counties accurate and timely information,” he said. “The Oregon Newspapers Publishers Association allows our reporters the opportunity to compete for the top awards in the state. They’ve done phe- nomenal work over the last 12 months. I couldn’t be more proud of our institution.” In addition to General Excellence, the East Orego- nian also won several indi- vidual awards in the contest, which covered the 2019 calen- dar year and saw 976 entries in 33 categories from 31 Oregon newspapers and was judged by a panel of editors and publish- ers from newspapers around the country. The paper won Best Spe- cial Section for its 2019 Pend- leton Round-Up magazine, titled “People of Round-Up.” East Oregonian page designer Andy Nicolais won fi rst place for Best Page One Design. The East Oregonian’s reporting on drugs in Umatilla County, including “Opioid Overload” by Jade McDow- ell and “BENT paid more than $27,000 to informant” by for- mer reporter Phil Wright won fi rst place for Best Enterprise Reporting. Reporter Antonio Sierra won fi rst place for Best Spot News Coverage for “Ris- ing Concerns” chronicling the events of the McKay Creek fl ooding in Pendleton in April 2019. The East Oregonian’s edi- torial page, led by Cutler, took home second place for Best Editorial Page. Staff photographer Ben Lonergan’s “Mud Wars” photo took second place for Best Feature photo and “Sum- mer Skatin” took third place in the category, while his “Out of the Chute” took second for Best Sports photo. Annie Fowler took home second for Best Sports Story for “Making memories: Fathers, sons and Heppner football.” McDowell took home second place for Best Government Coverage for “Coming under fi re” about Rep. Greg Smith’s perceived confl icts of interest with his private and public jobs, and “Closed for business” about the city of Lexington’s failure to adopt a budget before the close of the fi scal year. “Our company is honored to be recognized for the qual- ity of our newspapers by our peers in the newspaper indus- try,” owner Kathryn Brown said. “Our editors and report- ers work hard to shine a light on our communities and keep our readers well informed, and I’m grateful to work with such talented and dedicated journalists.” UEC’s end it will allow for more fl exibility and a more tailored strategy for purchas- ing power. Roger Gray, CEO of PNGC Power, said in a state- ment that all parties have been working for a smooth transition. “While it is always dis- appointing to lose a mem- ber, I think early termination is fair to all concerned,” he said. “PNGC has valued UEC as a member and they leave PNGC in good standing. I wish the UEC organization and team all the best in their new journey.” LOCAL BRIEFING Outbreak hits CTUIR Public Safety Department MISSION — A COVID- 19 outbreak among Con- federated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reserva- tion staff means the Tribes are getting some help from neighboring governments. In a press release, the CTUIR announced that fi ve staff members of the public safety department have tested positive for the virus. To make up for the staff shortage, the Tribes are activating mutual aid agreements with the Pend- leton Fire Department and East Umatilla Fire & Res- cue. The Bureau of Indian Affairs wildland fi refi ghters will not be affected. “We are taking every precaution to make sure the community is safe. Fire pro- tection will continue thanks to our partners. Contact tracing is nearly complete,” CTUIR Board of Trustees Chair Kat Brigham said in a statement. “This out- break shows how COVID can shutter critical pub- lic services. Fortunately, our Emergency Operating Plan (ensures) continuity of services.” The public safety depart- ment as well as the coro- navirus cases’ close con- tacts are being tested at the Yellowhawk Tribal Health Center. The CTUIR Public Safety Department oversees the Tribes’ police depart- ment, fi re department, pros- ecutor, emergency man- agement, family violence services and the offi ce of support enforcement. According to Yellow- hawk, the CTUIR has six active COVID-19 cases and 82 total cases with one death. — EO Media Group R a lit ememb tle s pace er to pl and ay it s wea afe w r yo ur m ith ask! 2020 WIN CASH & FREEPLAY! FRIDAYS AND SUNDAYS Every 30 minutes | 4–10pm | Win up to $ 1,000 1 entry for every 50 slot points. EXPLORER XLT SUNDAY OCTOBER 25 10pm AT FAMILY PACKAGE $ $ 45 MON–THU 55 FRI–SUN CASINO • HOTEL • GOLF • CINEPLEX • RV MUSEUM • DINING • TRAVEL PLAZA • FUNPLEX 800.654.9453 • PENDLETON, OR • I-84, EXIT 216 • wildhorseresort.com. 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