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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 3, 2020)
WEEKEND EDITION THE WEEK IN PHOTOS SURPRISING COHO RUN HERMISTON SHOOTING RESULTS IN FIRST CHANCE VICTIM HOSPITALIZED FOR ANGLERS SINCE 1980 SINCE AUGUST NORTHWEST, A2 THE BACK PAGE, A10 REGION, A3 E O AST 144th Year, No. 205 REGONIAN OCTOBER 3-4, 2020 $1.50 WINNER OF THE 2020 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD County commissioner candidate arrested for DUII Dan Dorran’s Sept. 26 arrest came following two-vehicle crash BY ALEX CASTLE East Oregonian UMATILLA — Dan Dor- ran said Friday, Oct. 2, that he is staying in the race for Umatilla County commissioner after he was arrested for driving under the infl uence of intoxicants in Uma- tilla on Saturday, Sept. 26. GREAT AMERICAN OUTDOORS ACT Umatilla National Forest vies for funding Burnt Cabin Creek Trail Bridge eyed for replacement By KATY NESBITT For the East Oregonian WALLA WALLA, Wash. — Three years after it was con- demned, the Burnt Cabin Creek Trail Bridge on the popular South Fork Walla Walla trail system is on a priority list to be replaced with funding through the Great American Outdoors Act. Darcy Weseman, public affairs offi cer for the Umatilla National Forest, said U.S. For- est Service staff discovered the bridge was deteriorating in 2013. Following that discovery, it was periodically inspected by engineers to determine whether it was safe for public use until its permanent closure. “In 2017, forest trail crews discovered that some of the structural supports had col- lapsed and other beams were severely rotted out,” she said. “This prompted the forest to implement the initial closure for public safety.” The 120-foot-long bridge’s structural supports are severely rotted and could fail at any time, See Funding, Page A7 Dorran, 65, gave a statement to the East Ore- gonian about the arrest on Oct. 2 but declined to answer further Dorran questions. “I’m defi nitely in the race,” he said. “The amount of support has been incredible.” Dorran said his actions follow- ing a golf outing were “foolish.” “I take full responsibility for my decision to get behind the wheel of a vehicle after consum- ing alcohol,” he said. “It’s been a hard awakening for me and it’s something I’m addressing with my family.” According to the Facebook page of Big River Golf Course in Umatilla, Dorran was a par- ticipant in the Sherrell Chevrolet Farm City Open held at the course on Sept. 26. “I can express nothing but remorse and the promise that I’ll work hard to make amends and rebuild trust. I also deeply regret the potential distraction this may cause from the important issues confronting our community.” Local law enforcement is being tight-lipped about the details sur- rounding Dorran’s arrest. The Walla Walla Union-Bul- letin fi rst reported the arrest on Oct. 1. According to the report, Dorran was involved in a two-ve- hicle collision near the intersec- tion of Highway 730 and 395, or “Buck’s Corner,” in Umatilla at 4:57 p.m. on Sept. 26. No injuries were reported. The report quoted Sgt. Bill Wright with Umatilla police, who said Dorran was cited and released after offi cers determined during their investigation that he was driving while impaired. When Umatilla Police Chief Darla Huxel was contacted by phone, she said she wasn’t responding to inquiries because she wasn’t working Oct. 2 and referred requests for informa- tion to an on-duty Umatilla See Arrest, Page A7 Diff icult conditions Farmworkers around Oregon report struggles avoiding COVID-19 exposure By JADE MCDOWELL East Oregonian MATILLA COUNTY — A survey of Oregon farm- workers indicates a major- ity of farms are taking precautions for COVID- 19, but conditions in the fi elds and at home can make it diffi cult for workers to avoid exposure to the virus. The Oregon Farmworker COVID-19 Study team, a partner- ship of researchers at Oregon uni- versities and organizations that serve farmworkers, released pre- liminary fi ndings after conduct- ing 214 in-depth interviews of Ore- gon farmworkers, including some in Umatilla and Morrow counties. They plan to interview 300 in total before releasing the fi nal report. “When PPE and masks are available, farmworkers take neces- sary precautions and safety proce- dures at home and in the workplace to minimize exposure to COVID- 19,” survey organizer Jennifer Martinez said during a news con- U Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian Workers process potatoes as they are loaded into a storage facility at Threemile Canyon Farms near Boardman on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020. ference last month. “These are all what farmworkers told us, that they were changing their practices. But still, 39% of farmworkers reported moments during the day where they could not maintain 6 feet of distance in the workplace.” Of the 214 workers surveyed so far, 77% reported that their co-workers wear masks at all times on the job, 57% reported wash- ing their hands at least fi ve times during the work day and 68% See Farmworkers, Page A7 Emotions high at vigil for teens hurt in car crash Five Stanfi eld teenagers involved in single vehicle rollover on Sept. 29 By JADE MCDOWELL East Oregonian STANFIELD — It wasn’t the reunion that Stanfi eld Second- ary School Principal Steve Sheller hoped to have with his students. As he looked out on many of them for the fi rst time since March, he was there not to wel- come them back to school but to offer words of comfort as they worried for classmates in the hos- pital after a crash. “Whatever you’re feeling now — whatever it is — it’s OK,” he said during a candlelight vigil at Bard Park on Thursday, Oct. 1. “If you feel sad, that’s OK. If you feel fearful, that’s OK. If you don’t know what to feel, that’s OK. ... What’s not OK is to do it alone.” Five teenage boys — three Stanfi eld Secondary students and two recent graduates — were involved in a single vehicle roll- over on Tuesday, Sept. 29. According to Umatilla County Sheriff Terry Rowan, deputies were dispatched for the report of a crash on North Loop Road to the east of Hermiston at about 10:15 p.m. The Oregon State Police and its crash reconstruction unit is assisting the sheriff’s offi ce in the investigation, but statements at the scene indicated a 2012 Toy- ota Camry lost control and left the See Vigil, Page A7 Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian Pastor John Hurty leads a candlelight prayer vigil with members of the Stanfi eld community at Bard Park on Thursday, Oct. 2, 2020. The prayer vigil paid tribute to fi ve past and present Stanfi eld students who suff ered varying levels of injuries as the result of a car crash on Sept. 29, 2020. COVID-19 NUMBERS WEEK ENDING TOTALS FOR 10/3/20 IN UMATILLA COUNTY RISK LEVEL TOTAL HIGH CASE COUNT 108 TOTAL CASE GOAL 8 OR POSITIVE LESS TEST RATE % 14.3 POSITIVE 1.2 TEST GOAL % % 5
