hermiston Farm Fair goes virtual during pandemic | REGION, A3
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145th year, No. 3
REGONIAN
Thursday, OcTOber 22, 2020
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WINNER OF THE 2020 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD
PENDLETON POLICE
stepping
into some
big shoes
chuck byram
prepares for new
role as Pendleton
chief of police
By ALEX CASTLE
East Oregonian
PENDLETON — The first day
of chuck byram’s career with the
Pendleton Police department was
spent in a patrol car alongside Pend-
leton Police chief stuart roberts.
roberts, just a corporal at that
time in 2000, would show byram
the ropes as his field training offi-
cer for the next month. byram is
now one of the few with Pendle-
ton police who ever knew roberts
before he became “chief roberts,”
a title he’s held for the last 18 years
since being appointed to the posi-
tion in 2003.
since his promotion to lieu-
tenant back in 2016, byram has
been learning a new set of ropes as
the No. 2 to roberts. In september,
roberts announced his retirement
from the agency effective dec.
1. Two weeks later, byram was
named his successor.
after learning all that he could
in that time, byram is now prepar-
ing to step into the void that’ll be
left when the longtime police chief
exits public service.
“We all know what he’s been —
he’s been a stabilizing force within
this agency and within this com-
munity for 18 years — but I have to
be me,” he says.
byram credits his start in polic-
ing to being raised in a law enforce-
ment family. Originally born in
Klamath Falls, byram’s family
moved to Pendleton in 1980 where
his mother and father worked a
variety of positions with the uma-
tilla County Sheriff’s Office.
“It’s one of those natural things
you see in families all the time that
kids take after their parents in their
chosen profession if they’re drawn
to it, and I was obviously drawn to
it,” he says. “I’ve always been team
oriented, and I’ve always liked
the notion of doing good for your
community.”
byram started as a reserve with
the department in 1999 before
becoming a full-time officer in
March of 2000. From there, he rose
the ranks to corporal in 2007, ser-
geant in 2009 and lieutenant in
2016.
“When I first started in this
career, I basically was just happy to
be in the field,” Byram says. “As I
started going on, I figured out that I
had a knack for it.”
he coupled that knack with
his commitment to the Pendleton
See Chief, Page A8
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian
A school bus sitting in the parking lot of the Hermiston Christian School is bathed in sunlight on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020.
Defending the faith
Hermiston Christian
School alleges religious
discrimination in lawsuit
against governor, state
and county agencies
By ANTONIO SIERRA
East Oregonian
P
eNdLeTON — a
hermiston
private
school, with a total
enrollment of 51, is
suing Gov. Kate brown
and several other state
agencies with the help
of a well-heeled conser-
vative legal organization.
attorneys from the arizo-
na-based alliance defending
Freedom filed a complaint on
behalf of hermiston christian
school in federal court in Pend-
leton on Oct. 16. The complaint
alleges that the governor was vio-
lating the school’s constitutional
rights by forcing it to remain
closed during the cOVId-19
pandemic.
“after 41 years of faithful ser-
vice, hermiston christian school
… could be forced to shut its
doors for good unless the court
stops an obvious case of discrim-
ination: defendants’ cOVId-19
orders and guidance generally
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian
A sign directs visitors to the entrance of the Hermiston Christian School in Hermiston on Wednesday,
Oct. 21, 2020.
prohibit in-person instruction but
grant a ‘small school’ exception
to public schools, while deny-
ing the same exception to private
religious schools … in umatilla
county,” the attorneys wrote in
COVID-19 VACCINES COULD ARRIVE
SOON IN OREGON
State health officials could distribute the first doses of COVID-19 vac-
cinations as early as the end of this month if it’s approved by the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration. Page A10
See Lawsuit, Page A7
City approves new take on Til Taylor Park
commission
unanimously
approves $575,000
for park’s renovation
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian
leton Parks and recreation commis-
sion, said organizers were originally
planning a celebration on the 100th
anniversary of the slain umatilla
county sheriff’s death, but cOVId-
19 forced organizers to cancel the
event. brown is the vice president of
the eO Media Group, the parent com-
pany of the East Oregonian.
The “Til Taylor 101” project is
more than just a party, but also a set of
upgrades to one of Pendleton’s older
parks.
comprising the entire block of
700 s.e. dorion ave., brown and
Parks and recreation director Liam
hughes ran through a slideshow
focusing on the deficiencies of the
park — a wading pool that was aging
and costly to run, a playground that
A covered wagon play structure sits in the afternoon sun at Til Taylor Park in
Pendleton on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2020.
See Park, Page A8
By ANTONIO SIERRA
East Oregonian
PeNdLeTON — The Pendleton
development commission extended
the urban renewal district at a Tues-
day, Oct. 20, meeting and immedi-
ately bolstered the urban renewal dis-
trict’s new focus on public projects.
The commission unanimously
approved a $575,000 renovation of Til
Taylor Park meant to coincide with
the 101st anniversary of the name-
sake’s death.
Kathryn brown, chair of the Pend-