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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 7, 2021)
School districts prepare to welcome back students | REGION, A3 E O AST 145th year, no. 35 REGONIAN THUrSDay, JanUary 7, 2021 $1.50 WINNER OF THE 2020 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD U.S. CAPITOL UNDER SEIGE ‘PROTESTERS ARE IN THE BUILDING’ At least one person shot and killed as Trump supporters storm U.S. Capitol By LISA MASCARO, BEN FOX, ASHRAF KHALIL AND MICHAEL BALSAMO Associated Press WASHINGTON — The crowd pushed past the police barricades, up the steps to the iron doors and, in what seemed like no time at all, hoisted a Trump flag from the U.S. Capitol. “Protesters are in the building,” came the last words picked up by a microphone carrying a live feed of the Senate before it shut off. Hundreds of President Donald Trump’s supporters paraded and hollered on Wednesday, Jan. 6, through some of the most hallowed spaces in the Capitol — propped at the Senate dais and in the House speaker’s office — all to protest the election and keep President Donald Trump in office. It was an extraordinary, unprec- edented scene. Trump, the defeated president, had been encouraging protesters as Congress convened for a joint ses- sion to certify Joe Biden’s win. Under the very risers set up for Biden’s inauguration at the U.S. Capitol, the Trump supporters gathered. Protests are typical at the Capi- tol. But this one was not. At least one person was shot and killed, though it’s not clear who pulled the trigger during the cha- otic scene. Some in the crowd were shouting “traitors” as officers tried to keep them back. Inside the House chamber, law- makers described a harrowing scene. As they stayed down, they were told to have gas masks at the ready — and take off the lapel pins they wear identifying them as elected representatives. Police had guns drawn, and fur- niture barricaded the door. Glass was shattered. Some See Under siege, Page A7 Manuel Balce Ceneta/Associated Press Protesters gesture to U.S. Capitol Police in the hallway outside of the Senate chamber at the Capitol in Washington on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, near the Ohio Clock. ‘We’re going to win this battle’ Umatilla County battles logistics to get COVID-19 vaccine into arms By SHEILA HAGAR Walla Walla Union-Bulletin ends, we are left to recover the dead and destroyed. There is still time to rescue Uma- tilla County restaurants and entertainment businesses before they become permanent victims of COVID-19.” Dorran said the economic assistance pro- vided by the state was appreciated, but it wasn’t enough. He wrote that closing restau- rants had wider repercussions, as it also affected organizations and events like Little League, the livestock auctions at the Uma- tilla County Fair and various charity drives. “Umatilla County is made up of genera- tional generosity and we are straddling a fine line of denying at least one generation of the opportunity and expectation to give back,” he wrote. “Our goal: Get back to work serv- PEnDLETOn — Oregon Gov. Kate Brown said on Monday, Jan. 4, health offi- cials must vacci- nate state residents against COVID- 19 as quickly as possible. She said that by percentage of pop- Fiumara ulation, Oregon has administered about the same number of vaccinations as other states and dis- tribution will con- tinue to ramp up quickly. “We have Hitzman increased vaccina- tions from about 3,700 given in our first week to over 29,000 in the last week,” the gover- nor said. But still it is not fast enough, Brown Lundgren added, noting she has directed Ore- gon Health authority to reach a benchmark of 12,000 vaccinations administered per day by the end of the next two weeks. That’s welcome news to Umatilla County health officials who have See Reopening, Page A7 See Vaccine, Page A7 Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian A man, who identified himself as “Patriot Erickson,” holds a sign while protesting COVID-19 restrictions on restaurants and other small businesses outside of the Umatilla County Board of Commissioners meeting in Pendleton on Wednesday, Jan, 6, 2021. reopening campaign Dan Dorran spearheads initiative called ‘Umatilla County Economic rescue Target’ aimed at reopening the county’s restaurants By ANTONIO SIERRA East Oregonian MaTILLa COUnTy — Before taking office, new Umatilla County Commissioner Dan Dor- ran wrote a letter to the governor. Dorran said throughout his campaign, he heard from restaurant owners who were struggling with the state’s COVID-19 shut- U downs. after he was elected, Dorran started meeting with leaders from chambers of commerce from across the county to come up with a proposal that would help reopen restaurants. The group eventually narrowed down their requests and submitted it in a letter signed by Dorran, calling their initiative the “Umatilla County Economic rescue Target.” Dorran began the letter by comparing the potential fallout of COVID-19 and its accompanying shutdowns to the human toll of a catastrophe. “In both man-made and natural disas- ters, the rescue period is a time when we use every tool at our disposal to identify, locate, and rescue survivors,” he wrote. “The sad truth is that once this short but crucial period New county commissioner causes sparks Dan Dorran moves to oppose election during first meeting, inciting disagreement among commissioners By BRYCE DOLE East Oregonian PEnDLETOn — new Umatilla County Commissioner Dan Dorran kicked off his first meeting with a bang. In a move highlighting what he called an “unprecedented and unbalanced period of leadership,” Dorran made a motion to oppose the election of commissioners George Murdock and John Shafer to the positions of board officers in his first board of com- missioners meeting since he was sworn in as the county’s new commissioner on Monday, Jan. 4. The move — Dorran which Dorran said was focused on the integrity of the county’s charter and highlighted an unequal representa- tion of leadership geographically — ultimately failed. The commis- sioners voted 2-1 against Dorran on Wednesday, Jan. 6. Murdock and Shafer each said that they were offended on behalf of Umatilla County residents and that Dorran’s move put them off to a rocky start. “I do think we got off on the wrong foot,” Murdock said in an Murdock Shafer interview after the meeting. “I was very disappointed. The commis- sioners do not serve geographically, we serve the county. We’re at-large.” Dorran said that he believes the board of commissioners “blew up” the county’s charter — a document that dictates how Umatilla County government operates — by approv- ing the election. He claims that the charter says commissioners should technically rotate into chair posi- tions, rather than be elected, and that he should therefore have been appointed vice chair of the board. “If this proposal passes, there is no limitation or guidelines left in either document that would pre- vent these two commissioners from using these harmful shenanigans to continue their commissioner-to-of- ficer rotation indefinitely until they leave office,” Dorran said during the meeting. “Leaving perception and motive out of the equation, today is a sad day for the long, proud history of Umatilla County.” Shafer said that he believed no part of the county’s charter was dis- regarded with the approval. “I felt offended for the citizens of Umatilla County,” Shafer said after the meeting. “To me, the board chair See Commissioner, Page A7