REGION Saturday, January 15, 2022 East Oregonian A3 „€……†  •—˜“”™š„€……†ƒ  •Ž™–  ›™”˜—‘•š–ƒ  ›˜œ—™ ˆ       ­€‚ƒ„ …†­­‡…€ƒ…ƒ­„ €ƒ€€„­€„††‡­ ‰Š‹ „ƒ… „ †ƒ •‘Ÿ ž Œ™Ÿ“   „€……† – ŒŽ ‘’ ƒ‡ Œ“ Ž’ ƒ‡ ˆƒ‡ Œ” •’ ž ‘ŸŽˆ’  ŒŒŸŽ  ­ €‚ €‚  ƒ ­ •›Ÿ­ ‹’ •‘Ÿ†  ŒœŸ Ž  ‡ Œ“Ÿ ‰ ‹‚Œ  ‡ – Œ—Ÿ ‚ †•‘ŸŽ‘ˆ – •‘Ÿ”‚ ­€…‘™Ÿ ‰ ‹‚Œ ‘™Ÿ €   ­€…ŽŸ ‰Š ‹‚Œ ƒ ­€… †  …† – ­  ž  Andy Nicolais/East Oregonian With the emergence of the omicron variant, COVID-19 cases have skyrocketed in Umatilla County since the beginning of the year. On Dec. 31, 2021, the seven-day average number of new cases reported was 42. As of Jan. 13, the seven-day average was 189, with 29% of tests coming back positive. During this pandemic, spikes in hospitalizations have followed spikes in new cases, indicating a likely increase in hospitalizations in the weeks ahead. Hermiston police make arrest in 2015 murder East Oregonian HERMISTON — Herm- iston police Thursday, Jan. 13, made an arrest for a 2015 murder of a Umatilla man. Jose Maria Oseguera, 40, now is in the Umatilla County Jail, Pendleton, on probable cause charges of second-degree murder, unlawful use of a weapon, felon in possession of a weapon and contempt of court and failure to appear. Police arrested Oseguera for the homicide of Alonso Madrigal. Hermiston police Chief Jason Edmiston in a press release stated in the evening of March 4, 2015, Madrigal, 23, was “sense- lessly murdered” in the park- ing lot of a convenience store in the 400 block of North- west 11th Street, Hermiston. From early in the inves- tigation, several persons of interest were identifi ed and for the last six-plus years, Hermiston detectives have worked on the investiga- tion, according to Edmis- ton. Days after the murder, Ron Saager, owner of beloved M-F shoe shop, dies on Christmas Day methamphetamine and a large amount of cash.” Detectives have remained in constant contact with the family of Madrigal, Edmis- ton also reported, and Herm- iston police told Madrigal’s family about the arrest. Throughout this inves- tigation, Hermiston police received assistance from the Umatilla-Morrow County Major Crime Team, the Umatilla County District Attorney’s Offi ce, the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Office crime lab, the police depart- ment of Huntington Park, California, and the United States Marshals Service. And on Jan. 13 before the arrest, the Umatilla Police Department assisted while Hermiston detectives were in Umatilla. Edmiston also stated the Hermiston Police Depart- ment’s biggest thank you perhaps needs to go to Madrigal’s family. “They have been so incredibly patient and understanding with us as our detectives worked the Bill Aney. But when Aney dropped out just ahead of the fi ling deadline, Neuman ran unopposed. At-large By ANTONIO SIERRA East Oregonian Saager the dangerous seasonal work and moved back home to Milton-Freewater to work at the family’s shoe shop when he met his wife, Julie Hardin, in the summer of 1980. “Working at the family’s shoe store brought Ron great joy. He loved his customers and crew, many of whom became family. He was so proud of the store, and always grateful to serve such a beau- tiful community,” his Janu- ary obituary read. Ron Saager, a McLough- lin High School graduate, is survived by his daughters, Deidre Nyburg and Kayla Saager; his grandchildren, Trevor, Bailee and Ruby; his youngest brother and one of his best friends, Rick Saager and family; his oldest brother, Norm Saager and family; uncles, aunts, cousins, nieces and nephews. Per Ron’s wishes, no public service will be held, but friends and family are welcome to share memories and photos on the Munselle- Rhodes funeral page. To leave a condolence visit munsellerhodes.com. investigation,” he said in the press release. “We had all the pieces of what transpired that fateful night, we were just waiting for a break we prayed would come. Within the last couple of months, that break happened, and the DA’s offi ce presented the information to a grand jury where an arrest warrant was eventually issued for Mr. Oseguera. It is our sincere hope that once brought to justice with a conviction, the family will have some sense of closure.” Pendleton City Council incumbents make reelection decisions with deadline in sight Campbell and McDonald intend to run again; Cambier to retire By MARGAUX MAXWELL Walla Walla Union-Bulletin MILTON-FREEWATER — Ron Saager, the longtime head of Milton-Freewater’s iconic Saager’s Shoe Shop, died Christmas Day at 70 years old. Co-owned by the Saager family and daughter Deidre Saager-Nyburg, Saager’s has been in the business of repair- ing and selling shoes at 613 N. Main St. for over a century. The store always has been a family-owned and run oper- ation, now in its fourth gener- ation. William Saager started the business in 1914, at the same location. “My grandpa was a man of many talents,” Ron Saager said in a 2013 inter- view with the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin. William Saager was prac- tical, innovative and self-suf- fi cient, Ron Saager said. “In his younger days, he’d get up in the morning and hitch up 90 head of mules to harvest wheat,” he said. “He also had a 4-acre fruit farm in Milton-Freewater.” Ron Saager’s father, Herb Saager, bought into the busi- ness in the 1950s. The store’s original name was Freewater Electric Shoe Store, to indicate the store had a light bulb and an elec- tric motor that could be moved to operate machinery such as a sewing machine — an innovative technology for its time. After spending much of his young life working as a commercial fisherman in Alaska, Ron Saager ditched detectives fl ew to California, where a vehicle involved in the homicide was located and seized. Hermiston police detec- tives with Oregon State Police and the Blue Moun- tain Enforcement Narcotics Team arrested Oseguera at about 7 p.m. in the parking lot of Walmart, 1350 N. First St., Hermiston. At the time of his arrest, according to Edmiston, Oseguera “possessed a loaded handgun, crystal substance suspected to be PENDLETON — The Pendleton City Council has fi ve seats up for election in May, but only one candidate has fi led so far. Prospective candidates have until March 8 to fi le for the May 17 election, giving incumbents and newcomers less than two months to enter their names. Voters will elect one candidate for each of Pendleton’s three wards, and thanks to an early resignation two years ago, two citywide, at-large candidates. If any of the winning candidates can’t secure more than 50%, the top two vote-getters will go to a runoff held during the Nov. 8 general election. In a series of interviews, incumbents up for election shared their election plans for 2022. Ward 1 (Downtown, South Hill, Riverside) Innes said she plans to run for a second term in May and will fi le her candidate paper- work to make it offi cial in the near future. Innes said she feels good about her fi rst four years on the council and has enjoyed the feedback she’s gotten from constituents, even when they don’t agree with her positions. Innes was a first time candidate when she won her seat in 2020, but she sought Antonio Sierra, East Oregonian, File Mayor John Turner swears in, from left to right, Councilors Linda Neuman, Carole Innes, Jake Cambier and McKennon McDonald on Jan. 8, 2019, at Pendleton City Council Cham- bers. Neuman said she is considering running again in 2022, and Cambier intends to retire at the end of his term. Both Innes and McDonald intend to run for new terms in May. a spot on the city council slightly earlier. After Councilor John Brenne died in 2018, Innes was one of two candidates the council considered to fi ll the seat for the remainder of the year. The council opted for Chuck LeValle, but Innes stayed in the race for the full term, winning a majority of the vote against the incum- bent and a third candidate. gained experience and other council members left offi ce, McDonald went from a fresh face to its longest tenured veteran in the span of two terms. McDonald was elected council president in 2019, a mostly ceremonial position that allows McDonald to preside over council meet- ings if the mayor is absent. Ward 2 (North Hill, Westgate, airport) Ward 3 (Southgate, Tutuilla Road, McKay Creek) As of Monday, Jan. 10, Ward 2 Councilor McKen- non McDonald was the only candidate who has fi led for offi ce. The president of the city council, McDonald fi rst won offi ce in 2014 at the age of 23 by defeating former Coun- cilor Bryan Branstetter. She then won a second term unopposed in 2018. As she Ward 3 Councilor Linda Neuman said she’s leaning toward running for reelec- tion but hasn’t made a fi nal decision on seeking a second term. Neuman was a fi rst-time candidate when she won her fi rst term in 2018. Neuman was originally set to vie for the seat against retired U.S. Forest Service worker Thanks to early resigna- tion, both at-large seats will be up for election in 2022. Only a few months after winning a second term on the council in 2018, Councilor Paul Chalmers announced he was leav- ing Pendleton and resign- ing from his at-large seat on the council. The remaining councilors selected Steve Campbell from a fi eld of nine applicants to fi ll the remain- der of Chalmers fi rst term and serve the fi rst half of his second. Campbell said he plans to run to fi ll the last part of Chalmers’ term. He said he likes the direction the city is heading toward and wants to keep on working on issues like housing. Whoever wins Campbell’s at-large seat will have to run again in 2024 for a full, four-year term. The other at-large seat held by Councilor Jake Cambier will see a new face when the council convenes for its fi rst meeting in 2023. Cambier said he intends to retire at the end of his term. If he had run again and won, Cambier said he would have been 81 by the time his next term ended and he wanted to give someone else a chance. Cambier was appointed to his at-large seat in 2016 to fi ll the fi nal two years of Coun- cilor Al Plute’s term after the latter resigned. In 2018, he won a full term by beating retiree Rex Morehouse. Within 30 miles Elkhorn Barn Co. Custom Barns and Storage Tobias Unruh, owner 600 David Eccles Rd • Baker City, Oregon Sales 541-519 -2968 • Elkhornbarns@gmail.com • 509-331-4558