REGION
Tuesday, February 8, 2022
East Oregonian
A3
Council to hold fi rst meeting on taxi ordinance
By ANTONIO SIERRA
East Oregonian
PENDLETON — The
debate over Uber drivers and
local taxi service is begin-
ning in earnest, but the city of
Pendleton already is playing
referee.
On Friday, Feb. 4, the city
of Pendleton posted a screen-
shot of a Facebook blog called
“Boycott Elite Tax.”
“It has been brought to the
City’s attention that our logo is
being used in connection with
this page,” the city’s Face-
book post states. “The City
of Pendleton is not affi liated
with this account in any way
and has requested the logo be
removed.”
“Boycott Elite Taxi” is
a personal blog with more
than 130 followers that posts
messages critical of Elite Taxi,
the city’s only taxi company,
and in support of Uber, the
ride-hailing company. Its page
shows it changed its cover
image from the Pendleton
city seal to a cartoon of a taxi
driver fl ipping off a man on the
sidewalk as the man leaves a
one-star review on his phone.
One of the blog’s most
recent posts encouraged its
followers to attend a Feb. 8
workshop where the Pend-
leton City Council is set to
discuss its taxi policy. The
workshop was scheduled after
some Uber drivers attended a
Jan. 18 city council meeting
and requested the city update
its taxi ordinance to allow
ride-hailing companies such
as Uber to operate within city
limits.
The Uber drivers argued
allowing ride-hailing would
introduce a healthy dose of
competition to the city and
would give residents another
option for transportation. But
the owners of Elite Taxi want
to maintain the ordinance’s
status quo, arguing ride-hail-
ing drivers likely would put
Elite Taxi out of business but
would be unable to fill the
same hours of service or hold
contracts with the city for
transportation services such
as Dial-a-Ride.
The city council uses work-
shops to discuss issues and
learn more about them, but
rarely uses the time to vote on
them. At the Feb. 8 meeting,
the council also will discuss
the prospect of burying above-
ground utilities on Southeast
First Street and Southwest
First Street.
Pilot Rock police report man
passed off movie prop money
OSP arrest Utah man
following I-84 chase
East Oregonian
PEN DLETON —
Oregon State Police arrested
a Utah man east of Pendle-
ton after offi cers pursued
him on Interstate 84.
OSP in a press release
Friday, Feb. 4, reported
troopers spotted Daniel
Etherington, 46, of Clinton,
Utah, driving near mile-
post 250 on I-84 in Union
County. Authorities in the
Salt Lake City area wanted
Etherington on charges of
aggravated kidnapping and
aggravated assault.
Police tried to stop Ether-
ington going westbound
near milepost 250, accord-
ing to the press release, but
ended their pursuit when
he wouldn’t yield. Police
set a spike strip near mile-
post 218 east of Pendleton,
but authorities allege Ether-
East Oregonian
PILOT ROCK — The
Pilot Rock Police Department
is raising awareness about a
fake $100 bill the Pilot Rock
Market received the evening
of Friday, Feb. 4.
“The clerk immediately
could tell the bill was counter-
feit as on the front of it where
‘The UNITED STATES
OF AMERICA’ is located,
said, ‘MOTION PICTURE
PURPOSES,’” Police Chief
Bill Caldera reported in a post
on the department’s Facebook
page.
The wording was on the
back of the bill as well, and
the bill feels thicker than real
money and has a noticeable
blue shade to it.
Caldera also reported the
suspect was described as a
white man in his early 20s,
about 5 feet, 8 inches tall and
weighing about 170 pounds
He has red hair and wore a
khaki long coat and khaki
shorts with tennis shoes.
According to the blog
propmoviemoney.com, movie
and TV productions and
others use prop money, which
display disclaimers about the
money not being legal tender.
It is legal to use the fake cash
Pilot Rock Police Department/Contributed Photo
other purposes,” according to
the blog, “and you could fi nd
yourself on the wrong side of
the law.”
ington drove around it and
then turned around and
started driving the wrong
way in the westbound lane.
OSP reported Ether-
ington then hit a police
vehicle and proceeded to
drive off the freeeway and
into the open fi elds. Ether-
ington eventually crashed
into a ditch, and state police
with the help of the Umatilla
County Sheriff ’s Offi ce and
the Umatilla Tribal Police
Department, contained
Etherington.
Police transported Ether-
ington to the hospital for
treatment and then booked
him into the Umatilla
County Jail, Pendleton,
on charges of felony fl ee-
ing, reckless driving, reck-
less endangering, criminal
mischief and hit-and-run in
addition to the charges from
Utah.
VISIT US
ON THE
WEB
Pilot Rock Police Department reports a man on Friday, Feb. 4, 2022, passed off this fake $100
bill at the Pilot Rock Market.
for media, marketing, promo-
tions, training and advertis-
ing.
“But try to use it for any
An infl ux in urban renewal
money has allowed the city to
reconstruct streets all around
the downtown area. But the
city has held off on the two
First streets while it considers
spending more money to bury
the utilities.
The council meeting
begins at 6:30 p.m. at the
council chambers in city hall,
500 S.W. Dorion Ave. The
meeting also will be available
online live via Zoom at bit.
ly/3iaPLbo.
Caldera also asked anyone
with useful information to call
Umatilla County’s dispatch
center at 541-966-3651.
EastOregonian.com
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