WEEKEND EDITION Hermiston’s T’Lee Burke readies for elite dance program
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MArCh 12 – 13, 2022
146th Year, No. 60
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WINNER OF 16 ONPA AWARDS IN 2021
DAYLIGHT Gas prices soar as Russian invasion continues
SAVING TIME
SUNDAY, MARCH 13
By ALEX WITTWER
EO Media Group
LA GrANDE — Gas prices
are soaring to record highs amid
the russian invasion of Ukraine,
sparked by fears that NATO coun-
tries may begin enacting additional
sanctions against russian crude oil.
In the United States, President
Joe Biden announced a ban on
russian oil on Tuesday, March 8.
Crude oil prices briefly skyrock-
eted to more than $130 a barrel on
Don’t forget to turn
clocks ahead one hour.
March 8, the highest it’s been since
2008, and nearly doubling since
December.
Oregon has seen gas prices rise
to more than $4.50 a gallon, while
some areas of Portland have sold gas
as high as $6 a gallon. Diesel prices
have risen above $5 a gallon.
“I just came from Arizona, and
this is the highest price I’ve seen for
diesel,” said Diane Miller, a compet-
itive barrel racer who was traveling
home to Moses Lake, Washington,
after a three-week trip to Arizona.
Miller paid more than $140 to
fill up half a tank of diesel at the
Chevron station in Island City on
March 10. She said that she’s able
to afford the increased costs at the
pump, but she knows several people
who aren’t. Miller said she will have
to pay for more expensive diesel
prices all summer as she competes
in barrel racing competitions.
“It’s definitely hard on Amer-
ica,” Miller said. “It’s a bad deal, and
I don’t think it would be this way if
(President Donald) Trump would
have stayed in.”
Geopolitical risk
According to the U.S. Energy
Information Agency, the geopolit-
ical risk related to russia’s invasion
of Ukraine has contributed to higher
and more volatile crude oil prices.
But russia’s oil footprint on the U.S.
market is minimal; less than 10%
of the U.S. demand for oil is filled
by russian suppliers, or approx-
See Gas, Page A8
PILOT ROCK FIRE DISTRICT
Local lawmaker
makes offer on
Vale newspaper
By ANTONIO SIERRA
East Oregonian
VALE — Greg Smith’s offer to
buy the Malheur Enterprise came
in a postscript.
An email exchange between
Smith and Les Zaitz, the publisher
and editor of the small weekly
newspaper in Vale, over an editorial
led to an offer to take the Enterprise
off the market.
According to the email chain
obtained by the
East Oregonian,
Zaitz wrote to
inform Smith, the
state representa-
tive for District 57
and the Malheur
County economic
Smith
development direc-
tor, that he intended
to publish an editorial critical of
Smith and asked him for comment.
“I’m preparing an editorial
for next week about the Malheur
County Court’s management of
your company’s contract,” he
wrote. “You will, in part, get a pass
because you can’t be blamed by
taxpayers for getting what you can
as easily as you can. But the issue of
your truth telling is another matter.
You lie. By that, I mean you declare
as fact something you know to be
false.”
Smith responded by saying
he wouldn’t respond to “nega-
tive suppositions,” but also added
Malheur County residents were
“begging” Zaitz to sell his newspa-
per and that it had no support.
“P.S. … if you need a buyer for
the paper, I’ll pay $35,000 cash,” he
wrote at the end of the email. “No
employees included.”
Later in the chain, Zaitz told
Smith he would share Smith’s offer
with the public.
“Let’s see what the commu-
nity — and the state — thinks of
your idea of buying a paper to shut
it down,” he said. “Thanks for the
offer. We’ll be in touch.”
Smith followed-up by clarifying
he would not shut down the Enter-
See Newspaper, Page A8
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian
Reilly Miller, center, walks through proper fitment of an air system with a pair of recruits, Thursday, March 10, 2022, during a training ses-
sion at the Pilot Rock Rural Fire Protection District station in Pilot Rock.
TRAINING A TEAM
Fire district plans
on holding first fire
academy in June
By BEN LONERGAN
East Oregonian
P
ILOT rOCK — Since
its split with Umatilla
County Fire District
No. 1, the Pilot rock
rural Fire Protection
District has been working to
bring services in-house and grow
its volunteer base and skill set.
“It can be really challenging
in a small area,” said herschel
rostov, the district’s new chief.
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian
Trainee Deontae Johnson, preps his air pack Thursday, March 10,
2022, during a training session with the Pilot Rock Rural Fire Pro-
tection District.
“Being creative and finding addi-
tional ways to draw staffing in is
really important.”
In an effort to expand the
district’s offerings, Rostov, who
joined the district as its first full-
time paid chief in October 2021,
appointed reilly Miller as the
district’s new training officer.
Rostov said he finds it difficult to
attract people to volunteer service
and he feels ample training and
certification opportunities will
allow the district to attract a wider
base of volunteers.
“If we can tap more reasons to
draw people then we can be more
successful in covering the fire
district in staffing,” he said.
See Training, Page A8
Pendleton Children’s Center
makes urban renewal pitch
By ANTONIO SIERRA
East Oregonian
PENDLETON — After hearing
a pitch from Pendleton Children’s
Center, the Pendleton Develop-
ment Commission left the door open
to financially contributing to the
nonprofit, a deviation from its previ-
ous philosophy.
Two representatives from the
children’s center — consultant Brit-
tney Jackson and Secretary-Trea-
surer Kathryn Brown — made their
case to the development commis-
sion — which also is the Pendleton
City Council — at a special meet-
ing, Tuesday, March 8. The nonprofit
organization recently acquired the
former Pendleton senior center,
510 S.W. 10th St., and is in the process
of buying the office building property
next door, all with the goal of provid-
ing a space for infant and toddler care.
Jackson highlighted her many
years in child care and early child-
hood development before describing
what Pendleton could look like with
an adequate supply of childcare. Jack-
son predicted it would not only be a
boon to children and parents, but also
teachers, mental health profession-
als, social workers, employers, law
enforcement and more.
See Pitch, Page A8
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian, File
The Active Senior Center of Pendleton, 510 S.W. 10th St., is going to be home
to the Pendleton Children’s Center. The nonprofit that aims to provide child
care is seeking to become part of Pendleton’s urban renewal district to qual-
ify for funds from the Pendleton Development Commission.