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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (April 19, 2022)
Pendleton’s elite javelin thrower taking talents to BYU | SPORTS, A10 TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2022 146th Year, No. 76 $1.50 WINNER OF 16 ONPA AWARDS IN 2021 Former EOU student runs for Oregon governor By ALEX WITTWER EO Media Group LA GRANDE — One of the last Oregon Republican gubernato- rial candidates fi led his paperwork for the soon-to-be open seat, and in doing so, became the fi rst Black GOP candidate in the state’s history to run for governor. Tim McCloud, who grew up in Tucson, Arizona, and now lives in Linn County, is a former East- ern Oregon University student who works for an aerospace and defense manufacturer as a business analyst. During his time at EOU, he was homeless and supporting his family, which includes his wife and While challenging, McCloud said three daughters — an experience he his experience supporting his family said gave him a unique perspective while homeless made him stronger into Oregon’s approach to and cemented the relation- addressing homelessness. ship he had with his wife. He “I’ve listened to people said one of the reasons that offer solutions to home- led him to homelessness was lessness that wouldn’t have the lack of aff ordable hous- worked for my situation ing in Oregon. during a time when I was Sunriver, in Deschutes running a small business, County, has experienced going to school online at McCloud an unprecedented increase in housing demand, which Eastern Oregon Univer- sity for public administration, has sent prices skyrocketing. The and raising three children from a median home value for Deschutes campground in Sunriver,” he said. County is $693,000, according to “Those solutions wouldn’t have Redfi n real estate reports. Mean- worked for me.” while, Multnomah County’s median home value is approximately $493,000, according to Redfi n. “I think that was an issue that pushed me into homelessness was, you know, having not enough oppor- tunities for affordable housing,” McCloud said. “We have to be look- ing at how we can increase access to aff ordable housing for all kinds of Oregonians, but especially those that don’t prefer to be homeless, because I think there’s a distinction to be made.” McCloud said one of his priori- ties as governor would be to focus on developing affordable hous- ing — including multifamily and single-family homes by tapping into Oregon’s massive timber industry, and building new communities in Oregon in order to address the hous- ing crisis. “It must be a priority. We, right away, need to be working with the timber industry to end home- lessness in Oregon,” he said. “We have the renewable resources to do that, and so, with the localized resource that’s renewable, within our borders, we should be working with the developers to set up new communities of all types, from multi unit housing to single family housing and in between.” See Governor, Page A9 NATION Study of Snake River dams raises questions BOUTIQUE AIR LOOKS TO STAY By MATTHEW WEAVER Capital Press WASHINGTON — The White House Council on Environmental Quality says in a post on its website that it is studying the fate of four lower Snake River dams — and the rest of the Columbia Basin. In the March 28 post, the council outlined its eff orts to study breach- ing the dams, including a March 21 “Nation to Nation” meeting between federal agencies and leaders of the tribes of the Columbia River Basin. “We heard calls to support breach- ing the four dams on the lower Snake River to restore a more natural fl ow, also about the need to replace the services provided by those dams, and recognition that such a step would require congressional action,” the blog post reads. “We were asked to consider the Basin holistically because of its inherent interconnect- edness.” A representative of the council declined to comment. According to the blog, the coun- cil last fall convened leaders from the Bureau of Indian Aff airs, Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Army Corps of Engineers and the Bonne- ville Power Administration. The group will “build on existing analyses to identify a durable path forward that ensures a clean energy future, supports local and regional economies and restores ecosystem function, while honoring longstand- ing commitments to Tribal Nations,” the blog states. “We cannot continue business as usual. Doing the right thing for salmon, Tribal Nations and commu- nities can bring us together. It is time for effective, creative solutions,” the blog states. See Dam, Page A9 Passengers board a Boutique Airlines fl ight to Portland, Thursday, April 14, 2022, at the Eastern Oregon Regional Airport, Pendleton. Charly Hotchkiss/East Oregonian Ridership in Pendleton on the rise as small airline gives notice to end service, then changes direction By JOHN TILLMAN East Oregonian P ENDLETON — Boutique Air gave notice in February that it wants to pull out of Pendle- ton, but the U.S. Department of Transportation grounded that request. And now the airline is seeking a new contract. Oregon Regional Airport Manager John Honemann said Boutique’s notice came as the number of passengers fl ying the small airline in Pendleton began to increase after falling during the pandemic. Boutique Air relies on the federal Essential Air Service program to stay in business in Pendleton. The U.S. Depart- ment of Transportation oversees the EAS program, which subsidizes airlines to connect communities across the country that otherwise would not receive sched- uled air service. Boutique in 2016 won an EAS contract for 21 round-trips a week between Pendle- ton and Portland, with the option to oper- ate one service a day to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport instead of Port- land. The Pendleton City Council in 2018 awarded a four-year, $10.4 million EAS extension to Boutique. While the U.S. Department of Transportation foots the bill, the federal agency follows the local community’s direction. The transportation department’s February list of communities receiv- ing the subsidy, shows only one place in Oregon: Pendleton. Honemann explained the EAS contract with Boutique was due to expire Dec. 31, 2022, and Boutique submitted a Notice of Termination of Service to the DOT. Honemann said the reason for the notice was economic, with Boutique citing “wages, fuel costs, Infl ation, supply chain issues with aircraft parts.” Addi- tionally, he said, there is a “pilot shortage and downward pressure on industry as pilots move up to larger aircraft, and carri- ers that off er higher salaries.” The federal transportation department on Feb. 24 accepted the notice, Honemann said, and on March 21 issued an order prohibiting termination of service and requesting proposals. See Boutique, Page A9 New ordinance clears way for ride-hails in Pendleton By ANTONIO SIERRA East Oregonian PENDLETON — Ride-hail services such as Uber could become legal in Pendleton as soon as Tuesday, April 19. That’s the day the Pendleton City Council considers a new “Ride for Hire” ordinance that will repeal and replace the city’s taxi ordinance and create a fi ve-month trial period to fi nd out whether ride-hails and taxis can economically coexist. The debate over ride-hails and their place in Pendleton began at the city council level in January, when a group of aspiring Uber drivers went to a meeting to request the council to amend its taxi ordinance, which sets rules for taxi operation that ride-hails can’t meet. The owners of Elite Taxi, the city’s only taxi company, quickly at night while Elite got the daytime hours. But the Uber corporation got involved late in the process to oppose the concept, leading city staff to nix the idea before it reached the council for consideration. The new ordinance will require ride-hail drivers to obtain licenses with the city and meet certain insur- ance and operational requirements, but both ride-hails and taxis will have no restrictions on hours of operation or fares. While the city is looking to open the gates to Uber, staff still is Phil Wright/East Oregonian sensitive to Elite’s survival. Elite not Pendleton City Council at its meeting Tuesday, April 19, 2022, in city hall only operates taxis that run on cash considers a new ordinance that will replace the city’s taxi ordinance and fare, but also serves as the contrac- create a fi ve-month trial period to fi nd out whether ride-hail companies, tor for several public transportation such as Uber, and taxis can coexist economically. programs for senior, disabled and low-income residents. In a report to objected to the request, arguing that The city attempted to appease both the city council, city attorney Nancy increased competition from ride-hails sides by assembling a plan that would would lead to the end of their business. allow ride-hails to operate mostly See Uber, Page A9