REGION
Thursday, April 21, 2022
East Oregonian
A3
Stanfield mayor
Asparagus farmer loses week’s crop to frost dies of heart attack,
leaves grieving city
MILTON-FREEWATER
By EMRY DINMAN
Walla Walla Union-Bulletin
M I LT ON - F R E E WA-
TER — On a 13-acre patch
off Stateline Road near
Milton-Freewater, farmer
Felipe Jimenez examines
asparagus stalks that had
pushed their way up through
frost-cracked earth, only to be
ruined by unseasonable cold
weather.
Successive freezing nights
have blackened the purple
asparagus — a sweeter,
thicker and more tender vari-
ety that commands a higher
price than green spears. The
three green varieties Jimenez
produces have yellowed and
shriveled, frozen in place.
Jimenez Farms has oper-
ated in the Walla Walla Valley
for around 10 years, selling
primarily to area groceries
and direct to consumers from
the farm.
Every year around this
time, Jimenez said he loses
some portion of his crop to
a late-season freeze. But as
the frosty nights continued to
add up last week and into the
Easter weekend, he said this is
the worst he’s seen in at least
the last five years.
“This is the worst,”
Jimenez said. “They just
been coming up and then to
be frosted up — we lost all
this harvest. We lost all of it.”
While the plant itself will
eventually rebound with
Greg Lehman/Walla Walla Union-Bulletin
Milton-Freewater farmer Felipe Jimenez checks some temperature-damaged asparagus in
his fields, Friday, April 15, 2022, near Stateline Road.
warmer weather, the ruined
spears have no commercial
value, costing both Jimenez
and the fieldworkers that
would otherwise be outside
harvesting daily.
Optimally, Jimenez’ aspar-
agus can be harvested contin-
uously for two and a half
months, he said. Between
a series of below-freezing
nights and the time it will take
the plants to recover, he esti-
mates he’s lost over a week of
that harvest time.
With the entire region
experiencing a mid-April
bout of winter weather, many
crops have been in danger
of cold damage, from stone
fruit to berries, tomatoes to
eggplants. While asparagus
roots are better insulated
against the cold, the spears
that would make their way
to the dinner plate are partic-
ularly sensitive to freezing
temperatures, Jimenez said.
“These plants don’t survive
in cold at all.”
Unable to make money
from the current crop, Jimenez
said he won’t bother paying to
have the frozen asparagus cut
and thrown away.
“I just let it fall down, wilt
down completely, and it will
die out,” he said. “It’s not
worth putting money into it.
Too much money. The price
went up for labor, and it’s not
easy.”
In a smaller patch of
ground across Jimenez’s
driveway, rows of Walla
Walla sweet onions stood
tall, having apparently with-
stood the cold weather these
last few nights. But a neigh-
boring row of garlic was not
as lucky, with the leaves of
around half of the plants
having shriveled up.
Still, dealing with bad
weather is part of being a
farmer, Jimenez said.
“I’m happy, because, even
if you lost so many pounds,
we’ll survive when they start
coming back,” he said.
“But this is the worst
one for the past five years,”
he added, pointing east to
the Blue Mountains. “You
don’t see snow like this in
April up there.”
HERMISTON
DEQ: Lamb Weston plant polluted groundwater
BY ALEX
BAUMHARDT
Oregon Capital Chronical
HERMISTON — Lamb
Weston’s French fry produc-
tion plant in Hermiston has
been discharging too much
nitrate-loaded water onto
area farms, according to the
Oregon Department of Envi-
ronmental Quality.
The wastewater flowing
from the plant has contami-
nated the groundwater, caus-
ing nitrate levels in some
nearby wells to measure four
to seven times the safe limit
set by the federal Environ-
mental Protection Agency,
according to DEQ.
The state agency on
March 31 war ned the
company that it faced
enforcement action for
contaminating the ground-
water.
It was the second such
notice issued to the company
in recent months. In Novem-
ber, DEQ told the company
it had been discharging too
much tainted water on area
farmland and faced enforce-
ment action for that as well.
The agency doesn’t disclose
such notices on its website
or otherwise publicize the
findings until an enforce-
ment has been made.
The notices ask the
company about what steps
it intends to take to cure
the violations. For the most
recent notice, Lamb Weston
has 45 days. The agency
then will consider whether
to require corrective action
or fine the company, accord-
ing to Laura Gleim, public
affairs specialist at DEQ.
The Hermiston french
fry plant is Lamb Weston’s
second largest plant in the
Columbia River Basin. As of
2019, the plant had more than
500 employees who made
nearly 750 million pounds
of frozen potato products
annually, according to Lamb
Weston’s website.
Company officials could
not be immediately reached
Monday, April 18, for
comment.
The violations were
discovered when the plant
applied to renew its water
discharge permit from DEQ.
The permit allows the plant
to recycle water used to
wash and process potatoes,
which come into the plant
covered in soil and fertiliz-
ers. The facility distributes
the wastewater to nearby
farms as a source of nutri-
ent-rich water for irrigation.
But Lamb Weston over-
applied the water on farms
75 times between 2016 and
2020, according to compli-
ance reports that DEQ
reviewed. During that
time, 189 tons of nitrate in
excess of permitted levels
were applied in an area
already deemed a vulner-
able groundwater manage-
ment area.
Such areas receive extra
resources and planning
from DEQ and designated
committees in the area to
reduce groundwater contam-
ination.
DEQ said in its notices
that wells down slope from
where Lamb Weston’s
nitrate-rich wastewater was
applied had levels of nitrate
between 36 and 79 parts per
million. EPA limits for safe
drinking water are no more
than 10 parts per million.
Nitrate is difficult and
expensive to remove from
water, and for those who rely
on wells for their drinking
water, getting rid of nitrate
requires filters that cost
thousands of dollars.
BOARDMAN
Gunfire leads to standoff, three surrender to SWAT
East Oregonian
BOARDMAN — A call
Monday night, April 18,
about gunshots in Board-
man led to a standoff and
subsequent arrest of three
suspects.
Miguel Gutierrez, 26, of
Boardman, Noe Francisco
Sanchez, 21, of Boardman,
and Joseph Daniel Simpson,
18, of Pendleton, now are in
the Umatilla County Jail.
Boardman police in
a news release reported
Morrow County Dispatch at
10:14 p.m. April 18 received
a report of gunshots in the
area of Northwest Board-
man Avenue and West
McCann brought many
projects to his city.
“Most recently, we’ve
STA N F I E L D
— been working through our
Thomas McCann, Stanfield downtown repaving project
mayor and beloved commu- with (the Oregon Depart-
nity leader, died Saturday, ment of Transportation),”
April 16, of a heart attack. Burgener added. “The
He was 84.
improvements, which we’re
“He had a really lengthy still undergoing, will bring
service to the public,” Stan- in lights, add sidewalks and
field City Manager Benja- make for a better business
min Burgener said.
and community environ-
The city of Stanfield ment for the city.”
McCann also
website has a list
of McCann’s public
was a “big propo-
work. He was pres-
nent” of a proposed
ident of the Oregon
veterans memorial,
A s s o ciat ion of
Burgener said.
“He was beloved
Chiefs of Police,
president and board
by all, probably one
chairman of the
of the best mayors
McCann
Oregon Special
I’ve ever served
around,” Burgener
Districts Associa-
tion, Stanfield Fire District said. “He loved the city, got
firefighter, Stanfield chief involved and did everything
of police, Umatilla County he could for the city.”
Marine Patrol deputy sheriff
This death was unex-
and more.
pected, Burgener said.
The website states he McCann had heart issues,
had 37 total years of law he added, but he and others
enforcement experience, were shocked by his pass-
as well as crediting him for ing and were not ready for
being a family man. Mayor it. McCann’s death is hitting
McCann was married to Stanfield hard, he said.
his wife Sharone McCann
Always ready
for more than 50 years and
to step up
had five children, as well
as many grandchildren and
Jerry Carlson, Stanfield
finance director, recalled
great-grandchildren.
On Tuesday, April 19, his years of working with
Sharone McCann shared McCann.
recollections of her husband.
“I started a little bit after
His favorite restaurant was he started with the city in
El Erradero, she said, and 1979, when he was police
“he always looked forward chief and I was hired to be
to the annual Fourth of July city recorder,” Carlson said.
celebration and announcing “So I’ve been working with
the parade.”
him as mayor and as police
“He meant everything to chief for a lot of years.”
me,” she said.
He said McCann was a
Sons Travis McCann and hard worker, who would
Terry McCann said they “dive in and do what was
were hurting, only days necessary” to complete a
after their loss.
task.
Tom Pollard, the mayor’s
“When the city was
eldest son, spoke of his flooded, it required people
grief, too.
to stay up all night,” Carl-
“There are no words for son said.
what I’m feeling right now,”
McCann was one of
he said.
those people who was up
Other loved ones are all night, only to work the
voicing their heartache, too, next day.
as many people are leav-
Carlson spoke of other
ing comments on Sharone times when McCann went
McCann’s Facebook page. the extra mile. When the
They express deep feelings, city was short various offi-
using words like “kindness,” cials, Carlson said, McCann
“dear friend,” “special,” stepped in.
“gentle,” “lovable” and more
“He was never shy about
to describe the man and his helping out,” Carlson said.
He added he will miss his
behavior.
“My heart hurts,” one friend, but that the rest of the
post reads.
town will miss him, too.
By ERICK PETERSON
East Oregonian
Second Street, Boardman.
The caller reported hear-
ing eight to 12 gunshots and
seeing a dark-colored sedan
leaving the area.
Boardman police and
Mor row Cou nt y sher-
iff’s deputies checked the
area and found the vehicle.
During the investigation,
officers found a vehicle in the
area had been shot multiple
times.
Officers located three
suspects at a residence on
Allen Court, Boardman,
according to the news release,
and as law enforcement
approached, one suspect ran
inside the residence.
Officers made multi-
Celebration of Life for Ryan Neal
The family of Ryan
Neal has been touched
deeply by the outpour-
ing of love, care and
concern after our loss.
Thank you for reaching
out; we have been up-
lifted by hearing from
each and every one of
you.
A celebration of life
will be held outdoors
on May 7, 2022, at
3 p.m. at the Marker
40 Golf Club, 78873
Toms Camp Road,
Boardman, Oregon.
Gary, Kathy, Rochelle, Ari and Sonja
ple attempts to get them to
surrender, but they refused,
Boardman police reported,
so local law enforcement
contacted Oregon State Police
SWAT and asked for its help.
“The suspects refused to
surrender for approximately
five hours,” according to the
news release, but they even-
tually gave up to the SWAT
team.
Boardman police then
arrested Gutierrez, Sanchez
and Simpson and booked the
trio into the jail in Pendleton
on charges of unlawful use
of a weapon, first-degree
criminal mischief and reck-
less endangering of another
person.
According to the online
jail roster, police also
arrested Sanchez for felon
in possession of a weapon
and for a felony probation
violation, while Gutierrez
faces an additional charge of
fourth-degree assault.
Coming to
Stanfield to serve
Selecting a
new mayor
According to Burge-
ner, McCann came to Stan-
field in 1977 from Arizona,
where he served as a narcot-
ics officer,. In 1992, he left
the Stanfield police and
became mayor in 1995.
“His life was in public
service,” Burgener said.
“He looked for ways to serve
the community, protect the
community and improve the
community his whole life.”
McCann had more than
two years left on his term.
Burgener said the Stan-
field City Council will
discuss options for selecting a
new mayor at the city council
meeting Tuesday, April 19.
According to Burgener, the
council will discuss whether
to appoint a fellow coun-
cilor to fill the role or
select a different person
from their community.
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