REGION
Tuesday, May 17, 2022
East Oregonian
Demonstration in Pendleton shows
support for keeping abortion legal
By PHIL WRIGHT
East Oregonian
PENDLETON — A group
of Pendleton locals Saturday,
May 14, demonstrated their
support for keeping abortion
legal in the United States.
About 15-20 people from
11 a.m. to 1 p.m. took to the
sidewalk in front of Roy Raley
Park to display signs and catch
the attention of drivers pass-
ing along Southwest Court
Avenue. Pendleton Action
Community Coalition orga-
nized the Ban Off My Body
protest. Icy Roe, secretary of
the coalition board, said the
group started working on this
May 11.
“We whipped it together a
few days ago,” she said, and
credited coalition member
Sue Peterson with handling
the groundwork to get people
to come out.
Roe explained the demon-
stration in Pendleton was a
part of other protests across
the nations against the U.S.
Supreme Court considering
overturning Roe vs. Wade, the
case that legalized abortion.
“We’re doing this because
we fear it will be a domino
Phil Wright/East Oregonian
Demonstrators against banning abortion display signs Sat-
urday, May 14, 2022, to drivers passing Roy Raley Park on
Southwest Court Avenue, Pendleton.
eff ect on other communities
in our country,” Roe said.
She explained the Supreme
Court overturning Roe vs.
Wade endangers women who
might have ectopic pregnan-
cies and require abortions to
save their lives.
According to the Chil-
dren’s Bureau at the U.S.
Department Of Health And
Human Services Administra-
tion For Children And Fami-
lies, the 2020 Adoption And
Foster Care Analysis And
Reporting System estimates
there are 407,000 children at
the end of fi scal year 2020
in foster care in the United
States.
“I don’t think that forced
birthing is going to help that
any,” Roe said.
And the ramifi cations of
changing the law go beyond
abortions. She said overturn-
ing Roe vs. Wade opens the
door for overturning other
rights and protections, espe-
cially for LGBTQ+ people.
Not protecting women’s
rights to choose an abortion
creates a slippery slope, she
said, pushes back health care
for women and could send a
signal to other countries to
follow suit.
Drivers for the most part
were neutral as the passed
the demonstrations. A few
indicted their disagreement
with the demonstration, but
more honked their horns
in support.
Work underway for new NAPA in Pendleton
A3
PENDLETON
City council considers a
$1M water line contract
East Oregonian
PENDLETON — Pend-
leton City Council this
week considers awarding
a contract of more than $1
million for the water line
construction project on
Southwest Houtama Road.
The council meets Tues-
day, May 17, starting at
7 p.m. in council chambers
at city hall, 500 S.W. Dorion
Ave. According to meet-
ing agenda documents, the
city received seven bids for
the water line project and
opened them May 10. Two
bids came in lower than the
city’s estimate, and one was
27% lower than the high
bid.
That low bid came from
Silver Creek Contract-
ing LLC, of Heppner, and
Bob Patterson, public
works director, and Tim
Simons, city engineer, are
recommending the council
approve the company for
the project.
According to the recom-
mendation, the installation
of this 16-inch water line
is to increase the overall
capacity of the city’s water
supply system. By connect-
ing the drinking water
well that is down near the
Resource Recovery Facil-
ity/Waste Water Treatment
Plant to the city’s gravity
zone distribution system,
some 4,100 feet away at the
top of Houtama Road, “the
entire water supply system
will see a benefit, espe-
cially in the southwest end
of town.”
The council also consid-
ers approving the city’s
MORE
INFORMATION
See the Pendleton
City Council meeting
agenda online at bit.
ly/3sA2pp6.
participation in the settle-
ments of class action
lawsuits various with opiate
manufacturers.
City attorney Nancy
Kerns in a memo to the
council explained Oregon
local governments became
aware in late 2021 they will
collectively receive an esti-
mated $329 million dollars
out of the deal. Kerns
reported she took action
in the last week of Decem-
ber 2021 to enroll the city
as a member of the plain-
tiff class.
The pending settle-
ment will bring more
than $500,000 to the city,
according to Kerns, in
annual increments span-
ning 18 years. The coun-
cil, then, needs to pass a
resolution approving the
city’s participation in the
class and authorizing the
city manager to take action
to receive the settlement
funds.
In other business, the
council considers giving
approval for the city to buy
a John Deere 744L wheel
loader from Pape Machin-
ery of Pasco for about
$450,300 and spending
$125,000 to pave a portion
of the outer airport access
road at the Eastern Oregon
Regional Airport.
Kathy Aney/East Oregonian
Goods line the fl oor at Pendleton’s new Sears Hometown
Store at 124 S. Main St.
John Tillman/East Oregonian
A pair of workers on Thursday, May 12, 2022, renovate the former Walgreens building at 144 S.W. 20th St., Pendleton,
to house a NAPA auto parts store. The city issued a remodeling permit on March 14. NAPA is leasing the premises from
Walgreens. The auto parts business hopes to open by mid June.
LOCAL BRIEFING
New boxing club
plans falter
PENDLETON — Plans
for a second boxing club to
open in Pendleton went down
for the count Friday, May 13.
Former amateur and
professional boxer Buddy
Payne said he was planning
on opening a nonprofi t boxing
club in Pendleton and was
working on securing a loca-
tion. He said support from the
community for the club had
been tremendous.
“People are coming out
of the woodwork,” he said.
“It’s been wonderful. It has
taken off . I’m doing this for
the community. It’s a tough
sport to make a living in. Most
kids won’t make any money,
but working out and training
is great for them. Doing that
is better than something else
they might do.”
That was before May 13,
when the East Oregonian
posted a story about Payne’s
moves to open a club, and
Payne said he found out Pend-
leton already has a boxing
club and would not go forward
with opening his own.
Michael Blanc was teach-
ing physical education at
Sunridge Middle School in
Pendleton and opened a USA
Boxing-sanctioned club in
2013. Now, Rob Brooks oper-
ates the club in the basement
of the Pendleton Recreation
Center.
Brooks said he called
Payne and they had a good
conversation.
“He said he didn’t even
know the club existed,”
Brooks said.
He said
Payne was
trying to do
what Brooks
already had
a handle on,
so instead
Payne
of throwing
another club
out there, he nixed the plan.
Brooks said he invited Payne
to check out the Pendleton
Boxing Club.
Brooks said he also is
working to submit paperwork
for the club to obtain nonprofi t
status and has even set up a
board to oversee the club.
Brown submits
appointments for
confi rmation
SALEM — Gov. Kate
Brown submitted a list of
state board and commission
appointments to the Oregon
Senate for confirmation
and one resident each from
Umatilla and Morrow coun-
ties is up for consideration.
Amy Ashton-Williams
of Pendleton, the executive
director of Oregon Washing-
ton Health Network, is up for
an appointment to the State
Board of Licensed Social
Workers. She would serve a
four-year term starting July 1
and ending June 30, 2026.
“I am committed to
ensuring that all boards and
commissions represent the
growing racial, gender and
age diversity of our state,”
Brown said in a press release.
“State board and commission
members bring a diverse set
of life experiences and back-
grounds to address the wide
range of ongoing issues
facing Oregon. I appreciate
the willingness of all these
nominees to help us build a
safer, stronger, just and equi-
table Oregon for all.”
Brown also reappointed
Debbie Radie of Irrigon,
LET US “MEAT” YOUR NEEDS
T-BONES & RIB STEAKS
10%
OFF
the vice
president of
operations
for Board-
man Foods
Inc., to a
t h re e -yea r
Ashton-
term on the
Williams
Work force
and Talent
Development Board.
The Senate Committee
on Rules is scheduled to
consider the nominations
in June.
— EO Media group
Improvements continue
at Sears in Pendleton
By JOHN TILLMAN
East Oregonian
PENDLETON — Pend-
leton property owner Gary
Vaughn continues redevel-
oping the former J.C. Penny
Co. building for his new
tenant, Sears Hometown
Store.
Vaughn has owned the
124 S. Main St. structure,
now housing Sears, since
1996. He also owns the
structures housing Sierra
Professional, Hope Coun-
seling (the 1906 Templeman
building) and D&B Supply
on Southgate. His Jager
Development of Pendleton
has real estate in California,
Washington and Oregon.
Interior remodeling is
complete, and Sears oper-
ates in the building, but
Vaugh said signage, shelv-
ing and such are works in
progress.
Recent external improve-
ments include a finished
paint job by Randy Thomas’
A-Sharp, according to
Vaughn, and Ed Milten-
berger’s Sign Men are on
the schedule to reinstall
awnings. Vaughn’s subcon-
tractors put in a 16 foot by 26
foot cement pad on May 4.
“We rely on local subs
whenever possible,” he said.
“It’s great to continue devel-
oping downtown.”
Vaughn said he enjoys
doing projects in Pendleton
because of the number of
good local contractors.
E NTRY L EVEL
BILLING POSITIONS
AVAILABLE !
E XPERIENCE APPRECIATED
BUT NOT NECESSARY .
while supplies last
E.O.M.S.
S T . A NTHONY C LINIC
M ONDAY - T HURSDAY 7:30 AM - 5:00 PM
F RIDAY 8 AM - 5:00 PM
EASTERN OREGON MEATS
541-567-2011
253 W. Hermiston Ave., Hermiston
easternoregonmobileslaughter.com
Visit sahpendleton.org or scan QR code to apply.