REGION
Thursday, June 9, 2022
East Oregonian
A3
Pendleton Fourth of July event expands State invests in
fi nancial aid for
tribal students
By JOHN TILLMAN
East Oregonian
PENDLETON — Pendle-
ton’s Fourth of July is getting
a new community celebration
at Roy Raley Park.
Its children’s games and
bike/scooter parade contest,
races, corn hole competition
and other activities conclude
at 5 p.m. The family fun event
is free, with prizes. Food will
be available for purchase, or
participants can bring their
own picnic lunches.
“The event is alco-
hol-free,” said organizer
Donna Biggerstaff, city
administrative assistant.
“We could make money with
a beer garden, but wanted the
event to be family friendly.”
Biggerstaff said she hopes
residents will stay in town
for the event, saving money
on costly travel. Oregon’s
average price for regular
gas was $5.42 on June 7, up
from $3.45 a year earlier. In
Umatilla County, the average
was $5.20.
“We encourage people to
patronize local businesses
this summer,” she said.
Biggerstaff also is seeking
volunteers.
“We still need volunteers
for the milk can toss, face
painting and to sit in the dunk
tank,” she said.
Independence Day fun
run and parade
A fun run at 9 a.m.
precedes the parade. The
high school track team plans
to dress up and run the route,
in lieu of their daily practice.
“It’s not a race or orga-
nized event for the commu-
nity,” Biggerstaff said. “It’s
the team having fun and
entertaining those on the
parade route before the kick-
off .”
This year’s Independence
Day Parade has the theme
of “Freedom” and begins at
10 a.m. July 4. Veterans of
Foreign Wars “Let ‘Er Buck”
Post 922 hosts the parade.
The parade’s route starts
at city hall, 500 S.W. Dorion
Ave., marches to Main
Street, then to Southwest
Court Avenue to the Pendle-
ton Convention Center. The
horse staging area is at the
Western Auto/Baxter Auto
Parts’ parking lot, 336 S.W.
Emigrant Ave., with line-up
By JISELLE
HALFMOON
Confederated Umatilla
Journal
East Oregonian, File
The Pendleton Round-Up rides through the town’s Fourth of July parade in 2021.
EVENT SEEKS DONATIONS, VOLUNTEERS
• Pendleton Rotary Foundation is receiving
donations for the Pendleton Fourth of July
display.
Organizer Jerry Imsland said contributors can
make checks payable to the tax-deductible
foundation with a note that the contribution is
for the Fourth of July fi reworks.
You can mail donations to the Pendleton Rotary
on Southwest Dorion.
All entrants are welcome
and will receive a partici-
pation ribbon. Any individ-
ual, organization or business
may enter. Judges will award
trophies in 14 categories. The
VFW will award the Patriot
Trophy to the entrant with the
most overall votes.
“I guarantee that anyone
dressing up as drummers
and a wounded fife player
will win the Patriot Trophy,”
parade organizer Fred Brad-
bury said.
A rchibald Willard’s
painting, “The Spirit of ‘76”,
exhibited at the 1876 Centen-
nial Exposition in Philadel-
phia, famously features a
drummer boy, an old man
drumming and a bandaged
fi fe player.
Grand marshal is Mike
Hagan, honored for his
41-year career in the Oregon
Army National Guard,
including active duty in
Foundation, P.O. Box 153, Pendleton, OR 97801.
• Donna Biggerstaff is seeking volunteers for
the Fourth of July community event in Roy
Raley Park, to help with the milk can toss, face
painting or sitting on the dunk tank.
To sign up to volunteer or for more information
contact Biggerstaff at 541-966-0220 or by email
at donna.biggerstaff @ci.pendleton.or.us.
Afghanistan, Bradbury said.
Hagan was one of three men
in his unit who turned 58
during their 2005-06 deploy-
ment. One of these veterans
was shot down both in Viet-
nam and Afghanistan.
Hagan’s other public
service was as a reserve
sheriff ’s deputy in Marion
County for 25 years and in
Umatilla County for 20. He
is past president of the Pend-
leton Air Museum, a member
of the Pendleton Chamber of
Commerce Ambassadors
and a deacon at the Pendle-
ton Church of God.
Three of Hagan’s four
children are joining him in
the parade with his wife Pat
and all four grandchildren.
Parade entry forms are
available at the Chamber of
Commerce, 501 S. Main St.,
or by email to fbradbury@
yahoo.com. Bradbury also is
available to answer questions
at 541-377-7474.
Tax-deductible donations
are used to buy trophies,
participation ribbons, fl ags,
advertising, postage and
printing.
Fireworks on July 3
Independence Day fi re-
works are scheduled for the
evening of July 3, in the lot
west of Walmart, organizer
Jerry Imsland said.
“We’re just almost there
on funding for the display,”
he said. “Our goal is $15,000.
We have $12,500 in the bank,
with two $500 donations on
the way.”
Imsland explained that
moving to the night of July 3
yielded a $2,500 break from
the pyrotechnic company in
Portland.
“They’re short of people
to light ‘em off ,” he said, “like
so many other businesses
today. So we’re going to have
$17,500 worth of fi reworks.
Should be a heck of a show.”
Pendleton liquor store deals with recent high water
By YASSER MARTE
East Oregonian
PENDLETON — Pend-
leton Mixer & Cigar Inc. is
recovering after water rose
during the storm Thurs-
day, June 2, leading to thou-
sands of dollars in property
damage.
“It was about 8 to 9 inches
of water,” business owner
Greg Roland said. “I had to
close down and make sure my
employees were safe.”
Roland also hired a profes-
sional cleaning crew to fl ush
out and disinfect the store at
237 Emigrant Ave.
“The crew stayed cleaning
here for a week,” Roland said.
Despite the damages,
Roland reopened the liquor
store June 3, getting it up and
running again to make up for
the fi nancial losses.
“I’m not happy with the
city,” he said. “I had (fecal
matter) in my store.”
According to Roland, the
sewage drain pipes, on the
Yasser Marte/East Oregonian
Pendleton Mixer & Cigar Inc. owner Greg Roland attends to
customers Monday, June 6, 2022, as he discusses the dam-
ages caused by the sewage drains during the June 2 storm.
corner of the store and across
the street, overflowed and
fl ooded his store.
Public Works Superinten-
dent Jeff Brown visited Pend-
leton Mixer that same night
to check on the damages.
According to Brown, it didn’t
have anything to do with the
sewage system because the
sewer main was not clogged.
“It was a high intensity
storm and it affected only
that property,” he said. “But
if Roland is unhappy we’ll
reach out to him.”
The National Weather
Services in Pendleton on
June 2 tweeted, “Heads up.
More storms on the way
today and tomorrow. A few
strong storms may even occur
with gusty winds, hail and
frequent lightning. Heavy
rainfall and localized fl ood-
ing will also be a concern.”
Later that day, the NWS
issued a warning and posted
a special weather statement.
At the back of the store,
several lines of liquor boxes
sit on the fl oor swollen and
dilapidated. Industrial vacu-
ums and fans rev loudly,
sucking up sewage water
contaminated with fungi,
bacteria and viruses soaked
into the carpet and tile fl oor.
According to Roland, so
far there is $75,000 worth
of property damage to the
building. He is working with
his insurance company on the
fi nancial claim.
Rola nd ha s ow ne d
Pendleton Mixer & Cigar
since 2015.
MISSION — Access to
higher education just got a
lot easier for tribal students
in Oregon.
Thanks to Gov. Kate
Brown, the 2022 Oregon
Legislature funded a
historic program for
students who are enrolled
members of Oregon’s nine
federally recognized tribes
to pay for college.
The $19 million Oregon
Tribal Student Grant is
expected to pay for most or
all college-related expenses,
including tuition, housing,
books and other costs not
covered by other grants on a
fi rst-come fi rst-serve basis.
Br a nd ie Wea sk u s,
Higher Education Program
manager for the Confeder-
ated Tribes of the Umatilla
Indian Reservation, stated
she hopes to see an increase
in enrollment this fall.
“That would mean this
opportunity has opened
doors and aided in decisions
to attend college or univer-
sity or another qualified
program,” she said.
Weaskus also said she
hopes tribal members will
choose to stay in Oregon and
more tribal members will
fi nish their degrees.
Additional requirements
to qualify for this grant
include enrollment at least
half-time for the 2022-23
school year and working
toward an associate’s, bach-
elor’s or master’s degree.
Students also must complete
and submit a Free Applica-
tion for Federal Student
Aid or an Oregon Student
Aid Application, as well as
the Oregon Tribal Student
Grant Application.
The application now is
open. Additional informa-
tion regarding eligibility
requirements is available
on the state grant website:
oregonst udentaid.gov/
oregon-tribal-student.aspx.
Pendleton City Council
passes 2022-23 budget
By JOHN TILLMAN
East Oregonian
PENDLETON — The
Pendleton City Coun-
cil at its meeting Tuesday,
June 7, unanimously adopted
the city’s fi scal year 2022-23
budget.
The total for all funds in
the budget is almost $112.7
million, including more than
$19.3 million in the general
fund. Finance Director Linda
Carter explained more than
$102 million is in fact appro-
priated. The almost $10.6
million in reserve funds
would have to be approved
separately, should the city
dip into them.
The adopting resolution
approved without changes
the budget committee’s FY
2022-23 proposal it recom-
mended in May.
The adoption resolution
imposes and categorizes the
property taxes for the general
and debt service funds. For
2022-23, taxes are imposed
for the adopted budget at a
rate of $6.5771 per $1,000
assessed value for the
general fund and the amount
of $548,617 for general obli-
gation bonded debt.
Carter explained the city
cannot legally expend any
funds in the upcoming fi scal
year until a budget is adopted
and appropriations made.
The 2022-23 budget adds
two police offi cers, appro-
priates funds to create addi-
tional housing as well as
replace and improve water,
sewer and road infrastruc-
ture.
The budget is online
at the city of Pendleton’s
website: pendleton.or.us/
finance/page/city-pendle-
ton-budgets.
T he cou nci l also
approved a supplemen-
tal budget for the remain-
ing fi scal year and passed
a resolution to receive state
revenue sharing funds. The
$200,000 thus obtained is to
dedicated to public safety.
LOCAL BRIEFING
Umatilla County
reports 79 new
COVID-19 cases
UMATILLA COUNTY
— Umatilla County Public
Health this week reported
COVID-19 cases are on the
rise.
“ UCo Healt h ha s
received reports of 79 active
COVID-19 cases in the last
week,” according to a press
release Monday, June 6.
“This is the largest weekly
case count in Umatilla
County since February
2022.”
In response to the rise and
to provide accurate infor-
mation, the county health
department is updatings its
COVID-19 Regional Dash-
board Monday through
Thursday. The dashboard is
at www.co.umatilla.or.us/
health/COVID_Region9_
Dashboard/.
“We want to make sure
residents are aware that
COVID-19 is circulating in
the community at elevated
levels over the next few
weeks,” the press release
stated.
The health department
encouraged residents who
are 50 and older to receive
COVID-19 booster vaccina-
tions.
The county reported
22,772 total cases of
COVID-19, with 21,662
conf ir med and 1,110
presumptive. The county
also reported 226 deaths
from the disease.
Umatilla County Public
Health also announced it will
update its facebook page as
new information becomes
available.
— EO Media Group
EOCIL PRESENTS:
6/10 - 6/16
Cineplex Show Times
Price changes: Adults: $10.00 • Child: $8.00
Senior: $8.00 • Matinees (before 4:00pm): $8.00
Jurassic World: Dominion (PG13)
4:10p 4:50p 7:30p 8:10p
extra 12:50p & 1:30p
show 6/10-6/12
Top Gun: Maverick (PG13)
4:30p 5:10p 7:50p 8:30p
extra 1:10p & 1:50p
show 6/10-6/12
Doctor Strange in the
Multiverse of Madness (PG13)
4:00p 7:20p
extra 12:40p show 6/10-6/12
LIGHTYEAR (PG)
STARTS 6/16!
wildhorseresort.com • 541-966-1850
Pendleton, OR I-84 - Exit 216
COVID-19 VACCINATION EVENT
EVENTO DE VACUNACION COVID-19
June 11, 2022 11:30am -3:30 pm • Museum Park, 108 SW Frazer Avenue Pendleton, Oregon
• Free Food Box to individuals receiving a vaccination
• Caja de alimentos gratis para las personas vacunadas
COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters available for ages 5 and up
Vacunas de COVID-19 y refuerzos disponibles para 5 años en adelante
Questions? Preguntas? Call EOCIL at 541-276-1037