OFF PAGE ONE
Tuesday, August 2, 2022
East Oregonian
Police:
Continued from Page A1
State police provided
six instructors, he said, and
about 20 officers from Herm-
iston police, Umatilla police
and the Umatilla County
Sheriff’s Office participated
each day.
The trainings took place
in the mornings to mid after-
noons, and other than the
high heat, Edmiston said,
the report he received was
this was a boon.
Putting together this
particular training started
about six months ago, the
police chief said, but he
started the wheels rolling
in early 2020, after Herm-
iston School District voters
approved a bond for new
facilities. Edmiston said that
opened up the possibility of
training at a site the district
no longer would need.
Hermiston police did this
before at the former Armand
Larive, and in this case it was
the former Rocky Heights
Elementary School.
The school is getting ready
for demolition, he said, and
that makes it a prime place
for police to use. Officers had
to enter darkened rooms and
navigate around debris and
obstacles on floors.
Yasser Marte/East Oregonian
Local police train in a dark room Saturday, July 30, 2022, at the former Rocky Heights Elementary School, Hermiston.
“It just feels a little bit
more real world rather than
something that’s staged,”
Edmiston said. “You never
know what kind of situation
you go into.”
Once the plan was set
with OSP sending its staff
and local agencies commit-
ting to attend, not even the
sweltering heat was going to
postpone the training. And
other than having to deal with
the heat, Edmiston said the
reports he heard was that the
training was top notch.
In addition to working in
a more real-world environ-
ment, this kind of training
with officers from different
I’m backed by Planned Parent-
hood and Pro Choice Oregon.”
Drazan, meanwhile, said
Continued from Page A1
she is pro-life but that her
responsibility as governor
Kotek, a Portlander who would be to uphold the laws
was the speaker of the house in place.
for nine years prior to winning
Unlike Drazan and John-
the Democratic nomination, son, Kotek said she supports
framed herself as a candidate IP17 — a ballot measure that
who seeks solutions rather than would require background
simply rejecting the status quo. checks for purchasing fire-
“No matter what the other arms, prohibit the sale of
candidates say today, there large-capacity magazines
are no quick fixes. There are (except for military and law
no miracle cures to take on enforcement) — and estab-
these large challenges. Only lished herself as the candi-
hard work is going to allow us date in support of gun control
to ensure that every part of our measures. She clarified that
state can thrive,” she said.
she’s not interested in “taking
On the issues, Drazan people’s guns away,” however,
clarified that she consid- after a quip from Johnson
ers Joe Biden to be the fairly suggesting that intention.
elected president of the United
Johnson, meanwhile,
States — despite efforts from castigated Gov. Kate Brown
members of her party to sow and state leadership for Intel’s
distrust in the 2020 election decision to build a new chip
results — while also stating manufacturing facility in
that she would maintain the Ohio rather than Oregon,
current gun and abortion laws saying that she had talked
in place in Oregon
with Intel executives
and expressing oppo-
who said state lead-
sition to Gov. Kate
ership was not recep-
tive to their needs and
Brown’s executive
that she would make
order directing state
sure she consulted
agencies to reduce
regularly with major
carbon emissions.
Regarding her and her
industry players.
colleagues’ decision
Drazan
Further, Johnson
in 2020 to walk out of
addressed her deci-
sion to vote for the
the Capitol to combat
Democrats’ cap-and-
corporate activity tax
trade proposal while
to add school funding
even though she now
she was the House
is against it, saying
minority leader, she
that she felt schools
said she may have
supported some form
needed more money
of policy incentivizing
Johnson
at the time but now
businesses to reduce
believes the tax is too
big of a burden on
emissions — but not
in the form proposed
businesses and should
by Democrats.
be altered. Similar to
“The need to lead
Drazan, Johnson felt
a Republican effort to
that Kotek’s leader-
ship has led to there
deny quorum on this
was simply because
being “tent cities all
Kotek
over Portland.”
of the intensity of
single-party majority
“This is a humani-
control,” she said.
tarian crisis and we must never
Drazan also said she felt the lose sight of the fact that it’s
state was focusing too much on inexorably tied to drugs and
housing to address the home- mental illness in our streets,”
lessness crisis, and not enough Johnson said.
on other issues like treating
In closing remarks, Drazan
addiction and mental health.
commented on what she felt
Kotek described the walk- was a divisive attitude exuded
out as a decision to throw by Johnson, saying she was
in the towel on the issue of tired of being yelled at and
addressing climate change adding that she felt Johnson
and expressed support for the left the Democratic Party
when it was politically conve-
governor’s executive order.
Further, she was the only nient to do so.
candidate to firmly say she
Johnson said choosing
would direct public resources Drazan would be moving
to helping people living in from one extreme to the other
states where abortion is ille- and told voters she does not
gal to access that service here. care whether you voted for
Johnson also emphasized her Biden or Donald Trump.
staunch pro-choice stance on
“I want to recapture the
abortion, but felt organizations maverick spirit and get us
like Planned Parenthood could back on track,” Johnson said.
support people arriving from
Kotek, in her final remarks,
other states without govern- talked about how she fell in
mental funding.
love with Oregon when she
“We are in too big of a moved there 35 years ago
moment in our country to say and that she views it as a state
no to women who need access of possibility toward what it
to care,” Kotek said. “And I’m could become.
the only person in this race who
“I am sure I know how
is a champion on this issue, to work with people and
who has believed in access to solve problems because I
health care — and that is what have a track record to show
abortion is — and that’s why that,” she added.
Athena:
Debate:
agencies improves commu-
nication in a crisis. putting
faces to names is important,
he said, but when different
agencies respond to the same
emergency, it helps them to
be able to talk to each other.
Case in point, he said, was
the shooting in February at
the Fred Meyer in Richland,
Washington. Police from the
Tri-Cities responded, but so
did Hermiston police and
other local law enforcement.
That kind of coordination
requires communication, he
said.
Edmiston also said the
deadly Columbine High
School mass shooting in
A9
1999 drastically changed
law enforcement’s response
to that kind of crisis. But
the police response to the
mass killing in May at
Robb Elementary School in
Uvalde, Texas, “really set
us back.” So far, he said, it
appears police held back from
charging into the school.
“Based on what I’ve seen,
what should have happened
didn’t happen,” he said.
A quarter century ago, he
said, police trained to enter
such scenarios slow and
methodical, now, he said, it’s
much more “fast and furious
on how to respond to those
things, and the objective is to
take out the threat.
And that, he said, means
police know they are putting
themselves in the path of
extreme harm.
This kind of training also
is a tune up, Edmiston said,
helping to reinforce what
police may have learned
years ago and to learn new
techniques and tactics.
“It keeps us from being
pigeonholed,” he said.
Looking ahead, Edmiston
said, OSP said it is more than
willing to come out to East-
ern Oregon and put on a full
day of training specifically
for active shooters. Talks
about that are starting soon,
he said, and will include
figuring out a location.
Continued from Page A1
“I began planning and
working on this project
nearly two years ago to
bring DC fast charging
capabilities to Athena,”
Richie wrote the city. “This
is not an easy feat, as DC
fast charges are around
$50,000 apiece, just for the
charger before anything
else. Our DC fast charging
project is projected to cost
over $100,000.”
Richie said he researched
grants, charging systems
and associated infrastruc-
ture and spent several days
writing a grant and hired an
additional writer for help
last year.
“Pacific Power f lew a
consultant from back East
to Athena to go over our
proposed project,” Richie
continued, “and see if it
would fit the grant require-
ments. We finally received
partial funding (two weeks
ago), which is why I was
meeting with Walla Walla
Electric and Pacific Power
to go over the final place-
ment of the meter in the
alleyway.”
And that, he said, is
when he lear ned from
Pacific Power about Athe-
na’s ban on overhead trans-
mission lines. Richie then
emailed city government
about the project.
“It was not easy to get
the grant for this project,”
he wrote, “and I will be
footing the bill for a large
portion of it. Athena will
get valuable infrastructure
at no cost to the city.”
R itchie also said
he sought out the best
charging system for Athe-
na’s and his needs.
“Community members
need t h is i n f rast r uc-
ture to have the choice to
Heat:
Continued from Page A1
NWS reported Pend-
leton and Hermiston set
record highs July 29.
Pendleton reached 111,
smashing the record for the
Grant Richie/Contributed Graphic
Grant Richie’s project for high-speed direct-current electric vehicle chargers at the One
Stop market and gas station on Main and Fifth streets, Athena calls for overhead power
lines. A local law, however, requires underground installation of new transmission lines.
THREE EV CHARGING SPEED LEVELS
The U.S. Department of Transportation recog-
nizes three electric vehicle charging speeds.
The slowest, Level 1 equipment, provides
charging through a common residential
120-volt alternating current outlet. Level 1
chargers can take 40 to 50 hours to charge a
battery electric vehicle from empty and five
to six hours for a plug-in hybrid EV.
Level 2 equipment offers charging through
240-volt electrical service in residential
applications or 208 volts in commercial. It is
common for home, workplace and public
charging. Level 2 chargers can charge a
battery electric vehicle from empty in four to
10 hours and a plug-in hybrid in one to two
hours.
The fastest speed, direct-current fast charging
equipment, enables rapid charging along
heavy-traffic corridors at installed stations.
The equipment can charge a BEV to 80% in
just 20 minutes to one hour. Most PHEVs on
the market do not work with fast chargers.
adopt (electric vehicles),”
he wrote, “and I have put
forth the time and money to
get this project done. With
current gas prices, (resi-
dents) need the option of an
EV now more than ever.”
After sending the email,
Richie received a phone call
from Athena Mayor Becky
Schroeder. She told him
the city would not give him
a variance, because then it
would have to give one to
anyone else who asked for
one.
“I explained the impor-
tance of this project to the
people of Athena,” Richie
said, “but she was not moved
to change her position.”
Schroeder confirmed the
gist of their conversation.
“We’re not a stick in the
mud,” she said, “but anyone
in Athena wanting an elec-
tric vehicle would probably
charge it at home.”
Anyone from out of town
coming off Highway 11 to
charge a car at the One Stop
might buy food or drink there,
she added. A visitor would
be less liable to walk another
block to the Sugar Shack
sandwich cafe or farther to
the Doubletree restaurant and
lounge. Thus Athena’s econ-
omy would not greatly benefit
from a fast charger, she said.
She said she blames the
power company for not
making optional plans for
underground cables and a
vault.
“I would urge Mr. Richie
and Pacific Power to go back
to the drawing board to see if
the project might be feasible
with buried cable,” Schroeder
said.
Richie said he is not sure
if a vault for underground
cables would even fit on his
premises. He has not yet
applied for a variance with
the planning commission or
city council.
day of 104 set in 2003. And
Hermiston’s high peaked
at 112, 5 degrees hotter
than the previous record
that stood since 1958. The
112 also tied Hermiston’s
record for the hottest July
temperature, set July 27,
1939.
Weather Service data
also shows July 30 had
a high of 110 in Pendle-
ton and marked the sixth
consecutive day in Pend-
leton of h ig hs above
100. And Hermiston saw
temperatures
spike from
www.umatillacountyfair.net
a high of 97 on July 25 to
108 the next day. Highs in
Hermiston have been at
105 or above since.
Health officials are urging
people to avoid prolonged
exposure to sunlight, to
stay hydrated and to find
somewhere cool to spend
the daytime hours. Up-to-
date information on cooling
centers and overnight shelters
is available at 211info.org.
City stands firm
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