Morrow County sheriff ’s deputies catch homicide suspect | REGION A3
TUESDAY, AUGUST 9, 2022
WINNER OF THE 2022 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD
146th Year, No. 99
$1.50
WILDFIRES
Photos By Phil Wright/East Oregonian
Local
offi cials
support
fi re map
reversal
Map was part of
$220 million bill to
prepare Oregon for
worsening, climate
change-fueled fi res
By PHIL WRIGHT
East Oregonian
PENDLETON — The Oregon
Department of Forestry’s decision
to pull back and revise its wildfi re
risk map was a wise move, accord-
ing to local elected offi cials.
Sen. Bill Hansell, R-Athena,
said the rollout of the map and
ensuing letters to property owners
about fi re risk was not handled
well. This not
only put the cart
before the horse,
he said, it raised
the worries of lots
of people.
The state
forestry depart-
Hansell
ment ya n ked
the wildfi re risk
map Thursday, Aug. 4, fi ve weeks
after publishing it. According to
the Oregon Capital Chronicle,
the move came after outcry from
Republican state lawmakers and
residents in southern and East-
ern Oregon who said the roll out
of the map was clumsy and led to
people losing their property insur-
ance or having premiums doubled.
They said the Oregon Department
of Forestry was ill-equipped to
handle the impacts of the map in
the middle of fi re season.
“My phone was ringing off the
hook, and the emails,” Hansell
said, after the state put the map
online. Lawmakers were aware
the state was working on the map,
he said, but the process did not
include public input that he was
aware of.
The map was part of a $220
million bill — Senate Bill 762 —
that came from the 2021 legislative
session as part of a state push to
protect Oregonians against wors-
ening, climate change-fueled wild-
fi res.
The Oregon Department of
Forestry and Oregon State Univer-
sity created the Oregon Wildfi re
Risk Explorer map. The searchable
map showed the wildfi re risk of 2
million tax lots across the state,
categorizing them in fi ve catego-
ries: no, low, moderate, high or
See Fire, Page A10
Pendleton’s own
COMIC CON
enters Year Two
MeAnWhile … CosPlaY, games anD
an Oregon comic boOk cReAtor
higHligHt tHis yEar’s evenT
By PHIL WRIGHT
East Oregonian
P
ENDLETON — The
Pendleton Public
Library opened its
doors Saturday,
Aug. 6, to what may
be Eastern Oregon’s
only comic con.
While it was not
big or splashy, the local event drew
a few dozen youths and adults in its
second year and even expanded upon
the inauguration in 2021 with a vendor
section. Comic cons are not just about
comic books — though those were in
abundance at the event — but rather
a celebration of geek culture, genre
fi ction and the merger of the two. The
library’s modest event covered several
Top: From left, John
bases, including a Magic the Gath-
McBean, his daughter
ering tournament and numerous
PatT on McBean and PatT on’s
participants in costumes.
friend Ana Rue wear steampunk
John McBean and his
costumes Saturday, Aug. 6, 2022, for
daughter Patton McBean
the Pendleton Public Library Comic
and Patton’s friend Ana
Con. Above: Independent comic boO k
Rue dawned steampunk
creator Brandon Hayes of The DalL es
costumes for the event.
talks about his mental health
McBean owns and operates
awarenesS comic “Thready: A
the Athena Auto Parts store.
Bipolar Masterpiece”.
“A chain reaction happened
on Facebook,” Patton McBean
said, explaining how they
learned about the comic con and
decided to cosplay for it.
Rue said she has been doing cosplay
for a while, but the McBeans said this
was a fi rst for them. And they all are
fans of steampunk. John McBean said
he didn’t have to look far for some
parts of his costume. The gas mask,
for example, came from his time in the
U.S. Army.
Nathan Smith also was new. He and
his friend Rorey Kuemper had a table
showcasing tabletop gaming.
“First time being a vendor
anywhere,” Smith said.
For the past four years he has owned
and operated Pendleton Cell Repair
at 341 S.E. Court Ave. But tabletop
games are a big part of what the small
shop does. Smith said Mondays and
Fridays, 15-20 people fi ll the place for
games of Magic the Gathering, and
now there is Warhammer Wednesday,
for the popular miniatures wargame
Warhammer 40,000.
“It’s starting to build up, just like my
Magic the Gathering has,” Smith said.
Across the room, College Commu-
nity Theater was promoting its upcom-
ing season and with an array of hats
from costumes, so anyone could do a
little cosplay right there.
See Comics, Page A10
Projects abound to improve Umatilla
City funds work for
new gateway entry,
adopts thematic
wayfi nding signage
and plans six murals
By JOHN TILLMAN
East Oregonian
UMATILLA — Umatilla is in
the midst of building, beautifi cation
and visitor signage improvements.
The city has contracted with
Merje Design of Westchester,
Pennsylvania, to improve wayfi n-
ding signage for visitors to the city’s
parks and other public areas. Six
new murals are planned, as well.
old project art consisted of metal
and fi sh.”
Umatilla Falls Gateway
entry project
This all-new water and rock
gateway entry is to welcome resi-
dents and visitors with basalt rock
features excavated from recent
improvement projects. It further
incorporates a traditional fountain
design connoting the falls.
City of Umatilla/Contributed Graphic
Attractive lighting showcas-
The city of Umatilla is working on the Umatilla Falls Gateway project to ing programable changing colors
welcome visitors at the junction of Highways 395 and 730. The city ex- for local celebrations at certain
pects work to begin in February or March of next year and have the work times of the year are planned. For
completed by June 2023.
the Fourth of July, red, white and
blue are available; Christmas and
“Also, a new entry, with water Highways 395 and 730, will replace New Year’s holidays green and red;
features, for the Umatilla Falls the about 10 year-old artwork,” City
Gateway project at the junction of Manager Dave Stockdale said. “The
See Projects, Page A10