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THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2022
AUG UST
146th Year, No. 100
INSIDE
WINNER OF THE 2022 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD
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Fair
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MAKE AN ADVENTURE ON THE PENDLETON CHARM TRAIL ays
MEASURE 114
Talking
aim at
gun
control
GR ANT
C O U N TY
FA IR M A
11 3 YE A
RKS
R S AU G
. 10 -1 3,
PA G E 8
Pendleton’s Grain Craft mill erupts into a
PA GE 3
PA GE 13
RAGING INFERNO
Oregon gun rights
advocates line up
against proposal on
November ballot
By DAKOTA CASTETS-DIDIER,
ANTONIO ARREDONDO
and JOHN TILLMAN
East Oregonian
ENDLETON — Fire erupted early
Wednesday morning, Aug. 10, at
Grain Craft fl our mill in Pendle-
ton. By midmorning, fi rst respond-
ers were waiting for the possible
collapse of the structure.
Pendleton Assistant Fire Chief
Tony Pierotti said this blaze kicked
off at about 4:30 a.m., and all signs point to the
massive structure as a total loss.
Pendleton Fire Department, Umatilla
Tribal Fire Department, Umatilla County Fire
District No. 1 were the fi rst to respond to the
scene at 501 S.E. Emigrant Ave. Soon after,
fi re departments from La Grande and Board-
man also were responding.
Pierotti said silos were at full capacity
of fi nished grain, so the fi re fuel load was
extreme.
P
By JOHN TILLMAN
East Oregonian
PENDLETON — A measure
requiring a permit, reporting of
application data and safety training
to buy a fi rearm in Oregon is set to
appear on the November ballot. And
gun rights proponents are taking
stances against it.
Measure 114 also would outlaw
magazines holding more than 10
cartridges.
“First and foremost, I hope voters
will take the time to educate them-
selves on the measure and review it
line by line,” Umatilla County Sher-
iff Terry Rowan said. “Measure 110
might not have passed had people
studied it. Proponents sold it as
breaking the cycle of addiction, but
didn’t focus on legalizing the most
dangerous drugs, so that addicts
would no longer be compelled to
seek treatment. Similarly, Measure
114 advocates focus on stopping gun
violence, but the public really needs
to evaluate its language.”
The proposition, titled “Changes
to Gun Ownership and Purchase
Requirements Initiative,” is one of
the strictest gun control measures
ever proposed in the nation, accord-
ing to opponents.
“(Measure 114) will virtually end
the sale of fi rearms in (the state),”
Oregon Firearms Federation Exec-
utive Director Kevin Starrett said on
July 26. “Where do you suppose all
the smaller towns who rely on private
gun clubs for training are going to go
for the live fi re portion of the class?
How often will they provide it? What
costs will be created? How do those
increased costs and barriers aff ect
Black folks in inner-city Portland?”
Measure 114 would require a
permit to obtain any fi rearm, and it
would outlaw magazines capable of
holding more than 10 rounds. If the
measure passes, it would ban some
commonly used pump shotguns
because their capacity can exceed
that limit. Further, Oregon State
Police would be required to main-
tain a searchable public database of
all permit applications.
Rowan also said he was
convinced the measure is a direct
violation of the U.S. Constitution’s
Second Amendment.
PA GE 9
Fire may have burned
through the night
Pendleton and other fi re departments on
Aug. 9 at 2:55 p.m. responded to the mill on a
report of white smoke. Pierotti said a “rubber
boot” that is part of the sifter may have caught
fi re. Crews had to get a hose up top to shoot
water into a silo to put out the fi re. Crews that
day were at the mills for about six hours.
Grain Craft, the third largest fl our miller in
the United States, owns the mill and employs
22 people there. The company issued this
statement:
“Early (Wednesday) morning a fire
erupted at the Grain Craft fl our mill in Pend-
leton, Oregon. There have been no injuries
reported and our focus remains on the safety
and well-being of our team members and the
surrounding community. We are supporting
all authorities as they contain the fi re and miti-
gate the damage where possible. We are still
working to understand the situation, however
everyone is safe, and we will update when we
have more information.”
Pierotti said chlorine tanks at the site were
far enough away they were not an explosion
risk. Still, fi re crews doused the tanks with
water as a precautionary measure. He also
said nearby buildings were another concern.
“All these other buildings around are
considered exposures,” he said. “Then we go
defensive. It’s gonna come down, the goal is to
make sure it doesn’t go anywhere else.”
Flame shoots from the Grain Craft fl our mill in Pendleton the morning of Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2022.
Photos by Kathy Aney/East Oregonian
See Guns, Page A8
A Pendleton
fi refi ghter
sprays water
on fl ames
shooting
from the
Grain Craft
fl our mill on
the morning
of Wednes-
day, Aug. 10,
2022.
See Fire, Page A1