Meet the cheese whizzes in Milton-Freewater| REGION A3
Tuesday, augusT 16, 2022
146th year, No. 102
$1.50
WINNER OF THE 2022 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD
ENVIRONMENT
EPA urges
Oregon
to act on
nitrate
polluters
Regional ePa
administrator leaves
door open to federal
intervention.
By ANTONIO SIERRA
Oregon Public Broadcasting
BOaRdMaN — The u.s.
environmental Protection agency
is urging state officials to take more
action on nitrate pollution in east-
ern Oregon’s Lower umatilla Basin.
a July 29 letter from the ePa
to the Oregon Health authority,
the Oregon department of envi-
ronmental Quality and the Oregon
department of agriculture praised
the state for some of the measures
it’s taken to provide clean water to
residents in Morrow County, but
said that’s not enough.
“ePa expects the state to hold
nitrate sources accountable by
requiring them to assume some of
the responsibilities set forth above
and, more importantly, to change
their practices to reduce the amount
of nitrate they discharge to ground-
water,” wrote edward Kowal-
ski, director of EPA Region 10′s
enforcement and compliance divi-
sion.
Nit rates are a chemical
commonly found in fertilizer. In
excess amounts, they can affect the
health of people’s lungs, thyroid and
bladder.
High nitrate levels in Morrow
County and western umatilla
County’s groundwater supply has
been on the state’s radar for more
than 30 years, but a recent round of
water testing of private wells in the
Boardman area found many resi-
dents had unsafe levels of nitrates
in their drinking water.
Kowalsk i h ig h lig hted a
Lower umatilla Basin work plan
completed by the three agencies,
the plan including initiatives for
nitrate contamination education,
free drinking water tests and alter-
native water sources where neces-
sary. He also gave plaudits to the
agencies’ plans to seek funding
for these initiatives at the Oregon
Legislature emergency Board’s
september meeting and the long
session in 2023.
But Kowlaski wrote the state
could no longer rely on voluntary
practices and had to address the
source of nitrates. according to
a 1997 study by the state depart-
ment of environmental Quality,
agricultural and industrial opera-
tions were among the top sources
of the chemical.
See Polluters, Page A9
Yasser Marte/East Oregonian
Jaclyn Jenkins, Umatilla County chief deputy district attorney, works a case Aug. 3, 2022, in front of Circuit Judge Daniel Hill at the
Stafford Hansell Government Center, Hermiston. Jenkins earlier this year returned to her former DA position after a stint as a federal
prosecutor in Portland.
Veteran prosecutors boost
Umatilla County DA’s Office
Newest hire
graduated law
school in april
and did stint in
public defense
By JOHN TILLMAN
East Oregonian
P
eNdLeTON — The
umat illa Cou nt y
district attorney’s
Office is down three
deputy prosecutors, but the
return of three veterans since
early 2021 and a new hire have
eased staffing issues.
daniel Pachico returned
Feb. 1, 2021, as chief deputy for
the DA’s office in Pendleton.
Jaclyn Jenkins departed from
her service as assistant united
state attorney in Portland and
on april 1 began working again
as chief deputy district attor-
ney out of the Stafford Hansell
government Center in Herm-
iston. and Monte Ludington
returned april 15 to his position
as senior deputy in Pendleton.
district attorney dan
Primus said the trio boosts the
office’s experience and produc-
tivity “immensely.”
He said his office had been
working with only five of the 10
attorney positions filled.
“Our allotment is 10.5 pros-
ecutors, including myself,”
Yasser Marte/East Oregonian
Monte Ludington, Umatilla County senior deputy district attorney, works July 21, 2022, in court at
the Umatilla County Courthouse, Pendleton. He returned to the DA’s office in April after a period in
private practice.
he said, and now six-and-half
attorneys are working in the
office and one works remotely.
The veterans
Pachico left the DA’s office
for Legal aid services of
Oregon in July 2020 because
he said he wanted to work
in the community.
“I didn’t think I’d have to
go against my former deputy
colleagues,” he said. “It was
very important for me not to do
defense work.”
It was his decision to return
to the DA’s office on Feb. 1, 2021.
“Legal aid was distanced
during COVId. It didn’t feel
like walking into the office,
when working from home.
I missed specific people as
well. I had a wonderful boss
(in Primus). His expecta-
tions were high, but the office
provided great support, which
made a demanding job more
doable.”
See Attorney, Page A9
All Aboard Northwest stops in Eastern Oregon
group advocating
for passenger rail
By ISABELLA CROWLEY
The Observer
La gRaNde — all aboard
Northwest rolled into La grande on
saturday, aug. 13, to host a Train
Trek meeting at Cook Memorial
Library, La grande. The organization
the day before pulled into Pendleton.
The stops are part of a larger series
of talks happening across Oregon,
Idaho and utah to gather support for
the return of passenger trains to the
Pacific Northwest.
“We look at trains as part of a
world class transportation network,
that is a seamless way to get people
from here to there,” said Charles
Hamilton, vice president and trea-
surer of aaNW.
Importance of
passenger trains
around 30% of americans do not
drive and that number is growing,
according to aaNW. Many people
cannot drive due to age — too young
or too old — or disability. Owning a
car is expensive — from the initial
purchase, yearly maintenance, insur-
ance to the price of gas — so socio-
economic status can be a factor. Many
people live in places where seasonal
weather, such as snow or ice, impact
their ability to drive. There also are
people who choose not to drive due
to the environmental impact.
See AANW, Page A9
Isabella Crowley/The Observer
From left, Jon Nuxoll, Daniel Bilka and Charles Hamilton from All Aboard
Northwest lead the Train Trek meeting Saturday, Aug. 13, 2022 at Cook Me-
morial Library, La Grande. The purposes of the meeting was to advocate for a
return of passenger rail lines to Oregon, Idaho and Utah.