REGION
Saturday, August 27, 2022
East Oregonian
Incoming Morrow County Commissioner
Wenholz subject of ethics investigation
By MARCO
GRAMACHO
East Oregonian
HEPPNER — An incom-
ing Morrow County commis-
sioner is the subject of a state
ethics investigation.
The Oregon Govern-
ment Ethics Commission
on Aug. 19 voted to investi-
gate Jeff Wenholz for possi-
ble violations. Wenholz in
the May primary won a slim
victory to serve in Position 2
on the Morrow County Board
of Commissioners. He takes
offi ce for a four-year term in
January 2023.
The ethics commission
scheduled a public meeting to
discuss the fi nding of cause on
Feb. 3.
Jonathan Tallman in March
sent the ethics commission
a written complaint against
Wenholz, chair of the Morrow
County Planning Commission,
indicating Wenholz may have
used his position for fi nancial
gain and may have failed to
report additional income on
his 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019
Annual Verifi ed Statements of
Economic Interest.
In the complaint, Tall-
man explained that Wenholz,
besides the commissioner’s take his family’s land. He and
position, is the vice president his parents own a coff ee shop
of the board of directors for in Boardman in which they sell
the Umatilla Electric Cooper- their fruits and vegetables.
ative, and director of
“Amazon Web
LS Networks (a high-
Services has moved
speed business fiber
in right next door and
internet company).
has teamed up with
The conflict of
UEC, by using the law
interest, according to
of eminent domain, to
Tallman, lies in that
take my parents’ land
away from them. They
Wenholz failed to
disclose he is compen-
Wenholz
intend to use the land
sated from UEC and
to put in a 230 kilovolt
failed to recuse himself from power line to deliver electricity
discussion on several land use to their business,” he said.
proposals involving UEC in his
According to Tallman, his
role as a Morrow County plan- family off ered to work with
ning commissioner.
UEC and Amazon to fi nd a
Wenholz denied there is way to compromise and bene-
anything to Tallman’s claims. fi t both of them.
He explained there is no
“They would rather just
conflict of interest because take the land for their own
UEC is a 501(c) organization. personal use,” he complained.
This is a designation under the
Tallman said he remem-
United States Internal Revenue bers that around 1994 he met
Code that confers tax-exempt Wenholz and they used to play
status on nonprofi t organiza- basketball together.
tions. Specifi cally, it identifi es
“I still consider Jeff a friend
which nonprofi t organizations of mine, but he thinks he is
are exempt from paying federal above all of us,” he said.
income tax.
Wenholz, who lives in Irri-
“These accusations have no gon, has served on the Morrow
foundation,” Wenholz said.
County Solid Waste Advi-
Tallman also accuses sory Committee and Morrow
Umatilla Electric Cooperative County Planning Commission.
of working with Amazon to Additionally, he served on the
Morrow County Umatilla
Chemical Depot Citizens
Advisory Commission for 11
years.
He has also served for the
past fi ve years on the Morrow
County Budget Committee,
and since 2019, on the Good
Shepherd Medical Center
Board of Trustees.
He narrowly defeated
Melissa Lindsay of Heppner
for Position 2 on the Morrow
County Board of Commis-
sioners in the May 17 primary
election.
Lindsay received 1,287
votes to Wenholz 1,313, with
six write-ins, for a total cast
of 2,606. Wenholz received
50.4% to Lindsay’s 49.4% in
the fi nal tally. He received a
majority of votes, plus one; the
number required to win was
1,304.
The race did not qualify for
an automatic recount, despite
Wenholz’s thin margin of
victory, county Clerk Bobbi
Childers reported at the time.
To qualify requires a diff er-
ence of just a fi fth of 1% of all
votes, or about 5.2 in this case,
well below Wenholz’s 26-vote
advantage. That’s just under a
1% diff erence. Childers certi-
fi ed the results on June 8.
National Weather Service predicts more hot days
By JOHN TILLMAN
East Oregonian
PEN DLETON
—
Another round of excessive
heat is on the way to the
Pacifi c Northwest, and much
of Eastern Oregon is right in
the heart of it.
The National Weather
Service’s Climate Predic-
tion Center on Tuesday,
Aug. 23. issued a U.S.
Hazards Outlook valid for
Aug. 31 to Sept. 6 at noon.
The CPC warned of
moderate risk of excessive
heat from portions of the
Pacifi c Northwest through
the Northern Rockies. It
found slight risk of exces-
sive heat in portions of the
Pacific Northwest, Great
Basin, Northern Intermoun-
tain Region, Central and
Northern Rockies and the
Northern Plains for Aug. 31
to Sept. 4.
The CPC’s models agreed
the two-week forecast period
starts with a strong mid-level
ridge centered over western
North America, extending
eastward toward the middle of
the continent. This is expected
to maintain an increased
potential for excessive heat
over parts of the central and
western Lower 48 through the
middle of the period.
The NWS in Pendleton on
its website reported Northeast-
ern Oregon and nearby areas
have at least a 40% chance of
excessive heat Aug. 31-Sept. 2,
with at least a 20% chance for
those highs on Sept. 3 and 4.
Long-range models have high
temperatures of 95 to 105.
Normal highs for Sept. 1
and 2, Thursday and Friday
next week, are 80 to 88 degrees,
the NWS website said.
Neighbor 2 Neighbor, 715
S.E. Court Ave., did open up
cooling stations earlier this
year, Vice Chair Shirley West-
fall said.
“What we found out was
that most were going to the
casino,” she added. “So not
much demand here.”
Chair Dwight Johnson
said Neighbor 2 Neighbor has
guidelines for when to open
cooling stations.
“When we have sustained
triple digit highs, as earlier
this summer, then we consider
opening up,” he reported. “It
depends on how many consec-
utive days over 100 are fore-
cast.”
Stepping Stones Alliance,
Hermiston, which offers
warming stations in winter, is
not operational.
“We will begin operations
in time for the 2022/23 winter
season,” SSA said in an email.
CHI ST. ANTHONY HOSPITAL
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian, File
A total of 39 health care technical workers Wednesday,
Aug. 23, 2022, at CHI St. Anthony Hospital in Pendleton
voted for union representation through the Oregon
Nurses Association.
Technical health care
workers vote to unionize
showed that today with our
union victory. We are health
PENDLETON — Thir- care workers fi ghting for the
ty-nine health care techni- well-being of our commu-
cal workers Wednesday, nity and every patient that
Aug. 23, at CHI St. Anthony comes through our doors.”
Hospital in Pendleton voted
CHI St. Anthony CEO
for union representation Harry Geller said hospi-
through the Oregon Nurses tal administration “will
continue working together
Association.
The association in a to fulfill our primary
press release reported the concern, providing the high-
est quality of health
technical workers
care to our patients,
identified a wide
while maintaining a
range of issues in
favor of organizing
pleasant workplace
a union, including
environment for
ensuring safe staff -
all. Every voice has
ing, providing high
been heard.”
quality care for
With a success-
Geller
patients and their
ful vote, members
community and
will now move on
seeking equitable wages. to electing a bargaining
Katie Heath, a radiology team, circulating surveys to
technologist at CHI St. determine key issues to be
Anthony, said the vote was the focus of bargaining with
a victory for worker protec- management and setting
tions and collective bargain- bargaining dates to achieve
ing rights, just as the nurses their fi rst contract.
This vote is one of a
at the hospital do.
“We as health care work- number of successful new
ers have the power to change union organizing drives
our future and have a voice across the state in which
in the workplace,” she said ONA has participated,
in the press release. “We including eff orts of health
have the power to create care workers with the St.
the work environment Charles Health System in
our patients, families and Bend, providers in Eugene
community deserve. We as and nurses at Samaritan
employees are not numbers North Lincoln City hospital
and our voices matter. We in Lincoln City.
East Oregonian
P ENDLETON ’ S
MOST
September Events
Pendleton Farmers’ Market
PENDLETON
Downtown Pendleton
Every Friday, 4-7PM
ROUND-UP
PCA Creation Station
Pendleton Center for the Arts
September 1st, 11AM-3PM
Jam Night
Pendleton Center for the Arts
September 1st, 7PM
Sweet n’ Juicy
40 Taps
September 1st, 7-10PM
Ladies Golf Classic
Wildhorse Resort & Casino
September 2nd – 4th
Get Wild in Pendleton
Downtown Pendleton
September 3rd, 11AM-10PM
Artist Reception: Lisa Jarrett
Crow’s Shadow Institute of the Arts
September 8th, 5PM
Round-Up Grounds &
Happy Canyon Arena
September 10th – 17th
Shop Local, Grow Your Heritage
138 SE Court Ave.
Tuesday - Saturday
10 AM - 4 PM
Hall of Fame Inductee Banquet
Pendleton Convention Center
September 11th, 12-7PM
Bart Budwig
Great Pacific
September 14th, 7-9PM
Sum People
40 Taps
September 15th, 7-9PM
First Draft Writer’s Series
Pendleton Center for the Arts
September 15th, 7-8:30PM
Jacob Jolliff
Pendleton Center for the Arts
September 21st, 3PM
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