NEWS
MyEagleNews.com
Wednesday, December 22, 2021
A7
Judge nixes deal
in Uber attack
Grain co-op eyes the end
Tetherow on the west side of
Bend. Three of his friends had
to “place” him in the vehicle
BEND — Charged with when it arrived, according to
attacking his female Uber driver Anderson.
in 2020, Mark Mastalir came to
As a female Uber driver
his sentencing hearing
concerned for her
in Bend having agreed
safety at night, Bowlin
to a plea deal involving
took several precau-
tions, including carry-
community service and
ing a stun gun, pepper
probation.
But judges aren’t
spray, a police baton
bound by negotiated
and mounting a dash
settlements, and on
camera.
Mastalir
Thursday, Deschutes
In the dash cam
County Circuit Judge
footage,
Mastalir
Ray Crutchley told a courtroom repeatedly calls Bowlin “baby,”
“it’s difficult for me to contem- and he tells her, “I want you. I
plate” a sentence for attacking want to have you,” to which
a transportation provider that she replies, “I’m just your Uber
doesn’t involve incarceration.
driver. I’m taking you home.”
“This has got to be one of
When Mastalir believed
the more egregious things that Bowlin had missed his turn, he
could happen to someone in the allegedly leaned forward over
transportation services indus- the center console and grabbed
try,” Crutchley said. “And what her arm, causing her to swerve.
a scary and traumatic event this She pulled over and used her
must have been for her.”
stun gun on Mastalir and also
In the end, Crutchley gave attempted to use her pepper
Mastalir, a former running spray, but struck only the seat.
phenom and tech executive, a
Outside the car, Mas-
10-day jail sentence, to begin talir again grabbed Bowlin,
in February, and increased his according to prosecutors. She
community service obligation allegedly struck him with the
baton repeatedly in the head,
to 48 hours.
A $3-million lawsuit Mas- falling to the ground along with
talir filed against the driver, Mastalir during the struggle.
Rhonda Bowlin, remains pend-
Bowlin got back in her car,
ing, with both maintaining they drove off and called 911. Both
were victims on the night of police and paramedics noted
March 21, 2020.
in their reports Bowlin was
Bowlin, who is seeking a “clearly” traumatized by the
half-million dollars in a coun- incident, Anderson said.
terclaim, did not attend the
Mastalir was arrested and
hearing.
taken to St. Charles Bend,
“It is my understanding that where several large lacera-
due to the serious nature of this tions on his scalp were closed
incident and the impact on her, with staples. In January, with
she is not in agreement with his criminal case still pending,
the resolution that was reached Mastalir hired a civil attorney to
between the parties,”’ pros- sue Bowlin for assault and def-
ecutor Mary Anderson told amation, seeking nearly $3 mil-
the judge. “There were some lion for “extreme violence” and
legal and factual issues with allegedly lying about the inci-
the case that ultimately led the dent to police and media.
Bowlin tried to get Uber to
state not to proceed with certain
help cover the costs of fighting
charges.”
Reached after the sentenc- the lawsuit, but the ride-hailing
ing, Bowlin’s Portland-based company refused, according to
civil attorney Greg Kafoury Kafoury.
said, “We’ll see him at his next
A spokeswoman for Uber
hearing.”
declined to comment on the
“Mastalir is a bully, a drunk incident but said Mastalir was
and now a convicted criminal,” deactivated as an Uber rider
Kafoury said. “He tried to use since shortly after the incident.
his wealth and power to intim- Uber has added several safety
idate my client by suing her for features to its app, including
millions of dollars. She stood an emergency button riders
tall, refused to buckle, and we and drivers can use to call 911,
will meet Mr. Mastalir before a according to spokeswoman
jury in our civil case.”
Navideh Forghani.
A 10-minute dashcam clip
Mastalir was sanctioned by
taken from Bowlin’s vehicle the court in November after
providing partial view of the a woman spotted him drink-
incident was published by The ing alcohol at an establish-
ment in San Francisco, where
Bulletin in November.
Bowlin, a former Bend fire- he lives most of the year and
fighter and mother of six, picked worked, until his arrest, for
up Mastalir around midnight, “neurotechnology” firm Halo
bound for Mastalir’s home in Nueroscience.
PENDLETON — It’s the
end of an era.
Pendleton Grain Growers
announced Thursday, Dec.
16, it had distributed more
than $12 million to its more
than 1,000 members as it
fully winds down operations.
PGG members who didn’t
pick up a check in person at
the Dec. 15 meeting will get
their checks in the mail.
Members were paid in
“patronage.”
PGG Board President
Tim Hawkins explained that
before the grain cooperative
shut down most of its oper-
ations, a portion of its pro-
ceeds were put into a patron-
age account that was paid out
to members on a revolving
basis every 10-12 years. But
instead of members getting
a cut of operational profits,
PGG was distributing money
from the co-op’s methodi-
cal sale of all its assets and
properties.
It’s been five years since
Pendleton Grain Growers
members voted to dissolve
the once-venerable co-op, but
PGG remained in operation as
the organization looked to pay
back debts and find buyers to
fill in its vast footprint.
According to “PGG —
The Story of a Cooperative,”
a 1979 history by Virgil Rupp,
PGG was conceived on Dec.
21, 1929, by a group of local
farmers looking to address
cratering wheat prices brought
about by the Great Depression.
PGG was officially incorpo-
rated the following year.
“The farmers had more
faith and hope than money, as
they signed up 500,000 bush-
els of production to take part
in the new cooperative,” Rupp
wrote.
PGG turned a profit in its
first year and only grew from
there.
At its height, the co-op had
thousands of members and not
only offered services in grain,
seed, agronomy, energy and
irrigation but also retail stores
and vehicle service centers.
The PGG logo could be found
on buildings across Eastern
Oregon and was a sponsor and
contributor to scores of com-
munity organizations, busi-
nesses and events.
By GARRETT ANDREWS
The Bulletin
By ANTONIO SIERRA
East Oregonian
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian
The Pendleton Grain Growers logo sits illuminated Thursday, Dec. 16, 2021, on the agricultur-
al cooperative’s former headquarters in Pendleton. PGG announced that morning it paid more
than $12 million to its more than 1,000 members as it heads to dissolution.
But by 2016, the co-op
found itself in a much more
precarious financial situation.
PGG overstated its earn-
ings in 2010 and 2011, and
the U.S. Department of Agri-
culture temporarily suspended
the co-op’s warehouse license
in 2012 because of discrepan-
cies in its audits. PGG ran in
the red in 2013 and 2014 and
soon found itself millions of
dollars in debt.
By the time members
voted to dissolve the coopera-
tive, Pendleton Grain Growers
already was in the process of
selling off its retail property and
agronomy division. The vote
opened up the door for PGG to
sell off the rest of its divisions.
PGG sold its grain division
to United Grain Corp. and
then swiftly sold many of its
non-Pendleton retail buildings
to businesses and nonprof-
its. But some of PGG’s most
prominent Pendleton proper-
ties stayed with PGG until the
dominos began to fall in 2020
and 2021.
La Grande-based Hines
Meat Co. acquired the for-
mer PGG Energy building,
The MacGregor Co. took on
the McKennon Station and
Eastern Oregon Rentals, in an
auction, bought the old PGG
headquarters.
Hawkins said it’s been
a long road from the disso-
lution vote until now, but
he feels good about PGG’s
position. The co-op avoided
bankruptcy, paid off all of its
debt and has now sold most
of its properties. Hawkins
said he expects PGG to dis-
solve completely in mid 2022
East Oregonian, File/East Oregonian
Vern Nelson works on a sign on the newly constructed Pend-
leton Grain Growers headquarters in early 1951 in Pendleton.
after it finishes selling its final
three properties and resolves
some patronages it has with
other companies that should
lead to more payments to
members.
If PGG sticks to its antic-
ipated timeline, it will go out
of existence eight years shy
of its 100th anniversary.
For Hawkins, having the
end in sight is a bittersweet
experience. His father was
once on the PGG board, and
Hawkins never liked the idea
of PGG closing for good. But
he said the board worked hard
to match the properties it sold
with strong organizations,
and PGG is ending its life by
putting money back into the
pockets of farmers.
“It makes you feel like
what you did the last six to
seven years was worth it,” he
said.
Showing Movies Since 1940!
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December 22-30
THE MATRIX
RESURRECTIONS
(R)
Return to a world of two realities: one, everyday life; the
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Daily
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(PG)
Animation. Buster Moon and his friends must persuade
reclusive rock star Clay Calloway to join them for the
opening of a new show.
Daily
1:20, 4:20, 7:20
SPIDER-MAN
NO WAY HOME
(PG-13)
Peter asks Doctor Strange for help. When a spell goes
wrong, dangerous foes from other worlds start to appear,
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Daily
12:45, 4:00, 7:10
**SHOWTIMES SUBJECT TO CHANGE. VISIT
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S270932-1
www.eltrym.com
(541) 523-2522
Committee Volunteers Needed
Grant County is now Recruiting Volunteers to Serve on Active Boards and Committees
Applications are Due by WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2022
Obtain an Application to Volunteer from the County Court, 201 S. Humbolt, No. 280, Canyon City, OR 97820
Online at Committee Volunteer Application or contact (541-575-0059) GCCourtAdmin@grantcounty-or.gov
Committees are formal public bodies required to comply with Oregon Public Meetings Law ORS 192.610.
College Advisory Board
Seven members plus three ex-officio members serve a three year term and meet monthly to promote local educational
opportunities and identify educational needs within the community.
Extension & 4-H Service District Advisory Council
Eleven members serve three year terms and meet semi-annually to provide guidance and assistance to local OSU
Extension staff in planning, developing, and evaluating balanced educational programs directed to high priority needs
of county residents. Membership is limited to one re-appointment.
Extension & 4H Service District Budget Committee
Members include two advisory members and a member-at-large serving three year terms. Annual meetings include
the County Court and are held to receive, deliberate, revise and approve the annual budget as provided by the District
Budget Officer. Any proposed programs are discussed and considered.
Mental Health Advisory Board
Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office
A member of the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office search and
rescue team.
Snowmobilers
rescued near Bend
By BRENNA VISSER
The Bulletin
BEND — Two lost snow-
mobile riders were res-
cued by a Deschutes County
Sheriff’s Office search and
rescue team late Thursday,
Dec. 16.
Around 4 p.m. on Thurs-
day, the Deschutes County
dispatch center received a
call from a snowmobile rider
who reported being lost in
the area of Moon Mountain,
southwest of Bend, the sher-
iff’s office said in a release.
The lost riders were only
identified as a 56-year-old
man from Winnemucca,
Nevada, and a 38-year-old
Bend resident.
The two riders became
disoriented due to weather
and snow conditions, as well
as being unfamiliar with the
trail system, according to the
sheriff’s office. The two rid-
ers tried to navigate out of
the area for an hour and a half
until they lost daylight and
became more disoriented.
A search and rescue snow-
mobile team was sent to the
Dutchman Flat Sno-park fol-
lowing the rider’s phone call.
When the search and res-
cue team reached the area by
snowmobile, poor visibil-
ity from weather conditions
made reaching the riders too
dangerous, according to the
sheriff’s office.
So the team snowshoed
until locating the riders by
roughly 8 p.m. The riders
were uninjured and brought
back to their vehicles at the
sno-park, according to the
sheriff’s office.
Seven members (including two consumer representatives) serve three year terms and meet no less than quarterly
to facilitate the provision of quality mental health services to county residents and enhance community knowledge
of available programs and services. Acts as the Local Alcohol and Drug Planning Commission and Developmental
Disabilities Advisory Board. The board is a formal public body required to comply with Oregon Public Meetings Law
ORS 192.610.
Planning Commission
Nine members serve a four year term and two alternates serve a two year term, meeting as needed to review land
use and zoning applications and discuss city and county growth issues and siting new facilities. Members must be
residents of various geographic areas within the county and no more than two voting members shall be engaged in
the same kind of business, occupation, trade or profession with agriculture designations of livestock / forage crop
production and horticulture / specialty crop production. Commissioners serving in this capacity must file an Annual
Verified Statement of Economic Interest with the Oregon Government Ethics Commission. Members must re-apply
to the County Court before their term ends if they wish to be re-appointed. The commission is a formal public body
required to comply with Oregon Public Meetings Law ORS 192.610.
Senior Citizens Advisory Council
ORS 410.210. Five members serve three year terms and meet semi-annually to define the needs of older adults,
promote special interests and local community involvement, and represent senior citizens as an advocate to the local,
state and federal government and other organizations.
Sera
The alliance provides a forum for local government agencies and the private sector to discuss, understand and coor-
dinate long range transportation issues affecting the south east Oregon region including Grant, Harney and Malheur
counties. The alliance acts as the Area Commission on Transportation. It reviews the process for determining trans-
portation infrastructure and capital investments in the south east region, recommends priorities, and advises Oregon
Transportation Commission on state and regional policies affecting the region’s transportation system. Five members,
plus one alternate, serve three year terms as Grant County representatives. Daytime meetings are held monthly, or as
needed, at locations rotating among the three counties.
Wildlife Advisory Board
Created by Resolution 1993-29. Nine members serve three year terms and meet as needed to discuss issues re-
garding big game management and make recommendations to Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife, including tag
allocation and hunting season structure as they relate to population and damage of property.
Wolf Depredation Advisory Committee
OAR 603-019-0015. Members include one County Commissioner, two members who own or manage livestock and
two members who support wolf conservation or coexistence with wolves. These members agree upon two business
representatives to serve as additional members. The committee oversees the procedure established by Grant County
for its Wolf Depredation Compensation Program. The current vacancy is for a business representative.
S274425-1