Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 3, 2016)
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2016 HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A3 LOCAL NEWS Entry road to event center named for Chet Prior Board sets rates for EOTEC rental By JADE McDOWELL Staff Writer The Eastern Oregon Trade and Event Center board will honor former board chair Chet Prior by naming the project’s entry road after him. Board member Dan Dorran said during Friday’s meeting that after the years of hard work and leadership Prior put into the project before his death, he want- ed Prior’s name to be the ¿rst thing people saw while heading into EOTEC. Oth- er board members agreed. “I think it will be a great honor for him,” board chair Byron Smith said. After some disagree- ment over whether to use the name Chet — which Two injured in ATV crash Two local men are in the hospital after crashing an all-terrain vehicle into a car Saturday near Hermiston. The Umatilla County Sheriff’s Of¿ce in a state- ment Monday morning reported the crash is under investigation and did not release the names of the people involved, but fami- ly members con¿rmed the younger victim was Kelly Nobles, 18, from Umatilla. The crash happened a few minutes before 6 p.m. at Kik and West Punkin Center roads, according to the sheriff’s of¿ce daily bulletin. The written state- ment from the department reported a 53-year-old Hermiston man was driv- ing the four-wheeler and an 18-year old Umatilla man was a passenger. They were going south on Kik Road and drove into the side of a vehicle that was traveling westbound on West Punkin Center Road. “Both men were thrown from the four wheeler onto the roadway; neither was wearing hel- mets,” the statement said. An ambulance took the driver to Good Shepherd Medical Center, Hermis- ton, and then an air ambu- lance Àew him to Kadlec Regional Medical Center, Richland, Washington. “At last report, he was unconscious and in critical condition,” according to the sheriff’s of¿ce. An ambulance also took Nobles to Good Shep- herd, which transferred him to Legacy Emmanuel Hospital, Portland. No- bles’ father Kelly Nobles Sr. said Monday afternoon that his son had a fractured skull and bleeding on his brain, but the bleeding was from the skull fracture and not the brain itself. He is awake and talking and ex- pected to be released from Legacy Emmanuel in a few days. most people knew Prior by — or his given name Ches- ter, the board approved a motion that would name the road after Prior but leave it to his family to choose be- tween Chester and Chet. On Friday the board welcomed Angela Young as the new project manager for EOTEC. Frew Develop- ment Group hired Young, of Hermiston, to manage con- struction of EOTEC and the Blue Mountain Community College bond project in co- ordination with Frew’s vice president and senior project manager Rob Dreier. Dreier reported con- struction of the event center was on schedule and con- tractors were “putting on the ¿nishes and starting to clean up places.” G2 Con- struction plans to turn over the keys in March. EOTEC business man- ager Heather Cannell said ies outside of Hermiston that were less aware of the proj- ect’s details and its potential to bene¿t the region. He said many people said the infor- mation had been “eye-open- ing” for them and donations were coming in from around Umatilla County and even outside the county. To help with future fundraising for the Umatil- la County Fair and Farm- City Pro Rodeo, which will be held at EOTEC upon its completion, the board passed a resolution support- ing a bill sponsored by Rep. Greg Smith, R-Heppner, that would allow Friends of the Fair and Rodeo, Inc. to enter into an agreement with the Oregon State Lot- tery Commission to admin- ister a rafÀe for its behalf. Dorran said if the bill passed in its proposed form people would be able to go into any lottery location in the state and ¿ll out a form guessing the day and time the temperature would next hit 100 degrees in Herm- iston. The money raised would go to the Friends of the Fair and Rodeo. The bill speci¿cally names the nonpro¿t in- stead of leaving it open to any nonpro¿t in the state to enter into an agreement with the state lottery, which made it “somewhat of a long shot,” Dorran said. “It’s a very unique ap- proach and if it does get implemented there will be a lot of eyes on it,” he said. The EOTEC board will hold a special meeting Fri- day, Feb. 5, at 7 a.m. at the Stafford Hansell Govern- ment Center in Hermiston to discuss approval of bid packages, including light- ing and paving, and discuss ongoing design work for the barns and rodeo arena. POLICE ARREST UMATILLA MAN IN MEACHAM MURDER Local and state police re- sponded at about 3:30 a.m. Joseph Aaron McIver of Wednesday to a 9-1-1 call Umatilla was charged Thurs- about a shooting near mile- post 233 on the Oregon day with murder in Old Trail Highway in the shooting death of the Meacham area on Thadd Nelson of Mea- the Umatilla Indian cham. Reservation. Nelson Two other men also lived at 67457 on that are in Umatilla County highway. Jail, Pendleton, in con- Marnie Elder is nection to the crime. Nelson’s sister. She Umatilla County Joseph Mclver said in an email she District Attorney Dan learned her brother re- Primus said he could turned home Wednes- not provide details of day morning and found the crime while the po- someone attempting lice investigation con- to steal one of his ve- tinues. Nelson’s family hicles. It was unclear said they are reeling what happened at that from the loss. point, she said, “except Primus arraigned that he was shot and the trio Thursday after- Edward Ayala killed.”. noon in separate cases. Nelson’s daughter, They appeared in cir- Ashlyn Nelson, said cuit court in Pendleton she heard about her via video from the jail. father’s death through The state charged social media and called McIver, 22, of 81765 her grandparents, Su- Harbor Lights Lane, san and Steve Nelson, Umatilla, with the lone who live in California. count of murder with a “I had to be the one ¿rearm. The judge set Armando Vargas to say he got shot and McIver’s bail at $10 didn’t make it,” Ashlyn million. Edward Duarte Ayala, 46, said. Elder said her brother was and Armando Vargas, 39, ap- peared before Circuit Judge outgoing and charismatic and Lynn Hampton. They said never met a stranger. “He had the ability to en- they live with others at 1065 W. Juanita Ave., Hermiston. gage an entire room telling a The state charged Ayala with tall tale of ¿shing or hunting,” felon in possession of a ¿re- she said, “and was funny arm, unauthorized use of a enough to be a professional vehicle and attempt to Àee comedian.” Thadd Nelson became a police. Vargas faces charges of felon in possession of a general contractor after mov- ¿rearm and unlawful use of a ing to Pendleton in 1995 and developed a large clientele in weapon. Police used a spike strip Umatilla County and Wash- to stop Ayala, Primus told the ington, according to Elder. court, and caught him with at He also worked for wineries least ¿ve guns in his posses- in Sonoma and Mendocino sion. Primus also said both counties in California. El- men had substantial criminal der said her brother was a histories in Fresno, Califor- skilled stone mason, and the nia, including for domestic violence and weapons crimes. He said Vargas moved to Hermiston in the last week. Hampton set bail at $30,000 each and also set preliminary hearings for Wednesday, when they can enter pleas. By PHIL WRIGHT Staff Writer PHOTOS CONTRIBUTED BY MARNIE ELDER Thadd Nelson stands next to his masonry work in the late 1990s. He was a skilled stone mason, according to his sister, Marnie Elder. Nelson was killed Wednesday in Meacham. TV show “This Old House” featured one of her brother’s jobs. Ashlyn Nelson said her father’s construction compa- ny folded during the reces- sion, so he traveled for work, including to California and more recently in Hermiston. Ashlyn was born in Boise and moved back there in 2010, but for a time attended Pend- leton High School and lived with her father. She said she cherished those years. “It was just the two of us,” she said. “He was a hard-working man, a good man.” He is survived by his par- ents, his daughters Ashlyn and Alexa Nelson, his sister Marnie Elder, and his niece Savannah Elder. Anyone with details about the crime can contact the Umatilla Tribal Police De- partment at 541-278-0550 or the Umatilla County dispatch center at 541-966-3651, -3652 and or -3653. It’s not like her. Mom has always been so patient, but now when I ask her questions she gets angry. We can help. 1-855-ORE-ADRC HelpForAlz.org OREGON DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES PROGRAM Happy Birthday! Celebrate 90 with Verla Jean Zielke! Two arrested for killing, butchering cow Two Umatilla County men were arrested Friday for killing and butchering a cow, according to Oregon State Police. Anthony Haigh, 21, of Stan¿eld, and TJ Kestler, 20, of Hermiston, were both charged with theft, criminal mischief, criminal trespass with a ¿rearm, animal abuse and interfering with agricul- tural operations. In addition, Haigh, who was already in the Umatilla County Jail on unrelated charges, was charged as a felon in posses- sion of a ¿rearm. A third adult male, not yet named, was not taken into custody but may be charged with theft and criminal tres- passing, depending on the district attorney’s of¿ce. The crime took place sometime during the night its marketing fund. Owner Randy Cole requested the money to pay for building pens on the fairgrounds so that he could afford to continue having the sale in Hermiston. He said the event brings between 2,000 and 3,000 people to town three times a year. “It’s the biggest sale in the Northwest and people associate it with Hermis- ton,” he said. The board got an update from fundraising commit- tee chair Dennis Barnett, who said they had raised $509,000 as of Wednesday. “We have a $2 million goal and we still think that’s reachable,” he said. “Nothing’s changed our mind about that.” The largest donation was from an individual who donat- ed $100,000 in stock, he said. Barnett said the committee had been busy traveling to cit- people have begun calling to inquire about reserving the center. She presented a proposed rate schedule, which the board approved. The rate schedule would charge $1,200 for rental of the 12,000-square-foot cen- ter, plus $400 for set-up and tear-down, $300 for janito- rial and $150 for kitchen use for a total of $2,050. That compares to a total of $1,850 for the 8,000-square- foot Hermiston Conference Center and $1,100 for the 13,216-square-foot Pendle- ton Convention Center. Renting a meeting room would cost $150 for one room or $250 for two, and $100 for the smaller board room. Cannell said she planned to cut rates in half for non- pro¿ts. On Friday the board also approved a $2,000 grant to the Hermiston Horse Sale Extravaganza out of V alentine Dinner for Two Sunday, February 14th 12:30pm to 3:00pm First Christian Church of Jan. 14 off Feedville Road in Stan¿eld, where a cow was found killed and partially butchered the next morning. 775 W. Highland, Hermiston CONCEALED CARRY PERMIT CLASS Oregon - Utah - Valid 35 States HERMISTON It’s the small touches that mean so much! Choose between our heart shaped steak for two or our 1/3# hamburger patties. Stop or call to pre-order by 2/8/2016 Best Western: 2255 Highway 395 South February 19 th • 1:00 pm & 6:00 pm Walk-Ins Welcome! OR/Utah: (Valid in WA) $80.00 or Oregon only: $45 www.FirearmTrainingNW.com • FirearmTrainingNW@gmail.com 360-921-2071 541-567-2011 253 W. Hermiston Ave., Hermiston
