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.
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