Peggy L. (Huff ) Fetter Burton
Hermiston
April 29, 1934 — Feb. 1, 2022
Peggy L. (Huff ) Fetter Burton, 87, of
Hermiston, died Feb. 1, 2022, in Hermis-
ton. She was born April 29, 1934, in Bem-
idji, Minnesota. Services are pending.
Arrangements are with Burns Mortuary of
Hermiston. Share memories at www.burns-
mortuaryhermiston.com.
Charlie E. ‘Chuck’ Gee
Richland, Washington
Sept. 16, 1947 — Jan. 29, 2022
Charlie E. “Chuck” Gee, 74, of Rich-
land, Washington, died Jan. 29, 2022, in
Moses Lake, Washington. He was born
Sept. 16, 1947, in Lebanon. A graveside
service with military honors will be Friday,
Feb. 11, 11:30 a.m. at Willamette National
Cemetery, Portland. Arrangements are with
Burns Mortuary of Hermiston. Share mem-
ories at www.burnsmortuaryhermiston.
com.
Eagles along the Columbia
Damon Wesley Locke
Hermiston
Oct. 21, 1976 — Feb. 4, 2022
Damon Wesley Locke, 45, of Hermiston,
died Feb. 4, 2022, in Hermiston. He was
born Oct. 21, 1976, in Pendleton, the son of
Wesley and Carol (Rueber) Locke. A grave-
side service will be Friday Feb. 11, 1 p.m.
at Olney Cemetery, Pendleton. Arrange-
ments are with Burns Mortuary of Hermis-
ton. Share memories at www.burnsmortua-
ryhermiston.com.
Ben Lonergan/Hermiston Herald
Good Shepherd Medical Center, Hermiston
Jan. 20, 2022
BISSINGER — Rebeca Kay Bissinger and Chance Tyler Bissinger of Pendleton: a boy,
Ocean Jo Tyler Bissinger.
Jan. 23, 2022
BANKER — Breyanna Naylor and Taylor Banker of Hermiston: a girl, Solynn Marie
Banker.
Jan. 26, 2022
EICKSTAEDT — Whitney Hoff man and Andrew Eickstaedt of Hermiston: a boy, Gar-
rett James Eickstaedt.
A bald eagle Friday, Feb. 4, 2022, perches atop a tree at the McNary Beach Recreation
Area in Umatilla. Above: An immature bald eagle Friday, Feb. 4, 2022, soars over the
Columbia River at the McNary Beach Recreation Area in Umatilla.
SENTENCES
The following sentences were have been fi led
in Umatilla County Circuit Court (interest,
court costs and fees not listed):
Case Laurence Weems, of Rupert, Idaho, pleaded
guilty to 2021 charges of felony fl eeing, resisting
arrest and second-degree criminal mischief; sen-
tenced to two years probation and $350 in fi nes.
Bridgette Ann Packard, 34, of Stanfi eld, pleaded
guilty to charges of giving false information to a
police offi cer, and a jury convicted her on counts
of possession and delivery of methamphet-
amine; sentenced to 15 months incarceration
with the Oregon Department of Corrections, and
two years of post-prison supervision.
LAWSUITS
The following lawsuits have been fi led in
Umatilla County Circuit Court (interest, court
costs and fees not listed):
Michael J. Johnson, of Weston, vs. William J.
Steele, of Haines, seeks $843.
State Farm Fire and Casualty Insurance vs.
Robin Jean Callaham, Daniel Charles Callaham,
Tanner Ervin Callaham, all of Pendleton, seeks
$188,181.31.
Granite Construction Co., of Californian, vs.
Home Run Land LLC, of Hermiston; Lloyd and
Lois Piercy, of Hermiston; and Bank of Eastern
Oregon: seeks $300,802.92.
The following lawsuits have been fi led in Mor-
row County Circuit Court (interest, court costs
and fees not listed):
Les Schwab Tire Centers of Portland LLC, of Hep-
pner, vs. Kenneth Browne, of Boardman, seeks
$1,592.17.
MARRIAGES
Marriage licenses have been registered in
Umatilla County for:
Pedro Ivan Sanchez Santana, 26, and Thalia
Michelle Russell, 28, both of Hermiston.
Summer Jewell Richmond, 36, and Melvin Ernes-
to Valladares, 43, both of Hermiston.
Jahmal Andrelle Crawford, 25, and Teresa Jeanete
Fernandez, 35, both of Hermiston.
Douglas Dee Bennett, 88, of Echo, and Ruth M.
Otis, 83, of Hermiston.
Mathew Allen Underwood, 41, and Toni Michelle
Bentler, 55, both of Hermiston.
TUESDAY, FEB. 1
2:04 p.m. — A man in custody at the Umatilla
County Jail, Pendleton, told the Morrow County
Sheriff ’s Offi ce he wanted to report the thefts of
two vehicles. A deputy contacted the man and
informed him he could not report vehicle as
stolen that were not registered to him.
10:56 p.m. — An 18-year-old woman in Board-
man reported her boyfriend assaulted her.
She said she was driving and wanted to make
contact with a Morrow County sheriff ’s deputy.
The sheriff ’s offi ce, Boardman police and the
Boardman ambulance responded.
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 2
12:51 a.m. — Hermiston police responded to the
600 block of Northwest 11th Street after a caller
reported an assault. Police took a report.
12:59 p.m. — A Hermiston resident asked to
speak to a detective about fraud. He said a
company in California gave him $4,270 and then
took $1,000 from his account.
2:04 p.m. — Hermiston police initiated activity at
Northeast 10th Street regarding a fi ght.
3:20 p.m. — A Hermiston resident came to the
police department and asked to speak to an of-
fi cer about a scam. She said she received phone
calls all day from a company stating she did not
pick up a phone that she won, so now she will
have to pay them $1,000 or she will go to jail.
She said she has not sent any money.
6:35 p.m. — A trailer fell off a semi at Lamb
Weston, 78153 Westland Road, Hermiston, and a
car crashed into the trailer.
THURSDAY, FEB. 3
8:14 a.m. — A 911 caller reported someone
tried to open her car door while she was in the
car with her child on Joy Lane, Hermiston. Law
enforcement responded.
4:13 p.m. — Law enforcement responded to a
911 call at Enterprise Rent-A-Car, 80515 Highway
395, Hermiston, on a report of two customers
being aggressive with the employee and refus-
ing to leave.
8:10 p.m. — A caller at Columbia View Apart-
ments, 100 Columbia Ave N.W., Boardman,
reported he was walking to his apartment when
a male assaulted him and threatened to hit him
with a rock, and a rock did strike him on the back
of the head.
Ben Lonergan/Hermiston Herald
An immature bald eagle Friday, Feb. 4, 2022, soars over the Columbia River at the
McNary Beach Recreation Area in Umatilla.
intersection of South Highway 395 and South
Dunne Street, Stanfi eld, to remove fl owers from
the road that were causing a traffi c hazard.
SATURDAY, FEB. 5
11:47 a.m. — A vehicle caught fi re at Boardman
Marina & RV Park, 1 Marine Drive N.E., Boardman,
and people used extinguishers to put out the
fi re.
3 p.m. — Emergency services responded to a
vehicle that rolled at Stock Drive Lane and Stoke
Drive Road, Heppner. An ambulance took a
person to Pioneer Memorial Hospital, Heppner.
Morrow County Sheriff ’s Offi ce arrested a wom-
an for two counts of reckless endangerment and
released her. Deputies also cited her for not car-
rying insurance and not having a driver’s license.
8:03 p.m. — Hermiston police responded to
a report of an assault on the 600 block of East
Ridgeway Avenue.
SUNDAY, FEB. 6
10:56 a.m. — A 911 caller reported she was
picking up garbage at the intersection of North
Ott and East Punkin Center roads, Hermiston,
when she came across a dog food bag that was
heavy and emanating a foul order. She request-
ed a Umatilla County sheriff ’s deputy check out
the bag.
5:06 p.m. — A caller reported a male tried to get
into a vehicle at the U.S. Postal Service, 200 First
St. N.W., Boardman, and still was in the parking
lot. Boardman police responded and arrested a
man for resisting arrest, giving false information
to police and second-degree criminal trespass.
Police also cited another man for second-degree
criminal trespass.
9:27 p.m. — A man at a residence on Southwest
Second Street, Irrigon, reported his girlfriend
threw a bottle at his car and broke the window.
Morrow County sheriff ’s deputies responded
and trespassed the man, who did not want to
pursue charges.
MONDAY, FEB. 7
10:33 a.m. — A caller reported the theft of tools
and scrap wire on East Feedville Road, Hermis-
ton.
4:16 p.m. — Local law enforcement respond-
ed to a residence on Northeast North Street,
Hermiston, on a report of a burglary in progress.
Umatilla County Sheriff ’s Offi ce cited a person.
FRIDAY, FEB. 4
ARRESTS, CITATIONS
2:58 p.m. — Police responded to a 911 call re-
porting an accident at Columbia Harvest Foods,
1411 Sixth St., Umatilla, where a female driver
backed a vehicle into multiple vehicles.
3:11 p.m. — A caller reported a female was lying
in the middle of the road at Southeast 13th
Street and Idaho Avenue, Irrigon. The Morrow
County Sheriff ’s Offi ce responded and arrested a
woman for second-degree disorderly conduct.
5:38 p.m. — A 911 caller at Frontier Court, 105
Main St. S., Boardman, reported a vehicle struck
a female. Law enforcement and an ambulance
responded, and a man received a citation for
driving while suspended.
11:44 p.m. — An offi cer initiated activity at the
Feb. 2
• Hermiston police arrested Gerardo Venegas, 32,
for fi rst-degree criminal mischief (vandalism).
• Morrow County Sheriff ’s Offi ce arrested Jennika
Mendoza for driving under the infl uence of in-
toxicants after a caller at 5:03 p.m. on Southwest
Second Street, Irrigon, reported a relative struck
his wife and was heading to work intoxicated.
Feb. 4
• Boardman police arrested Casey Luna Lopez,
31, for third-degree assault.
Feb. 5
• Hermiston police arrested Jacob Richard Mack,
27, for third-degree robbery, fourth-degree
assault and second-degree theft.
Report: Oregon bridges
continue to age, deteriorate
By PETER WONG
Oregon Capital Bureau
The latest report about
bridge conditions on state
highways off ers bad and
good news for Oregon
motorists and truck drivers.
The good news: ODOT
is making progress in
seismic reinforcement of
state bridges, and work
is scheduled to start later
this year on the George
Abernethy Bridge, built in
1970, which carries Inter-
state 205 across the Willa-
mette River between West
Linn and Oregon City. The
work will eventually cover
nine bridges in a sev-
en-mile stretch of I-205
between Staff ord Road
and state Highway 213 in
Oregon City.
The bad news in the 2021
report released last month
by the Oregon Department
of Transportation: The per-
centage of Oregon bridges
deemed to be in “good con-
dition” continues to fall,
from 40% two decades
ago, to 24% in 2021. While
Oregon has relatively few
state bridges in poor con-
dition, the report also says
ODOT is hovering at the
edge of the 78% goal it set
for bridges maintained in
fair condition, and that per-
centage has been dropping
for the past fi ve years.
Time is working against
state bridges, more than
half of which were built
before 1970, during the
interstate highway era. A
bridge has a normal lifes-
pan of 50 years, although its
usefulness can be extended.
Under a 2017 state trans-
portation fi nancing law,
$12 million is generated
annually for bridge repairs,
up from $10 million back
in 2018. The recent federal
infrastructure
fi nancing
law, which President Joe
Biden signed on Nov. 15,
will yield a total of $268
million more earmarked for
bridge repairs over the next
fi ve or six years. The fed-
eral law also off ers oppor-
tunities for states to seek
competitive grants for
bridge work.
Still, at the current rate
of three bridges annually,
it will take 900 years to
replace the 2,750 bridges
in the state system. ODOT
estimates its bridge mainte-
nance backlog at $5 billion.
Robert Van Brocklin
of Portland, chairman of
the Oregon Transportation
Commission, said the new
federal funding helps with
bridges and other trans-
portation needs — but it is
not enough.
“We can make progress
on many of our goals, but
we cannot solve the vast
majority of our funding
problems with the money
from this legislation,” he
said in a statement after a
commission meeting Jan.
20. “We also need to pursue
other revenue sources to
produce sustainable trans-
portation funding to invest
in a reliable, diverse trans-
portation system.”
The bridge problem is
not new. After state high-
way offi cials posted load
limits on some bridges on
Interstate 5 — Oregon’s
main north-south corridor
— the 2003 Legislature
approved a $2.5-billion
fi nancing plan, $1.6 bil-
lion of which went to fi x-
ing state and local bridges
on key freight routes.
In addition to I-5 and
I-84, Oregon’s main east-
west route, ODOT iden-
tifi ed these highways as
Fix-It priority routes a
decade ago: U.S. High-
way 97 through Cen-
tral Oregon; U.S. High-
way 20 between Bend and
Burns, U.S. Highway 26
between Portland and the
north coast, state Highway
18 from the Portland area
to the coast; parts of U.S.
Highway 101 on the coast,
and state Highway 58 from
south of Eugene to High-
way 97.
But the report says
important bridges, such
as the Columbia Slough
Bridge that off ers access
to the industrial area on
Marine Drive in Portland,
are left out because they are
not on state highways and
not on priority routes. Built
in 1933, the main span of
that bridge has steel gird-
ers supported by a concrete
foundation, but 11 other
spans are timber.
Unlike pavement con-
ditions on highways, there
are few alternatives for
poor conditions on bridges,
other than load limits or
long detours.
As for seismic rein-
forcement, the ODOT
report says that work has
been done on the northern
half of vulnerable bridges
on U.S. Highway 97 —
a north-south route that
cuts through Central Ore-
gon — and construction
will start on bridges in the
southern half.
Of four seismic proj-
ects in Southern Oregon,
one is complete, one is
under construction, and
two are in design.
The Abernethy Bridge
retrofi tting
will
start
with new foundations
and a widening of lanes.
A total of nine I-205
bridges between Staff ord
Road and the Highway
213 interchange in Ore-
gon City will be retrofi t-
ted or replaced, depend-
ing on surveys. When the
project is completed, the
Abernethy Bridge will be
the fi rst at a major river
crossing in Oregon that is
built to withstand a major
earthquake.
“We are hopeful that
there will be more oppor-
tunities to apply for addi-
tional funds” under the
federal law for other proj-
ects, the report says.
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