LATEST NEWS

ODOT PENDLETON MAINTENANCE STATION WASH PAD IMPROVEMENTS Bids due: July 21, 2023 @ 11:00 AM INVITATION TO BID Solicitation documents for the following invitation to bid are available on the State of Oregon’s e-Procurement system, OregonBuys: https://oregonbuys.gov/bso/. ...

PENDLETON – The InterMountain Education Service District is pulling back from providing internet technology services to government bodies and nonprofit organizations. Superintendent Mark Mulvihill said the increasing complexity in areas of fiber optics and cyber security coupled with a workforce shortage has caused the district to narrow its focus.

PENDLETON, Ore. — Anyone who walks into Rod Retherford's saddle shop in Pendleton, Oregon, will find a display of photographs detailing some incredible moments in his life. From riding bulls and bucking horses, to playing football for Washington State University and professionally in the Canadian Football League.

PENDLETON — After installing a set of security cameras, Pendleton Underground Tours Executive Director Brooke Armstrong discovered who was using the sub-surface entrance to her property as a public toilet. “This has been going on forever," she said. "We have not just had people only urinate, but take bowel...

PENDLETON – An autopsy was conducted on the person found in the burned residence at 628 S. Main St. last week. Police Chief Chuck Byram said the Oregon State Police Medical Examiner’s Office reports he died due to injuries related to the fire. He was identified as James M. Barlow, a 36-year-old transient.

Amazon’s Pasco complex still idle, but Amazon Web Services is doubling down in Eastern Oregon.

WALLA WALLA – Mechanical failure on a piece of heavy equipment has delayed the opening of the newly constructed 11-mile stretch of U.S. 12 between Nine Mile Hill and Frenchtown Vicinity. Originally anticipated to open Friday afternoon, Atkinson Construction project manager Jeremy Puetz said the opening won’t happen until after Memorial Day, possibly Tuesday or Wednesday.

A motorist was LifeFlighted out of the area Tuesday after crashing into a car and then into a building on 11th Street in Hermiston. Hermiston police responded to a report of a vehicle crash around 3:38 p.m. near the intersection of 11th Street and Juanita Avenue. Upon arrival, officers discovered Devin Gaytan of Hermiston, driving a 2000 Honda CRV, had crashed into a 2018 Honda Civic driven by Marisol Villarreal of Hermiston and continued across a field and into a parking lot before crashing into Mirasol Family Health Center, 589 N.W. 11th St.

A dozen educators/school district employees from Morrow County and west Umatilla County were recognized with 2023 Crystal Apple Excellence in Education Awards. The InterMountain Education Service District presented the 23rd annual ceremony May 16 at the Pendleton Convention Ceremony. A total of 33 Crystal Apples were presented in recognition of outstanding administrators, teachers, educational assistants and office/building staff in school districts the ESD in Umatilla and Morrow counties serves.

The Chris Egar Band will perform live on Friday and Saturday night at the Wildhorse Sports Bar in Pendleton. The blues band will take the stage at 8 p.m. on Friday, May 26 and Saturday, May 27. The concert is free. For more information, call 800-654-9453.

When thousands of Umatilla County voters didn’t see any candidates on their ballots for the Blue Mountain Community College Board of Education, the college’s faculty union saw an opportunity. With no candidates filed for two open seats on the board, the Blue Mountain Faculty Association made last-minute endorsements...

ECHO — The Echo Parent-Teacher Organization is gearing up for a full day of fun and fundraisers as the Echo Car Show hits the pavement on Memorial Day weekend in downtown Echo. All makes and models can enter. Regular registration is $25 or $5 for students. Vehicle check-in is...

Judith Baumann is well-known as the Master Printer for Crow’s Shadow Institute of the Arts, where she collaborates with artists from across the country and around the world. But her own work, created under the imprint Renegade Cascade Editions, is prominent in the printmaking community and has been exhibited in group, juried, and solo exhibitions across the country.

SALEM – The May 16 special election in Oregon has low voter turnout, which is usually the case with no big-ticket elections on the ballot. Only 26 percent of the state’s registered voters participated and, once again, Umatilla County had the lowest voter participation at 13.2 percent. Morrow...

UMATILLA COUNTY, Ore. — Umatilla County Sheriff's Office deputies rescued a woman from the Walla Walla River. On May 21, around 3:30 p.m., UCSO deputies received a call reporting a woman had been swept away in the current of the Walla Walla River near Harris Park, about 14 miles southeast of Milton-Freewater.

Knitters, crocheters, and all yarn crafters are invited to get together to celebrate “Knit in Public Day” on Saturday, June 10, at McKenzie Park in Hermiston. There is no charge to attend the event. The Hermiston Yarn Club, a crafting group which normally meets at the Hermiston Library,...

PENDLETON — When parents received an email from Room to Bloom Preschool & Daycare owner Trina Fell saying the Pendleton facility intended to close for good in 30 days on May 31, many parents felt blindsided. “This is a desperate situation for the parents of children who are attending...

The Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Communications Center has resolved an issue with its phone systems that began May 15 and affected T-Mobile and VOIP callers and dispatchers’ ability to hear one another. “We believe this issue has been resolved,” Umatilla County Sheriff Capt. Sterrin Ward reported in...

HERMISTON – When an 18-year-old male was assaulted in Hodge Park for allegedly refusing to buy drugs from five teenagers, four of the suspects, between the ages of 14 and 16, were arrested and booked into the juvenile facility in Walla Walla. A fifth suspect is being sought. Meanwhile, Hermiston police issued citations to parents for failing to supervise a minor.

PENDLETON – The Pendleton City Council has approved the purchase of a used Elgin mechanical sweeper for $85,000. The public works department currently rents a mechanical sweeper to perform gravel pickup in the spring. The city owns a vacuum sweeper, which is not used for gravel pickup. “That process...