Directors of the Malheur County Development Corp. participate in the Oct. 1 groundbreaking for the Treasure Valley Reload Center. They are, from left, Kay Riley, Grant Kitamura, Jason Pearson, Greg Smith and Lynn Findley. (Malheur County Economic Development Department photo) The alarming note about the Treasure Valley Reload Center arrived[Read More…]
Tag: WATCHDOG
Onion executives rely on public, private roles in pushing along Nyssa rail center
Grant Kitamura of Baker and Murakami Produce Co. of Ontario and president of the Malheur County Development Corp., which is developing a publicly-funded rail shipping center in Nyssa. (AUSTIN JOHNSON/The Enterprise) NYSSA – Two key players in the effort to construct a rail center in Nyssa appear poised to benefit[Read More…]
Smith finds recovering thousands for Malheur County ‘more work’ than it’s worth, blames ODOT
VALE – Finally, Malheur County was poised to recover some of the costs for the rail shipping project in Nyssa. Under a new deal approved last summer, the way seemed clear to get thousands of dollars in reimbursements, with the money coming out of the $26 million state fund set[Read More…]
WATCHDOG: Farmland picked for rail center needs $6 million in soil, gravel, rock and work to make buildable
Uneven ground, wetlands and low areas will require significant amounts of fill, according to engineering estimates for the reload project. (Enterprise file photo) NYSSA – The farmland, Malheur County officials said, was ideal as the place to plant the Treasure Valley Reload Center. There was access to the Union Pacific[Read More…]
Industrial park work that cost Malheur County thousands now getting done for free
Local onion producers hope a new rail reload center near Nyssa will mean higher profits. (The Enterprise/Pat Caldwell) The executive had a deal for Greg Smith when she called last fall. For no cost, her Pendleton firm could take on the job of chasing down millions of dollars for Malheur[Read More…]
Inmate’s death in Malheur County Jail followed lapses in security checks
The bedding and slippers as Oregon State Police troopers found them last November as they investigated the death of an inmate at the Malheur County Jail in Vale. (Oregon State Police photo) VALE – The disturbing end to a troubled man’s life in a Malheur County jail cell last fall[Read More…]
Rodriguez, Ontario city councilor embroiled in restraining orders, has prior domestic violence history
The Malheur County Courthouse in Vale. (The Enterprise/Rachel Parsons) ONTARIO – Ontario City Councilor Freddy Rodriguez twice before has been accused of domestic violence, once resulting in a guilty plea to a criminal charge, according to Canyon County District Court records in Idaho. The prior criminal cases come to light[Read More…]
Lifeways under tight state monitoring after treatment center clients found at risk
Lifeways’ addiction treatment center in Ontario is undergoing remodeling to comply with state mandates. The center, which treats substance abusers, closed in April in a way that drew state scrutiny. (The Enterprise/Kezia Setyawan) ONTARIO – Lifeways Inc. is facing tight state oversight as it moves to reopen its substance abuse[Read More…]
Tracking the Treasure Valley Reload Center: Key data eludes county, stalls rail project
Americold, the billion-dollar company based in Atlanta, Georgia, has a sprawling network of 137 temperature-controlled warehouses, including one in Ontario and also contracts to manage other warehouses. (The Enterprise/Joe Siess) NYSSA – Concern was evident in the email message last December to the onion executive leading the Treasure Valley Reload[Read More…]
New information shows Ontario shooting was related to gangs
ONTARIO – When police found Xavier A. Jimenez just after midnight, he lay in the backyard of a northwest Ontario home, losing blood. Jimenez, 31, had been shot four times and police within hours arrested a Caldwell man with a history of gang involvement. At the time of the Oct.[Read More…]