Group wants to make eastern Ore. its own state

PENDLETON, Ore. (AP) - A small group of people from Hood River are interesting in making eastern Oregon its own state.

Consultant Paul Koch, 69, his partner Ernie DeRocher and DeRocher’s wife, Rita Swyers, both 82, are pushing the effort. Koch said people in Eastern Oregon are fed up with how Salem has treated them.

If they got their wish, the stateline would stretch from east of the Cascade Mountains to the Idaho border.

Koch has done consulting and strategic planning work for Milton-Freewater, Baker City, the Umatilla County Special Library District and Blue Mountain Community College.

He said during his travels around Eastern Oregon in recent years, he and his partner heard a steady theme of how the western part of the state gets all the benefits.

“We started asking people, ‘Gee, why don’t we start our own state?”‘ Koch said.

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Group wants to make eastern Ore. its own state
KATU.com