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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (April 12, 2017)
INSIDE SPRING HOME AND GARDEN SPECIAL SECTION INCLUDED Hermiston Herald HermistonHerald.com WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12, 2017 $1.00 INSIDE PLANS TO GROW HERMISTON SCHOOL BOARD DISCUSSES EXPANSION PROJECTS, APPROVES SENIOR CENTER CONSTRUCTION PAGE A2 THREE MINUTES WITH... GET TO KNOW HERMISTON NATIVE ALEX HOBBS PAGE A2 HITTING THE RIGHT CHORDS A CAPPELLA GROUP WILL PERFORM AT HERMISTON HIGH SCHOOL SATURDAY PAGE A3 SPREADING THE LOVE FILE PHOTO Alfredo Rodriguez, of Our Lady of the Angels Church, performs the part of Jesus during a past Living Stations of the Cross on Good Friday in Hermiston. The dramatic re-enactment starts Friday at noon at the church parking lot and travels to the top of the Hermiston Butte. Communities offer Easter activities Hermiston Herald BRIEFLY Hermiston Athletics warns of scam Hermiston Athletics and Activities Director Larry Usher reported that a compa- ny has been contacting local businesses soliciting money in the name of the Hermiston Athletics Department. He warned business own- ers that this is fraudulent ac- tivity, and that any advertis- ing or sponsorship requests for the athletic department will come directly from Ush- er or Lindy Thompson. In addition, he said the high school has already sold all their calendar ads for this year and will not be contact- ing businesses for any more this year. Usher said he has fi led a complaint with the Or- egon Department of Justice. HERMISTON: HERMISTON PUBLIC LIBRARY Hop on over to the Hermiston Public Library for an Easter egg hunt. The event is Thursday at 5:15 p.m. at 235 E. Gladys Ave. Open to babies and kids through fi fth grade, the activity takes place among the book collection. A bag will be provided to participants. In addition, prizes will be distributed. (541- 567-2882). FLASHLIGHT EASTER EGG HUNT See EASTER, A16 FILE PHOTO Children collect Easter eggs during a past event at McNary Dam West Park. There are numerous Easter egg hunts in the coming days sponsored by area churches, service organizations and public entities throughout the region. Hermiston council postpones discussion about Conference Center By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN Staff Writer Hermiston residents will have to wait to fi nd out the city’s plans for the Hermiston Conference Center, as the decision for what to do with the building was postponed at Mon- day night’s city council meeting. Although the meeting originally called for a discussion about wheth- er to allow the Parks and Recreation Department to operate the confer- ence center, no debate was had be- cause three council members and Mayor David Drotzmann were ab- sent. Nevertheless, some citizens spoke about the future of the building. Liz Marvin, a counselor at Herm- iston High School, said she hopes people will realize the city has use for the conference center and the newly-built Eastern Oregon Trade LATE-GAME MAGIC GRITZ, BULLDOGS COME IN CLUTCH AGAINST HERITAGE IN 12-11 WIN PAGE A10 Referred to as Holy Week — which began on Palm Sunday and culminates with Easter — many area churches and organizations have special services and Easter activities planned. Most events are free, unless otherwise noted. Information about special events that were sent to the Hermiston Herald include: The Easter bunny is going to be hopping all weekend with the Simmons Agency sponsoring the annual Flashlight Easter Egg Hunt. Thousands of fi lled eggs will be hidden in the dark. Chil- dren 10-and-under are invited to bring a fl ashlight and gather eggs Friday at 8:15 p.m. at Butte Park, 1245 N.W. Seventh St. Don’t be late because the Easter bunny won’t wait. (541- 667-5018). VOLUNTEERS SHOW UP TO BEAUTIFY CITY PAGE A3 and Event Center. “I hope it’s not construed as an ‘either/or,’” Marvin said. “I think we have use for both. I don’t want it to be a divided camp.” The Hermiston Conference Center has been located down- town at 415 S. Hwy. 395 since 1994, when community members began looking for a building to hold events, meeting and other activities. The Hermiston Cham- ber of Commerce helped raise do- nations of more than $600,000 to remodel the building, which they currently operate. Last month, chamber staff were notifi ed that the city did not plan to renew their contract for running the confer- ence center in 2018. Last week, assistant city man- ager Mark Morgan said plans to have the city’s parks and recreation department take over operations for the center would be discussed at a future council meeting. The plan, he said, was to continue using the building as a conference center, but have it run by city staff instead of through a contract with the chamber of commerce. Morgan also said the city was renovating the basement of the Car- negie Library at 215 East Gladys Avenue, and that starting Jan. 1, 2018, that space would be available to the chamber. Earlier this month, the chamber released a prepared statement re- minding people that there would still be a Greater Hermiston Cham- ber of Commerce, and it is separate from city government and the con- ference center. See COUNCIL, A16 Farm Bureau seeks scholarship applicants The Umatilla-Morrow County Farm Bureau will award up to $3,000 in scholar- ships to high school seniors in Umatilla and Morrow counties. Eligible students may plan to attend any school of higher ed- ucation, including trade school, university or community col- lege. Priority consideration will be given to students with an agricultural background, FFA or an intended major in an agricul- ture-related fi eld. Applicants will be selected based on accomplishments and need. An emphasis is placed on ability, personal goals, school and community participation and citizenship. The deadline to apply is Sat- urday, April 15. Applications are available from high school counselors. For more information, call Julia Spratling at 541-457-6045.