REGION
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
BRIEFLY
PGE brings exhibit
to SAGE Center
BOARDMAN —
Portland General Electric
is debuting a new exhibit
at the SAGE Center in
Boardman that shows how
the utility generates and
distributes electricity.
The exhibit was fully
funded by PGE and
installed Jan. 7 after more
than a year working with
the museum. Visitors can
also learn how electricity
demand is balanced, and
the amount of energy it
takes to power just one
household outlet.
“We hope visitors to
the exhibit walk away with
a better sense of what it
takes to provide reliable,
affordable, responsibly
generated power to
residential, business and
industrial utility customers
everywhere,” said Brad
Jenkins, PGE’s general
manager of diversi ed
plants.
Kalie Davis, SAGE
Center manager, said the
exhibit adds another hands-
on learning opportunity to
the museum’s repertoire.
“Portland General
Electric is a wonderful
asset to Morrow County,”
Davis said. “We are excited
to partner with PGE to
tell their diverse power
generation stories as well
as the impact PGE has on
our community.”
The SAGE Center is
located at 101 Olson Road,
and can be reached at 541-
481-7243.
School seeks
books for student
reading event
HERMISTON —
Books are needed for an
exchange that is planned as
part of the Family Reading
Night at Sunset Elementary
School in Hermiston.
Joyce Barak, Title One
teacher, is requesting new
or gently used books, both
hardback and paperback,
to be dropped off at the
school of ce prior to the
Jan. 23 event.
Books can be left
Monday through Friday
from 7:20 a.m. to 4 p.m.
at 300 E. Catherine Ave.,
Hermiston. The books will
be distributed to Sunset
students to help support
reading.
The Family Reading
Night is Friday, Jan. 23
from 6-7:30 p.m. at the
school. Students will have
an opportunity to visit
several classrooms set up
with themes, including
Hawaii, space, the beach,
sports, and stories around
the camp re.
In addition, students can
take Accelerated Reading
quizzes in the library and
parents can sign up for
Home Connect. Home
Connect is a feature of
the Accelerated Reader
program that allows
parents to view the results
of their student’s progress
in the AR program.
For more information
about the donation of
books or Home Connect,
call Sunset Elementary
School at 541-667-6700.
Hermiston Relay
for Life kicks off
2015 event
H
HERMISTON — Relay
for Life of Hermiston
is kicking off its annual
fundraising event for the
American Cancer Society.
The public is
encouraged to meet the
event leadership team and
maybe go home with a
door prize or silent auction
item. Also, a potato bar is
available by donation. The
kickoff event is Saturday
from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at
Armand Larive Middle
School, 1497 S.W. Ninth
St., Hermiston.
The summer Relay for
Page 3A
HERMISTON
Life event is Friday, June
26, also at Armand Larive.
For more information,
contact Heather Farnworth,
American Cancer Society
staff partner, at 509-783-
1574, heather.farnworth@
cancer.org or visit www.
relayforlife.org.
Knights serve
Pro-Life breakfast
PENDLETON — The
annual Pro-Life Breakfast
bene ts Pregnancy Care
Services and Pendleton
Right to Life.
Sponsored by the
Knights of Columbus,
the meal is Sunday from
9-11:30 a.m. at the parish
hall at St. Mary’s Catholic
Church, 800 S.E. Court
Ave., Pendleton. The cost
is $5 per person or $20
for a family. The menu
features pancakes, ham,
eggs, coffee and juice.
The nonpro t
Pregnancy Care Services
operates in Pendleton
and Hermiston to provide
counseling, education and
baby care products to new
and expectant mothers.
Pendleton Right to Life
is a nondenominational
group that provides
multi-media information
regarding pro-life
activities.
For more information,
contact Dennis Hull at
541-969-7136 or dmhull@
charter.net.
Community invited
to MLK Day walk
HERMISTON — A
peace walk and ceremony
will mark Martin Luther
King day in Hermiston on
Monday.
The annual event,
sponsored by the Black
International Awareness
Club, is open to the com-
munity. It will start at noon
at the Hermiston United
Methodist Church, 191 E.
Gladys Avenue.
Participants will walk
to city hall for the national
anthem and an address by
city of cials, then walk
a loop around downtown
Hermiston before ending
back at the church for a
ceremony honoring the
civil rights leader.
Brandon Clay will
give the keynote address
and Eddie de la Cruz will
give the closing remarks.
Music will be provided by
the Morning Star Youth
Choir and St. John’s Little
Angels. There also will be
an open microphone for
people wishing to speak
about their own experienc-
es and what the day means
to them.
Snacks will be provided
after the ceremony, which
is expected to end around
2 p.m.
Contact John Carbage,
541-701-7073 for more
information.
Clubs set sign
dedication
HERMISTON — A
celebration of service clubs
in Hermiston features the
dedication of a sign erected
across from the Hermiston
Conference Center.
The ceremony is
planned Wednesday, Jan.
21 at 1:15 p.m. at the site,
located across from 415 S.
Highway 395, Hermiston.
Afterward, refreshments
will be served at the
conference center.
The effort is a joint
project of Altrusa
International of Hermiston
and the Hermiston Rotary
Club.
———
Submit information
to: community@
eastoregonian.com or
drop off to the attention of
Tammy Malgesini at 333
E. Main St., Hermiston or
Renee Struthers at 211 S.E.
Byers Ave., Pendleton. Call
541-564-4539 or 541-966-
0818 with questions.
r t h d a y , B r o d y
i
B
L e
p y
What an
e !
a p
awesome little man
you are becoming! Have
yourself a super fun 4 th th
birthday celebration!
As always, you are
in our thoughts & prayers.
East Oregonian
Love, Grandpa &
Grandma Powell
New council takes on Ridgeway vacation
By JADE MCDOWELL
East Oregonian
Discussion on the future of West
Ridgeway Avenue was delayed once
again during Hermiston’s city council
meeting Monday night, but the issue
may be coming closer to a resolution.
In December the council asked staff
to draw up an ordinance that would give
the south 15 feet of a stretch of Ridgeway
near Highway 395 to the private proper-
ty owner to the south, despite threat of
a lawsuit from adjacent property owner
Rhonda Sallee if the city went forward
with vacating any part of the street.
After meeting in executive session
Monday night, however, the council
instead voted to have staff present the
details of a proposed settlement agree-
ment during its Jan. 26 meeting. They
did not elaborate on the details of the
agreement.
The executive session took place af-
ter new city councilor Doug Smith was
sworn in along with incumbents Jackie
Myers, Lori Davis and Clara Beas Fitz-
gerald.
In other business, the council voted
to accept a $2 million Community De-
velopment Block Grant for the building
of a new senior center.
City manager Byron Smith said a site
for the new center has not yet been of-
cially selected, but possible locations
listed on the grant application include
property on Second Street near Sun-
set Elementary, the former Goodwill
building on Hermiston Avenue, a piece
of property behind the Hermiston Con-
ference Center and the former Sherrell
Chevrolet property on Main Street.
Councilor Rod Hardin said it was
nice that the grant was so exible, al-
lowing Hermiston to build a senior cen-
ter that best ts its needs.
“This is kind of an exciting one to
get,” he said.
Staff photo by Jade McDowell
Lori Davis, Jackie Myers, Clara Beas Fitzgerald and Doug Smith are sworn
in as city councilors by city attorney Gary Luisi.
The council also authorized the issu-
ance of bonds for the outfall project that
forms the last piece of its new waste-
water treatment plant. Finance director
Amy Palmer said the winning bid for
the project came in $1 million under
projections, but she was still asking
for authorization of up to the full $2.5
million to be on the safe side in case of
unforeseen costs.
Finally, the city council authorized
Smith to sign an agreement with Two
Rivers Correctional Institution to use
inmate work crews for city projects.
“This really helps extend our bud-
get,” Byron Smith said.
He said the city had used work crews
in the past without incident for projects
like repainting the public library. Now
he wants to restart the practice with a
pilot program this summer that would
have inmates doing projects like land-
scaping and weeding.
New city councilor Doug Smith, a
former law enforcement of cer, said he
knew from experience that inmates al-
lowed out on work crews considered the
opportunity to leave the prison for a few
hours a reward and only well-behaved
inmates were trusted to do so.
“We’re not going to be having sex
offenders and other potentially danger-
ous individuals out in the community,”
he said.
City manager Smith said he was
“very comfortable” with the supervi-
sion and other components put into the
contract with TRCI. He said the city still
plans to hire the same amount of sea-
sonal laborers; the inmates would be a
way to get more projects done while not
spending signi cantly more money.
———
Contact Jade McDowell at jmcdow-
ell@eastoregonian.com or 541-564-
4536.
HERMISTON
2014-2015
educators
of the year
Ten teachers were
honored at Hermiston
School District’s 2014-
2015 Educators of the
Year on Tuesday night.
One teacher from each
of the district’s schools,
as well as a district-level
employee and alterna-
tive education employee,
were given the award at
the beginning of Tues-
day’s school board meet-
ing.
They will also be
recognized by the com-
munity at the Greater
Hermiston Area Chamber
of Commerce’s Distin-
guished Citizen Awards
banquet on Feb. 4.
Susan Thurman
Fourth Grade
Highland Hills
Elementary
19 years
Susan Scheibner
Sunset Elemen-
tary
Second Grade
25 years
SuAnne Fitzgerald
West Park Ele-
mentary
Fifth Grade
14 years
Josh Browning
Hermiston High
School
Language Arts
6 years
Chelsea Bergstrom
Armand Larive
Middle School
Math
5 years
Joe Thornton
Alternative Educa-
tion Teacher
15 years
Cathy Duffy
Special Programs
Teacher
22 years
Linda Mruk
Desert View Ele-
mentary
Kindergarten
9 years
Ibbet Velasquez
Rocky Heights
Elementary
First Grade
6 years
Tracy Hodges
Sandstone Middle
School
ELL teacher
6 years
Four arrested in Irrigon for breaking into RVs
By GEORGE PLAVEN
East Oregonian
Four suspects were arrest-
ed Saturday night in Irrigon
on a slew of charges after they
were caught breaking into
recreational vehicles at Chris-
tine’s Mini Storage on High-
way 730.
Morrow County Under-
sheriff Steve Myren said dep-
uties on patrol rst noticed
a suspicious vehicle parked
near the storage business at
approximately 6:30 p.m.. The
of cers were joined by Or-
egon State Police and, upon
further investigation, found
someone had forced their way
into the RV area by cutting a
hole in the security fence.
A total of nine vehicles
were burglarized, Myren
said, and two of the suspects
— Noah Daley Weatherford
and Sheri Leigh May — were
found inside one of the RVs.
Those arrested were:
Weatherford, 38, charged
with seven counts felony bur-
glary; misdemeanor trespass-
ing; misdemeanor criminal
mischief and violating parole.
May, 33, charged with nine
counts of felony burglary;
nine counts of felony criminal
mischief; misdemeanor crim-
STUDENT
OF THE
WEEK
Adrian Romero
I RRIGON H IGH S CHOOL
Adrian is a multi-faceted young man who brings pride,
integrity, and determination to everything he does. He
is a stellar athlete and excels at basketball. He was
voted 2A State Player of the Year for the 2013-14
basketball season and was a part of Irrigon High
School’s State Championship team that year. Adrian
has shown leadership and camaraderie on and off the
basketball court. He volunteers to referee youth
basketball games and serves as treasurer for our
school’s chapter of the Key Club. In addition, Adrian
maintains excellent grades and he has been on our
Honor Roll every quarter of his high school career.
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inal mischief; misdemeanor
trespassing; simple assault;
possession of methamphet-
amine and supplying contra-
band.
Truman Lloyd Chamber-
lin, 18, charged with seven
counts of felony burglary;
misdemeanor
trespassing;
misdemeanor criminal mis-
chief and possession of bur-
glary tools.
Cylie Laylani Hepton, 22,
charged with seven counts of
felony burglary; misdemean-
or trespassing; misdemeanor
criminal mischief; possession
of burglary tools; possession
of methamphetamine; pro-
viding false information to a
police of cer and violating
probation.
All four were booked into
the Umatilla County Jail,
Pendleton. The investigation
is ongoing, Myren said.
———
Contact George Plaven at
gplaven@eastoregonian.com
or 541-564-4547.