REGION
Friday, July 1, 2016
East Oregonian
HERMISTON
Summer reading program
keeps brains, bodies active
By JADE MCDOWELL
East Oregonian
When a dozen teenagers
gathered for the Hermiston
Public Library’s summer
reading program on Thursday,
there wasn’t a book in sight.
That’s
because
the
program focuses on keeping
both brains and bodies active
for the summer, and this
meeting was geared toward
the latter.
Teens were told to wear
comfortable clothing. When
they arrived at the library
they were directed to the yard
of First United Methodist
Church next door, where they
were greeted by an obstacle
course, water balloons, pool
noodles and an inlatable
water slide.
Zeferino Araiza, who
is heading into the seventh
grade this fall, was quickly
soaking wet and grinning ear
to ear.
“I like reading, and I also
like summer activities, so
this is my two favorite things
combined,” he said.
He heard about the
summer reading program
at school and decided it
sounded like fun. The library
offers a summer reading
program for children, another
for teenagers and a third for
adults. In the teenage version,
students are asked to think
about how much reading
they are capable of doing
over the summer and to set
a goal. Zeferino — an avid
reader who said the Redwall
series is his favorite — said
he pledged to read 22 books
over the summer.
If teenagers think summer
reading programs are for
“nerds” who want to spend
the summer indoors reading,
they’re behind the times.
Today’s summer reading
programs — including the
one at Hermiston Public
Library — often combine
reading, exercise, brain
games and arts into one
package.
Umatilla County
Fire District 1
becomes a reality
Will not see tax
funds until Nov.
By ALEXA LOUGEE
East Oregonian
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Marcos Preciado, 11, of Hermiston makes a splash while playing on an inlatable
waterslide Thursday at the Hermiston Public Library’s summer reading program.
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Flor Peña, 16, of Hermiston does the limbo while
running an obstacle course Thursday during the
Hermiston Public Library’s summer reading program.
“We want to make them
use their brain cells over the
summer instead of turning to
mush,” said Kelly Martinez,
the library’s teen program-
ming assistant. “It’s OK to
enjoy yourself, too.”
So far the teens have
participated in a book club,
made crafts and pulled
“work-it sticks” telling them
what kinds of exercise to
do. The program’s end-of-
summer wrap-up party will
take place at the Hermiston
Family Aquatic Center,
where participants in all three
age groups will celebrate their
reading
accomplishments
together.
Juan Vargas, an incoming
senior at Hermiston High
School, said despite his age
it was his irst time partici-
pating in a summer reading
program. A friend brought
him along, he said, and he
was enjoying the chance
to get to know some new
friends. He said activities
like the water obstacle course
were fun, but he was also
taking the reading challenge
seriously.
“It’s kind of a commit-
ment,” he said.
Ebony Wilson, also a
senior, started out Thursday
afternoon throwing water
balloons for the middle school
students to dodge as they
moved through the obstacle
course. She said she had been
volunteering at the library for
a year helping with activities,
so she decided to participate
in the teen summer reading
program while also helping
the younger kids.
“I like how the library
encourages little kids to read
and be active,” she said.
“This is really fun.”
The children’s and teens’
summer reading programs
have activities three to four
days a week at varying times.
For a schedule visit www.
hermistonlibrary.us/calendar
or pick up a calendar from
the library
———.
Contact Jade McDowell
at
jmcdowell@eastorego-
nian.com or 541-564-4536.
BRIEFLY
Northwest Grain Growers
takes on Mission elevator
MISSION — Operations of the
Mission grain elevator is changing
hands.
Northwest Grain Growers,
Walla Walla, will assuming Grain
Craft’s lease of the elevator from the
Confederated Tribes of Umatilla Indian
Reservation. Grain Craft, the owner
and operator of Pendleton Flour Mills,
announced the change Thursday.
Grain Craft will continue to
purchase and handle wheat directly
from the producer to the Pendleton
lour mill, according to the statement,
and the new partnership with Northwest
Grain Growers will “support efforts
to optimize the handling, storage,
marketing and customer service of
grain handling in the Pendleton area.”
Grain Craft also asked farmers that
do not have an account with Northwest
Grain Growers to call them as soon as
possible at 509-525-6510 or 800-994-
4290.
“We are committed to making this
transition as smooth as possible, as
harvest is fast approaching,” Grain
Craft’s statement said.
Sheriff’s ofice purchases
deibrillators with
Wildhorse grant
PENDLETON — The Umatilla
County Sheriff’s Ofice used a $6,000
grant from the Wildhorse Foundation
to help purchase 11 automated external
deibrillators and a training device.
The deibrillators were $525 each
and the training package was $395,
according to the invoice from Bound
Tree Medical of Dublin, Ohio, for a
total of $6,170. The Umatilla County
Board of Commissioners approved the
expenditure at its meeting Wednesday.
Sheriff’s Sgt. John Shaffer told the
board that using the devices in the
irst minute of a cardiac arrest ups the
chance of survival to 90 percent. The
jail will add an additional deibrillator
to their arsenal and the rest will go into
patrol vehicles. He said deputies often
are the irst to arrive at an emergency,
and having these devices can save
someone’s life before an ambulance
arrives.
He also said the sheriff’s ofice plans
to buy 11 more deibrillators, which
will go into staff vehicles and marine
patrol boats.
The Confederated Tribes of the
Umatilla Indian Reservation established
the Wildhorse Foundation in 2001 to
beneit the community on behalf of
Wildhorse Resort and Casino. The grant
to the sheriff’s ofice was one of 33
grants totaling $196,200 the foundation
awarded in the irst quarter of 2016.
Science teacher to help
develop new curricula
UKIAH — A local teacher has
been chosen to assist in developing
innovative nationwide science
curricula.
Laura Orr, who has taught in the
Ukiah School District for 13 years,
was selected as a teacher advisor
for an initiative called “Bringing the
Universe to America’s Classrooms.”
Orr will help create new digital learning
tools in STEM (science, technology,
engineering and math) subjects.
The education team at Boston public
media producer WGBH is partnering
with NASA to distribute the materials
to teachers and students free of charge.
WGBH selected teacher advisors
based on number of years teaching
and willingness to innovate in
the classroom. Orr was one of 50
candidates selected nationwide from
more than 650 applicants.
Orr specializes in astronomy and
local environmental science in her
classes. She also leads the 4-H home
economics, science and livestock clubs.
Veronica Zapata
541/289-3300 • 800/225-2521
The Stratton Agency
Hermiston / Pendleton • stratton-insurance.com
HERMISTON — The environmental
group Tour of Knowledge meets Friday
and invited the public to attend via
Skype.
The group plans to discuss the recent
decision from the Umatilla County
Board of Commissioners addressing
funding and stafing of the Oregon
Department of Water Resources’ local
watermaster ofice.
For more information, contact Tour
of Knowledge executive director Eileen
Laramore at 541-303-3872.
White Eagle Grange
holds bingo night
PENDLETON — Head to the White
Eagle Grange Saturday for Bingo Night
from 6:30-8:30 p.m. The grange is
located at 43828 White Eagle Road,
between Pendleton and Pilot Rock on
Highway 395 South.
Cards are 50 cents per game, with
great prizes for each winner. The
progressive jackpot game begins at 7:30
p.m., with cards $1 each. A cash pot
waits for the winner. The inal blackout
game, also $1 per card, pays out a 50/50
prize.
Popcorn and beverages are available
for purchase. All ages are encouraged to
attend.
For more information, call Gail
Wilson at 541-276-3778.
Genealogy group to meet
PENDLETON — The Blue
Mountain Genealogy Society meets
Tuesday at 1 p.m. at Pendleton City
Hall’s community room, 501 S.W.
Emigrant Ave. Attendees are asked to
bring information about someone from
their family tree on the Line-Aligner
form.
The group meets the irst Monday of
every month.
Music
on the
Lawn
Auto
Health
Home
Life
habla español
Environmental group
meets on watermaster issue
Veronica Zapata
Family Insurance Agent
FRIDAY, JULY 2
Tyler Brooks
SATURDAY, JULY 3
Elwood
6:00-9:00 pm
H AMLEY S TEAK H ouse & S aloon
COURT & MAIN, PENDLETON • 541.278.1100
Page 3A
July 1 marks the irst
day for Umatilla County
Fire District 1. There will
be a new district and a new
name, but new services
will have a delayed
roll-out.
Fire Chief Scott Stanton
said the six weeks since the
measure passed has simply
not been enough time to
get everything in place.
In May, voters passed
measures to dissolve the
Stanield and Hermiston
ire districts and create
one uniied district. The
combined tax rate on
assessed property values
in Hermiston and Stanield
is expected to bring in
$900,000. Chief Stanton
said the district won’t
see those funds until
November.
Once the money is
available the district will
begin hiring additional
crew needed to staff Fire
Station 2 on Diagonal
Road around the clock.
Stanton described it as a
“lengthy hiring process.”
Potential hires have to go
through a series of mental
and physical evaluations
as well as a stint at the ire
academy. The ire district
is aiming for a March
2016 target date to have
full crews at both stations.
This week the district
welcomed four seasonal
ireighters
from
the
resident intern program to
help reduce the strain on
full-time ireighters.
“They’ve already made
a huge difference,” Stanton
said.
Other changes are
underway, too.
Re-lettering has begun,
new business cards have
been ordered and the
website is under construc-
tion. The new district
emblem will be chosen by
a committee then sent off
for production before it
can be applied to uniforms.
On Friday, ive new
members of the uniied
ire board will be sworn
in prior to the board’s irst
meeting.
Upgrades are still
needed for the Diagonal
station. The station has
been around for 30 years,
but this will be the irst
time ireighters have been
there full-time. A paging
system, computers and
other information tech-
nology projects are slated
to begin soon.
Supporters
of
the
redistricting efforts argued
additional staff members
and updated equipment
will help meet the demand
of a growing population
and work to shorten
response times.
———
Contact Alexa Lougee
at
alougee@eastorego-
nian.com
County boosts patrol,
jail for sheriff’s ofice
By PHIL WRIGHT
East Oregonian
The Umatilla County
Sheriff’s Ofice wrapped
up this iscal year with
additions in the jail and
patrol.
Sheriff’s Terry Rowan
brought the changes to the
county board of commis-
sioners for approval and
authorization Wednesday
as the new budget kicks
in Friday. The board voted
3-0 in favor.
Rowan told the board
the contracts for jail space
with Morrow and Wallowa
counties raised the popu-
lation at the jail, which
averaged 208.5 inmates a
day in May and throughout
the last week was closer to
225 a day. Adding a full-
time corrections technician
in the jail control room,
Rowan said, was the best
way to provide monitoring
and supervision for a larger
inmate population.
The technician will
open and close doors in
the jail, answer phones and
respond to inmates when
they “buzz” in using an
internal communications
system. But the person will
not work as a corrections
oficer and will not have
to undergo training at the
Oregon Public Safety
Academy. Rowan also
said the tech position frees
up corrections oficers to
better do their jobs and
he plans to hire an on-call
employee already familiar
with the work.
In another jail move, the
sheriff’s ofice promoted
corrections Sgt. Thoren
Hearn to lieutenant effec-
tive Friday. Hearn already
handled some administra-
tive duties, and Rowan said
this allows Hearn to be the
backup to jail commander
Capt. Stuart Harp.
And the county board
also formalized adding a
patrol deputy. Rowan said
the U.S. Corps of Engi-
neers contracts with the
sheriff’s ofice for a marine
patrol from May through
September, but the pool of
applicants willing to work
half a year is shrinking. So
pairing that contract with
money from his budget and
the general fund allowed
for funding of a full-time
deputy to work roads and
other duties the rest of the
year.
He said the move will
help cut down on response
times, which is a critical
concern.
———
Contact Phil Wright at
pwright@eastoregonian.
com or 541-966-0833.
July 8th-10th
Family Event with Scottish
Music, Dancing & Sport
Friday July 8
Saturday July 9
5:30-7:30pm
Caledonian
Dinner in the
City Park
Vendors, Parade
Entertainment
in the Park
Dancing, Piping &
Scottish Athletic
Competitions
Kids’ Games
Story Tellers
Caledonian Tattoo
Kirkin O’ the Tartan
Celtic Harp
Horseshoe
Tournaments
8:15pm
Free Movie:
Babe
Athena Caledonian Games
www.athenacaledoniangames.com