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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 20, 2016)
REGION Tuesday, December 20, 2016 East Oregonian Page 3A Four fires since Friday, but no injuries By PHIL WRIGHT East Oregonian Pendleton firefighters took down a garage fire Monday in about an hour, marking the fourth domestic fire local agencies handled in as many days. Fire chiefs reported no one was injured in any of the blazes. Pendleton fire received the call-out at 10:55 a.m. for a fire at 1106 N.W. Ellis Ave., Pendleton. Fire Chief Mike Ciraulo said he and the crew arrived about three minutes later and saw flames coming out of the east side of a stand-alone garage and smoke billowing from the building. The above-freezing temperatures, he said, helped keep water flowing, and firefighters entered, extinguished the blaze and were back in the fire depart- ment a little after noon. No one was injured, he said, and the work also saved a leaf blower, a miter saw and other equipment. A furnace that was on appears to be the cause of the fire, he said, but whether Staff photo by Tammy Malgesini Chief Scott Stanton of Umatilla County Fire District No. 1 is briefed regarding an attic fire Saturday morn- ing at 335 S.E. Fourth St., Hermiston. No injuries were reported from the incident. Crews with the fire dis- trict were kept busy with numerous calls during the weekend. Staff photo by E.J. Harris Smoke billows out of the garage of a residence as Pendleton firefighters prepare to fight the fire at 1106 N.W. Ellis on Monday in Pendleton. it ignited items nearby or went up on its own was impossible to tell. Umatilla County Fire District 1 handled an attic fire Saturday around 10 a.m. at 334 S.E. Fourth St., Hermiston. Fire Chief Scott Stanton said medical calls for service left two firefighters on an engine and one commander for the initial attack, though two more engines and more crew soon arrived. “We confined the fire just to the attic,” he said, and smoke damaged was minimal and no one was injured. The work also took about an hour. Stanton added fire marshal Tom Bohm determined the cause of the fire was electrical. And the Echo Rural Fire Protection District responded Saturday after- noon to a house fire on West Halstead Street, Echo. Chief Delbert Gehrke credited the homeowner with calling for help right away. “We were able to confine the fire to just one room,” he said. Again, no one was injured, and the cause appeared to a candle, an all-too-common fire starter HERMISTON this time of year. Gehrke also said an electrical problem seemed the likely cause of the attic fire the agency responded to Friday morning. The all-vol- unteer department, he said, has been a little busy. ——— Contact Phil Wright at pwright@eastoregonian. com or 541-966-0833. UMATILLA Miller, Putnam win Christmas Spirit awards Stop leads to drug arrest By JADE MCDOWELL East Oregonian Two volunteers exempli- fying the Christmas spirit were surprised with awards Monday by the Good Shepherd Commu- nity Health Foundation. Cathy Putnam and Virginia Miller are the 2016 recipients for the foundation’s 21st annual Christmas Spirit award. To keep the awards a surprise, board members came up with the perfect ruse to attract a communi- ty-minded, busy volunteer: a fake meeting of a new committee at the Chamber of Commerce that the awardees were invited to join. Instead, when Miller showed up on Monday morning she was presented with a plaque and poinsettias. “You are a beacon of gener- osity and bless our community with your example of service and long term dedication to the growth and prosperity of Herm- iston and surrounding areas,” GSCHF board chair Liz Marvin told Miller during the presenta- tion. Miller has been a volunteer with Altrusa International of Hermiston, the Board of Realtors, the Umatilla County Department of Land Use Planning and the Ford Leadership Program. She was an active participant in the remodel and re-purposing of the Umatilla Community Center. East Oregonian Staff photo by Jade McDowell Staff photo by Jade McDowell Virginia Miller was presented with the Good Shepherd Community Health Foundation’s Spirit of Christmas award on Monday. Cathy Putnam was presented with the Good Shepherd Community Health Foundation’s Spirit of Christmas award on Monday. She is also a meal preparer at the Open Table at First United Methodist Church, which involves planning, shopping for and serving hot meals three times a month for Hermiston residents in need. According to the plaque Miller received, she is “always the first to volunteer and assist in any way to improve the lives of those around her” and her benevolence and enthusiasm for life is infectious. Marvin and GSCHF director Bob Green caught up with Putnam, the second honoree, at work at Carlson Drug in Umatilla, which she owns. Marvin presented her with a plaque recognizing her “consid- erable talents and abilities” that she uses to support the commu- nity. “Her caring attitude is evidenced by the many times she has delivered medication to resi- dents after a long day’s work,” Marvin read from the award. “She has been known to open the pharmacy on many occasions after hours just to provide medi- cation and expertise to many who are in need.” Putnam mentors young people in her community, is on the board of directors for Eastern Oregon Mission (which runs Agape House and Martha’s House) and visits Sun Terrace residents regularly before work to chat and lend a listening ear. The Good Shepherd Commu- nity Health Foundation takes nominations for the awards, which are voted on each winter by the foundation’s board. ——— Contact Jade McDowell at jmcdowell@eastoregonian.com or 541-564-4536. HERMISTON Made to Thrive gets holiday equipment donation By JADE MCDOWELL East Oregonian More of Hermiston’s underpriv- eleged students will get a chance to play sports next year after three local businesses donated gear to the nonprofit Made to Thrive. The organization, which started in Hermiston three years ago, provides the fees, equipment, transportation and other support for students from needy families to be able to participate in extra- curricular activities. U.S. Cellular, Wal-Mart and Obie’s Coffee donated boxes of sports equipment and athletic wear as well as money to Made to Thrive on Friday, just in time for Christmas. U.S. Cellular representatives said the aim of the donation was to help students in the community, but also to help bring more visi- bility to the charity and encourage others to contribute their own donations or volunteer power. “At U.S. Cellular, we aim to give back to our local community and what better way than helping Contributed Photo by U.S. Cellular Made to Thrive volunteers help unload donations made by U.S. Cellular, Wal-Mart and Obie’s Coffee. children find productive and fun outlets after school,” Erryn Andersen, director of sales in the northwest region, said in a news release. Kriss Dammeyer, founder and director of Made to Thrive, said the boxes donated filled two tables. ORDER YOUR HOLIDAY CENTERPIECE! Flowers • Candles • Jewelry Plants • Balloons & More! Put a smile on the heart with the power of flowers. HWY 395, HERMISTON 541-567-4305 Mon-Sat 8am-6pm • Sun 12pm-5am www.cottagefl owersonline.com Some of the items will be used for holiday gifts for participating children, while basics like socks, granola bars and water bottles will be given to volunteers to send with their students when they drop them off at practices and classes. Dammeyer said students participating in Made to Thrive often show up to sports practices in worn-out shoes with no socks underneath. “We don’t like to send them out to an activity hungry and unpre- pared,” she said. Two laptops that were donated will go to high school students served by Made to Thrive who are working hard to better themselves. Currently Dammeyer has about 35 regular volunteers and serves 300 students. The community support means a lot, she said. “It was really neat to see multiple businesses come together,” she said. “When people come together great things happen.” She said the organization’s volunteers are what make Made to Thrive possible, and they could always use more with “a heart for kids.” For more information visit madetothrive.org or call Dammeyer at 541-571-6169. ——— Contact Jade McDowell at jmcdowell@eastoregonian.com or 541-564-4536. The Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office from Dec. 9 to Jan. 1 is running extra patrols to catch intoxicated drivers. That work seems to be paying off. Deputy Nathan Rankin at about 7:30 p.m. Friday stopped a driver going the wrong way on a one-way street near Umatilla, the sheriff’s office reported in a written statement. That led to Rankin arresting Oscar Garcia, 21, of Paterson, Washington, for driving under the influence of intox- icants, reckless driving and driving while suspended. The state suspended his license, according to the sheriff’s office, for a previous DUII arrest. Rankin brought in a second intoxi- cated driver after a stop Sunday around 1 a.m. on Highway 395 near Joy Lane, Hermiston. Rankin pulled over a vehicle on suspicion of impaired driving. The driver, Whitney Diane Sanders, 19, of Hermiston, refused to identify herself, said she smoked “pot,” the sheriff’s office reported, and would not get out of the vehicle. Rankin found a glass pipe in her jacket, along with stereo equipment, a full container of gas, multiple sets of tools, and a wallet with a Colorado identification, which did not belong to Sanders or her passenger. The sheriff’s office also stated Sanders received text messages during the stop, including one requesting drugs. Rankin took Sanders to the Umatilla County Jail, Pendleton, along with passenger Giovanni Sanchez, 23, of Hermiston, who had a warrant for his arrest. Deputies at the jail found two packages of possible methamphet- amine in Sanders’ possession. She faces charges of DUII, failure to display a driver’s license, contempt of court, possession and delivery of methamphetamine, and supplying contraband. Spaghetti feed planned for Echo fire victims East Oregonian In place of its regular school board meeting today, the Echo School District will host a spaghetti dinner fundraiser to help the Echo residents affected in a structure fire last Friday morning. No one was injured in the fire, which burned through an attic in a home on Dale Street, but the home sustained heavy smoke and water damage. The fundraiser is open to the public and will be from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Echo School Commons. The school board meeting has been rescheduled for 6 p.m. Monday, January 2, 2017. Hams For the Hungry Call Faith Center 541-276-9569 to reserve your meal. Wednesday from 6-7 pm 108 S. 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