REGION
Thursday, January 12, 2017
East Oregonian
HERMISTON
HERMISTON
Librarians land grant to turn
teens into better researchers
Will host workshops
to train teachers
Sheriff’s office
takes on care of
neglected cattle
By PHIL WRIGHT
East Oregonian
By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN
East Oregonian
Many high school and college
students have grown up with the internet
at their fingertips — but do they really
know how to use it to their advantage?
Local librarians Delia Wallis and
Jackie Ray hope
to show students
“When
how to use the
you hear
wealth of infor-
mation available
the phrase,
as a tool to help
them transition
‘Google it,’
from high school
that’s like
to college and
beyond.
sticking your
Wallis works
face under
for the Hermiston
School District
a waterfall.
and Ray for
Blue Mountain
Way too
Community
much info.”
College. The pair
received a grant — Delia Wallis,
from the Associ-
ation of College Hermiston schools
librarian
and
Research
Libraries to create
a program that trains teachers to instruct
students on research methods. The grant,
for up to $1,000, will fund a workshop
that Wallis and Ray will host for teachers.
They hope to identify gaps in the research
and writing skills of students making the
transition from high school to college.
“It’s a difficult transition,” Ray said.
She said they hope to help teachers
impart skills on their students that will
help them in school, and in other prac-
tical settings.
“It’s a habit of mind — how do we
get our students into the habit of critical
thinking and solving problems?” Ray
Staff photo by Jayati Ramakrishnan
Hermiston schools librarian Delia Wallis and Blue Mountain Community
College librarian Jackie Ray will use grant money to help students
become better researchers.
said. “It could be as simple as knowing
what to ask for.”
Wallis and Ray also hope to help
students utilize a resource many of them
think they already know how to use —
the internet.
“What I tell parents and teachers
is, they see kids on electronic devices
and think they’re seeing a tech-savvy
person,” Wallis said. “What they’re
seeing is a kid who knows how to get
where they already want to go. What
they need to learn is how to be good
researchers.”
Ray hopes to encourage students to
use the internet as a tool when learning
about the workforce.
“How do you do a good career
search?” she asked. “We often go to the
Bureau of Labor Statistics, but that’s not
often a place students think to go first.”
Wallis said she hopes the training will
help teachers show their students to go
beyond Google.
“When you hear the phrase, ‘Google
it,’ that’s like sticking your face under a
waterfall,” Wallis said. “Way too much
info. You need to be able to go to the right
resource and distill the information.”
They also hope to teach students how
to be careful consumers of information.
“For example — fake news,” Ray
said. “How do we develop assignments
so students can recognize fake news
when they see it? It’s something we want
every person to know how to do.”
The two hope this grant will lead to
students being able to think critically.
“Something may not be directly
applicable in a college class, but if you
have that skill set, you’re adaptable,”
Wallis said.
–——
Contact Jayati Ramakrishnan at
541-564-4534 or jramakrishnan@
eastoregonian.com
Umatilla County Sheriff
Terry Rowan said his staff
is keeping close eyes on
a herd of suffering cattle
near Hermiston.
“We’re going out there
probably at least three
times a day,” he said.
The sheriff’s office
Saturday responded to
a report of dead and
neglected cattle near
Columbia Lane and South
Edwards Road, Hermiston.
Deputies found 14 dead
cattle, another 15 too weak
and emaciated to relocate,
and one calf was in such
bad shape it could not
stand and was euthanized.
Rowan said the cattle
belong to Michael Hock-
ensmith, 55, who has not
returned multiple calls for
comment. State and county
records
show
Hock-
ensmith is the president
of the Cedar Creek Cattle
Company, a 96-acre farm
at 33355 Dallas Road, less
than a mile’s drive north-
west to the intersection of
Columbia Lane and South
Edwards Road.
Rowan said the sher-
iff’s office contracted with
a couple of people who are
feeing and watering the
cattle.
“There’s no water
resource for part of the
property,” he said, “so they
have to haul water in.”
He also said deputies
BRIEFLY
Union Pacific train
derailed Monday
on reservation
MISSION — Eleven
railroad cars derailed
Monday night near Bingham
Road about 20 miles east
of Mission on the Umatilla
Indian Reservation.
Union Pacific reported
no spills, no hazardous
materials involved and no
injuries.
Justin Jacobs, a
spokesperson for the
railroad, said crews have
been working since the crash
to removed derailed cars
and make repairs and the
cause is under investigation.
The tracks are one of two
mainlines in that location.
The Oregon Environ-
mental Response System
notified the Confederated
Tribes of the Umatilla
Indian Reservation, the
Oregon Department of
Transportation and the
Oregon Department of
Environmental Quality of
the derailment.
Hermiston police
trying to find
stabbing witnesses
HERMISTON —
Hermiston police continue
to struggle finding people
willing to talk about last
week’s stabbing that injured
one man.
“We still have an
uncooperative victim,”
Hermiston police chief Jason
Edmiston said, “and we have
multiple potential witnesses
that are avoiding us. The
detectives are very much
trying to track down those
individuals.”
Edmiston previously
identified the victim as Troy
Curtis Rutherford, 30, who
suffered superficial stab
wounds to the head and back
of his shoulders, and the
possible suspect as Marcus
Allen Nelson, 32. Both men
live in Hermiston and have
records for minor crimes.
Edmiston said their reports
to police conflict about what
happened the morning of
Jan. 5 at a trailer at Dun
Rollin Trailer Park, 445 E.
Jennie Ave., Hermiston.
Edmiston also said
detectives would stay on
the case for maybe another
couple of weeks, but if
nothing flushes out, they will
write their reports and send
the information to Umatilla
County District Attorney’s
Office to consider charges.
Photo by Wil Phinney/Confederated
Umatilla Journal
PENDLETON —
Pendleton’s first dog park
has been open since the late
summer, but its presence isn’t
easy to spot.
Pendleton parks and
recreation director Donnie
Cook said the city opened
the Let’Er Bark Dog Park
on the north banks of the
Umatilla River the week after
Round-Up in September,
but it won’t be able to install
a sign directing the public
to the park until after the
weather warms.
The public can access
the park from Northwest
Carden, across the street from
Pendleton High School.
The park currently
features signs with the dog
park rules, trash can and a
picnic table, and is the only
public place dogs are allowed
without a leash.
Cook said he’s trying to
work with the Round-Up
to open the gate to a dirt lot
that could serve as off-street
parking, but in the mean time,
people can park on Carden on
access the park on foot.
Cook said the early
feedback has been positive,
with one person commenting
that the park has cleared
up some of the homeless
encampments along the river.
Vacancies
announced on two
city committees
HERMISTON — The city
of Hermiston is accepting
applications for vacancies on
the Budget Committee and
Recreation Projects Fund
Advisory Committee.
Positions 1, 2, and 3
are open on the Budget
Committee, which reviews
and approves the proposed
city budget. Position 2 is
open on the Recreation
Projects Fund Advisory
Committee.
Applications are available
at city hall, 180 N.E. Second
St., and online at hermiston.
or.us. Completed applications
can be turned in at city hall
or emailed to Lilly Alarcon-
Strong at lalarcon-strong@
hermiston.or.us by 5 p.m.
Feb. 28.
Applicants must not
be full-time employees
of the city or a supplier
or contractor to the city.
People can sit on no more
than two city committees.
Preference will be given to
city residents.
Demolition training
in Boardman
BOARDMAN — The
Explosive Ordnance
Disposal Detachment
Northwest from the Whidbey
Island, Washington, Naval
Air Station will conduct
routine demolition training
at the Naval Weapons
Systems Training Facility in
Boardman next Tuesday and
Wednesday, Jan. 17 and 18.
All training will occur
during daylight hours in the
central section of the range
property, and staff have taken
safety precautions to make
sure operations don’t pose
any threats to people or the
property. Surrounding areas
may see dust clouds or feel
ground vibrations from the
tests.
Mike Welding, public
affairs officer for the station,
said retrograde munitions
would be demolished.
“They’ve been collected
over time,” he said. “The
maximum amount charge
they’ll use on this is 10
pounds (the explosive
charge). That’s categorized as
very small.”
Welding said the station
does these disposals of old
munitions a couple of times
a year.
———
Briefs are compiled
from staff and wire reports,
and press releases. Email
press releases to news@
eastoregonian.com
are visiting the site to
verify the contractors are
doing their jobs and to
check on the condition of
the cattle.
“We’ve more or less
taken over the feeding
and care of the animals
until we progress the case
forward,” Rowan said.
The sheriff’s office
budget has $10,000 for
caring
for
neglected
animals, a fund Rowan
said it would tap into
for this case. Caring for
that many large animals,
he said, probably would
deplete those funds in
short order.
“The main focus is to
essentially get them up to
a state where we would
feel comfortable in trans-
porting them,” Rowan
said.
But where they will go
remains a question. Rowan
said there are not a lot of
places that can accommo-
date that many cattle and
not cost the county a lot of
money.
The criminal investi-
gation into the mistreat-
ment of the animals also
continues, Rowan said, and
his staff would refer case
to the district attorney’s
office, which reached out
to a Portland-based pros-
ecutor who is an expert in
animal neglect cases.
———
Contact Phil Wright at
pwright@eastoregonian.
com or 541-966-0833.
SUBMIT COMMUNITY NEWS
Eleven Union Pacific cars
derailed Monday night on
the Umatilla Indian Reser-
vation. No injuries or spills
were reported.
Pendleton dog park
open to public
Page 3A
Submit information to: community@eastorego-
nian.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.
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