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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 2, 2017)
Page 10A OFF PAGE ONE East Oregonian Thursday, February 2, 2017 HERMISTON: Good Shepherd named business of the year Continued from 1A described, calling himself “just a kid who came from California up to Oregon at age 19.” “I’ve seen a lot, but the thing I know we’re here on earth for is we’re supposed to love each other,” he said. “I don’t mean hugs and kisses, but treating everyone, I mean everyone, with respect.” Another of the night’s honorees recognized for their selflessness and compassion was Pat Hart, as Man of the Year. Hart retired as chief of Hermiston Fire & Emergency Services in 2014, and presenter Phil Hamm said he still shows a “servant’s heart” in the community through serving in Rotary Club and community Christmas and Thanksgiving dinners, maintaining Funland playground, opening his home to overnight visitors, serving on the Chamber of Commerce board and donating his photography for charity fundraisers. “He is truly an example of someone who has unselfishly used his talents to make Hermiston a better place,” Hamm said. Woman of the Year was Liz Marvin, who works as a counselor for Hermiston High School. Presenter Bob Green called her compassionate, graceful, wise, devoted, an impressively skilled organizer, passionate and someone to whom students often turn for advice out of respect and admiration. “It’s rare to find an individual so talented and yet so dedicated to the success of others,” Green said. The Spirit of Excellence award went to Jeanne Jewett, a multimedia consul- tant for the Hermiston Herald and a chamber ambassador. She was recog- nized by Sherri Smith and Debbie Pedro for her “real leadership and exemplary values” as she works as chairwoman of the chamber ambassadors, a member of the Leadership Hermiston steering committee, the founder of the Butte Challenge and an organizer of many golf tournaments for charity. Altrusa president LuAnne Davison presented the Altrusan Outstanding Young Citizen award to Vanessa Ambriz-Mendoza and Elias “Ismael” Arenas. Davison said Ambriz-Mendoza is an intelligent young woman with grace, curiosity and a dedication to serving others, which she does through the Ford Leadership Foundation, Contributed photo by Michael Durham Transformers surrounded by blast walls, which isolate individual transformers in case of failure, are shown during construction of the Carty Generating Station in August 2015. Staff photo by E.J. Harris Woman of the Year was Liz Marvin listens as presenter Bob Green reads a list of her many accomplishments at the Hermiston Chamber of Commerce’s Distinguished Citizens Banquet on Wednesday in Hermiston. Good Shepherd Community Student Foundation and frequent fundraisers for nonprofits. She described Arenas as a depend- able young man who has gained great confidence and maturity through partic- ipation in National Honor Society, Key Club and soccer. “He has an immense amount of compassion and character,” Davison said. The Fire Service Award went to pastor Terry Cummings, who serves as lead chaplain for Hermiston’s fire district and police department. Ric Sherman said Cummings helps counsel and comfort first responders who face difficult circumstances each day, as well as the families who are experiencing the shock of losing a loved one or a home. He is a calming influence on chaotic scenes, Sherman said, and plays a vital role in both departments. Cummings accepted the award by saying it was a “real privilege to be able to serve the men and women who make up our first responders.” Rotary Business of the Year went to Good Shepherd Health Care System, which is one of Hermiston’s largest employers with more than 550 staff and a payroll of $37 million. Presenter Dean Fialka noted the national recognition the hospital has received recently, the long list of services Good Shepherd provides and its “huge impact” on the economy. He said Good Shepherd also gives back by providing free rides to medical appoint- ments through the Carevan, awarding grants and scholarships through the Good Shepherd Community Health Foundation and activities like a recent food drive that collected 5,000 food items for Agape House. Also recognized Wednesday was Hermiston School District’s Admin- istrator of the Year, Hermiston High School principal Tom Spoo. Spoo was recognized for being a dedicated team player, respected for his sincerity throughout the district and his personal approach. The district’s Educators of the Year were Linda White, Susie Cobb, Ericka Keefauver, Tate Enright, Kimo Gabriel, Mark Douglass, Jolene Davis, Joyce Barak and Margaret Gutierrez, with Desert View Elementary fifth grade teacher Garth Lind named the district’s overall top teacher of the year. Assistant superintendent Tricia Mooney said Lind’s students have consistently posted test scores signifi- cantly above the state average, with impressive and unexpected growth each year, and that more than 70 teachers have come to watch Lind teach so that they can learn what makes him a model teacher. ——— Contact Jade McDowell at jmcdowell@eastoregonian.com or 541-564-4536. CAPITOL: Some Republicans worry budget gap may grow Continued from 1A frankly distressing to many Oregonians going on out there that there is a sense that we need to work together.” State lawmakers this session have to contend with a $1.8 billion revenue short- fall stemming from a reduc- tion in federal contribution to subsidized health care for low-income residents, spikes in human services caseloads and rising state pension costs. But the tone of the session largely reverberated Wednesday with resistance to Trump. Hundreds of protestors assembled on the Capitol steps in opposition to Trump’s executive order concerning immigration and urged Gov. Kate Brown to join other states in suing the administration to stop enforcement of the order. “There’s obviously a great deal of concern here for our vulnerable neighbors who are under attack by the actions of the White House,” said House Majority Leader Jennifer Williamson, D-Portland. “We’ve resolved to stand with them and to use very legal tool at our disposal to protect them.” In a gesture of resistance to Trump’s executive order, House Speaker Tina Kotek kicked off Wednesday with an invocation from a Port- land imam. Imam Muhammed Najieb, director of the Muslim Community Center of Portland, recited opening chapters of the Quran on the floor of the House. “I hope the recitation he shared with us today helps send the message to those in the Capitol and to Oregonians across the state: everyone is welcome here,” Kotek said in a statement. Meanwhile, on the floor of the Senate, Minority Leader Ted Ferrioli, R-John Day, spoke to some Demo- crats’ anxiety concerning the Trump administration. “We understand how Democrats may be feeling, especially when they look at the Washington, D.C., situa- tion, and it’s a terrible thing to be without any access to the levers of power,” Ferrioli said. “We certainly know how that feels here in Oregon.” Ferrioli said he hoped that Democrats would work with Republicans to solve the state’s pressing problems. Republicans have asked Democrats for reforms to the Public Employees Retirement System, spending curtailment and adjustment to the carbon fuels standard in exchange for their support of tax measures for general revenue and transportation. Despite the Legislature’s Democratic majority, Repub- lican votes are needed to pass tax measures, which require a three-fifths majority vote. “We need compromise on key legislative issues before us, and we would like to start by reaching out. Republicans are reaching out to Democrats in the spirit of compromise, and we hope that this sets a tone for a very productive legislative session,” Ferrioli said. Some Republicans said they worry the state’s $1.8 billion budget gap may grow larger as federal matching formulas change under the new presidential administra- tion. One of those potential changes is the way health care is subsidized for the poor under Medicaid. Republicans in Congress have vowed to repeal the Affordable Care Act, casting more uncertainty on Oregon’s state budget. “We’ve seen this play out in the reverse when Democrats in Congress had a Democratic president, red HEALTH: 2015 survey reported 74 percent of adults were overweight, more than a third obese Continued from 1A Oregon Child Development Coalition. The survey was admin- istered both by mail and electronically. About 2,000 parents received advance letters detailing the survey’s purpose and later were mailed questionnaires, a self-addressed return envelope and two dollars as an incentive. Three weeks later, parents who hadn’t responded received another personalized cover letter, questionnaire and self-ad- dressed envelope. Three weeks later, non-respondents received a postcard reminder. All told, 20 percent, or 389 parents, responded to the mail survey. Another 134 parents responded to an elec- tronic version of the survey distributed by schools. Health education researchers at the University of Toledo and the Hospital Council of Northwest Ohio collected and analyzed the data. The assessment echoes some of the results of a survey of adults in the fall of 2015. That assessment revealed, among many other details, that 74 percent of Umatilla and Morrow County adults were over- weight and more than a third were obese. Thirteen percent smoked. The kids’ survey suggests that adult problems such as obesity and exposure to cigarette smoke also affect the younger set. “It’s less surprising than it is sort of validating,” Setzer said. The new data will help community partners forge positive health change, Setzer said. The group, including representatives from health care, education, government and others, meets at St. Anthony Hospital Thursday to engage on the topic, the first of many more such meetings. “We’re beginning the dialogue,” Setzer said. “There is lots of room for creativity. There’s no prescribed solution or answer. This is a chance for us to think about what we can do about some of these things.” This type of change doesn’t come in a prescrip- tion bottle. “Oregon’s public health approach is to step back from direct one-on-one service delivery to treating the community as our patient,” Setzer said. “Interventions need to be behavioral.” ——— Contact Kathy Aney at kaney@eastoregonian.com or call 541-966-0810. states suffered,” said Rep. Julie Parrish, R-West Linn. “Now, it’s the opposite. Now, we’re a blue state with a red federal administration, and we have the potential to make our $1.8 billion budget hole worse.” One area where lawmakers from both parties agree is on their desire to pass a transportation package this session. “To be frank, since I’ve been in this building, this is the one session that has actually so far, been the most civil and been the most nonpartisan,” said Sen. Brian Boquist, R-Dallas, who sits on a joint committee crafting the transportation package. Two Democrats and two Republicans are heading up that effort. Sen. Sara Gelser, D-Cor- vallis, said this session gives “an opportunity for Oregon to shine and really demon- strate our Oregon values and to make Oregonians proud of the place that we live.” CARTY: Deadline to comment on amended site certificate is 5 p.m. Friday Continued from 1A the Columbia River from a terminal in Boardman. On Wednesday, the Sampsons, joined by Willa Wallace of Pendleton, met in Mission to discuss their concerns about Carty — which is located on land ceded to the tribes’ under the Treaty of 1855. Expanding natural gas facilities would have severe consequences, Sampson-Kruse said, from contributing to climate change to using 8.8 million gallons of water daily from Carty Reservoir, which itself draws from the Columbia River. “We’re speaking from a very strong tribal point of view,” Sampson-Kruse said. “But it’s not just our tribal community. It’s the entire community we live in. It’s not just our children. It’s everyone’s children. It’s everyone’s land, air and water.” As of Wednesday, Samp- son-Kruse said 104 tribal members have signed their petition, which is more than double their original goal. The deadline to comment on the Carty’s amended site certificate to the Oregon Energy Facility Siting Council is 5 p.m. Friday. Sampson-Kruse recalled visiting the Standing Rock Reservation in December, where she joined the Dakota Access Pipeline protest. Leaders there urged members of all Indian tribes to be just as active fighting for their way of life back at their homelands, she said. “We need to remain true to who we are as a people,” Sampson-Kruse said. Environmental organiza- tions are also pushing back against PGE, including the Sierra Club, which argues two new natural gas units would make Carty the largest climate polluter in Oregon with more than 4 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions every year. PGE officials, however, insist opponents are getting ahead of themselves. Just because they are applying for permits does not mean expansion at Carty is a done deal, they say. It all starts with the company’s 2016 Integrated Resource Plan, which was filed with the Oregon Public Utility Commission last November. In that plan, PGE sketches what resources it will need to add by 2020 to make up for the loss of the Boardman Coal Plant from its energy fleet. The plan does call for 175 average megawatts of additional renewable energy to meet state-mandated goals, but also stresses the need for so-called “dispatchable” resources that can be ramped up and down quickly to balance the grid when the sun doesn’t shine or the wind doesn’t blow. What the plan doesn’t mention is specific projects to reach those benchmarks. Franco Albi, manager of integrated resource planning for PGE, said that once the 2016 plan is acknowledged by the PUC, the utility will go out for bids on a range of possible developments. Their analysis, Albi said, is completely indifferent to any particular site or resource. Brett Sims, PGE director of resource strategy, said the reason they are chasing permits for Carty now is that, come time for bids, contractors will have that option on the table. “We think that’s just responsible planning,” Sims said. There is no scenario where PGE could meet their needs with 100 percent reneawbles, Sims said. A flexible base resource must be part of the equation. “A gas plant can clearly do that,” he said. In comments to the PUC, the Sierra Club argues PGE is trying to stack the deck in favor of two new gas units at Carty. The organization also says that PGE must include stakeholders and the public in the evaluation of future bids, absent more information in the resource plan. Linda Sampson said the tribes will continue to fight against fossil fuels in order to protect what is known as Tamanwit, the unwritten laws of nature that establish the relationship between humans and the Earth. “It’s not going to stop,” she said. “Our blood is here. This is where our people are buried. We’re not going away.” Healthy smiles for a lifetime! We are the BIG authority in little teeth Craik Pediatric Dentistry 107 E Cherry Street Walla Walla, WA 99362 1-509-525-7336 Advanced Pediatric Dentistry of Hermiston 1060 W Elm Ave #115 Hermiston, OR 97838 1-541-289-5433 New patient exams are free for children under 3 years Call today to schedule an appointment
