TRUMP CONDEMNS
HATE GROUPS
TWO DAYS LATER
FARM-CITY
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30 TH YEAR
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85/56
TUESDAY, AUGUST 15, 2017
141st Year, No. 216
WINNER OF THE 2017 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD
One dollar
HERMISTON
Graduation
may move
next door, or
out of state
School board considers EOTEC,
Kennison and Toyota Center
By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN
East Oregonian
The Hermiston School Board will soon
consider whether to move the high school
graduation ceremony after several years of
growing graduating classes have limited the
number of family members who can attend
the ceremony.
At its meeting on Monday night, the
board heard a presentation from Hermiston
High School Principal Tom Spoo and
Athletic Director Larry Usher about the
different options available to the district.
Spoo and Usher presented four options:
staying in the current venue, moving outside
to Kennison Field, to the new EOTEC rodeo
grounds, or to the Toyota Center in Kenne-
wick.
At this year’s graduation, students were
given fi ve tickets each for guests, one fewer
than last year’s allotment. Usher estimated
that with the projected senior class size, 2018
would see a reduction to four tickets per
student. The high school gymnasium seats
about 1,800 people, not including graduates.
This year, the district also streamed gradua-
tion in the auditorium, which seated about
500 more, and in the high school commons.
Additionally, Spoo said, the current venue
has limited handicap access and visibility.
“We are over capacity,” he said.
The two administrators presented the
advantages and challenges that would result
from each venue change, but many of the
same issues lingered. Kennison Field, they
said, provides about 200 more seats, but is
outside, and weather issues could interfere
with the ceremony. The EOTEC rodeo
grounds seat about 3,400 but, as an outdoor
venue, still could present challenges with
the weather. Both the outdoor venues,
Spoo said, would increase the workload for
district staff — as the gymnasium would
still have to be set up in case of bad weather.
Spoo and Usher asked board members to
consider the Toyota Center in Kennewick,
which seats 5,000 and is indoors. No tickets
See GRADUATION/9A
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Secretary of Energy Rick Perry, McNary Dam operations manager Dave Coleman and Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., tour the
McNary Dam on Monday in Umatilla.
Perry mum on BPA sale
Energy secretary tours McNary Dam; Walden confi dent agency will remain public
By GEORGE PLAVEN
East Oregonian
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Secretary of Energy Rick Perry speaks about hydro electric
power at a press conference after touring the McNary Dam
with Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., on Monday in Umatilla.
“George A. Hash is somewhat of a World War II hero.”
— Randy Hash, son of former Umatilla Mayor George Hash
Former Umatilla mayor, POW turns 95
By JADE MCDOWELL
East Oregonian
As family members
celebrate former Umatilla
mayor George Hash’s 95th
birthday, his son Randy
is hoping that his father’s
legacy is not forgotten.
Hash, who will turn 95
on Tuesday, was mayor from
1991 to 2004. But many
years before Hash worked
to
promote
economic
development in western
Umatilla County, he was
being honored for his heroics
during World War II.
Randy said his father
never really shared stories
from the war with his family
until later in life, when Randy
was a parent himself. He
eventually learned that his
dad, a member of the 101st
Airborne Division, was one
of the fi rst Americans to
parachute into Normandy
behind enemy lines ahead of
the D-day invasion. He later
became a prisoner of war
in Holland, but eventually
escaped.
“George A. Hash is
somewhat of a World War
II hero,” Randy said. “He’s
featured in the Smithsonian.”
In a video interview with
George online, featured with
other veterans’ oral histories
on a website called “Mr. K’s
pages,” he said he chose to
be a paratrooper when he
enlisted because he wanted
to put on an outfi t “that was
going over there to do some
U.S. Secretary of Energy
Rick Perry was noncommittal
Monday when asked about
a proposal in the president’s
budget to privatize the Bonne-
ville Power Administration
transmission grid following a
tour of McNary Dam along the
Columbia River.
Perry, who was joined
by
congressmen
Greg
Walden (R-Oregon) and Dan
Newhouse (R-Washington),
met briefl y with reporters
outside the dam where he said
hydroelectricity will continue
to play an important role in
America’s energy strategy.
The Trump administration,
Contributed photo by Randy Hash
business.”
“I fi gured that was the
best choice if I wanted some
combat,” George said.
He also said he was “no
kind of a hero,” just one
of thousands of soldiers
following orders.
Randy said one of his
father’s
brothers-in-arms
called him out of the blue
years ago to tell him about
the day his father was
captured. The Germans had
killed several members of
their company, and George
grabbed a gun and went
off by himself to ambush
the Germans that had been
picking them off. The
man told Randy they saw
George from a distance keep
shooting Germans until he
had taken too many bullets
to his arm and shoulder to
continue re-loading. At that
point, they thought George
was dead. They later found
out he had been loaded into
the same fl atbed truck as the
injured Germans he had just
shot and taken to Stalag 3C,
a camp that held more than
1,500 American POWs, for
interrogation and imprison-
ment.
See HASH/9A
See PERRY/9A
Get ready for
the eclipse rush
Center saw traffi c backing
up from East Airport Road to
Highway 395. While the fair
Umatilla County Emer- hammered that out, Roberts
gency Manager Tom Roberts said a similar situation could
advised locals to prepare for occur as highways fi ll up.
For those heading south
the infl ux of tourists coming
for Monday’s total solar to see the moment of total
darkness Monday morning,
eclipse.
R o b e r t s
“If
there’s
suggested they
anything they need
take
enough
to do as far as shop-
supplies of food
ping, fuel, special
SOLAR
and water, and
needs, do that early
ECLIPSE
maybe
some
in the week,” he
extra fuel.
2017
said.
They
also
Northern
6 days left
should contact
Umatilla
and
the U.S. Forest
Morrow counties
are not in the path of totality, Service to get up-to-date
he said, but eclipse viewers maps to know what forest
coming through the area to roads are open and closed.
reach that path will hit gas Banking on GPS systems,
stations and grocery stores on he said, could lead drivers
the way. That rush, he said, to places their vehicles can’t
will have an effect on goods handle.
Fire season is going strong,
and services.
While he said he has not so Roberts said travelers need
heard of businesses antici- to take extra precautions not
pating they will run dry, but to start a blaze. Don’t park, for
an extra level of preparedness example, where hot exhaust
pipes can brush against dry
never hurts.
Local driving also could grass. People also need to be
feel the crush. Roberts just aware of their surroundings.
“Know you way out from
worked the Umatilla County
Fair, where its new home where you are at,” he said.
at Hermiston’s Eastern “Have an escape plan and
Oregon Trade and Event escape route.”
By PHIL WRIGHT
East Oregonian
George Hash in 2017 and as a paratrooper during
World War II.
however, has proposed selling
off transmission assets owned
by BPA, which markets
electric power generated by
the Columbia River system
— including McNary Dam.
Northwest lawmakers have
roundly criticized the plan,
saying it will raise rates for
consumers and affect reliability
in rural areas.
In fact, both Walden and
Newhouse signed on to a letter
sent June 5 to Perry and Mick
Mulvaney, director of the White
House Offi ce of Management
and Budget, urging them to
support the BPA.
“We believe divesting
BPA’s transmission assets