REGION
Saturday, January 13, 2018
East Oregonian
Page 3A
PENDLETON
Flu season hitting
Partners quit day jobs to open Moe Phở
earlier than usual
East Oregonian
Emergency rooms and
pharmacy counters are
filling up while classrooms
and workplaces are looking
sparse.
It must be flu season.
In Umatilla County,
hospitals and the health
department are reporting
an earlier than usual spike
in influenza cases.
Larry Blanc of St.
Anthony Hospital reported
Friday that since Jan. 1 the
Pendleton hospital had 23
positive tests and has insti-
tuted a visitation restriction,
barring most visitors under
the age of 12 and requiring
masks for anyone showing
symptoms of the flu.
At Good Shepherd
Health Center, Hermiston,
the flu season (starting Oct.
1) has seen 182 positive
tests and three admissions
for flu so far, compared to
10 last year.
About five percent
of hospital admissions
statewide are flu related,
according to Umatilla
County Health Director
Jim Setzer, compared to
four percent at this time
last year.
But Setzer said head
counts at hospitals don’t
give an accurate count of
how many are under the
weather, as many people
stay at home to deal with
the illness.
In Pendleton schools,
the week started with a 90
percent attendance rate on
Monday, a couple of points
below average but was back
to normal by Thursday.
Administrator
Matt
Yoshioka said teachers,
however, were calling in
sick by the end of the week
and by Friday there were
not enough substitutes to
cover for all the classes.
The district was able to fill
in with secondary teachers
taking classes during their
prep periods and classified
staff who are accredited
substitutes stepping in at
the elementary schools.
Setzer said this year’s
vaccine appears to not be
as good at preventing the
virus as previous years,
but it has shown the
ability to ease and shorten
symptoms.
BRIEFLY
Car hits power
pole on Canal Rd.
HERMISTON — A car
hit a power pole Friday
morning on Canal Road,
causing power outages
and road closures for
several hours.
Umatilla County Fire
District Battalion Chief
J.W. Roberts said it was
a single-vehicle crash,
and no one was injured.
He said around 8 a.m.,
the car hit the power pole
on Canal Road just south
of Diagonal Boulevard,
shearing the pole.
Roberts said a school
bus narrowly missed the
pole, but was not involved
in the crash. The bus,
which had children in it,
stayed at the scene for a
few minutes, he said.
Roberts said the vehicle
that hit the pole left the
scene, and was chased
down by a Umatilla
County Sheriff’s deputy,
who brought them back to
the scene to be examined
by medics.
Good Shepherd
preparing to open
Women’s Center
HERMISTON — As
Good Shepherd Health
Care System’s new
women’s clinic prepares
to open later this month,
advanced registered nurse
practitioner Angie Hays is
now taking patients.
Hays signed on to the
Good Shepherd Nancy
Rudd-McCoy Women’s
Center after 22 years in
the community and said
she is excited to focus
on caring for women
“from menstruation to
menopause.”
“My primary focus
will be providing
physical exams,
providing contraception
options — nexplanon
and IUD, caring for
common and chronic
urinary tract infections,
vaginal infections,
abnormal bleeding,
and other physical
conditions women may
be experiencing — even
hypertension and thyroid
conditions,” she said in a
news release. “Really, I’ll
be caring for all aspects
of preventative health for
women.”
The new 11,000-square
-foot Women’s Center
at 620 N.W. 11th St.
in Hermiston will add
new services to Good
Shepherd’s offerings,
including midwifery. To
schedule an appointment
please call 541-667-3801
or visit www.gshealth.org/
good-shepherd-medical-
group/gynecology/ and
request an appointment
online.
———
Briefs are compiled
from staff and wire reports,
and press releases. Email
press releases to news@
eastoregonian.com
By MIRANDA
VEGA RECTOR
Confederated Umatilla Journal
Stepping away from 15
years of working as a shift
manager for table games,
Moe Soeum is pursuing his
passion for cooking at Moe
Phở — an up-and-coming
restaurant owned and oper-
ated by Soeum that will be
serving Asian dishes.
Soeum is of Cambodian
descent and started cooking
at a young age; he learned
mostly from his mom, Meas
Khiev. He and his partner,
Whitney
Minthorn,
a
member of the Confederated
Tribes of the Umatilla Indian
Reservation, have been
working around the clock to
make their restaurant dream
a reality.
Together they took a
business class offered by
Business
Development
Services
of
Wildhorse
Resort & Casino to get the
restaurant in motion. Soeum
formerly worked at Wild-
horse. Recently they returned
from a trip to Thailand and
Vietnam where they took a
cooking course on traditional
foods. To gain hands-on
experience, Soeum has been
cooking in the kitchen of
Lawan’s Thai Garden in
Hermiston while Minthorn
has been handling the front
of the house.
“I was scared to quit
my job at the casino,” said
Soeum. “I didn’t want to take
a chance. But recently it’s
been like, ‘I need to do this
now or else I’m not going to
do it.’”
The restaurant will be
located at 370 S. Main Street,
the former home of New
York Richie’s. According to
Soeum, the owner will be
making adjustments to the
restaurant space, closing half
of it off, moving the kitchen
to one side of the building,
and adjusting the location of
the bar.
The décor will be “modern
and cultural,” which includes
a painting shipped from
Cambodia as well as some
of Minthorn’s photography.
As for the staff, they will be
wearing traditional uniforms
designed by a Vietnamese
fashion designer.
“It’s the type of restaurant
you would find if you were
actually in Southeast Asia
... with the music playing
... you would feel like you
were in another country,”
said Minthorn, who is also
handling the restaurant’s
SATURDAY, JAN. 13
MONDAY, JAN. 15
EASTERN OREGON CELTIC
SOCIETY PIPERS GATHERING,
1 p.m., The Old Meeting House,
901 M Ave., La Grande. For pip-
ers of all skill levels. Instruction is
free, but a $2 donation for use of
the building is appreciated. (541-
568-4643)
HERMISTON
CULTURAL
AWARENESS CLUB, 2 p.m.,
Starbucks, 1235 N. First St., Herm-
iston. Practicing the wisdom of Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr. in the com-
munity, including all cultures and
races. Everyone welcome. (John
Carbage 541-701-7073)
PENDLETON
EAGLES
STEAK AND LIVE MUSIC,
6-11:59 p.m., Pendleton Eagles
Lodge, 428 S. Main St., Pendleton.
Dinner from 6-8 p.m., music from
8 p.m. to midnight. Members and
guests welcome. (541-278-2828)
BOARDMAN QUILT GROUP,
9 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Boardman
Senior Center, 100 Tatone St.,
Boardman. Quilt construction,
quilting updates, education, his-
tory and friendship. Free. (Kathy
Hyder 541-571-7009)
BLUE MOUNTAIN PIECE-
MAKERS, 12 p.m., Thimbles Fab-
ric N More, 1819 Westgate Place,
Pendleton.
PENDLETON
ROTARY
CLUB, 12 p.m., Red Lion Inn
Walla Walla Room, 304 S.E. Nye
Ave., Pendleton.
IRRIGON MOOSE LODGE
TACOS AND BINGO, 6-9 p.m.,
Irrigon Moose Lodge, 220 N.E.
Third St., Irrigon. Tacos from 6-9
p.m., bingo from 6:30-9 p.m. Open
to members and guests. (541-
922-1802)
OREGON TRAIL GEM & MIN-
ERAL SOCIETY, 6 p.m., Pendle-
Photo contributed by Whitney Minthorn
Whitney Minthorn, left, and Moe Soeum took cooking classes in Vietnam to learn
authentic dishes that will be served in Soeum’s new restaurant.
“I was scared to quit my job at the casino.
I didn’t want to take a chance. But recently
it’s been like, ‘I need to do this now or else
I’m not going to do it.’”
— Moe Soeum, Moe Phở owner
design,
business
and
marketing aspect.
Although the featured
dish on the menu is chicken
or beef Phở, Soeum will
be serving a variety of
Vietnamese, Cambodian and
Thai cuisine including Thai
Noodles, spring rolls, and
Cambodian Fried Rice.
Instead of alcoholic bever-
ages, customers can choose
from Vietnamese coffee,
bubble tea with pearls, milk
tea, and Pepsi products.
Traditional Phở is a
Vietnamese soup consisting
of rice stick noodles, broth,
meat, and herbs. Soeum
said the broth is the most
important. It cooks for a long
period of time and “to make
it right you need to put in a
lot of love.”
In 2016, Phở was at the
top of Google Food Trend’s
“seasonal riser” list, predicted
to be a trend that would come
back even stronger in the
upcoming years. The dish has
been growing at a consistent
rate of 11 percent year after
year since 2013.
The pair has yet to set an
official opening date, though
they expect to be serving
customers around the end
of January or beginning of
February. At first they plan
to be open seven days a week
from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. until
they get a better feel for what
the Pendleton community’s
Phở needs are, and then they
will adjust accordingly.
“Together we have come
up with a fresh concept, a
popular menu, and an ambi-
tious but achievable plan to
build it into a thriving new
business,” wrote Soeum and
Minthorn in their business
plan.
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
SUNDAY, JAN. 14
PENDLETON
EAGLES
BREAKFAST, 9 a.m.-12 p.m.,
Pendleton Eagles Lodge, 428
S. Main St., Pendleton. Open to
members and guests. (541-278-
2828)
WHITE EAGLE GRANGE,
5:30 p.m., White Eagle Grange
Hall, 43828 White Eagle Road,
Pendleton. 5 p.m. potluck, bring
salad or dessert. Regular meeting
to follow. (Gail Wilson 541-276-
3778)
In Appreciation of
State Rep. Bob Jenson
1931 – 2018
Bob Jenson battled for the interests of Eastern
Oregon in the Oregon House of Representatives,
in a gracious and civil manner. Among his many
accomplishments, Bob never wavered in an effort to
get more water for our farming and food processing
economy. He championed the value of community-
owned utilities and fought on our behalf. We are
still benefiting today from the tireless efforts of Bob
Jenson, and he will be dearly missed.
ton City Hall community room, 501
S.W. Emigrant Ave., Pendleton.
(Tom Moon 541-278-9702)
BLOOMER GIRLS GARDEN
CLUB, 6:30 p.m., location varies,
Hermiston. (Barbara Chadwick
541-567-2043)
INLAND NORTHWEST MU-
SICIANS CHORALE REHEARS-
AL, 7 p.m., Harris Jr. Academy
gymnasium, 3121 S.W. Hailey
Ave., Pendleton. No tryouts; all
welcome. No rehearsals June-Ju-
ly-August or Christmas-New Year.
(RaNiel Dunn 541-289-4696)
TUESDAY, JAN. 16
PENDLETON TOASTMAS-
TERS NO. 154, 6:30 a.m., Pend-
leton City Hall community room,
501 S.W. Emigrant Ave., Pendle-
ton.
GREENFIELD GRANGE PI-
NOCHLE, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Green-
field Grange 579, 209 N.W. First
St., Boardman. (541-481-7397)
BIBLE STUDY, 10 a.m., First
United Methodist Church, 352
S.E. Second St., Pendleton. (Rev.
Jim Pierce 541-276-2616)
GREATER
HERMISTON
AREA REPUBLICAN WOMEN’S
CLUB, 11:30 a.m., Desert Lanes
Bowling Alley, 1545 N. Main St.,
Hermiston. No-host lunch. All
women welcome. (541-567-0006)
“THE LIFE MODEL: LIVING
FROM THE HEART JESUS
GAVE YOU” BOOK STUDY
GROUP, 1-2:30 p.m., Bowman
Building, 17 S.W. Frazer Ave.,
Pendleton. (Pat 541-276-6671)
WESTON-MCEWEN
LI-
ONS CLUB, 1 p.m., Doubletree
Restaurant, 327 E. Main St, Ath-
ena. (Ellyn 541-566-3987)
STUDYING THE MIRACLES
OF JESUS, 4-6 p.m., Good Sa-
maritan Ministries, 319 W. Locust
Ave., Hermiston. (541-564-1041)
AG Jeff Sessions
is limiting our
freedom
of speech
& rights
as business
owners.
P endleton ’ s C raft C annabis b outique
1733 SW Court Ave, Pendleton
Flower
Our Condolences to the Family and
Friends of Bob Jenson,
Topicals
Edibles
Concentrates
The Board and Staff of Umatilla Electric Cooperative
and more
Open 7 days
A week
8-10
Mon-Sat
10-10
Sunday
Adults 21+ • Keep Out of Reach of Children • Do not drive while under the influence of Marijuana