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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 16, 2018)
REGION Tuesday, October 16, 2018 East Oregonian HERMISTON Ellwood returns for homecoming festivities during cancer treatment By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN East Oregonian For the last six months, Jasmine Ellwood has faced some challenges bigger than term papers and state tests. The Hermiston High School junior has been out of school since April bat- tling Ewing sarcoma, a type of bone cancer. As daily events like sporting events and dance practice were replaced by trips to Portland and chemotherapy, a group of her friends and class- mates got together and nom- inated her for a high school tradition: the homecom- ing court. Ellwood, 16, was elected homecoming prin- cess for the junior class, and was in Hermiston last week attending events, such as mud wars, the homecoming assembly Thursday and the football game Friday night. Ellwood said she was pleasantly surprised by the nomination. Her sister, Aly- sha, started a social media campaign, which encour- aged others to vote for Ellwood. “I was thinking about Staff photo by E.J. Harris Hermiston junior homecoming princess Jasmine Ell- wood rides into Kennison Field in a Corvette during half- time of the Homecoming game on Friday in Hermiston. Ellwood has been out of school since April battling Ew- ing sarcoma, a type of bone cancer. everything she’s been through, and how her life has changed,” Alysha said. “I went on Twitter, and started posting about elect- ing her. And it really took off.” Ellwood’s mother, Cindy, said the family was grateful for the support they’ve received from the community. “I thought it was pretty special this happened,” Cindy said. “Her whole world got turned upside down. To have this going on — it is a big deal. It lets her know she’s still a part of the high school, the community. Just letting her know, we’re still thinking about you, we love you.” Ellwood has continued to take classes online, but her schooling has been inter- rupted as she spends days at a time in Portland. Right now, her mother said, she is doing fairly well, and should be finished with chemother- apy in December or Janu- ary. But, with fluctuating blood cell counts making her susceptible to infection, she will likely not return to school full time for a while. Since her diagnosis, she and her family have spent most of their time in Port- land, where Ellwood has received chemotherapy and radiation therapy at Doern- becher Children’s Hospital. Over the course of 31 ses- sions of radiation treatment, she and her family had to stay in Portland at the Ron- ald McDonald House, a pro- gram that provides hous- ing for families and children battling illnesses who have to travel out of town for care. Ellwood said she has stayed positive, going to school events when she can. But she said what’s helped her most has been the famil- iarity of coming back to Hermiston. “I think the thing that’s helped me the most is being able to be at home with my friends and family,” she said. “I’m in the best mood because it feels normal again.” Watkinds sells Columbia Court Club, opens new business By JADE MCDOWELL East Oregonian Steve Watkinds knows his new line of business is a lit- tle ironic. Two years after he had to shut down the Columbia Court Club in Hermiston due to a fire, he has sold the build- ing and started a new busi- ness inspecting and selling fire extinguishers. Watkinds didn’t disclose the buyer of the club at 80903 S. Highway 395, but said in the near future they should be announcing plans to renovate and reopen it as a fitness cen- ter once again. The Columbia Court Club served for 38 years as a workout center, gymna- sium, indoor track and Herm- iston’s only indoor pool, until a fire broke out upstairs in the summer of 2016. The fire, thought to have been started by an electrical short in a power strip, didn’t cause any injuries. But it charred the upper floor of the build- ing and put holes in the ceil- ing that have since led to fur- ther water damage. Smoke, soot, fire-suppression chem- icals and two years without heat have made the club’s machines and pumps unus- able, and the locker rooms had to be gutted. Watkinds said he spent two years and thousands of dollars in legal fees fighting with the insurance company. They have finally reached a settlement, he said, but not one that would pay to rebuild everything the club had before, up to current build- ing codes. And once the club opened it would take months of hard work to try and re-at- tract customers that have been “absorbed into the mar- ket” elsewhere. “I did that once when I was 25 and that was fine, but I’m too old to take on that challenge again,” he said. “I’m going to leave that to the younger generation.” Instead, Watkinds and for- mer Columbia Court Club manager Mary Marsing have started Fire Pro, a locally owned and operated busi- ness that sells and services fire extinguishers. Businesses have requirements to have their extinguishers inspected by a certified professional yearly, and taken apart for a more thorough inspection every six years. “I noticed most of the area is not serviced by anyone local,” Watkinds said. He said they are finding “quite a bit of work” already. “It’s been fun to get out in the community and see peo- ple,” Watkinds said. “We used to see a lot of people through the club, and it’s nice to see them again.” He said when he shows up at businesses they usually ask him about what happened with the fire at the club, and he often shares advice, busi- ness owner to business owner, about things he wished he had known before the fire. “Looking back at my (insurance) policy, there are things I would do different,” he said. Umatilla County section missing from pamphlets By PHIL WRIGHT East Oregonian Some Umatilla County voters received a state vot- ers’ pamphlet without the section for county elections. The county and the elec- tions division of the Oregon Secretary of State are work- ing on the problem. “It’s causing me some heartburn, as you can imag- ine,” county elections man- ager Kim Lindell said. The first person to report the problem to Lin- dell was Rick Pullen, a former county employee running for county com- missioner. Lindell said she then reached out to others about the matter, and one county employee came in with a pamphlet lacking the local section. She and her boss, Dan Lonai, direc- tor of Administrative Ser- vices, checked bundles of the pamphlets and in each bundle found guides miss- ing the section. Lindell said the con- tractor the Oregon Secre- tary of State uses to print the pamphlets had “some kind of mess-up” and did not include the section in all Umatilla County edi- tions of the guide for the November election. And the state is not willing to mail new pamphlets, she said, because the error was not county-wide. “I have no way of know- ing who got them and who didn’t,” she said. Debra Royal , chief of staff for Secretary of State Dennis Richardson, said DECORATE FOR FALL 10/15 - 16 Cineplex Show Times $5 Classic Movie October 16 & 17 9AM to 2PM Pendleton Convention Center Parking Lot Put a smile on the heart with the power of flowers. HWY 395, HERMISTON • 541-567-4305 Mon-Sat 8am-6pm • Sun 12pm-5am FIRST MAN (PG13) 3:50* 6:50 9:50 www.cottagefl owersonline.com Flu shots are offered free of charge GOOSEBUMPS 2: HAUNTED HALLOWEEN (PG) 5:00 7:10 9:30 (no insurance necessary) and available to everyone ages 18 and older. For more info call VENOM (PG13) 4:50 7:20 10:00 A STAR IS BORN (R) 3:40* 6:40 9:40 SMALLFOOT (PG) 4:40 7:00 9:20 * Matinee Pricing wildhorseresort.com • 541-966-1850 Pendleton, OR I-84 - Exit 216 the state contracts with a printing company to pro- duce the pamphlets, and 19 counties have sections for the November general election. Some counties insert their sections in the pamphlets by hand, while others send it to the state for insertion at the print- ers. Royal said all the pam- phlets for Umatilla County should have been the same and included in the section. “It was a mistake,” she said. “They’re trying to figure out where the snafu went wrong in the chain.” Lindell said pam- phlets sometimes lack spe- cific candidates, and that’s because someone did not file and pay to be in the pamphlet. “But if that section is missing, that’s a problem,” she said. The county on Friday notified news media about the oversight, and Lindell said the elections depart- ment is making the complete pamphlet available. Voters can pick one up at the Uma- tilla County Courthouse, 216 S.E. Fourth St., Pend- leton, or call the department at 541-278-6254 and ask for one, which the county will send for free. And the pam- phlets are available online: Go to www.co.umatilla. or.us and click on the link for the “Umatilla County Voter pamphlet.” Royal also said she was looking into whether can- didates and others would receive refunds after pay- ing to have their informa- tion in the pamphlets. FREE Drive-Thru Flu Shot Clinic We have fresh Fall arrangements and decor to decorate your home. 10/17 • 12pm The Night of the Hunter Page 3A 541-278-3262 2801 St. Anthony Way Pendleton, OR 97801 www.sahpendleton.org VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.PENDLETONPSYCH.COM OR CALL US AT 541-278-2222 55259 55259 For more information, call 1-800-962-2819 2x3 EXAMPLE Celebrate your loved ones in our We are so proud of you for serving your country. VETERANS DAY TRIBUTE Free Example: Honoring those who have served and those who are currently serving our country! They’ve served our country with courage and honor. They’ve left behind loved ones to risk their lives while protecting our country. They’ve defended our freedoms and ideals. They make us proud to be Americans. Help us honor them. SALUTE E Love We Evelyn, are so Joe and proud of you Cheryl for serving your country. J OSEPH B. D AVIS Staff Sergeant Joel Davis US Marines Veteran This special section will print in the Hermiston Herald on Nov. 7, 2018 and in the East Oregonian on Nov. 10, 2018. There is NO CHARGE to be included. Bring us or send in photos of servicemen, servicewomen or veterans, along with the information in the form to the right, by November 1, 2018. 1x4 EXAMPLE J OSEPH S MITH Thank you for your service! Love Evelyn, Joe and Cheryl If you’d like to purchase a larger space to include a special message, border, flags, or stars and stripes, rates are $40 for a 1x4” space or $60 for a 2x3” space. Private party only. Please call 1-800-962-2819. Love always Marcy, Julie & Emily Service Person’s Name Military Branch Your Name Your Address Your Phone Number Military Rank Currently Serving Veteran (Check One) Deliver to: East Oregonian 211 SE Byers Ave. • Pendleton, OR or e-mail to classifieds@eastoregonian.com
