REGION
Saturday, February 27, 2021
A3
East Oregonian
Hermiston residents recognized at Distinguished Citizens Awards
By JADE MCDOWELL
East Oregonian
HERMISTON — As
Cindy Middleton accepted
Hermiston’s Woman of the
Year award on Wednesday,
Feb. 24, she thought back to
the day in 1992 that her father
called her while she was away
at college to tell her that her
own mother, Judy Bracher,
was Woman of the Year.
“I was deeply touched by
the way that Dad described
what Mom was being recog-
nized for,” she remembered.
Middleton was one
of several people recog-
nized during the Hermiston
Chamber of Commerce’s
annual Distinguished Citi-
zens Awards banquet, along
with Ken Huber as Man of
the Year. The event, which
usually hosts several hundred
people in the Hermiston
Community Center, was
limited to award winners and
their families this year and
was held in a greenhouse at
Bennett Botanical Gardens.
Lou Ann Wolfe presented
the Woman of the Year
award to Middleton, whom
Wolfe described as a leader
constantly serving others.
She said Middleton exem-
plifies Mother Theresa’s
admonishment to “give your
hands to serve and your heart
to love.”
Middleton has been
heavily involved in Special
Olympics, including serv-
ing on the state advisory
board for the organization,
and started Hermiston and
Tri-Cities versions of iCan
Bike, which teaches special
needs children how to ride a
bicycle. She had volunteered
with 4-H and FFA, sat on a
number of organizations’
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian
Ken Huber, owner of Burns Mortuary, delivers his acceptance
speech for Man of the Year at the Hermiston Distinguished
Citizens Awards at Bennett Botanical Gardens in Hermiston
on Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2021.
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian
Cindy Middleton delivers her acceptance speech after winning Woman of the Year at the an-
nual Hermiston Distinguished Citizens Awards on Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2021.
committees and serves as an
offi cer on the boards of the
Greater Hermiston Commu-
nity Foundation and the
Good Shepherd Community
Health Foundation.
Middleton said she was
deeply honored by the award,
although she joked she didn’t
know how she felt about
being the person chosen to
represent 2020 specifi cally.
Man of the Year
Hermiston’s 2020 Man
of the Year was Ken Huber,
owner and operator of Burns
Mortuary.
Huber’s son, Andrew
Huber, presented the award.
He said his father has been
helping families through the
most trying times of their
lives for more than 25 years
now in Hermiston, often
going above and beyond to
do so. He said people often
stop him around town to tell
him what his father’s kind-
ness has meant to them when
they lost a loved one.
As Ken accepted the
award, he said he hates to
be in the spotlight, but felt
honored to be recognized.
“I had no idea over 25
years ago when I came to
Hermiston what a special
community this is,” he said.
“This is a community that
everyone pitches in when
there’s a need. If they’re
asked, they’re right there,
and more importantly when
they’re not asked, they’re
right there.”
Business of the Year
The Bob Severson Rotary
Business of the Year award
was presented to M&M
Potato, Inc. of Hermiston.
Presenter Dennis Barnett
said owner Jake Malmberg
started the business as a side
gig in 1980 as he worked a
second day job.
“No employees, just
himself and little sleep,”
Barnett said.
In accepting the award,
Malmberg said he lives by
two rules: It’s better to give
than receive, and treat other
people the way you want to
be treated.
“I’ve tried to model that
way in my life,” he said.
Merit of Honor
The Merit of Honor
award, given to honor service
and leadership in the commu-
nity, went to Doug Alvarez.
Alvarez, who was not
present, was recognized via
video by family members
who expressed how proud
they were of Alvarez, along
with photos of an earlier
presentation of the award.
Alvarez volunteers as
operations director for the
Agape House and East-
ern Oregon Mission, and
helps coordinate the back-
pack program for schools to
send extra food home with
students in need on week-
ends.
Educator of the Year
Her m iston School
District’s educators of the
year were also recognized
via video in order to reduce
the number of attendees at
this year’s banquet due to
COVID-19 restrictions.
The districtwide 2020
Educator of the Year was
Roger Berger, a career tech-
nical education teacher for
Hermiston School District.
Superintendent Tricia
Mooney said Berger has
been a fierce advocate for
students and tries hard to
fi nd new ways to get students
involved.
“You have almost single-
handedly grown all of our
CTE programs with your
passion for our kids and for
opportunities for kids,” she
said in a video where she
surprised Berger in his class-
room with a basket of candy.
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LOCAL BRIEFING
Umatilla County
reports one new
COVID-19 death
PEN DLETON
—
Umatilla County Public
Health announced one new
COVID-19-related death on
Friday, Feb. 26, according to
a press release.
Umatilla County’s 82nd
death with COVID-19 is a
55-year-old male who tested
positive on Jan. 28 and died
on Feb. 23 at Legacy Emanuel
Medical Center in Portland,
according to the press release.
from the elementary school
schedule. Students living
in the walk zone will attend
in person from 8:25 a.m. to
11:20 a.m., and students living
in the bus zone will attend in
person from 12:30 p.m. to
3:25 p.m. On Fridays, students
will work on school work from
home.
“With case counts continu-
ing to decline, we are excited
to open our middle schools
and see our students face to
face,” Superintendent Tricia
Mooney said in a statement.
“This wouldn’t be possible
without the community’s
support and everyone doing
their part to help reduce Herm-
iston ZIP code case counts.”
HSD announces
dates for return of
secondary students COVID-19 testing
starts Feb. 27 at
HERMISTON — Herm-
iston School District’s middle new locations
school students are expected
to return to the classroom
part time on March 22, with
high school students starting
hybrid instruction on April
12 if COVID-19 numbers stay
down.
The district announced
the new schedule on Thurs-
day, Feb. 25, adding to previ-
ously announced dates for
second and third graders to
start hybrid learning on March
1 and fourth and fi fth graders
on March 8. The scheduled
start to hybrid learning for
each level depends on how
well the Hermiston ZIP code’s
COVID-19 case counts stay
in line with Oregon Health
Authority guidelines.
While secondary students
will also attend in person for
half days, times will differ
HERMISTON — Free
COVID-19 testing will be
available every weekend
through the end of August,
starting Saturday, Feb. 27.
Testing will be available
at Umatilla Electric Coopera-
tive’s Hermiston offi ce at 750
W. Elm St. in Hermiston on
Feb. 27 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.,
and at UEC’s Boardman offi ce
on 400 N.E. Eldridge Drive
from 3-6 p.m. on Sunday, Feb.
28, according to a news release
from UEC. Tests will continue
to be available at UEC’s offi ces
the second and fourth weekend
of each month.
Tests are also available
the fi rst and third Saturday
of each month at Umatilla
High School, 1400 Seventh
St. in Umatilla, from 10 a.m.
PER MO.
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to 1 p.m., and Atkinson Staff-
ing, 80796 N. Highway 395
in Hermiston, from 3 p.m. to
6 p.m.
Testing is free and open to
everyone.
Council could pave
way for dockless,
electric scooters
PENDLETON — If
approved by the city council,
the city of Pendleton could
soon open the door for a new
way to get about town: dock-
less electric scooters.
At a Tuesday, March 2,
Pendleton City Council meet-
ing, members will hold two
fi rst readings for ordinances
that would create rules
around the scooters for use
on public roads and in parks.
According to a staff report
from City Attorney Nancy
Kerns, the city has been
approached by an “interna-
tional company” about apply-
ing for a business license to
locate dockless electric scoot-
ers in Pendleton.
“These vehicles are rented
by riders via a cellphone app,”
she wrote. “The rider rents a
vehicle where the rider fi nds
it, and leaves the vehicle at
the location of rider’s desti-
nation.”
The first reading at the
March 2 meeting would set
up the council to vote on the
two ordinances on March 16.
The council meeting will
be held at council chambers
in city hall, 500 S.W. Dorion
Ave. The meeting can also be
viewed online via Zoom.
— EO Media Group
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