REGION
Thursday, September 2, 2021
East Oregonian
Pendleton students settle into classes
A3
Temperatures
above normal
during August
East Oregonian
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian
Teacher Jacey Wilson, right, leads her fourth grade class Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2021 during the fi rst day of school at Sherwood Heights Elementary
School in Pendleton.
Next Chapter opens in Hermiston
By ERICK PETERSON
East Oregonian
HERMISTON — Angela
Pursel and Alexis McCarthy,
owners of a new Hermiston
bookstore, are surprised by their
success.
The mother-and-daughter team
started The Next Chapter Book-
store at 1000 S. Highway 395,
Suite C, in Hermiston. They are
now open six days a week, from
9 a.m. to 6 p.m., but this was not
their original plan. Neither was it
their expectation they would aver-
age 40 customers per day.
“It was just this crazy idea,”
Pursel said.
Pursel wanted another family
project, something to fi ll her days.
With her daughters grown and out
of her house, she needed something
in addition to the radio station and
the dance studio she owns. This
additional business would be part
of the “next chapter” of her life,
hence the shop’s name.
This idea, which came to her on
a driving trip through the Colum-
bia Gorge, appealed to daughter
McCarthy. It also attracted McCa-
rthy’s younger sister, Melani, who
created the shop’s logo, works in
the store and plans to display her
artwork there soon.
Pursel and McCarthy’s plan was
to build a bookstore in the spacious
lobby of their dance studio, Dance
Unlimited, where they serve
around 200 students with lessons
in jazz, hip hop, contemporary, tap
and other dance styles.
Their fi ve dance teachers and
their students, who had all come
to accept the studio as their own
special place, liked the idea of the
bookstore.
They didn’t mind that the books
would occupy their studio. After
all, the bookshelves would be out
of the way. Many of the shelves
would be attached to the wall. A
few other shelves would be on
wheels, moved out for the few days
when there were no dance classes
and then returned to storage for
most of the week.
This is how The Next Chap-
ter opened — at the end of April
— with a Saturday-to-Monday
schedule, mobile shelves, and low
expectations.
“That lasted for two weeks,”
Pursel said.
Business started hot. They were
busy during their limited hours,
and their customers were request-
ing longer store hours and more of
them.
Even their dance students were
wanting the store open during
weekdays, so they could shop
before and after classes. And the
parents wanted the store open, so
they could have something to do
while their children were in class.
Pursel and McCarthy decided to
increase the hours.
“We hoped people loved books
as much as we did,” Pursel said.
So far, it seems she was right.
Pursel and McCarthy said
locals prefer the community and
feel of a bookstore. They also like
getting their books without having
to pay shipping costs. The Next
Chapter obtains customer orders
without charging for shipping.
They enjoy making recommen-
dations and sharing some of their
favorite books.
Pursel said she and her daugh-
ter are grateful for the community
support.
“We love to chat with them and
see them come in,” she said.
PENDLETON — The Pendleton
area experienced slightly warmer than
normal temperatures during the month
of August, according to preliminary data
received by the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration’s National
Weather Service Offi ce in Pendleton.
The average temperature during the
month was 73.1 degrees, 1.3 degrees
above normal. High temperatures aver-
aged 87.5 degrees, 0.7 degrees above
normal, according to the monthly
climate summary.
The highest temperature was 105
degrees recorded on Aug. 3. On 13
days during the month temperatures
exceeded 90 degrees, and it was over 100
degrees on six days in August, accord-
ing to the monthly climate summary.
Low temperatures averaged 58.7
degrees, 1.9 degrees above normal.
The lowest temperature for the month
was 42 degrees, recorded on Aug. 24.
Precipitation for the month totaled
0.01 inches, which was 0.37 inches
below normal, the report said. Measur-
able precipitation — at least 0.01 inch
— was received on one day, according
to the monthly climate summary.
Precipitation for the year is 4.36
inches, which is 3.73 inches below
normal. Since October 2020, the water
year precipitation at the Pendleton
airport has been 8.81 inches, 3.28 inches
below normal, according to the monthly
climate summary.
The highest wind gust was 45 mph
on Aug. 17, the report said.
The outlook for September from
NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center
calls for above normal temperatures
and below normal precipitation. Normal
highs for the Pendleton airport fall from
83 degrees at the start of September
to 72 degrees at the end of the month.
Normal lows fall from 54 degrees to 45
degrees. The 30-year normal precipita-
tion is 0.57 inches.
MONEYBALL
continues through
September 12!
WINNERS PLAY FOR A CHANCE TO WIN
DRAWINGS EVERY 3O MINUTES
FRIDAYS–SATURDAYS, 8–11pm | SUNDAYS, 3–10pm
TWO GRAND PRIZE WINNERS WIN UP TO
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 12 | 10pm
PAPER & MACHINE
SPECIAL SESSION
Join us Saturday, September 4
Doors open at 11am
Main session starts at 2:30pm
For more information visit wildhorseresort.com
CASINO • HOTEL • GOLF • CINEPLEX • RV
MUSEUM • DINING • TRAVEL PLAZA • FUNPLEX
®
800.654.9453 • PENDLETON, OR • I-84, EXIT 216 • wildhorseresort.com • Owned and operated by CTUIR
Management reserves all rights to alter, suspend or withdraw promotions/offers at any time.
03755.TT.08.21