A8 COMMUNITY/REGION East Oregonian Saturday, October 23, 2021 LOCAL BRIEFING COMMUNITY BRIEFS Police arrest man in Boardman stabbing incident Margaret Wetterling/Contributed Photo Chaplain Karl Niemeyer, far left, and Commander Aaron Wet- terling, far right, both of American Legion Post No. 37, par- ticipate in an honor guard ceremony Monday, Oct. 18, 2021, recognizing the service of the Stanfield Police Department. Altrusa International of Pendleton/Contributed Photo Shelley Atkinson, left, and Nicole Herranen, right, both of Altrusa International of Pendleton, congratulate Haley Flemmer, center, after she won the $2,000 grand prize raffle drawing during the Nov. 23, 2019, Altrusa Holiday Bazaar. Although the 2021 bazaar is canceled, the service club is conducting its annual holiday raffle. Altrusa cancels holiday bazaar, continues with raffle PENDLETON — Altrusa International of Pendleton has canceled plans for its annual holiday bazaar. However, the club will hold its holiday raffle — and the club is offering help to loyal vendors. Event co-chair Pat McClin- tock said the decision was based on potential risks asso- ciated with COVID-19 in Umatilla County. Altrusa is hoping to resume the bazaar in 2022. “The club feels that cancel- ing this large indoor gathering is the responsible thing to do at this time,” McClintock said. Recognizing how the cancellation may impact many of the event’s vendors — it typically hosts around 100 booths — Altrusa is offer- ing an opportunity to help promote their products on the club’s social media platforms. With the bazaar serving as a major fundraiser for the club since the early 1970s, Altru- sa’s budget also is feeling the pinch. While the in-person event won’t be held, McClin- tock said the club will conduct the raffle that’s been associ- ated with the bazaar for many years. “Several very nice prizes, including a large cash grand prize, will be offered,” she said. Tickets will be available around Nov. 10, with the drawing set for mid-Decem- ber. Further details will be announced. The club, McClintock said, appreciates the contin- ued support from the Pendle- ton community. Many Altrusa projects, such as Feed the Child, Kids at Risk Empow- ered (KARE), book give- aways and classroom grants will continue. For more information, contact altrusapend@gmail. com, 541-276-0038, visit districttwelve.altrusa.org/ pendleton or search Face- book. In addition, donations or inquiries can be mailed to: Altrusa International of Pend- leton, P.O. Box 1735, Pendle- ton, OR 97801. Library offers pumpkin decorating kits HERMISTON — The Hermiston Public Library is carving out the perfect Halloween activity for fami- lies — pumpkin decorating. People are invited to stop by the library to pick up a free Take N Go pumpkin decorat- ing kit. While supplies last, they will be available begin- ning Tuesday, Oct. 26. Located at 235 E. Gladys Ave., the library is open Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday/ Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call 541-567-2882. Financial literacy program benefits 88 local students H E PPN E R — T h e Bank of Eastern Oregon’s financial literacy program reached 88 students in the five local schools in the 2020-21 school year. The bank in a press release on Monday, Oct. 18, reported the EVERFI financial liter- acy program included 202 hours of cumulative learning. Becky Kindle, Bank of East- ern Oregon executive vice president and chief operations officer, said in the release the hope is for more schools to use the program as a supplement to their regular curriculum as students returned to in-person classes. Area middle and high schools can participate in the program at no cost. The bank has offered this educational program to area schools since 2012, according to the press release, and it’s available for the 2021-22 school year for 44 elementary, middle and high schools in Oregon and Wash- ington. Ray Martinez, EVERFI co-founder and president, in the press release said, “By laying the foundation for financial literacy at a pivotal age, students will be prepared with the skills needed to enter into the new economy and make a smooth transition into adulthood.” For more information about the Bank of Eastern Oregon/EVERFI partner- ship, and to arrange for a demonstration of the finan- cial literacy tools available for your school, contact Kindle at 541-676-0201. To bring the EVERFI program to your school this year, contact Phillip Clark, the bank’s EVERFI customer success manager, at pclark@ everfi.com. American Legion Post salutes Stanfield police STANFIELD — The American Legion Post No. 37 Honor Guard held an outdoor ceremony Monday, Oct. 18, to express gratitude to the Stan- field Police Department. Led by Chief Bryon Zumwalt, the department also provides police services to the town of Echo. Post Commander Aaron Wetterling presented each of the department’s officers with a certificate of appre- ciation along with a small monetary gift to be shared with their families. Follow- ing the presentation, the offi- cers were asked to huddle up while members of the Ameri- can Legion Honor Guard gath- ered around. Post Chaplain Karl Niemeyer read from Hebrews 11 in the Bible. He then offered a prayer of protection and for the health and safety of the department. Chartered by Congress in 1919 as a patriotic veterans organization, the American Legion focuses on serving veterans, military person- nel and local communities. It advocates for social change, secures benefits for veterans and develops and supports programs for children and youths. For more information about the nonprofit organi- zation, visit www.legion.org. For questions about joining the local post, call Wetterling at 541-720-1815. — EO Media Group BOARDMAN — A man is facing assault and attempted murder charges after a stabbing Tuesday, Oct. 19, at a mobile home park in Boardman that injured a 27-year-old woman. Boardman Police Chief Rick Stokoe reported officers arrested Pablo Alonzo Hernandez, 20, in connection to the stabbing and booked him into the Umatilla County Jail, Pend- leton. Police responded around 9 a.m. to a report of a stab- bing at the Wilson Road Mobile Home Park, 600 S.W. Wilson Road. Stokoe said officers found the woman, who had multiple stab wounds and lacerations, and they found Hernandez, who had “facial trauma,” and called medical services. An ambulance transported the two to Good Shepherd Medical Center, Hermiston. Police reported the woman had been on her front porch when Hernan- dez allegedly attacked her with a knife. The woman’s boyfriend interrupted the fight, wrestled Hernandez to the ground and beat him, subduing him until police got there, Stokoe said. Stokoe said police are not yet aware of any connection between Hernandez and the woman. The woman has been released from the hospital, the police chief added, which also was where officers arrested Hernandez. His preliminary bail is $380,000, according to the jail website. Stokoe said police continue to investi- gate the case. Council moves forward with housing project PENDLETON — The Pendleton City Council took another step toward opening space east of Highway 11 that could lead to the construction of hundreds of homes. Two weeks after council members approved an ease- ment agreement with private property owners for a road and water lines that will connect Highway 11 and Highway 30, the council at its meeting Tuesday, Oct. 19, unanimously approved a work order with the engi- neering firm Anderson Perry to survey and conduct environmental and design work for a new water line and booster station. Acknowledging one of the property owners in the audience, Mayor John Turner said it was a step in the right direction for the project. “I think this demon- strates that the city is ready to move forward when the property owners are,” he said. T he c ou nci l a l so approved a 12-month, $108,150 contract with Eric Smidt to provide range operations services for the Pendleton Unmanned Aerial Systems Range. A sergeant in the Oregon Army National Guard, Smidt has experience lead- ing the guard’s UAS unit out of Pendleton. The UAS range has increased its oper- ations every year since 2016 and has hosted 4,142 opera- tions so far in 2021. — EO Media Group