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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 17, 2015)
A2 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM SATURDAY, JANUARY 17, 2015 LOCAL WEATHER Pet of the week Today's Weather Hi, my name is Jade. I am a female pit bull available for adoption at the Humane Society of Eastern Oregon Pet Rescue in Hermiston. I was surrendered by my owner, and I need a new home. I’ve already had my shots, and I am good with children and other dogs. I am 6 months old and can be adopted for $150. I come with a free vet check and a three-day return policy. If I am spayed within 60 days of adoption, my owner will receive a $50 refund. If you are interested in welcoming Jade to your family, please stop by the humane society, 1844 N.W. Geer Road, Hermiston, or call 541-564-6222. IMESD: “We do the technology for the city of Hermiston police,” he said. “We do the city of continued from page A1 Pendleton technology. We do If Hermiston opts out, as the printing for a lot of folks. The ODUJHVWGLVWULFWLWZLOOVLJQL¿- more the economy upticks, cantly weaken the region, we can use that branch of our QRWRQO\¿QDQFLDOO\LWZRXOG budget to help offset costs.” weaken us as a unit in moving Maiocco said Tuesday, forward in the state.” while the district appreciates Mulvihill said what is what the IMESD does, the especially disappointing district will make more gains about Hermiston leaving the by opting out of the consor- IMESD is, this year, for the tium. ¿UVWWLPHLQVHYHUDO\HDUVWKH “Unfortunately, while they service district would have say they are striving for ex- been able to add some pro- cellence, Hermiston is striv- grams and staff previously ing to be the premier school cut. Instead, that funding will district in the state,” he said. have to be allocated else- ³%\ GH¿QLWLRQ D FRQVRUWLXP where. means that you are going to “We have a better optimis- have to pull some folks down tic picture than we have had in to some kind of common lev- several years,” he said. “Now, el of service provision.” we’ll have to use money set Mulvihill stated in the DVLGHWREDFN¿OOWKHORVV´ board meeting, however, that Mulvihill said he and his the dollars allocated to the team will work with the su- ESD based on Hermiston’s perintendents of the remain- student enrollment were nev- ing districts to determine er intended to serve only the where the cuts should be Hermiston School District; made. they were supposed to bene- He said he hopes a plan, ¿WWKHFRPPRQZHOIDUHRIWKH identifying what reductions districts and provide equity of will be made and where, will services across the board. EH¿QLVKHGE\)HEUXDU\0XO- IMESD board member YLKLOOVDLGZKLOHVSHFL¿FFXWV Kelly Bissenger warned the have not been determined, Hermiston School Board that the IMESD has unfortunately other districts and their stu- gotten good at making reduc- dents could suffer because of tions. Since he started with the lost revenue and possible the IMESD seven years ago, VWDI¿QJFXWVWKDWPLJKWHQVXH he said they have lost 85 po- Maiocco, however, urged sitions. the board not to listen to the Mulvihill said the IMESD IMESD’s “scare tactics.” will try to be creative, howev- “You have a $2 million er, in recouping some of the entitlement for students in revenue lost by working with Hermiston,” he said. “$1.8 different agencies. (million) is what the state KDVPDGHDYDLODEOHIRUÀRZ through to us, but it is a $700,000 loss that we cur- rently see in programming. We have advocated strongly, for years, to try and allocate an additional portion of that $700,000 to Hermiston, but instead, we get the pinto pro- gram and the Cadillac goes to the surrounding districts.” Mulvihill said it was dis- appointing that the Hermis- ton School District decided to leave a team that has ac- complished so much in recent years, but the IMESD must abide by the decision. “This has been a very dif- ¿FXOWGHFLVLRQIRUWKH+HUPLV- ton School District,” he said. “I used to live in Hermiston. I recognize it has been very GLI¿FXOW , GRQ¶W DJUHH ZLWK the decision, but I will agree to disagree and will support their decision.” Prior to making their vote Tuesday, Hermiston board member Jason Middleton said he has been a long-time sup- porter of the ESD and still is. “It saddens me that what is good politically doesn’t echo what is possibly good for the students in our district,” he said. Board member Duron, who voted against Hermiston opting out of the IMESD, said, as a parent, she thought about the students in other districts who could be impacted. “I’m thinking about how one decision, that is made to- night, could impact other stu- dents not being able to have access to the services they need because of a decision we made,” she said. Local 5-Day Forecast Sat Sun 1/17 continued from page A1 the world championships. Merkley visited the team in November 2014 to con- gratulate them on all their accomplishments. “Umatilla’s robotics team is a home-grown Or- egon success story to be incredibly proud of, and I’m excited to honor Uma- tilla’s success by bringing Superintendent Heidi Sipe to the State of the Union this year,” Merkley said in a press release. “One of the biggest challenges our country faces today is how to ensure that our kids are getting a strong STEM ed- ucation that will prepare them for the global econ- the day and after school and can take dual cred- it courses through East- ern Promise to help them leave high school with both training and college FHUWL¿FDWLRQV SDUWLFLSDWH in an after-school program IRFXVHG VSHFL¿FDOO\ RQ STEM education and take online computer and tech- nology classes that have spurred a state-wide effort for job seekers. “It is all very over- whelming, to be honest,” she said of Umatilla’s STEM education program success. “All I was ever try- ing to do is just create op- portunities for our students in Umatilla. I didn’t expect that the excitement would grow beyond borders of our town. This gives me Wed 1/20 1/21 43/42 55/39 51/34 45/29 41/30 Morning showers. Highs in the mid 50s and lows in the up- per 30s. Abundant sunshine. Highs in the low 50s and lows in the mid 30s. More sun than clouds. Highs in the mid 40s and lows in the upper 20s. Mostly sunny. Highs in the low 40s and lows in the low 30s. Sunrise Sunset 7:33 AM 4:41 PM Sunrise Sunset 7:32 AM 4:42 PM Sunrise Sunset 7:32 AM 4:44 PM Sunrise Sunset 7:31 AM 4:45 PM Sunrise Sunset 7:30 AM 4:46 PM Oregon At A Glance Portland 54/50 Salem 56/49 Eugene 54/49 Medford 54/46 Pendleton 44/45 Hermiston 43/42 La Grande 38/38 Bend 44/33 Ontario 36/34 Burns 48/39 Klamath Falls 50/39 Area Cities City Albany Ashland Astoria Baker City Bend Brookings Burns Coos Bay Corvallis Eugene Hi 55 51 52 33 44 56 48 59 55 54 Lo Cond. 50 rain 47 rain 46 rain 32 mixed 33 rain 51 rain 39 rain 51 rain 50 rain 49 rain City Florence Grants Pass Hermiston John Day Klamath Falls La Grande Lakeview Lincoln City Mcminnville Medford Hi 56 49 43 42 50 38 48 57 55 54 Lo Cond. 50 rain 47 rain 42 rain 40 rain 39 rain 38 rain 38 rain 50 rain 48 rain 46 rain City Newport Pendleton Portland Redmond Roseburg Salem Springfield The Dalles Tillamook Vale Hi 57 44 54 49 54 56 53 44 58 35 Lo Cond. 51 rain 45 rain 50 rain 40 rain 51 rain 49 rain 49 rain 43 rain 48 rain 33 rain City Houston Los Angeles Miami Minneapolis New York Hi 66 75 77 38 28 Lo Cond. 45 pt sunny 52 sunny 64 pt sunny 26 windy 26 sunny City Phoenix San Francisco Seattle St. Louis Washington, DC Hi 72 65 47 56 39 Lo Cond. 49 sunny 52 pt sunny 47 rain 33 pt sunny 33 mst sunny National Cities City Atlanta Boston Chicago Dallas Denver Hi 57 23 38 67 50 Lo Cond. 37 mst sunny 19 sunny 30 windy 38 sunny 29 mst sunny Moon Phases UV Index Sat Last New First Full Jan 13 Jan 20 Jan 27 Feb 3 ©2010 American Profile Hometown Content Service He said the term “no-kill” can also be confusing and misleading: Some believe continued from page A1 animals are never eutha- which is much different than nized, while others believe Pendleton’s process, he said. only healthy, non-aggressive “What’s interesting is the animals are kept, and others city of Pendleton is in the believe no-kill shelters have process of trying to renegoti- a 90-percent adoption rate. ate their contract with PAWS Some shelters even use the because, right now, the police term for marketing but still department has their own fa- have some animals eutha- cility where they hold their nized elsewhere by veterinar- GRJV IRU WKH ¿YH GD\V´ KH ians or other facilities. said. Putnam said Pet Rescue is After the holding period, honest with the community Morgan said PAWS employ- and has never claimed to be ees do not take all of the dogs a no-kill shelter. He said 61 from the police department. percent of the dogs brought He said PAWS employees LQ¿QGKRPHVWKURXJKDGRS- choose what dogs the shel- tion or are reunited with their SEAN HART PHOTO ter will admit, and the city is owners. Of the animals euth- forced to pay additional fees Humane Society of Eastern Oregon Pet Rescue Executive Direc- anized, some are unhealthy tor and Manager Beau Putnam poses with Kit, a dog he personal- while others are aggressive. for the remaining animals. “There have been sever- ly adopted from the Hermiston shelter, Thursday afternoon. He said the 39-percent eutha- al instances where the city QDVLDUDWHLVDOVRLQÀDWHGEH- of Pendleton has had to take in 204 dogs last year, Put- be able to continue accepting cause some owners bring in those animals to Pet Rescue nam said, and when no-kill all dogs, some that have not injured and sick animals just because PAWS didn’t want to shelters in Pendleton and the been adopted must be eutha- to be euthanized. destroy them,” he said. Tri-Cities are at full capacity, nized, he said. Putnam said some ani- Putnam said Pet Rescue is people will bring in animals “Euthanasia is always a mals are transferred to other an open-door shelter; it will that are turned away there to last resort,” Putnam said. “As shelters, but breed and tem- accept all the animals brought his shelter. Pet Rescue has 30 long as they’re healthy and perament restrictions prevent in by the police department or dog kennels, and sometimes not aggressive, I will do the some from being placed else- surrendered by their owners, two dogs are housed in a sin- EHVW,FDQWR¿QGWKDWDQLPDOD where. He said most of the who are also charged a fee to gle kennel. home. It’s every shelter’s goal DQLPDOVDUHOLVWHGRQ3HW¿QG- cover the costs. HPD brought In order for the shelter to to be a no-kill.” er.com, and the shelter is in omy and help keep good, middle-class jobs here in the United States.” Merkley said the work that Sipe, her students and Umatilla community mem- bers have put into building the program is creating huge returns. “Getting our students engaged in STEM proj- ects and providing them with hands-on experience is exactly what we should be doing, and exactly what this program provides,” he said in the press release. “I’m thrilled that she’ll be here in the Capitol as the President lays out his vi- sion to take on these and many other challenges.” Sipe said Umatilla stu- dents now have access to STEM classes during Tue 1/19 Showers early, be- coming a steady rain later in the day. High 43F. RESCUE: SIPE: Mon 1/18 such hope for our region. I think eastern Oregon will grow more and more with STEM, and I think it will become a destination for STEM. I am proud of our whole region.” Sipe said students in Umatilla now have amaz- ing opportunities, and it all started with the nudge from Merkley in 2011. She said she is incredibly grateful for all he has done for the Umatilla community and is honored to join him in Washington, D.C., for the State of the Union speech. Sipe said she received the invitation during a meeting which continued for the rest of the after- noon. “I hung up the phone and had to go back into Sun Mon Tue Wed 1/17 1/18 1/19 1/20 1/21 1 Low 1 Low 1 Low 1 Low 1 Low The UV Index is measured on a 0 - 11 number scale, with a higher UV Index showing the need for greater skin protection. 0 11 the process of creating a web- VLWHWRKHOS¿QGKRPHVIRUWKH animals. He said, while people have complained the shelter does not accept donations or volunteers, that is not true. 3HRSOH FDQ ¿OO RXW YROXQWHHU applications at the shelter and donate supplies or money at the shelter, through the mail or online via PayPal through a link on the shelter’s Facebook page. He said other people have complained the facility is dirty, but many who come in comment on its cleanliness. “I’d say most of the nega- WLYHÀDFNWKDWZHJHWLVIURP people who are not here regu- larly,” he said. “There’s many reasons people have negative comments about us, but 90 percent of people have a good experience because we’re ¿QGLQJKRPHVIRUDQLPDOV I encourage people to come and see for yourself.” Judy Kopta, Hermiston, said she recently read neg- ative comments about Pet Rescue on Facebook and was surprised when she visited the shelter Thursday. “It’s very nice,” she said of the shelter. “I’m very, very impressed with it. It’s clean, smells good. I think they do a wonderful job taking care of Pet Rescue.” Two of Kopta’s grandchil- dren took volunteer applica- WLRQVKRPHWR¿OORXWDVWZR Hermiston student volunteers came in and walked some of the dogs. Putnam said the shelter was built in 1994 after his wife’s grandmother felt there was a need for one in the area. “Prior to this facility be- ing created, animals were just running everywhere,” he said. “Basically, there was no place to take them. She saw a need, and she basically took them all home. People don’t necessarily see us as home, but they’re warm, and they’re fed. They’re watered. They’re taken care of while we do our best to replace them in homes. I often question what would happen if we did close down. I think people should ask that. We’re doing the best we can here, and we’re always trying to improve each day.” The Humane Society of Eastern Oregon Pet Rescue is open to the public from noon to 5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays at 1844 N.W. Geer Road. that meeting,” she said. “It was just torturous sitting through the meeting when I had all these questions developing.” She said during a meet- ing break two hours later she called Merkley’s staff member back. “I phoned her back, and I had to ask, ‘Is this a joke? Is this real?’ ” she said. “It did not possibly seem that it could be real.” Sipe said she will be paying her own way to Washington, D.C., so her husband and children can also attend. She said, while she attends the State of the Union festivities, her chil- dren and husband will be meeting with Susan Lexer, Merkley’s policy adviser on health and education and talk with her about robotics and opportunities for STEM education in ru- ral areas. As a family, they will also tour various places in- cluding the White House, the Capitol building and the Library of Congress. “The whole experience, it is just phenomenal,” Sipe said. “I just wish that others could join me in the experience because it doesn’t seem right that it is just me going. The honor is mine because of the work of so many others. I wish that everyone could go and celebrate as a community because Umatilla has real- ly embraced STEM.” The State of the Union will be delivered at 6 p.m. 3DFL¿FWLPH7XHVGD\