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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (March 11, 2015)
A10 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 2015 FROM PAGE A1 WITHERS: continued from page A1 first year, Withers raised $665. “I wanted to help kids with sick hearts, and so that’s just what I did,” he said. “It feels great. I love it.” Withers has continued to do the program every year since and has raised more money every year. This year, however, fol- lowing the retirement of Cody and the hiring of a new teacher who hadn’t planned on doing the pro- gram, the school didn’t participate. That did not get in the way of With- ers’ hopes to donate to the cause that has created so much joy. This year, Withers decided to do it on his own. Withers, with the help of his mother, made a video about his efforts to raise money for the American Heart Asso- ciation’s Jump Rope for Heart program. Gail Withers shared the video on her Facebook page so family and friends could see what he was trying to accomplish. Blake and his mother also visited businesses as far away as Tri-Cities, Washington, to see if people wanted to donate. Their efforts paid off more than they could ever imagine. Despite the fact Blake and his mother missed two weeks of the sched- uled four-week fundrais- RATES: continued from page A1 1,500 kilowatt hours, the total bill will increase from $101.45 to $112.50. Non-residential cus- tomers will also see higher rates: average increases of 7.45 percent for small com- mercial customers, 11.84 percent for large commer- cial customers and 6.34 percent for irrigation cus- tomers, according to infor- mation from Rivera. At a previous council meeting, Rivera said the increase was necessary to keep up with increasing wholesale power costs and to maintain and improve transmission lines. He said HES last adjusted its rates in 2003, and, even with the increase, HES is still the least expensive provider in Hermiston and one of the cheapest in the state. Mayor Dave Drotzmann said the city seriously con- siders all rate increases and that this increase was nec- essary to continue provid- ing “reliable, low-cost ser- vice to members.” In other council news: • Council members unanimously approved a resolution to submit an ap- plication to renew the city’s enterprise zone, which of- fers temporary property tax abatement to new industrial developments. According to a staff report from City Manager Byron Smith, since 2004, DuPont-Pio- neer Seed and Shearer’s Foods utilized the zone for $83 million in expansions, ing period because they were ill, they still raised more money than in pre- vious years. At the end of the fundraising peri- od, Blake Withers said they had raised $3,002, which brought his total donations since his sec- ond-grade year to more than $7,000. His efforts did not go unnoticed by communi- ty members and officials from the American Heart Association, either. With- ers received the Umatilla Lions Club “Acts of Kind- ness” award this year for his efforts. The American Heart Association is also sponsoring an overnight stay at a Portland hotel in April, and, the next day, Withers will attend a Trail Blazers game where his story will be shown during halftime. He and a few other children will jump rope in front of the crowd, as well. “I’m excited for that,” Withers said smiling. He said what makes his fundraising efforts so special is meeting people who have been impacted by heart disease. Last week, when Gail Withers went to purchase her son a Guitar Hero game someone was sell- ing, the woman she was going to buy the equip- ment from told her she wouldn’t accept her mon- ey because of Blake’s ef- forts. “She had a little boy who died when he was 15 months of a heart condi- which created 278 full-time jobs with an annual payroll of $7.9 million in 2014. He said the tax exemption will expire for one of the expansions in July, which will bring in approximate- ly $180,000 in new gener- al fund tax revenue for the city alone, while also ben- H¿WLQJ RWKHU ORFDO WD[ GLV- tricts. Drotzmann said the zone has been “a very good tool for the city” to entice new business investment. • Council members unanimously approved a motion to change the rules WRLPSURYHWKHÀRZRI&LW\ Council meetings. Smith said several items on the agenda will be consoli- dated, and the opportuni- ty for public input will be expanded. He said people will still have the opportu- nity to address the council about items not included on the agenda during an initial period, and public comments about agenda items will now be allowed GXULQJ VSHFL¿HG SHULRGV when the council is con- sidering each issue before a vote occurs. Smith said the procedure would “be a little different” but might allow for smoother discus- sion. Councilman Doug Smith said he believed the new format would be more “user friendly” for the pub- lic. • After an executive session for a city manager performance review, Drotz- mann said Smith performed ZHOO GXULQJ KLV ¿UVW VL[ months on the job. “It’s been nice to have you on board,” he said. MAEGAN MURRAY PHOTO 0F1DU\+HLJKWV(OHPHQWDU\6FKRROÀIWKJUDGHU%ODNH:LFNHUV DQGKLVPRWKHU*DLOORRNWKURXJKGRQDWLRQDPRXQWVWKH\ UHFHLYHGWKHODVWIHZZHHNVLQ%ODNH·VFDPSDLJQWRUDLVHPRUH WKDQIRUWKH$PHULFDQ+HDUW$VVRFDWLRQWKURXJK-XPS 5RSHIRU+HDUWWKLV\HDU tion,” Gail Withers said, as tears welled in both her and her sons’ eyes as they recalled the woman’s story. Blake Withers said it is moments like talking with the woman whose child had died of a heart problem that make him feel good about what he is doing. He said he just wished he and his moth- er hadn’t gotten sick this year so they could have raised even more money. “Imagine what we could have gotten in four weeks,” he said. Gail Withers said for every $50 donated, a child receives treatment for a heart condition, and, with the money her son raised through the years, more than 140 children have been treated. When he heard that number, Blake Withers said he couldn’t believe he has helped so many people. “Wow, that is so cool,” he said. “I didn’t know it was that many.” Blake Withers said, because this year’s fund- raising campaign was so successful, he might con- tinue in middle school. “This year, with it be- ing my last year in ele- mentary school, we want- ed to go out with a bang, but it might not be over,” he said. Gail Withers said they haven’t yet committed to a time frame, but, because of their success fundrais- ing in the last few years, they hope to continue. “He’s able to soften people’s hearts because he just has the gump- tion,” she said. “We hav- en’t committed yet, but it could be a good thing to strive for.” Blake Withers said he has continued to get bet- ter at jump roping, and, at his best, he can jump 50 consecutive times with- out stopping, even though he doesn’t practice regu- larly. “Every once in a while, when I remember to get it out, I’ll take it outside and practice,” he said of his jump rope. Get Unlimited Everything. Plus $50 back. Switch to a Simple Connect Prepaid Plan for just $45/mo. with Unlimited Data, Talk and Text, including 1GB of high-speed data. Plus, for a limited time, get a $50 U.S. Cellular® Promotional Card to use toward the latest accessories or your next month of service. BABYSITTING BASICS 101 For babysitters ages 10-15. 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