Hermiston
$1.00
Herald
83 years
WEDNESDAY, JULY 22, 2015
WOMAN
HONORED
BY NATIONAL
GRANGE
www.HermistonHerald.com
PAGE 3
Dude, where’s
your car?
SPORTS
PAGE 8
KIDS GET
COACHED BY
PROS
AT CLINIC
Native ways
PAGE 3
LATE ARRIVAL WOWS IN DUNK CONTEST
Local repeats
as 3-point champ
By SAM BARBEE
Staff Writer
Thane Pierson almost didn’t
get to dunk.
Around noon, he and his team
were down the street at Nook-
ie’s Restaurant lunching on a
burger, thinking the Takin’ It to
the Streets Dunk Contest start-
ed at 3 p.m. He heard his name
called from just east of Highway
395, and hustled back to the in-
tersection of East Main Street
and Third Street to complete
his dunk. He missed his original
slot, but got to shove one down
anyway. His score of 43 put him
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a roar from the crowd and sent
one judge scampering with en-
thusiasm.
The high jumper from Wash-
ington State University, on his
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nals attempt,
BASKETBALL weaved the
ball through
his legs and threw it down clean-
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Drotzmann, Jansen Edmiston,
Jenni Hoffert, Garron Gammell
and Mitch Thompson were only
formalities as the crowd of a
couple hundred people whooped
and yelled and smiled at the ath-
letic display given by Pierson.
“Once they said it was two
guys left, I said ‘I’m bringing
(the between the legs),’” he said.
“If there was another round I
was saving it.”
Thompson, who coached the
Irrigon boys basketball team to
a state championship this past
winter, said it was exciting to see
a Division I athlete compete and
show off a little.
“Whenever you get a Divi-
By SEAN HART
Staff Writer
Vehicle thefts in Hermiston
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of the crimes could have been pre-
vented.
Chief Jason Edmiston recently
released Hermiston Police Depart-
ment’s crime statistics through the
second quarter, and said he is partic-
ularly disappointed with auto thefts.
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year, 28 vehicles were reported
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same period last year.
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auto thefts con-
tributed to a 9 per-
More
cent increase in to-
tal crime — from
online
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A longer version of
this year — for the
this story is available
eight index cat-
online at www.
egories reported
hermistonherald.com.
to the FBI. While
the total is still far
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Edmiston said the number should
be lower.
“I’m encouraged by the fact
that total crime is still down 24
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but I am honest enough to say that
I don’t like to see a 9 percent in-
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crime,” he said.
By TAMMY MALGESINI
Community Editor
Thane Pierson of Natches, Washington, and a high jumper at Washington State University, goes between his legs
in the À nals of the dunN contest at the th $nnual TaNin· ,t to the Street threeonthree basNetball tournament
Saturday in Hermiston.
Right: Two players
fight for position
during a game on Main
Street on Saturday
during the th
annual TaNin· ,t to the
Streets threeonthree
basNetball tournament
in Hermiston.
$ shot is blocNed on Main Street
on Saturday at the th $nnual
TaNin· ,t to the Street threeonthree
basNetball tournament Saturday in
Hermiston.
Auto thefts up sharply
in 2015, most vehicles
unlocked with keys inside
Community choir
crescendos with
free performance
STAFF PHOTOS BY SAM BARBEE
See BASKETBALL, A16
ABOUT TOWN
)ar right 2n Saturday at the th annual TaNin· ,t to the
Streets threeonthree basNetball tournament, a player tries to
snaNe his way through the defense at a Newport ParN court.
Good Shepherd
opens new
surgical center
By JADE McDOWELL
Watermelon festival
offers family fun
By TAMMY MALGESINI
Community Editor
The staff at Good Shepherd
Medical Center showed off its new
surgery center to the public Tues-
day before the facility is sterilized
and prepped for
use.
HEALTH
“You’re
not
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more state-of-the-art facility than
what we have constructed,” CEO
Dennis Burke said.
He said design of the center
started three years ago, and ar-
chitects implemented suggestions
from the hospital’s surgical staff to
make the design more user friend-
ly. The new center also helps the
hospital conform to the latest in-
Watermelons take center-stage next weekend during the Irrigon
Watermelon Festival.
The 32nd annual event begins Saturday, July 25, with break-
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park, which offers family fun into the evening.
“It’s a great local activity for families to get together,” said An-
gie Schneider, vendors coordinator.
And the melons aren’t just for eating — several contests are
planned that feature the sweet-tasting gourds. The Mayors Water-
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termelon bowling and kid’s seed spitting continue
EVENT
until the prizes run out.
With some great items donated, festival coordi-
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and evening. People don’t have to be present to win.
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lawn mower, a gazebo, gift baskets, rodeo and admission tick-
See SURGERY, A16
See FESTIVAL, A16
Staff Writer
With a full college schedule his
freshman year at the University
of Oregon, Riley Mulvihill didn’t
have time to participate in choir.
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Hermiston High School graduate
was excited about the opportunity
to warm up his vocal cords with
the Hermiston Community Choir.
“It really made me realize how
much I missed being part of a
choir,” he said. “Choral singing is
an amazing experience — being
part of a larger whole and creating
something beautiful.”
Mulvihill, who sings bass, par-
ticipated in last summer’s inaugu-
ral group.
Directed by Josh Rist, who also
teaches choir at Hermiston High
School, started the group last year
through a Hermiston Parks & Rec-
reation program. The initial choir
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Ranging in age from teenag-
ers to super seniors, the group has
nearly doubled in size this sum-
mer.
“We have a pretty amazing age
range,” Rist said.
Mulvihill, who sang under Rist
at Hermiston, said the different
age groups provides a unique and
enjoyable experience.
“With our assortment of age
groups, we get members with de-
cades of experience as well as the
passion and energy of youth,” he
said.
With twice-weekly rehearsals
under their belt since late June,
the choir will crescendo with a
concert program. The free per-
formance is Thursday at 7 p.m. in
the auditorium at Hermiston High
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The program features a diversi-
ty of genres and styles, including
gospel, spiritual, shaker tunes and
popular songs.
Rist said the performance is
somewhat dark and serious in the
beginning and then moves into the
encouragement and supportive
stage.
“The program is uplifting, as it
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and transition,” Rist said.
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STAFF PHOTO BY TAMMY MALGESINI
Josh Rist leads the Hermiston
Community Choir in a recent
rehearsal. The group will perform a
free concert Thursday at 7 p.m. in the
Hermiston High School auditorium.
