FROM PAGE 1
A18 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
PEIRIS:
Free Halloween Slurpees
continued from Page A1
Although he didn’t ex-
pect it to reach so many
people, Peiris admitted he
was after a laugh.
“I’ve actually been think-
ing about this for a few years
for how to make my senior
pictures funny,” he said. “I try
to be funny as much as I can
because I like to make people
laugh. I actually won an award
for best comedian from my
high school last year.”
He pitched the idea to
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James, owner of 60 Minute
Photo in Hermiston, while
they were out taking some
other shots at Cold Springs
Reservoir. She was on board,
and the rest quickly became
online history.
James said they started
outside with the shot of Pei-
ris sitting on the car. Click.
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and she followed him around
using natural lighting for the
photos. As he was ringing up
a customer’s items, James
suggested using the infrared
scanner in one of the shots.
Click. Peiris wanted one by
the Slurpee machine. Click.
James said she didn’t
think the pictures were that
out of the ordinary, consider-
ing his family owns the store
and he spends so much time
there. Her son later told her
the photos were “blowing up
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one of Peiris’ many follow-
ers on the social network.
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some unique pictures, but
these ones just went crazy,
just went everywhere,” she
said. “It is really fun to see
what it’s done with Stefano,
and I think he’s kind of lov-
To celebrate Halloween, not Stefano Peiris’ Internet
photo fame, the Hermiston 7-Eleven, along with
locations in Pasco and Kennewick, will be offering
free 22-ounce Slurpees for children from 3-8 p.m.
Oct. 31.
STAFF PHOTO BY SEAN HART
Stefano Peiris talks with employee Britney Longoria, right, at
his parents’ 7-Eleven franchise in Hermiston Tuesday.
ing the fame of it all. It’s just
been fun to watch and see
what his mom has to say.”
His mother, Anoma, said
her friends were telling her
about the online popularity
of the photos, but she had
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“I quickly asked my son
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she said. “I think it’s fun-
ny how people go crazy on
something like this. It is fun
for a little town.”
His father, Michael, said
everyone was surprised at
the reaction generated by the
photos. Many other students
have stopped by the store
talking about them, he said.
³:HQHYHUH[SHFWHGWKDW´
he said. “I don’t think any-
body expected it to go that
big. All the kids know about
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how famous he is.”
Peiris suggested that be-
cause he was now famous he
should have no curfew and a
new car — as he was sitting
on his brother’s car in the
parking lot photo. His moth-
er quickly replied, “You’re
not that famous.”
Peiris said he plans to en-
joy his fame while it lasts.
“It’s nice walking around
school and having every-
one call my name,” he said.
Agape House
changes hours
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changing at Agape House.
Beginning Monday, Oct.
19, the organization will be
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DQG 7KXUVGD\ IURP DP
to noon and 1-3 p.m. Agape
House is located at 500 Harp-
er Road.
7KHQRQSUR¿WRUJDQL]DWLRQ
provides emergency assis-
tance, including food, to those
in need in western Umatilla
County and north Morrow
County.
Also, Agape House is in
need of additional volunteers.
A variety of opportunities are
available to those who would
like to give back to the com-
munity.
For more information,
call Executive Director Dave
Hughes at 541-567-8774.
JUDGES:
proved a facade grant for
the Hermiston Herald
building at 333 E. Main St.
7KHDJHQF\ZLOOUHLPEXUVH
a 40-percent match, total-
ing up to $1,560, for new
landscaping in front of the
building.
continued from Page A1
thing different that’s the
time,” Smith said.
During the meeting, the
city gave staff the go-ahead
to start the public process
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“multi-family dwelling”
in the zoning code. Clint
Spencer, city planning
director, said the current
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ily dwellings as three or
more apartment units in
the same building, but
on occasion a developer
wants to build a different
FRQ¿JXUDWLRQ7KH DPHQG-
ment would change the
GH¿QLWLRQ RI PXOWLIDPLO\
dwellings to describe three
or more units on the same
lot, rather than in the same
building.
After listening to com-
mittee reports and staff re-
ports and agreeing to start
having a work session be-
fore every council meeting
instead of once a month,
the council re-convened
as the Hermiston Urban
Renewal Agency and ap-
Join Us!
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2015
It’s not like him.
“Some people actually took
pictures with me. It’s a good
feeling actually. I think it’s at
LWVSHDNRI7ZLWWHUIDPHULJKW
now, but who knows really?”
For anyone else planning
their senior pictures, Peiris
said the key is to not take
them too seriously.
³:KHQ \RX ORRN EDFN DW
it, you can either pose on a
tree with your arms crossed
like everybody else, or you
PHOTO COURTESY TAMMY JAMES
can be different,” he said.
“It’s always better to be dif- Hermiston High School senior Stefano Peiris gained hundreds of new followers on Twitter
and his post has been shared more than 27,000 times since Sunday.
ferent.”
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