Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 18, 2015)
A16 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2015 FROM PAGE A1 Lack of transportation hinders some residents Elderly man with Alzheimer’s missing in Irrigon By JADE McDOWELL Staff Writer Every time Dale Orem leaves his house, it costs him. Orem is one of many Hermiston residents who deals with the daily chal- lenges of not owning a car in a city with no public transportation system. If he walks, he might use an hour of his day to make the round trip. If he uses a taxi, the fare chips away at his limited ¿[HGLQFRPH “This town is not big, but it’s huge when you think of it in terms of walking,” he said. Orem has a driver’s li- cense, but looking at his budget he said if he got to- gether the money to buy a car he wouldn’t be able to keep up on paying for in- surance, gas, maintenance, DMV fees, tires and other costs. Instead, he buys $32 worth of tickets — 16 one- way trips — a month from the city’s senior and dis- abled taxi program. “Thankfully I’ve got friends who will take me if I need to go to the Tri-Cities or Walla Walla, but when I moved here I didn’t know a soul,” he said. His 12-year-old son walks back and forth to Sandstone Middle School, only blocks away, but Orem is worried about what will happen when his son is old enough to attend Hermiston High School and has to walk a little over a mile to school every day, rain or shine. Orem, who spent 17 years living in California cities with public transpor- tation, said having a small ¿[HGURXWH EXV V\VWHP LQ Hermiston would be a huge EHQH¿W IRU SHRSOH ZLWKRXW other transportation. “I would go out and just do things,” he said. Orem said the employ- ees of Hermiston Transit Services and Umatilla Cab Company are all “beautiful people” he has enjoyed get- ting to know. But he wishes he could take a spontaneous trip to a restaurant or store without having to call and PEACE: continued from Page A1 thought and discussion with the girls we decided we wanted to do something for veterans and those cur- rently serving our country.” The four sides of the pole say “May peace pre- vail on earth” in English, Spanish, Umatilla and braille. A plaque notes that the pole is meant to honor veterans and current ser- vice members. FRQIXVHGZKHQKHFDQ¶W¿QG his way. 7KLV LVQ¶W WKH ¿UVW WLPH After a second full day of searching, the trail ap- Getman has gone missing. pears to have gone cold for On Feb. 10, a news station a missing Irrigon man with in Utica, New York report- ed Getman went Alzheimer’s disease who walked away missing in his pickup truck from the nearby from home at about 2 a.m. Monday. city of Little Falls. He was found safe John Getman, 78, was last seen near the the same day by New York State Police in Irrigon Fish Hatchery between 8 a.m. and Marcy, New York, 33 miles away. 8:20 a.m. Monday, Getman three miles northwest Matlack said he of town. He was spotted will talk again with the earlier that morning walk- family on Wednesday. Tem- ing west on Washington peratures in Irrigon Tuesday Avenue. night were expected to fall $ KHOLFRSWHU ÀHZ LQ to 42 degrees, with winds from Salem on Tuesday to gusting as high as 44 mph. scout the surrounding area, “We’re just hopeful we’ll including the Umatilla Na- get a lead today from some- tional Wildlife Refuge. one who might have seen Morrow County Sheriff him,” he said. Ken Matlack said the search Getman is described as 6 feet tall, 190 pounds with so far has come up empty. “We still have no idea very short gray hair, brown where he is,” Matlack said. eyes and no facial hair. He “At this point, we don’t was last seen wearing a have a whole lot of options.” heavy brown Carhartt jack- Authorities have issued et, brown plaid shirt, blue all-points bulletins in Ore- jeans and sneakers. Apart gon, Washington and Idaho, from Alzheimer’s, he has no and alerted truck stops from other serious medical prob- Biggs Junction to Ontario lems. in case Getman was picked In addition to the aerial up somewhere along the search, Matlack said volun- road. Police also checked teers on horseback rode east with local hospitals from from Irrigon to the Umatilla The Dalles and Pendleton to County line, but found no Walla Walla and the Tri-Cit- sign of Getman. Deputies ies. used a patrol boat to check Matlack said they’ve re- the banks of the Columbia ceived no other tips or sight- River from Irrigon to Board- ings since Monday. man, but found nothing. “We’re hoping we will There was a report Mon- get calls from somebody day afternoon of an elderly who’s seen him. It’s not too man walking on old high- late for that,” he said. “But way 30 near Frederickson the reality is that time isn’t Farming, though Matlack our friend anymore. We VDLGWKH\FRXOGQRWFRQ¿UP need to catch a break.” it was Getman. Getman came to Irrigon Anyone with informa- from New York in February tion on Getman is asked to to live with his sister and call the Morrow County is unfamiliar with the area. 6KHULII¶V2I¿FHDW Matlack said Getman gets 5317. By GEORGE PLAVEN Staff Writer STAFF PHOTO BY KATHY ANEY Dale Orem, of Hermiston, climbs inside a Umatilla Cab Company taxi for a ride to Loneys Martial Arts Center on Main Street. Taxi driver Mickey Trujillo stands by to close the door. wait as long as 30 minutes for a cab. “It’s doable to live with just the taxi system in town, but it’s just not cutting the mustard,” he said. “It’s an existence but it’s not a hap- piness.” Sundi Marquez sees a lot of car-less residents, in- cluding Orem, through the Umatilla Cab Company and Prestige Car Service. She said probably 80 to 85 per- cent of her companies’ cli- ents don’t have another way to get around. “You’d be surprised,” she said. “There are a lot. We’re their primary mode of transportation.” She said cab drivers in town become “part of peo- ples’ daily activities,” in- cluding rides to work, to medical appointments and to the grocery store. “Wal-Mart is our main- stay, always,” she said. Umatilla Cab Company charges customers by the mile, while Prestige Car Service charges by the hour. Marquez said the car service has become popular with el- derly customers who would like a driver to come into the store and help them with their groceries. Not everyone who takes a taxi is without other modes of transportation. Marquez said clients’ car might be in the shop, or they don’t want to drive in the snow or need a ride home from a medical procedure. Taxis aren’t the only way to get around without a car, either. For residents who want to go from one city to the next, Kayak Public Transit is a free bus system run by the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indi- an Reservation. The bus is open to all area residents and runs through cities around Uma- tilla County, as well as con- necting the Tri-Cities, Wal- la Walla and La Grande. It stops daily in Hermiston at McKenzie Park and Wal- Mart. CTUIR Planning Direc- tor J.D. Tovey said “kayak” is a tribal word that means “to remove hindrances.” “That’s kind of what our mission is, is to remove ob- stacles for people to go to work, to play, whatever they need to do in their lives,” he said. Tovey said a family with two vehicles can save an estimated $9,000 a year by getting rid of one. Kayak Public Transit saves fami- lies that money by allowing WKHPWR¿QGDQRWKHUZD\WR get to work, he said. Each bus seats about 30 people, and Tovey said every morn- ing there is a “nearly full” busload of people commut- ing to work from Pendleton to Hermiston. Some go even farther, meeting up with a carpool buddy in Hermiston to travel the rest of the way “This connects Herm- iston with hundreds of thousands of communi- ties across the world in the spirit of peace,” Kane said. Girl Scout Andrea Gispert, 18, said she wasn’t in the troop during its orig- inal dedication of the peace pole in 2007, but she was happy to be able to help plan the ceremony to re- locate the pole to a safer place. +HUVLVWHU6R¿D*LVSHUW also 18, said having a land- mark like the peace pole helps “make a town’s his- tory.” “I think it’s pretty cool that it’s got the different languages on it because it’s inclusive,” she said. “When people see it they will think, ‘This is an inclusive community.’” The dedication ceremo- ny included a speech by Kane, prayers for Amer- ica’s veterans and an En- glish translation of a poem about peace by Chinese poet Lao Tzu. McKay Creek Estates presents: to a job in Heppner. The service has been growing steadily and now gives more than 100,000 rides a year. It connects peo- ple to eight regional hospi- tals and helps reduce absen- teeism at the area’s major employers. Some organizations offer rides to medical ap- pointments for low-income patients. Good Shepherd Medical Center’s CareVan service has been providing free transportation to ap- pointments at the hospital or +HUPLVWRQSK\VLFLDQV¶RI¿F- es since 2006. CAPECO also provides rides to its clients via Dial- a-Ride. In some cases, such as an Oregon Health Plan or Medicaid patient going to a doctor’s appointment, the ride is free; in other cases riders are asked to pay for the trip. Dawn Capica of CAPE- CO transportation said there LV ³GH¿QLWHO\ D QHHG´ WKDW CAPECO does its best to KHOS¿OO6KHVDLGPRUHYRO- unteer drivers would make a world of difference in how many rides the program could give. “There are a lot of people out there who need help,” she said. “Not everyone has a vehicle or has access to one.” Get ready for Winter with great savings on AWD & 4WD Toyotas! 2016 TUNDRA SAFETY FIRST Standard Cab, Double Cab, CrewMax % 1.9 S Join us as we host a lecture series to increase safety awareness on fall prevention, common home injuries and provide solutions to keep you and your loved one safe! APR for 60 Mo. SafetyMan says “Always be Safe to Ensure an Active & Independent Lifestyle” Ask about Special Offers on all Toyota 4 Wheel and All Wheel Drives. Living with Lower Cholesterol TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 3:30 PM Join us for an afternoon to increase your understanding of cholesterol levels and how proper diet and nutrition can be combined with exercise and medications to keep your cholesterol levels in check. Learn the consequences and risks to your health when cholesterol reaches unhealthy levels. Advance Directives TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 3:30 PM What is an Advance Directive? When a loved one is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease there are many questions. One of the most confusing aspects can be the legal documents that need to be signed while your loved one can still make decisions. % 0 2015 RAV4 APR for 60 Mo. or $ 1000 Cash Back! Every new Toyota comes with ToyotaOfHermiston.com For more information or to RSVP, call us at (541) 276-1987 or visit us today! McKay Creek Estates 1601 Southgate Place Pendleton, Oregon 97801 www.PrestigeCare.com (541) 567-6461 or 800-522-2308 Mon-Fri 8:30a-6:30p • Sat 9:00a-6:00p • Sun 10:30a - 5:30p ToyotaCare covers normal factory scheduled service. Plan is 2 years or 25K miles, whichever comes first. The new vehicle cannot be part of a rental or commercial fleet, or a livery/taxi vehicle. See participating Toyota dealer for plan details. Valid only in the continental U.S. and Alaska. Roadside assistance does not include parts and fluids, except emergency fuel delivery. Get 0% APR for 60 months on the new 2015 RAV4 (excludes Hybrid) or 1.9% APR for 60 months on the New 2016 Tundra (excludes TRD Pro). Offer available to eligible customers who finance a new, unused, or unlicensed 2015 RAV4 or 2016 Tundra from Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. (TMS) and Toyota Financial Services (TFS) 11/3/15 through 11/30/15. A negotiable documentary service fee in an amount up to $150 may be added to the vehicle price. Vehicle ID numbers available upon request. Specific vehicles are subject to availability. You must take retail delivery from dealer stock. Special APR may not be combined with any other Customer Cash Rebates, Bonus Cash Rebates, or Lease Offers. Finance programs available on credit approval. Not all buyers will qualify for financing from Toyota Financial Services through participating dealers. Monthly payment for every $1,000 financed is 0% - 60 months = $16.67; 1.9% - 60 months = 17.48. See your Toyota dealer for actual pricing, annual percentage rate (APR), monthly payment, and other terms and special offers. Pricing and terms of any finance or lease transaction will be agreed upon by you and your dealer. Special offers are subject to change or termination at any time. Up to $1,000 Customer Cash Back available on a New 2015 RAV4 (excludes Hybrid) 11/3/15-11/30/15. Cannot be combined and is subject to availability. A negotiable documentary service fee in an amount up to $150 may be added to the vehicle price. Cash back from Toyota Motor Sales USA, Inc. Varies by region. Does not include College Grad or Military Rebate.