Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 16, 2015)
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2015 HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A9 LOCAL NEWS In search of Tiny Tim and Betty Lou Who Sometimes we all need a reminder of our holiday blessings T he calendar says, unmistakably, that Christmas is just over a week away, but I remain in denial. The holiday spirit has not possessed me yet this year. That’s not necessarily a new phenomenon for me. I used to be a pretty serious procrastinator, out with the masses on Christmas Eve doing most, if not all, of my holiday shopping. Living in larger communities helped cure me of that. I found I hated the last-minute shop- ping crowds even more than I hated shopping. My daughter helped cure me of that too. For many years getting to see my daughter around Christ- mas meant traveling, so I would need to get my shopping done before I got on a plane. I also found enjoyment in shopping for her, especially if I had her Christmas wish list as a guide. If I knew what sort of things she would like, it would give me ideas and con¿dence to go off-book for a few purchases. But this year, like last, my daughter and I will be delaying our Christmas gift exchange until at least sometime in January. She works in the restaurant business and won’t have much time off around the holidays, and the time she does have is already over- taxed. So, knowing we won’t be together around the hol- idays dampens my enthusi- asm for the season. The last nine months have blown past, like a tumbleweed propelled on a spring gust and obscured by the dust in its wake. It’s been a year ¿lled with change and transition. Job change, address change, house purchase, new pet, staff changes. As someone who is prone to be a crea- ture of habit and routine to work most ef¿ciently, I am at a loss to know what’s normal now. I want to just press pause and let my head catch up with the rest of me. There’s still time for Tiny Tim or Betty Lou Who to make an appearance and remind me of the spirit of the season and melt my Scroogey, Grinchy heart. It’s happened before. One of the more memora- ble times was in December 1986. I was in my third year len. All the assignments I of college at Oregon State, was sent on seemed trivial but I’d taken the fall quarter and insigni¿cant. I didn’t off to work as a photo in- want to be there. I wasn’t tern for the East Oregonian. sure I even wanted to be a journalist anymore. It The month start- was surreal to me that ed with the crash of people who made it a helicopter ambu- their mission to save lance in the fog west lives lost theirs so of Pendleton, kill- close to the holidays. ing all three people My Tiny Tim that on board, including year was a man by paramedic Nancy the name of Glenn Neerenberg of Herm- Gary L. West Jones Jr. iston. Four of us from SHADES Glenn was a kettle the paper had joined OF GRAY worker for The Sal- the search party and reporters Chuck Westlund vation Army that season. In and Wil Phinney were the addition to raising money ¿rst to ¿nd the wreckage. for The Salvation Army he As the son of a pilot, seeing raised the spirits of holiday the mangled aftermath of shoppers by singing while the crash affected me more he rang his bell. In the days before profoundly than I cared to Christmas, I was dispatched admit. In the remaining days to get a photo of him and and weeks of my intern- enough information for a ship, I was moody and sul- copy block to accompany the photo. I was not happy about the assignment and de¿nitely not in the spirit. I grumbled all the way out the door and to the K-mart store where Glenn was singing and ringing away. It was supposed to be a little holiday Àuff photo and extended caption about a guy singing Christmas car- ols. That was, until I heard more of Glenn’s story. Glenn was a recovering addict who was working to rebuild his life and bringing a little joy to others while he did. He had three chil- dren, but hadn’t seen them for two years. “I like to sing especially to children because I can’t be with my children,” he told me. Glenn was no saint, cer- tainly. He had done plenty to damage himself and his relationships. Yet, he found a way to seize upon the hol- iday spirit and share it with others. He certainly shared it with me. He showed me I had plenty to be thankful for and celebrate that year. Sharing his story helped revive my passion for journalism, pro- pelled me through holidays and sent me back to school determined to continue my pursuit of a career as a jour- nalist. Thanks, Big Glenn, for being my Tiny Tim. And may we all have a blessed holiday season. Gary L. West is editor of the Hermiston Herald and Hermiston editor for the East Oregonian. Reach him at gwest@hermiston- herald.com or follow him on Twitter @GaryLWest or on Facebook at www. facebook.com/journalist. glwest. Local Facebook posts about alleged threat worry parents By JADE McDOWELL Staff Writer Social media fueled panic among parents in Hermiston late last week after rumors began swirl- ing on Facebook and Twit- ter of an alleged threat to “shoot up” Hermiston High School. But Briana Cortaberria, Hermiston School District communications of¿cer, said an investigation by Hermiston Police Depart- ment con¿rmed that no such threat ever took place. “Everything got blown out of proportion,” she said. Cortaberria said the rumors stemmed from a comment that a student overheard another student make to someone else fol- lowing a physical alter- cation at the high school. Through a “game of tele- phone,” she said, the ru- mor mill turned the com- ment into a threat about a school shooting. “It was nothing like that,” she said. “Nothing of that nature.” Once a student posted about the supposed threat on Facebook, however, people began calling the police department. Law enforcement worked with district administrators in tracking down the origin of the rumor and speak- ing to the student who had supposedly made the threat and those who heard what the student said. Cortaberria said the school district wouldn’t have opened its doors Fri- day morning if the admin- istration or law enforce- ment had any concerns. “Our ¿rst priority is stu- dent safety,” she said. However, a post on the district’s Facebook page Thursday night, meant to calm parent fears, con- cerned some parents who hadn’t heard of any possi- ble threat. The post, which ap- peared at 9 p.m. Thursday, said, “Hermiston High School administration has been made aware of an alleged threat. With the assistance of the Hermis- ton Police Department, the claim was con¿rmed to be false. There is no reason you should have concern in sending your student to school tomorrow.” It was shared 176 times and more than 200 com- ments were posted under- “There is a fine line of what can be shared for privacy reasons and with police matters.” — Briana Cortaberria Hermiston School District communications officer neath within a matter of hours. Many people asked for more information and wanted to know how the district could be sure there was no danger. Several parents said they would keep their children home from school. Tracy Gammell was one of the parents who commented on the post Thursday night, asking the district to post more in- formation after starting “a pretty big panic” among parents. She said she ended up sending her children to school on Friday, but only after calling and talking to an administrator. “I was concerned by the Facebook post from the district,” she said. “I felt it was probably meant to calm people, but that it had the opposite effect and really startled parents be- cause of the lack of infor- mation provided.” Cortaberria said at the time she and district admin- istrators felt it was better to post something “short and sweet” to address rumors already swirling. “There is a ¿ne line of what can be shared for pri- vacy reasons and with po- lice matters,” she said. However, she did post an updated news release with more detail on Friday morning. “In today’s climate, this type of social media situa- tion can be expected,” the post read. “The positive side is that, had there been any merit to the claims, we would have been able to act accordingly and re- spond appropriately to en- sure student, staff, and pa- tron safety. Unfortunately, it can also work against us when the accusations made are false and unfounded.” PLUS $ 400 PER LINE when you switch and trade in a Smartphone. Learn more at uscellular.com. Things we want you to know: Shared Connect Plan, Retail Installment Contract and number port-in required for all lines. Credit approval also required. A $25 Device Activation Fee applies. Valid for new accounts only. A Regulatory Cost Recovery Fee applies (currently $1.82/line/month); this is not a tax or gvmt. required charge. Additional fees, taxes, terms, conditions and coverage areas apply and may vary by plan, service and phone. 15GB Data Plan comprised of standard 10GB data bucket with additional 5GB data allotment, which is valid for the first 24 months. Standard 10GB data allotment applies thereafter. $400 Switcher Incentive: Requires purchase of a new Smartphone with Device Protection+ and trade-in of an active Smartphone on former carrier’s plan. Limit one $400 reward per ported line. Traded-in Smartphone must be in fully functional, working condition without any liquid damage or broken components, including, but not limited to, a cracked display or housing. Smartphone must power on and cannot be pin locked. For in-store transactions: $150 Promotional Card given at point of sale with trade-in of Smartphone. Additional $250 Promotional Card will be mailed to customer within 6–8 weeks. Promotional Cards issued by MetaBank, ® Member FDIC, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. Valid only for purchases at U.S. Cellular ® stores and uscellular.com. For online and telesales transactions, see uscellular.com for redemption details. Device Protection+: Enrollment in Device Protection+ required. The monthly charge for Device Protection+ is $8.99 for Smartphones. A deductible per approved claim applies. You may cancel Device Protection+ anytime. Federal Warranty Service Corporation is the Provider of the Device Protection+ ESC benefits, except in CA and OK. Limitations and exclusions apply. For complete details, see an associate for a Device Protection+ brochure. Kansas Customers: In areas in which U.S. Cellular receives support from the Federal Universal Service Fund, all reasonable requests for service must be met. Unresolved questions concerning services availability can be directed to the Kansas Corporation Commission Office of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at 1-800-662-0027. Offers valid at participating locations only and cannot be combined. See store or uscellular.com for details. Limited-time offer. Trademarks and trade names are the property of their respective owners. ©2015 U.S. Cellular
