Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current, January 06, 2016, Image 12

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Hermiston herald., January 06, 2016, Page A12, Image 12

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Newspaper Page TextA12 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2016 COMMUNITY • FROM PAGE A1 PUBLIC SAFETY LOG SUNDAY, JAN. 3 2:49 p.m. - Umatilla police received a report of a dog tied to a backpack in the middle of the road at Columbia Boulevard and Covina Court, Umatilla. SATURDAY, JAN. 2 10:59 a.m. - A caller from Space Age Fuel, Hermiston, used a racial slur in describing a semi driver wearing a blue turban as angry. A dispatcher asked the caller how he could tell the man was angry. The caller said he was 54 years old and worked in customer service most of his life and you could tell by the way the man walked and glared. He also said he called after the man left. 10:59 a.m. - Umatilla police received a call of someone throwing beer bottles out the window of an older green Ford Escort at Umatilla River Road and Bonney Lane. 2:31 p.m. - A man told law enforce- ment his ex-employee pushed him, refused to leave property on Cooney Lane, Hermiston, and threatened to use a crowbar to hit him. The caller said he would wait for contact. banging continued but she could not see anyone. FRIDAY, JAN. 1 12:19 a.m. - A prowler tapped on the back window of a woman’s resi- dence on Third Street, Umatilla. Police did not ﬁnd anyone slinking around. 2:35 a.m. - A woman told police she put her Chihuahua out at Columbia Crest Apartment, Umatilla, and saw a stocky male in dark pants and a dark hooded sweatshirt messing with a silver car and pickup. The dog chased the male, who took off down Third Street toward Brownell Avenue. Police did not ﬁnd the suspect. 5:06 p.m. - A man told Umatilla police his girlfriend was “acting crazy” and had a knife. WEDNESDAY, DEC. 30 9:21 a.m. - A caller at Winebarger Welding & Irrigation, Stanﬁeld, report- ed the theft of four Chevrolet six-hole, white rim tires from the back of a cart in the last two days. 12:21 p.m. - A Umatilla man told police his wife’s son pushed him out of the house and has locked himself inside the house with his mother, and she wants the son out. 6:15 p.m. - A Boardman woman reported her brother got out of 30 days in a rehabilitation center and during the last two days he drank at least two gallons of vodka and is taking Prozac and other psych medications. THURSDAY, DEC. 31 3:48 a.m. - A Stanﬁeld woman reported banging outside her home on West Furnish Avenue, and when she opened her door there was a male’s hat on her doorstep. She said the TUESDAY, DEC. 29 •The Morrow County Sheriff’s Oﬃce responded to a 9:44 a.m. report of an older white Ford Crown Victoria parked outside a Heppner residence because a caller said the driver threatened her before and she was concerned for her safety. •A Umatilla resident on Pomono Drive told police at 10:10 a.m. her ex-boyfriend may have snuck around her home during the night and threw something at her parents’ car. •A caller at 1:32 p.m. asked law enforcement to check on a female who said she was walking barefoot and without a coat from Umatilla to Irrigon while hiding from a male. The Morrow County Sheriff’s Oﬃce was not able to ﬁnd her. •A caller at 8:15 p.m. told the Uma- tilla County Sheriff’s Oﬃce a male sent death threats via text and phone calls. MONDAY, DEC. 28 •A woman at about 11:15 a.m. tied a small dog to the top of a trash can at McNary Market, 205 Willamette Ave., Umatilla, then went inside the store. A person then picked up the dog so it would not hang itself and called for law enforcement. ARRESTS, CITATIONS •Hermiston police arrested Felix Mendoza-Carrollo, 24, of Hermiston, for fourth-degree assault. •Oregon State Police arrested Onorio Jaime Ibarra, 26, of Hermis- ton, on two misdemeanor warrants and one felony warrant and for ﬁrst-degree burglary, possession of methamphetamine and fourth-de- gree assault. •Umatilla police arrested Rodney Dean Cearns, 24, for felony domestic violence assault, second-degree disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, harassment, misdemeanor fourth-degree assault, recklessly endangering a child and second-de- gree animal abuse. •Hermiston police arrested Lucio Guararo Ochoa, 18, no address provided, for attempt to ﬂee police in a vehicle and driving under the inﬂuence of intoxicants. •Hermiston police arrested Rhyan James Baney, 27, of Hermis- ton, for possession of the following: a stolen vehicle, methamphetamine and a controlled substance. Pursuit offers ‘life- changing’ inspiration BUILD: continued from Page A1 ing rooms, or restaurants,” Mayor David Drotzmann said in a statement accom- panying the report. “The problem is that none of those are catalyst-type de- velopments; well now is the time for an entrepre- neur to take advantage of a game-changing oppor- tunity.” In 2013, Drotzmann put together a Hotel Task Force to work on increas- ing Hermiston’s hotel ca- pacity after reports that during sports tournaments people were driving to Pendleton to spend the night because everywhere in Hermiston was full. The task force found that Hermiston’s hotel occupan- cy rates were at about 66 percent, which was 8 per- cent higher than the state average and almost 19 per- cent higher than the aver- age for Eastern Oregon. After local business- man Mitch Myers sold the Hermiston Avenue prop- erty to InnSight Man- agement, the city agreed to pay up to $50,000 to move a sewer line run- ning down the property and also offered $40,000 in facade grant money in exchange for the ho- tel developer to greatly increase the amount of brickwork on the outside of the building. “We wanted to make sure it kind of tied into downtown,” Morgan said. The grant money came from the city’s urban re- newal district, which freezes the amount of property tax revenue taxing districts get from downtown for 20 years, then skims off the ex- tra money generated by rising property values and re-invests it into the downtown district. Morgan said the city conservatively estimated the district would gen- erate $2.5 million over the 20-year period, but the new hotel will like- ly push that number up to somewhere around $4 million. Now that ground has officially broken on the project, Morgan said the next fiscal year’s bud- get will probably include the money to get start- ed on building a “festi- val street” along Second Street in front of city hall and the former Roemarks building. “We didn’t want to count our chickens before they hatched,” Morgan said. The festival street will host large events like the city’s annual Cinco de Mayo celebration, but Morgan said the urban renewal agency has also set aside $100,000 to cre- ate new events. He said large events can actually •A Boardman man at 11:20 a.m. told the Morrow County Sheriff’s Oﬃce he wanted to ﬁle a theft report after he let someone he knows borrow his car under the promise of returning it Sunday, but the person has not. The Morrow County Sheriff’s Oﬃce called this a civil problem. •A Hermiston-area caller at 11:58 a.m. reported her neighbor’s dog on East Columbia Lane is digging under the fence and will charge her if it enters the yard. •A male at 4 p.m. told Umatilla po- lice his mother hit him with a slingshot by the bridge on Stephens and Tucker avenues, Umatilla. •The Umatilla County Sheriff’s Oﬃce at 7:39 p.m. received an anonymous report of possible animal cruelty or a puppy mill operating on East Second Street, Hermiston. By TAMMY MALGESINI Community Editor STAFF PHOTO BY JADE MCDOWELL A “for sale” sign sits in the window of the former Roemarks building in downtown Hermiston, one of the sSaFes the Fit\ is hoSing to see Àlled b\ a new business soon disrupt traffic to down- town businesses, so many of the events will likely be smaller “passive pro- gramming” like live mu- sic on certain nights of the week or the nightly holiday light show that had its first run in De- cember. Not included in the cur- rent iteration of the city’s business-recruitment packet is the Dec. 28 de- cision by the city council to locate the new $2 mil- lion senior center down- town on Ridgeway Ave- nue behind the Hermiston Public Library, which is also expected to increase foot traffic downtown. Shannon Snyder, own- er of Defining Details on Main Street, said the city’s efforts to help re- vitalize downtown seem to have already paid off in increased shoppers at her business over the last year, particularly on the night of the tree-lighting ceremony in December. “That was a good night,” she said. “We saw lots of people.” She said she’s glad to hear the city is trying to use the new hotel to recruit new businesses downtown, and she be- lieves the hotel will be successful in drawing new businesses in. She said she hopes to see more Tonia Mulcare Auto Health Home Life Tonia Mulcare 541/289-3300 • 800/225-2521 The Stratton Agency Hermiston/Pendleton • stratton-insurance.com Family Insurance Agent retail, coffee shops and restaurants since those seem to foster the most foot traffic. She also ex- pects the hotel to increase the number of customers for downtown shops. “I hope people mosey on down and find some of our cute stores,” she said. Nationally-recognized speaker Robby Dawkins and Vladimir Savchuk, a dynamic youth pastor from Pasco, are special guests for a two-day faith-based conference in Hermiston. Pursuit Conference 2016 also features music and fellowship. The event brings people from across the Paci¿c Northwest to worship and be inspired to spread the word about Jesus. In its third year, Pur- suit was founded by Clayton Haight, worship pastor at Hermiston As- sembly of God Church, and Brad and Brittany Saddler, who attended Hermiston School of Ur- ban Missions Bible Col- lege & Theological Sem- inary. “Over the past three years, we have seen 1,500-plus attend this life-changing event and we believe this year is going to be bigger and better than ever,” Haight said. Pursuit is Friday, Jan. 15 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Jan. 16, with sessions at 10 a.m., 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. at the church, 730 E. Hurlburt Ave., Herm- iston. Dawkins is a ¿fth gen- eration pastor who was born to missionary par- ents in Japan. Dawkins and wife, Angie, live in Illinois. The charismatic pastor was called to the minis- try before he even had a driver license, starting a children’s ministry at the age of 12, according to his biography at www. robbydawkins.com. His parents say that as a tod- dler, he told people he would grow up to be a missionary. “Robby Dawkins is a really big deal,” said Ja- cob Looper, college ad- visor at Hermiston SUM. “People don’t want to miss this, it’s an all- around great event.” Savchuk, youth pastor at the Good News Church in Pasco, also will speak. He works with the Hun- gry Generation ministry. Looper said Savchuk is a dynamic speaker that leads many kids to Christ. Haight invites every- one to the all-ages event, including followers of Jesus and those who are simply curious about who God is. There is no charge to attend and people are en- couraged to “come as you are.” “The school promotes and funds the event,” Looper said. “It’s really to reach out to our com- munity to have a confer- ence that is multi-genera- tional.” For more information about the conference, call the church at 541-567- 5831.