Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (March 2, 2016)
Hermiston Herald WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2, 2016 $1.00 STATE CHAMPS Bulldogs bring home title for 10th time SPORTS Page 10 ABOUT TOWN Construction work to cause lane closures near Jennie Avenue Traf¿ c around -ennie Avenue in Hermiston will be affected this week due to the Oregon Depart- ment of Transportation’s ongoing $3.7 million construction project on Highway 395. This morning, lanes will be closed on -ennie Avenue and Highway 395 to dig conduit trenching. Crews will also con- tinue to work on the inter- section through Thursday during daylight hours, with minimal traf¿ c im- pacts. Through Thursday from 6 p.m. to 10 a.m. lanes on assorted sections of Highway 395 between Southeast Fourth Street and Theater Lane will be closed while crews work to update pedestrian ramps to ADA standards. Workforce needs study underway for Umatilla County GRAPPLING WITH A DREAM STAFF PHOTO BY E.J. HARRIS Sam Colbray is as comfortable in an academic setting, like the library, as the four-time state champion is on the wrestling mat. Colbray, who ZLOORIÀFLDOO\VLJQRIOHWWHURILQWHQWWRZUHVWOHRQDFROOHJHVFKRODUVKLSWKLVZHHNKDVDVSLUDWLRQVRIFRQWLQXLQJRQWRPHGLFDOVFKRRODQG becoming an orthopedic surgeon. STAR WRESTLER SAM COLBRAY PINS ASPIRATIONS FOR A MEDICAL CAREER ON CONTINUING HIS EDUCATION THROUGH ATHLETIC SCHOLARSHIP By SAM BARBEE Staff Writer S am Colbray didn’t always want to wrestle. As a small child growing up in Hermiston, he wanted to explore the world. “He used to talk about that when he was 5 years old,” Colbray’s mother, Del- ta, said. Thirteen years later, the world explorer dream has passed, but his ambitions are still grand. After he concludes his stellar high school career — both athletically and academically — he will continue his educa- tion at Iowa State University on a wrestling scholarship. Wrestling and Iowa State are stepping stones to attending medical school and becoming a doctor. Best known as a highly-ranked wrestler, he’s currently ranked second in the country at 195 pounds, according to FloWrestling. org. A four-time Oregon state champion at the same weight, Colbray is an intellectual, a thinker and a leader. “When you hear about Sam, you don’t hear about academics, even though you See COLBRAY, A16 STAFF PHOTO BY KATHY ANEY Hermiston’s John Henry Line (left) and Sam Colbray square off for the 5A state wrestling match Saturday at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in the 195-pound weight class. Colbray won the match with 10-2 major decision. A comprehensive study on Umatilla County’s workforce needs is in the works, and input from area employers is needed. The study is a joint proj- ect between Blue Mountain Community College and Umatilla County, run by consultant Susan Bower of Eastern Oregon Business Source. The goal is to use sur- veys, interviews and focus groups to fully understand what skills and Tuali¿ ca- tions local companies are looking for and how those needs could be met. The re- sults will be compiled into a report that will be made available to the public and shared with local schools, civic groups and business- es. “The college and the county acknowledge they can’t be the only people coming up with solutions,” Bower said. “They’re say- ing ‘Let’s do this research and put it into an objective, academic report and share it.’” Casey White-Zollman, spokeswoman for BMCC, said the college will use the data and insights collected by Bower to look at what programs it should add or expand. She said when the Port of Umatilla and Port of Morrow approached the college a year ago about the data centers locating in the area, the college worked with those companies on creating a data center tech- nician program that held its ¿ rst class seven months lat- er. Students from that ¿ rst class are all in internships now, she said. White-Zollman said the study currently in the works would help the col- lege launch that type of re- sponse on a broader scale across more industries. The 15-minute sur- vey can be found at www. surveymonkey.com/r/uma- tillacountyworkforceneeds. — Jade McDowell Students try green eggs and ham Read Across America events this week By JENNIFER COLTON STAFF PHOTO BY JENNIFER COLTON 6HFRQGJUDGHU:\DWW+DUULVH\HVKLVOXQFK7XHVGD\DW6WDQÀHOG(OHPHQWDU\ The school served green eggs and ham as part of Read Across America week. Staff Writer I do so like green eggs and ham. Thank you. Thank you, Sam-I-Am. Dr. Seuss wrote those words to signal the change of heart a charac- ter had after Sam-I-Am’s energet- ic encouragement to sample green eggs and ham. Students at Stan¿ eld Elementary School took much less prodding to try the colored concoc- tion this week. Stan¿ eld provided green eggs and ham for its elementary school lunch on Tuesday, and the respons- es were varied: “I love green eggs and ham.” “I’m going to die.” “This is so cool.” “I want this every day.” After sampling the green eggs, students were able to vote if they liked the meal or if they did not. Halfway through lunch, the votes were overwhelmingly in favor of the “yes” basket. For Cody Hart, a ¿ fth-grader, the day was a chance to serve green eggs to his fellow students. “It’s pretty fun,” Hart said, dish- ing scoops of egg for ¿ rst-graders. “I got lucky.” Green eggs and ham is only one of the activities Stan¿ eld El- ementary is hosting this week for “Read Across America” week. An initiative of the National Education Association, Read Across America focuses on motivating children and See READ, A16
