Hermiston
Herald
HermistonHerald.com
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6, 2016
DEPOT LAND TRANSFER DELAYED
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SPORTS Page 9
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GETTING
A HANDLE
ON MS
Page 4
ON THE MOVE
STAFF PHOTOS BY JENNIFER COLTON
Fourth-graders Abner Ochoa, from left, Derek Rivera Duarte and Angel Quiroa Vazquez run the marathon at McNary Heights Elementary School on
Monday.
McNary Marathon marks 30th year
By JENNIFER COLTON
Staff Writer
T
he comSetetive sSirit is alive and Zell at 0c-
Nary Heights Elementary.
)or years, students have turned recess
into a marathon — and had fun doing it. This
Zeek, students laced uS their shoes and hit
the track again.
The 0cNary Heights 0arathon has become a
tradition at the 8matilla school, Zhere staff mem-
bers and Sarents Zho SarticiSated noZ Zatch from
the sidelines as neZ generations try to beat their re-
cords.
“It makes us Zant to keeS going,” fourth-grader
$rturo $rreguin said in betZeen his ¿ fth and si[th
laS on 0onday. “It¶s really fun.”
Each day of the tZo-Zeek marathon, students set
a goal for hoZ many laSs they Slan to run during the
-minute recess. Some students have lofty goals
like laSs others Zalk or jog their Zay to four or
¿ ve. 5egardless of the number, the imSortant Sieces
are staying active and setting goals.
“It teaches our kids to strive for something,”
Shysical education teacher %randt /ind said. “One
of the major things that Ze¶re suSSosed to do is Sro-
mote habits and lifestyles that they¶ll carry into their
adulthood. If they come out associating running as a
Sositive life choice, then it¶s a success. I Zould say
the marathon does that.”
/ind has only Zorked Zith 0cNary Heights for
tZo years but said students ask about the marathon
every Zeek.
“:hen I ¿ rst got the job here, one of the ¿ rst
things the kids asked me Zas if Ze Zere still going
to do the marathon. That told me it has a sSecial
Slace in the school,” he said.
See RACE, A14
Kelly Stefani punches a card for fourth-grader Kaeden Grogan as he
completes a lap, Monday. Behind her, Stephanie Blake punches a card for
Arturo Arreguin.
Fourth-graders Linsey Mendoza and Mary Castro run the marathon at
McNary Heights Elementary School on Monday.
Bulldogs lacrosse coach Tampis Palmer dies
Team will honor coach
during game on Friday
By ERIC SINGER
Staff Writer
The Hermiston sSorts communi-
ty Zas left stunned on Sunday Zhen
the neZs broke about the Sassing of
%ulldogs lacrosse coach TramSis
Palmer.
Palmer, Zho died at the age of
4, Zas in his ¿ rst season as head
coach of the %ulldogs varsity la-
crosse team and had been involved
Zith youth sSorts in the city and
surrounding areas since the early
s.
“It¶s tragic,” said -ay =Ziefel-
hofer, a friend and former colleague
of Palmer¶s at the Hermiston youth
lacrosse Srogram. “He Zas such a
kind-hearted Serson, and everyone free time that Palmer has had has
that came into contact Zith him been sSent being involved in one or
considered him as a friend.”
more youth sSorts Srograms in the
In at the riSe age of , area.
Palmer started coaching the *rid
“He just loved to be around
Kids )ootball Srogram in
young SeoSle,” =Ziefelhofer
Hermiston and after only
said. “He Zas a Zonderful
a feZ years of coaching he
coach Zith a cooSerative
steSSed uS to be Sresident
style that meshed Zell Zith
of the Srogram. 8nder his
his student athletes.”
Zatch, *rid Kids increased
With everything he had
from roughly kids sSlit
done, he found his true Sas-
uS into four teams to more
sion in Zhen Palmer
than kids sSlit uS into Palmer
got involed Zith the sSort
teams by the time he steSSed
of lacrosse. His son -ake, a
doZn from the Sosition in .
¿ fth grader at the time, had decid-
$side from football, Palmer Zas ed to give the sSort a try, and after
heavily involved Zith the Herm- only one year of Zatching the sSort
iston Youth Wrestling and City Palmer Zanted to be involved.
/eague basketball Srograms, as =Ziefelhofer Zas running the youth
Zell as coaching his daughter 0e- lacrosse Srogram in , and in
gan¶s $$8 team for three years.
See PALMER, A14
)or most of the Sast years, any
ABOUT TOWN
Kindergarten
registration
dates pending
Kindergarten
regis-
tration begins ne[t Zeek
for many Eastern Oregon
School Districts. To be
eligible for kindergarten
in the fall, students must
be 5 years old by SeSt.
, born on or be-
fore SeSt. , for
most districts, but Sarents
Zith students close to that
cutoff should contact the
sSeci¿ c school for more
information. Enrollment
forms may be Sicked
uS in advance at some
schools, and registration
reTuires the student¶s
birth record birth certif-
icate, baStismal certi¿ -
cate or SassSort, Social
Security number, Sroof
of residence and health/
immunization records.
Hermiston
Date: April 4-15
The Hermiston School District
is hosting a winder for spring
kindergarten registration window
from April 4-15 for students en-
tering kindergarten in the 2016-17
school year. Registration will be
held at each elementary school
main offi ce from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30
p.m. daily.
Parents/guardians must register
students at their attendance
area school. To verify a boundary
school, adults may locate their
home address on the district
boundary map or call a school
directly for assistance.
Desert View: 1225 S.W. Ninth
St., 541-667-6900
Highland Hills: 450 S.E. 10th St.,
541-667-6500
Rocky Heights: 650 W. Standard
Ave., 541-667-6600
Sunset: 300 E. Catherine Ave.,
541-667-6700
West Park: 555 S.W. Seventh
Ave., 541-667-680
Stanfi eld
Date: April 6-9
The district will host kindergarten
registration from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
April 6-9 at Stanfi eld Elementary.
Contact Stanfi eld Elementary at
541-449-3305 for more informa-
tion.
Umatilla
Date: May 9-13
Umatilla kindergarten registration
will take place at McNary Heights
Elementary, 120 Columbia Blvd
in Umatilla, from 10 a.m. to 2
p.m. May 9-13 and from 6-8 p.m.
May 11.
For more information on the
Umatilla School District’s kinder-
garten registration and Ready for
Kindergarten programs, contact
McNary Heights Elementary at
541-922-6650.
Echo
Date: TBA, call 541-376-8436.
EOT expanding
fi ber network
Hermiston
residents
have a chance to bring ul-
tra-Iast ¿ ber oStic internet
to their neighborhood, but
they have to make their
voices heard.
Eastern Oregon Telecom
has identi¿ ed Sossible
]ones in the city to e[Sand
its ¿ ber-oStic netZork to
more homes and business-
es, but the comSany Zants
to invest Zhere SeoSle are
most interested in connect-
ing to the netZork. EOT has
set uS an online voting sys-
tem and Zill build the ]ones
Zhere enough residents and
business oZners e[Sress
interest in connecting to the
netZork.
Interested residents can
enter their address at join.
eot¿ ber.com to see iI they
live in one oI the ]ones.
II they do, they can Say
. to ¿ ll out a survey
adding their names to the
list oI backers Ior e[Sand-
ing the Sroject into their
neighborhood.
³The amount oI Zork
and e[Sense to bring ¿ ber
oStic *igabit service to a
neighborhood is huge,” ac-
cording to the survey. “Sim-
Sly Sut, the more backers in
your zone, the more likely
Ze are to bring ¿ ber to your
door.”
EOT brought ¿ ber oStic
internet to Hermiston a year
ago, and so far 475 homes
and businesses have been
hooked uS to the netZork.