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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (April 27, 2016)
Hermiston Herald BULLDOGS DROP DOUBLE HEADER SPORTS Page 9 Growing for a profi t Inmate dies at TRCI HermistonHerald.com WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 2016 Emmerson wins professional of the year award Page 3 $1.00 ABOUT TOWN Page 7 BALLOT MEASURE CONSOLIDATED FIRE DISTRICTS STAFF PHOTO BY JENNIFER COLTON Josh Smith, fi refi ghter and paramedic, fi lming a new web series for Hermiston Fire and Emergency Services using a GoPro camera. Hermiston and Stanfi eld reformation on ballot By JENNIFER COLTON Staff Writer T wo yes votes could mean two fi re departments become one in the Hermiston and Stanfi eld area. Most registered votes will re- ceive ballots this week, and for voters in Hermiston and Stan- fi eld, those ballots will include two measures on the fi re department refor- mation that would combine the Herm- iston Fire District and the Stanfi eld Fire District into the “Umatilla County Fire District 1.” “Right now, we’re two districts and there’s an imaginary line that runs be- tween. We’re just going to dissolve that line,” Hermiston Fire Chief Scott Stan- ton said Monday. “The new district will have the same stations, the trucks, the same people. It’s just going to have a different name on the door. It’s going to make us more effi cient and provide See VOTE, A14 STAFF PHOTO BY JENNIFER COLTON Josh Smith, fi refi ght and paramedic, fi lms a tour of Fire Station 1 for Hermiston Fire and Emergency Services’ web series, launched earlier this year. Fourth inmate death in 3 months An inmate at Two Rivers Correctional In- stitution died unexpect- edly Monday morning. Avis Woodrum, 60, was being medically treated in TRCI’s Health Services Unit when he was pronounced dead at 8:53 a.m. Monday. Wo o d - rum entered Oregon De- partment of Corrections custody on Aug. 30, 2011 on Woodrum one count of kidnap- ping in the second degree out of Marion County. His earliest release date was March 25, 2017. The Oregon State Police Criminal In- vestigation Division is conducting an investi- gation, as with all unan- ticipated deaths in state prisons. Next of kin has been notified, and no other details are available at this time. Woodrum is the fourth TRCI inmate to die in three months. On April 3, inmate Shawn McMillian, 44, incarcerated out of Lane County, was trans- ported to a local hospi- tal for medical care and died early on April 4. On March 20, inmate Ronald Marcus, 60, out of Multnomah County, was found unrespon- sive in his cell and lat- er died, and on Feb. 27, inmate Joel Abbot, 60, was found unrespon- sive in his cell and life- flighted to a Portland hospital, where he later died. TRCI is a multi-cus- tody prison in Umatilla that houses approx- imately 1,800 male inmates. TRCI par- ticipates in prison in- dustries with Oregon Corrections Enterpris- es including institution and industrial laundry, mattress manufacturing and sewing. The facility provides a range of correctional programs and services including education, religious services and behavioral health ser- vices. TRCI opened in 2000. Cinco de Mayo organizers eye new venue as event grows By JADE McDOWELL Staff Writer HERALD FILE PHOTO Walla Walla Ballet Folklorico dancers perform a traditional dance at the Hermiston Cinco de Mayo festival in 2015. Hermiston’s annual Cinco de Mayo bash could be on its last year in downtown Herm- iston. Hispanic Advisory Com- mittee chair Eddie de la Cruz said organizers are hoping to move the event — which has swelled to approximately 5,000 attendees since moving from McKenzie Park to down- town four years ago — to the Eastern Oregon Trade and Event Center next year. “There’s plenty of space out there,” he said. The full EOTEC project isn’t scheduled to be com- pleted until July 2017, but the event center building and paved parking area are open- ing next month. De la Cruz said after a recent tour of the site he believes there will be suffi cient accommodations to host an expanded Cinco de Mayo celebration out there in 2017 even if certain elements like the rodeo arena aren’t completed yet. The 2016 event, however, will take place on NE Second Street across from City Hall, with a carnival in the street and parking lot behind the Hermis- ton Public Library. The carni- val will run Thursday evening through Sunday, while the rest of the festivities will kick off with a parade through down- See VENUE, A7