Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (May 18, 2016)
Hermiston TAKING AIM Herald ld WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 2016 HermistonHerald.com Bulldogs trapshooting team fi nds its way in year one SPORTS Page 9 $1.00 DRUG COURT GRADUATES ABOUT TOWN Election Results too late for press Due to press dead- lines for the Hermiston Herald, we were un- able to include election results in today’s print edition. Look for results for local races for the May 17, 2016, election on- line at www.Hermis- tonHerald.com. Results will also available in the May 18th print edition of our sister paper, the East Oregonian, includ- ing details on statewide races and the Oregon presidential primary. New workshop highlights trauma response STAFF PHOTO BY JENNIFER COLTON Christine Massingale, of Hermiston, addresses the crowd at Umatilla County Drug Court graduation on Friday. Massingale is one of 46 local residents who will complete the program this year. Local residents complete ‘life-changing’ program By JENNIFER COLTON Staff Writer “ Without this program, I would be dead.” For most situations, the quote is hy- perbolic, spoken with passion and ex- aggerated to emphasize a point. For the graduates of Umatilla County Drug Court, the quote has sincerity. “I wasn’t sure what I was going to do, but I was afraid. I was afraid of losing my family, of going to jail, afraid that I couldn’t stay clean,” Christine Mass- ingale, of Hermiston, said Friday. “Drug Court saved my life. It really did.” Umatilla County Drug Court is an intensive drug and alcohol treatment program that combines group sessions and individual counseling as an alternative to incarceration. Participants attend rehab, have reg- ular drug tests, have counseling and do community service. On completion, many members have crimi- nal charges dismissed. Originally started as a two-year, grant-funded pro- gram, Umatilla County Drug Court is now in its 10th year. Friday, Drug Court celebrated its 18th gradua- tion — for a total of 187 graduates. “Over the years, we’re now in the hundreds of graduates, most of which are very successful,” Cir- cuit Court Judge Eva Temple said Friday. “This is what works in Umatilla County.” The recidivism — reoffender — average for Uma- tilla County is now 20.35 percent — a 10 percent de- crease since the program was implemented in 2006, according to Umatilla County Community Justice Director Dale Primmer. Most Drug Court partici- pants — 75 percent — do not receive a new convic- tion in the three-year period tracked after graduation. That 75 percent fi gure stays consistent at the county, state and national level. “If you were to pull up the jail roster on any day, 80-90 percent of those are drug-related charges,” Temple said. “If you took out everyone in jail who had a drug- or alcohol-rleated crime, we’d have 10- 12 people left.” See DRUGS, A14 Veterans town hall includes free lunch STAFF PHOTO BY JENNIFER COLTON Christine Massingale, of Hermiston, receives a rose of recovery from Sen. Bill Hansell, R-Athena, at Umatilla County Drug Court graduation on Friday. Keys named BMCC Hermiston director By JENNIFER COLTON Staff Writer CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Jacelyn Keys has been named the new center director for BMCC Hermiston. A workshop de- signed to assist people with defusing danger- ous situations is being offered by the Crisis & Trauma Resource Institute. The session is tar- geted for people who work in an environ- ment where there is potential for violence and want to develop the skills needed to de-escalating potential incidents. De-escalat- ing Potentially Violent Situations includes an overview of violence, different styles of an- ger, how to disengage and problem-solving strategies. Presented by CAPECO, the train- ing costs $99, which includes lunch. The session is Friday, May 27, at New Hope Community Church, 1350 S. Highway 395, Hermiston Pre-registration is required. To register, visit www.eventbrite. com and search “De-escalating Poten- tially Violent Situa- tions.” For more in- formation, call Karen at 541-278-5674. After seven years with Eastern Oregon University, Jacelyn Keys will move to Blue Mountain Com- munity College this summer as the director of BMCC Hermiston. Keys will step into the role full time on July 1, replacing Harvey Franklin, who retires at the end of this academic year. “We are very excited to have Ja- celyn join us at BMCC. She brings with her a solid background in in- struction, a history of supporting students in reaching their goals, and a tremendous amount of enthusi- asm to the job,” BMCC president Cam Preus said Tuesday. “She will join a great team committed to serv- ing the Hermiston community and students of BMCC.” Born and raised in Eastern Ore- gon, Keys attended Central Oregon Community College, where she fell in love with the community college setting. Two master’s degrees later, Keys is fi nally returning to a com- munity college. “I’m really excited to take over this role and to start working with the community,” Keys said. The Hermiston center serves the western half of BMCC’s dis- trict and includes an annual student count of more than 5,000 — about 20 percent of the college’s total en- rollment. Keys said she sees that enrollment continuing to grow and refl ect the needs of businesses, stu- dents and community members in the area. See KEYS, A14 The director of the Jonathan M. Wain- wright Memorial VA Medical Center will speak at the Tri-Coun- ty Veterans Round- Up. Lunch will be provided during the Veterans Town Hall, which is Wednesday, May 25 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Hermis- ton Conference Cen- ter, 415 S. Highway 395. Those planning to attend are asked to register at www. co.umatilla.or.us/vet- erans/index.html. In addition to Bri- an Westfield, other guest speakers include Dave Cooley, veterans service officer; Zach Knight, case manager with Oregon Support- ive Services for Veter- ans; and Dave Beebe, a team leader at the Walla Walla VA. For more informa- tion, call 541-922- 6420, 541-278-5482 or 541-667-3125.