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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (June 29, 2016)
Hermiston Herald era HermistonHerald.com WEDNESDAY, JUNE 29, 2016 4 TH OF JULY ACTIVITIES CALENDAR PAGE 2 $1.00 ABOUT TOWN Offi ces closed on 4th of July BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER The offi ces for the Hermiston Herald and East Oregonian, 333 E. Main St., Hermiston, will be closed Monday, July 4, for the Independence Day holiday to allow our staff to celebrate the holiday with family and friends. The offi ce will reopen for business at 8 a.m. Tuesday, July 5. Have a happy and safe Fourth of July holi- day and Happy Birthday to the United States of America. RELAY FOR LIFE BRINGS OUT THE BEST FOR CANCER RESEARCH By JADE McDOWELL Staff Writer t’s a rare person whose life doesn’t end up being af- fected by cancer in some way. It’s no surprise, then, that people of all ages and walks of life came together at the Umatilla County Fair- grounds on Saturday for Herm- iston’s 20th annual Relay for Life to raise money for cancer research. Some of them were survi- vors. Some had lost a loved one to the disease. Some were care- givers and some came in sup- port of friends and family. But they all had one goal in mind: Beat cancer. “I have friends that 20 years ago would have died, but research has made all the difference,” said Jan Evans, who has been involved with Relay for Life for the past 21 years after surviving breast can- cer. It was her 16th year running the silent auction, which featured more than 350 items donated by the community. Evans said she participates in part out of gratitude that she managed to survive a disease that takes hundreds of thou- sands of lives in the U.S. each year. She said she would like- ly retire from being in charge of the auction next year but it wouldn’t stop her from con- tinuing to be involved with Re- lay for Life in other ways. Kristy Gifford said she also came to the fairgrounds on Saturday to help support the research that could save lives in the future. She had traveled from Independence, Oregon, to join a team of friends and family in remembrance of her brother-in-law Dennis Wade, who died three years ago of pancreatic cancer. Her husband is a cancer survivor. “For people facing the bat- tle, it’s not easy,” she said. “It’s those dreaded words. But they’re always coming out with new research.” I See CANCER, A14 STAFF PHOTO BY ALEXA LOUGEE BMCC’s Harvey Franklin is set to retire at the end of the month. Franklin retires from BMCC STAFF PHOTO BY JADE McDOWELL By ALEXA LOUGEE A team in memory of David Wade waits for the opening ceremonies of the Hermiston Relay for Life. Staff Writer STAFF PHOTO BY JADE McDOWELL STAFF PHOTO BY JADE McDOWELL Lou Ann Wolfe, left, speaks with her husband Bryan Wolfe as the grand marshals of the 2016 Hermiston Relay for Life. Luminaries line the course for the Hermiston Relay for Life, honoring cancer survivors and people who died from cancer. STAFF PHOTO BY JADE McDOWELL Hermiston Relay for Life participants walk laps at the Umatilla County Fairgrounds on Saturday. New fi re district launches Friday By ALEXA LOUGEE Staff Writer July 1 will mark the inaugural day for Umatilla County Fire Dis- trict 1. There’ll be a new district and a new name, but new services will have a delayed roll-out. Fire Chief Scott Stanton says the six weeks since the measure passed have simply not been enough time to get everything in place for Fri- day’s launch of the new district. In May, voters passed measures to dissolve the Stanfi eld and Herm- iston fi re districts and create one unifi ed district. The combined tax rate on assessed property values in Hermiston and Stanfi eld is expected to bring in $900,000. Stanton said See FIRE, A14 HERALD FILE PHOTO Hermiston Fire & Emergency Services Chief Scott Stanton poses by one of the district’s trucks in this fi le photo. On Friday, July 1, Stanton becomes chief of the new Umatilla County Fire District No. 1, which encompasses current Hermiston and Stanfi eld fi re districts, which will be dissolved with the formation of the new district. Harvey Franklin has been with Blue Mountain Community College for the last 11 years, but his experience in education spans a lifetime. “Education is the key to life,” Harvey believes. Come July 1, Franklin will be studying a new subject — retirement. Harvey is retiring from his position as senior as- sociate vice president of branch campuses, a role Jacelyn Keys will be as- suming along with the new title of Hermiston BMCC Director. Franklin won’t be completely out of the edu- cation scene. He’s hoping to use his knowledge and experience for consulting work. He’s particularly interested in sharing his grant writing skills. It was these skills that brought new programs to BMCC, like the diesel technology degree. Franklin began his career in education at Prairie City in 1975 teaching industrial arts. He earned his doctor- ate in education from the University of Ore- gon. He and his wife of 46 years, Gwyneth, live on 80 acres outside of Hermiston where they raise cattle and alfalfa. Franklin hopes to keep ranching through retire- ment and get back into horses. Horseshoeing was one way he’s sup- ported his family, in- cluding six kids, during summer months. Franklin is a U.S. Army combat veteran, having served in Vietnam from 1967 to 1969. He used his G.I .Bill to pay for school and encourag- es all vets to utilize their benefi ts. The “tremendous” support received by the community has impressed Franklin. He sees contin- ued growth for BMCC and Hermiston, “There’s just an over- all good attitude of pro- gression and wanting to grow,” he said.