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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 7, 2016)
Hermiston BULLDOGS FIGHT BACK AGAINST UNION SPORTS Page 7 Herald HermistonHerald.com WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2016 $1.00 WHERE LIFE — AND ONIONS— ARE SWEET STAFF PHOTO BY GARY L. WEST Stefan Matheny (left), director of sales for River Point Farms, and Jonathan Miller, plant manager, talk about the Hermiston Sweets sweet onion product line at the farm’s fresh pack plant near Hermiston. HERMISTON SWEETS HIT STORES IN TIME FOR END OF SUMMER By GEORGE PLAVEN Staff Writer A candy wrapper might seem like an odd logo for onions, but Ste- fan Matheny said it does the trick for Hermiston Sweets. Matheny, director of sales for River Point Farms in Hermiston, said the company has marketed locally grown sweet onions for 20 years. With harvest now in full swing, the farm is scrambling to package and fi ll orders in time for Labor Day Weekend. Hermiston is already famous for growing another kind of sweet treat — watermelons — but Matheny said Hermiston Sweets have also become well known among Northwest retailers and customers. “I think the Hermiston Sweet is pretty versa- tile,” Matheny said. “It can go on a hamburger, fresh cut, or it also sautés very well.” It’s that kind of versatility that allows Hermis- ton Sweets to fetch a premium price on the mar- ket. Sweet onions are distinguished by their mild pungency, as measured by the amount of pyru- vic acid in the produce. That’s the chemical that makes people’s eyes sting and water. While Hermiston Sweets are only a small percentage of business at River Point Farms, Matheny said it’s proven to be a valuable spe- cialty market. Hermiston Sweets can be found at a number of regional and national chains, includ- ing Safeway, Costco and Fred Meyer. “Certainly, the Columbia Basin as a whole is well-known for quality,” Matheny said. “It’s a good area for growing onions.” See SWEETS, A14 STAFF PHOTO BY GARY L. WEST Several varieties of onions await in bins for processing and packaging at the River Point Farm fresh pack plant near Hermiston. PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY RIVER POINT FARMS. Hermiston sweet onions have been marketed by River Point Farms for 20 years. Warming Station looking for space to rent By JADE MCDOWELL Staff Writer The Hermiston Warming Sta- tion is looking for a home. Trish Rossell said the non- profit, which formerly operated under the umbrella of St. John’s Episcopal Church, now has its own 501(c)3 nonprofit status and is interested in renting a space somewhere in Hermiston for the winter. In the past the temporary home- less shelter has been open only on days when the temperature dips below freezing, but Rossell said this year it will operate seven days a week during December, January and February no matter the temperature. “We elected to do that because we thought that a consistent schedule would be better for the people we serve,” she said. The schedule will keep the station’s clients from showing up only to find that the shelter isn’t open for the night, or from needing to find Internet access each day to check the shelter’s Facebook page. The downside is that the shelter is only allowed to house guests for 90 days out of the season, so Hermiston’s homeless population will have to weather cold days in November or March on their own. Two years ago the Warming Station temporarily rented space downtown, but last year used the ARC of Umatilla building, which had more space but is used for other activities during the day and early evenings. Rossell said they would prefer to rent their own space again this year but landlords have proven wary about renting to an organization that gives homeless people a place to sleep. “They shouldn’t be afraid be- cause we have volunteers pres- ent,” she said. The nonprofit plans to sched- ule trainings for volunteers during October and November. She said planning for volunteers should be easier if they know exactly what nights the shelter will be open, and she hopes to see both return- ing volunteers and new faces. People who aren’t comfortable with working directly with home- less guests can still be used to do See RENT, A14 ABOUT TOWN Sixth graders off ered free bikes for perfect attendance Hermiston sixth grad- ers can earn a free bicy- cle and helmet by having perfect attendance this year. Roger’s Toyota of Hermiston will purchase the items for any sixth grade student at Sand- stone Middle School or Armand Larive Mid- dle School who does not miss a single day of school between Sept. 19 and June 6. One absence — ex- cused or unexcused — or more than two instanc- es of tardiness will dis- qualify the students. The challenge will be rolled out at assemblies at both schools this week. The program is mod- eled after the P.A.S.S. (Perfect Attendance Spells Success) program in Lewiston, Idaho. It comes at a time when school districts and the state of Oregon have put a renewed emphasis on attendance as a way to improve student success. Glenn Silaski, general manager of Roger’s Toy- ota, said in a news release that the program has al- ready helped hundreds of students in Idaho increase their attendance rates. “The best thing about this program is the en- thusiasm it generates among teachers, parents and most importantly sixth graders,” he said. “These kids are in the perfect place in their school careers to be excited and motivated about an extra incentive to attend class.” Assistant superinten- dence Brynn Browning said in a statement that research shows atten- dance in sixth grade is one of the three main in- dicators that a student is in danger of dropping out of high school later. “Many instances are seen as ‘oh, just one here or there,’” she said. “But students are considered chronically absent even if they miss a day or two every few weeks.” She said the district was grateful to Roger’s Toyota for helping make the P.A.S.S. program pos- sible in Hermiston. TRCI gets new superintendent A new superinten- dent will soon take over at Two Rivers Correc- tional Institution. On Sept. 15, Brigitte Amsberry will replace acting superintendent Steve Franke at TRCI, a minimum security pris- on located in Umatilla since 2000. Amsberry has worked at Eastern Ore- gon Correctional Insti- tution, Pendleton since 2000, where she started as a prison nurse. She served as interim super- intendent in 2013 before returning to assistant superintendent in 2014 when Jeri Taylor took over. Amsberry began her most recent role — assistant superintendent of security — in July of this year.
