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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 30, 2016)
43RD ANNUAL HERMISTON FARM FAIR Hermiston Herald WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2016 HermistonHerald.com SPECIAL SECTION $1.00 STUDENTS EXPRESS CHRISTMAS SPIRIT THROUGH ANNUAL FOOD DRIVE INSIDE MORE RETAIL COMING? CITY APPROVES SALE OF LAND TO FACILITATE RANCH & HOME DEAL. PAGE A3 MUSICAL HOMECOMING BULLDOG ALUMS RETURN TO OPEN DESERT ARTS SEASON. PAGE A4 THEY MAKE A VILLAGE EXPERIENCE ‘JOURNEY TO BETHLEHEM’ THIS WEEKEND. PAGE A4 NO. 2 IN THE STATE STANFIELD FALLS TO REGIS IN 2A TITLE GAME. PAGE A7 STAFF PHOTO BY TAMMY MALGESINI Ben DeCarlow, a teacher at Armand Larive Middle, takes a decibel reading during the canned food drive kick-off at an assembly at Armand Larive Middle School. Food collected will be distributed through the Hermiston Police Department Christmas Express. Thankful for Bridges event hopes to tear down walls By TAMMY MALGESINI Community Editor he deafening screams of students filled the gymnasium recently at Armand Larive Middle School. There wasn’t a sport- ing event going on — Ric Sherman was in the house. He was getting the crowd pumped up to beat Sandstone Middle School in the annual food drive for the Hermiston Police Christmas Express. The sixth graders topped out at 118 decibels, said Ben DeCarlow, a seventh and eighth grade science teacher who also heads up the food drive at Armand Larive. Their effort earned them 68 ex- tra points for their inter-school contest with the seventh and eighth graders. The eighth graders reached 105 deci- bels, receiving 55 extra points; and the seventh graders hit 103 decibels which garnered 53 points. Rather than receiving one point for each can, items are assigned points. Food with higher nutritional value counts as more, said Stacie Roberts, Armand Larive principal. She told stu- dents the focus isn’t how many Ramen noodles can be collected. The idea, Roberts said, is to provide healthier foods. “That’s what we need for our fami- lies,” she said. A retired educator, Sherman gets excited about Christmas Express, a program in its 47th year. It started, Sherman said, when Ken Hodge, then manager of the Hermiston Sears, had some extra toys and called Bob Shan- non, who was the Hermiston police chief, asking if he knew of some needy See FOOD, A14 BRIEFLY STAFF PHOTO BY TAMMY MALGESINI Students at Armand Larive Middle School get pumped up during an assembly about the annual food drive competition with Sandstone Middle School. Food collected will be distributed through the Hermiston Police Department Christmas Express. ‘THE BIGGEST CONTRIBUTION OF FOOD TO THIS PROGRAM IS THE SCHOOLS. OUR KIDS ARE REALLY GREAT KIDS.’ STAFF PHOTO BY TAMMY MALGESINI Ric Sherman waits to announce the kick-off of the annual food drive during an assembly at Armand Larive Middle School. Sherman started coordinating the effort in 1979, with food being distributed through the Hermiston Police Department Christmas Express. Classic building transforms into modern offices Simmons Insurance Group cuts ribbon on renovated RoeMarks building By JADE McDOWELL Staff Writer STAFF PHOTO BY E.J. HARRIS Visitors gather in the refurbished former RoeMarks Men’s and Western Wear building during an open house for the Simmons Insurance Group on Tuesday in Hermiston. A distinctive downtown brick build- ing, as old as the city itself, has a new life as Hermiston’s newest, and most modern, office complex. The former RoeMarks Men’s and Western Wear building on the corner of Main Street and Northeast Second Street sat empty for nearly four years before Simmons Insurance Group pur- chased it in May. After hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of renova- tions on the two-story brick building, See BUILDING, A14 A pair of friends from the Hermiston area are work- ing to show their support for immigrants and other groups feeling marginalized follow- ing the presidential election. Alex Hobbs and Selene Torres-Medrano will host the Thankful for Bridges Com- munity Celebration on Sat- urday, Dec. 3, from 1-5 p.m. in the Umatilla High School commons area. “For the community that may be feeling apprehensive about the election, we want to provide some resources,” Hobbs said. Those resources will in- clude Jonathan Shaklee of Oliver & Shaklee Immi- gration Law Firm answer- ing legal questions, Sheriff Terry Rowan and local po- lice speaking on immigra- tion enforcement, Umatilla School District Superinten- dent Heidi Sipe answering concerns about education, members of the Hispan- ic Advisory Committee, members of the Latino Co- alition of Tri-Cities. The presentations will start around 2:30 p.m. but first attendees can just enjoy free tamales, rice and beans plus entertainment by local musician Dallin Puzey and the band Los Coralillos. “We want to be really ca- sual because I think people kind of shy away from politi- cal events, so we want to have music and food and relax,” Hobbs said. She said the idea came from a “Love Trumps Hate” rally Hobbs attended after the election. She said the showing of solidarity was a nice idea, but she felt like it left a lot of questions unanswered for the people who showed up wor- ried about how the Donald J. Trump administration might affect their lives. She and Torres-Medrano decided they wanted to do something that would pro- vide some “peace of mind.” are encouraging people to bring a donation of canned food for the Agape House or Desert Rose Ministries if they attend.. ——— — Jade McDowell
