INSIDE SPORTS DAWGS SEND 14 WRESTLERS TO STATE TOURNEY Hermiston Herald ld HermistonHerald.com WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2017 $1.00 INSIDE STAFF PHOTO BY E.J. HARRIS Woman of the Year was given to Liz Marvin at the Hermiston Chamber of Commerce’s Distinguished Citizens Awards Banquet on Feb. 1 in Hermiston. COLLAPSE STANFIELD BUILDING COLLAPSE CLOSES RESTAURANT, FORCES OUT RENTERS PAGE A3 LOVE, POISON TAKE YOUR PICK AT AGAPE HOUSE MURDER MYSTERY FUNDRAISER PAGE A4 NABBED THREE WANTED MEN ARRESTED, THREE STOLEN VEHICLES RECOVERED PAGE A6 ON CALL AFTER 37 YEARS WITH FIRE DEPT., KEVIN TASSIE HANGS UP HOSE PAGE A7 BY A HAIR SPOTLIGHT ON EDUCATION Staff Writer Schools and students are an important part of the Hermiston community, and the annual Dis- tinguished Citizen Awards always take time to honor both. Along with the usual education honors, this year the woman of the year award went to Liz Marvin, in large part for her service to Herm- iston students. Garth Lind was named teacher of the year at the ceremony and Elias Ismael Are- nas and Vanessa Ambriz-Mendoza were picked as Altrusan young citi- zens. Here’s why they won: WHAT COMES NEXT? Liz Marvin, the Project College Bound coordinator at Hermiston High School, has spent the last 12 years helping Hermiston students think about what they’ll do af- ter high school, and helping them get there. She works with the AS- PIRE mentoring program, and is the advisor of the College Savings Group, where a group of students get to raise money for college, which is then matched by state and federal funding. She’s one of the school’s go-to people for every- thing college-related — fi nancial aid, school applications, and some- times just moral support. “My job is a lot of problem-solv- ing, being a resource,” Marvin said. College applications can be overwhelming for students, be- tween the mountains of paperwork and understanding fi nancial aid. Marvin offers her expertise and support to both students and their families, guiding them through the process, and explaining programs like FAFSA — the Free Applica- tion for Federal Student Aid. “A whole lot of them just want to know the steps. I try to break it into small pieces, the nuts and bolts,” she said. “We really try to give them a road map and support them.” She also hopes to teach them some practical skills. On a Tues- day lunch meeting with students from her College Savings Group, she reviews the group’s plans for a weekend visit to some colleges in Portland — but also to explore the city and do some other activities. “We’ll visit a thrift store, like a Goodwill,” she said. “I’ll have them price out a job interview outfi t and items to furnish an apartment.” Marvin said her favorite part of the job is helping students and de- veloping relationships with them — many students continue to keep in touch and ask Marvin’s as they navigate fi nancial aid in college. See EDUCATION, A16 STAFF PHOTO BY E.J. HARRIS Elias “Ismael” Arenas was one of two Altrusan Outstanding Young Citizen award winners named at the Hermiston Chamber of Commerce’s Distinguished Citizens Awards Banquet Feb. 1 in Hermiston. STAFF PHOTO BY E.J. HARRIS Vanessa Ambriz-Mendoza was one of two Altrusan Outstanding Young Citizen award winners named at the Hermiston Chamber of Commerce’s Distinguished Citizens Awards Banquet Feb. 1 in Hermiston. Sunset Park may get assist from Trail Blazers Moda Assist Program donates money for playground equipment By GEORGE PLAVEN Staff Writer For every assist on the court from the Portland Trail Blazers this season, the city of Hermiston could score big with money to build a new playground at Sunset Park. The Trail Blazers and Moda Health are donating $10 for each Blazer assist to playground equip- ment at one of three parks across the state. This year, Sunset Park will compete with Jason Lee Ele- mentary in Portland and Lillian A. Goodspeed Park in Tillamook for the grand prize. BRIEFLY Get some tax help SCHOOL STAFF, STUDENTS WELL-REPRESENTED AT DISTINGUISHED CITIZENS BANQUET By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN HERMISTON WINS DISTRICT SWIM MEET IN FINAL RACE AGAINST PENDLETON PAGE A10 CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Park equipment similar to what is seen here will be available to the Hermiston Parks and Recreation Department if it wins the voting in the Moda Assist Program. The winner will be determined by an online fan vote, which ends March 20 at www.trailblazers. com/assists. At 5 p.m. Tuesday the Hermiston project was in the lead with 1,026 votes, about 150 more See PARK, A8 With tax season in full swing, some people may need assistance fi ling their forms. Sponsored by the AARP, certifi ed volunteers partic- ipated in Internal Revue Service training. The pro- gram was created to assist the elderly, disabled and low-to-moderate income persons with their tax re- turns. The AARP Tax-Aide program is available in sev- eral communities: •Tuesdays and Thurs- days from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Hermiston Public Li- brary, 235 E. Gladys Ave. •Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Board- man Senior Center, 100 Ta- tone St. Appointments can’t be scheduled, so people should come prepared to wait in the lobby until a volunteer can provide assistance. For more information, including what items to bring with you, visit www. a a r p . o rg / m o n e y / t a x e s / aarp_taxaide. Migrant education forum The InterMountain Ed- ucation Service District will hold a forum for mi- grant parents and families in Umatilla and Morrow counties today from 6 to 8 p.m. at West Park Elemen- tary, 555 SW 7th St., Herm- iston. The meeting is designed so families can discuss mi- grant education. “There are a lot of con- cerns regarding immi- gration because of all the changes, so we decided to bring an attorney to answer questions,” said Obdulia Munoz of the IMESD.