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.